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England (360 & 296/3) beat New Zealand (329 & 326) by 7 wickets in the 3rd Test at Leeds

Time for predictions!

Unlikely to be a draw. Weather forecast not perfect, but looks good enough across the two days to allow the time for a result.

Eng have already won the series — but can they wrap this one up 3-0, or will it be NZ to come back for the consolation win?
 
Ab Fan said:
Bairstow was a keeper bat for 49 tests, so it is about 50% or slightly more and his stats as keeper bat is better than specialist batsman. So, it comes down to form and then fixing his technical deficiencies.

Atherton averaged 37 as opener in 90s but that era had some of the all time great fast bowlers especially with new bowl.
Click to expand...

This era has world class bowlers in almost every top side. It's much harder now. Tougher era.
 
England Men’s Test wicketkeeper Ben Foakes has tested positive for COVID-19.

Foakes was unable to keep wicket yesterday on day three of the Third LV= Insurance Test at Headingley suffering from back stiffness. On a further medical assessment yesterday evening, he subsequently tested positive after administering an LFT COVID-19 test.

Details of his return to the England set-up will be announced in due course. However, it is hoped he will be fit for the LV= Insurance Test against India starting next Friday at Edgbaston.

Kent wicketkeeper/batter Sam Billings, subject to ICC approval, has been drafted in as a like-for-like COVID replacement and will go straight into the XI when the fourth day gets underway from 11.00am today. He will keep wicket.

The rest of the England party follows health protocols of symptom reporting and subsequent testing if required. There are no other positive cases in the camp.
 
Moeey said:
This era has world class bowlers in almost every top side. It's much harder now. Tougher era.
Click to expand...

McGrath
Warne
Wasim
Waqar
Donald
Pollock
Ambrose
Walsh

V/s

Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah
Anderson
 
Revised session times for today:

Session one: 1100 -1300
Lunch: 1300-1340
Session two: 1340 - 1559
Tea: 1559 - 1619
Session 3: 1619 - 1819

95.1 overs to be bowled
 
Ab Fan said:
McGrath
Warne
Wasim
Waqar
Donald
Pollock
Ambrose
Walsh

V/s

Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah
Anderson
Click to expand...

And of the modern four, only Cummins and Bumrah are on a par with the nineties aces.
 
Ab Fan said:
McGrath
Warne
Wasim
Waqar
Donald
Pollock
Ambrose
Walsh

V/s

Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah
Anderson
Click to expand...

Lol at Pollock and Waqar. Both are wildly overrated.

Now we have Kyle Jamieson too. Add in Wagner
Boult
Shami
Along with the 4 mentioned.
Nortje
Ngidi both have good averages
Shaeen afridi


Best bowling era ever.
 
Robert said:
And of the modern four, only Cummins and Bumrah are on a par with the nineties aces.
Click to expand...

Delusional. 90s era was a joke, riddled with scandals, match fixing etc.
Some of the pitches provided were downright ridiculous.
 
Moeey said:
Lol at Pollock and Waqar. Both are wildly overrated.

Now we have Kyle Jamieson too. Add in Wagner
Boult
Shami
Along with the 4 mentioned.
Nortje
Ngidi both have good averages
Shaeen afridi


Best bowling era ever.
Click to expand...

Pollock is an ATG test bowler. Waqar may have benefitted from ball tampering but he had the pace in his early years to trouble batsman.

And you cannot bring the "tampering" factor here because the initial discussion was about which era batsman are having it harder? Atherton era or Bairstow.

Boult is probably the best among the names you mentioned but he is not an ATG. All the names I mentioned were ATGs.

Wagner and Shami are 26-27 averaging bowlers like Srinath and Darren Gough. I didn't included them.

All the other mentioned names have played 10-15 tests which isn't enough to label them as great. Shaheen might not have the control in test cricket to become the next Wasim-Waqar, he seems to have a ceiling of Boult, Starc, Johnson, Vaas, Zaheer in tests.
 
Last edited:
Ab Fan said:
Pollock is an ATG test bowler. Waqar may have benefitted from ball tampering but he had the pace in his early years to trouble batsman.

And you cannot bring the "tampering" factor here because the initial discussion was about which era batsman are having it harder? Atherton era or Bairstow.

Boult is probably the best among the names you mentioned but he is not an ATG. All the names I mentioned were ATGs.

Wagner and Shami are 26-27 averaging bowlers like Srinath and Darren Gough. I didn't included them.

All the other mentioned names have played 10-15 tests which isn't enough to label them as great. Shaheen might not have the control in test cricket to become the next Wasim-Waqar, he seems to have a ceiling of Boult, Starc, Johnson, Vaas, Zaheer in tests.
Click to expand...

whatever suits you. to me current era bowlers look a lot better overall. more depth in fast bowling.

mcgrath was the best from the 90s and perhaps ambrose. rest had issues in specific conditions. pollock was useless vs australia. the one team that was actually strong in 90s.

i keep hearing stories about this mythical waqar pre injury. even prior to injury he never performed well vs quality batsmen. atherton is not someone i would rate as a quality opener vs pace.
 
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Blundell has been a good replacement for BJ Watling for New Zealand.
 
Moeey said:
whatever suits you. to me current era bowlers look a lot better overall. more depth in fast bowling.

mcgrath was the best from the 90s and perhaps ambrose. rest had issues in specific conditions. pollock was useless vs australia. the one team that was actually strong in 90s.

i keep hearing stories about this mythical waqar pre injury. even prior to injury he never performed well vs quality batsmen. atherton is not someone i would rate as a quality opener vs pace.
Click to expand...

I watched him, he was terrifying in pace, with massive banana inswing.
 
Solid from Blundell and Mitchell again. Been so good these two.

NZ 254/5 at lunch.
 
The Yorkshire County Cricket Club is delighted to be offering supporters the chance to watch day five of the Test Match at Headingley for free.

Supporters are now able to claim up to four tickets each for free and look forward to a great day of cricket here at Headingley. To claim your tickets, simply follow the link below, select your seats and fill in your details. All juniors must be accompanied by an adult.
Before checking out, supporters will be able to make a donation (amount of their choice) to the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation to support their fantastic work in our local communities.

SECURE TICKETS

Tickets will be available on a first come, first served basis so we would encourage you to get yours now to avoid missing out. Please note only mobile tickets are available.

The Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s Chief Operating Officer Andy Dawson said: “We are absolutely delighted to be offering supporters the chance to watch a day of international cricket for free.
“Following an incredible final day at Trent Bridge last week, and an enthralling few days here so far, it would be fantastic to see a big crowd tomorrow.

“The Club have been working hard for many months to ensure we offer a fantastic and welcoming experience for everyone that comes through our gates, and we would love to welcome those who love cricket and may not have been able to visit Headingley previously.”
 
Moeey said:
Lol at Pollock and Waqar. Both are wildly overrated.

Now we have Kyle Jamieson too. Add in Wagner
Boult
Shami
Along with the 4 mentioned.
Nortje
Ngidi both have good averages
Shaeen afridi


Best bowling era ever.
Click to expand...
The current bunch fast bowlers look good because the batsmen are very poor.Not a single current bowler is as good as the greats of the past.Waqar is not over rated.He was as good as any.
 
Fenrir said:
The current bunch fast bowlers look good because the batsmen are very poor.Not a single current bowler is as good as the greats of the past.Waqar is not over rated.He was as good as any.
Click to expand...

Yes, modern batters have poor defensive techniques, but I think Cummins is as good as the nineties aces.
 
274 lead with two wickets left. Leach has eight in the match.
 
Fenrir said:
The current bunch fast bowlers look good because the batsmen are very poor.Not a single current bowler is as good as the greats of the past.Waqar is not over rated.He was as good as any.
Click to expand...

i disagree. almost all current top bowlers are as good or better than 90s quite easily. its a results oriented era. Cant play for boring draws like in 80s and 90s. teams go for the kill.
Besides in the 90s there was no drs, unbiased umpiring, no ball umpiring etc.
modern batsmen have much better attacking game, bigger bats, better protection etc. If anything it was easier to be a fast bowler in 90s especially with very hostile seam friendly pitches.

Much harder now. Bowlers are far better now imo.
 
Moeey said:
whatever suits you. to me current era bowlers look a lot better overall. more depth in fast bowling.

mcgrath was the best from the 90s and perhaps ambrose. rest had issues in specific conditions. pollock was useless vs australia. the one team that was actually strong in 90s.

i keep hearing stories about this mythical waqar pre injury. even prior to injury he never performed well vs quality batsmen. atherton is not someone i would rate as a quality opener vs pace.
Click to expand...

Shaun Pollock 160 test wickets at 20 in 1990s. That's outrageous simply. Even his overall stats, how many would be able to match that. Surely not Trent Boult.
 
296 to win for England.

Some uneven bounce.

Should be a very interesting finale.
 
I am here! It is a great atmosphere.

Superb bowling from Potts and Leach today. Great captaincy support for them from Stokes.

Tense run chase coming up…

It might rain tomorrow. So all results possible.
 
James said:
I am here! It is a great atmosphere.

Superb bowling from Potts and Leach today. Great captaincy support for them from Stokes.

Tense run chase coming up…

It might rain tomorrow. So all results possible.
Click to expand...

Hopefully rain will stay away. This has been a cracker of a game.
 
Ab Fan said:
McGrath
Warne
Wasim
Waqar
Donald
Pollock
Ambrose
Walsh

V/s

Cummins
Rabada
Bumrah
Anderson
Click to expand...

Quality of bowling is debatable . But all things considered, the 90's were the toughest batting decade out of the 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's and 10's wheres the 2000's was the toughest bowling decade.

Batsmen who did well in the 90's and bowlers who did well in the 2000's are the ones to be highly rated.
 
Bracewell has got a wicket but has not been accurate , Kiwis need wickets here to put them under pressure.
 
NZ bowling has been a disappointment this series apart from flashes of brilliance from Trent Boult.

Tum Southee, Matt Henry and Neil Wagner has had tough time this series. Jamieson and Colin de grandhomme injury hasn't helped too.

They have to blame their defensive mindset too. With two seamers injured and one strike bowler really struggling with form, you can't go with three pacers and one part time spinner. Ajaz Patel must have played.
 
Last edited:
Haha, Sangakkara showing his Rajasthan Royals love for Jos Buttler in this game. He wants Jos Buttler to be brought back and played as test opener. Why not? :warner
 
This series has brutally exposed Overratedson’s captaincy.

“Williamson is the best captain in the world” drama has ended in tears. :91:
[MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION]
 
Watching Pope and Root bat together live has been a pleasure. Third or fourth time I’ve seen Root but the first I’ve seen Pope.

Their communication and shot selection have been absolutely excellent.

England aren’t there yet and things can still change, but this is a good platform for them.
 
Today has been Southee’s best bowling of the series.
 
New Zealand has had some tough games over last one year. A test loss at home vs Bangladesh and getting whitewashed to England 0-3 is not what they would have even thought of at the start of those tours.
 
This has been an atrocious selection by the Kiwis. Question must be raised on spinner selection for no.8 spot.

Actually Bracewell could have made a case for himself at 7 but they needed Ajaz here. This guy had a 10-fer in Mumbai last year. He is no less than Leech.
 
NZ usually get thrashed like this in SA, OZ or India. But it's unusual to see the same happening in England.
 
Should be 3-0 england tomorrow.

Pick your best X1 and positive captaincy will win you more games then you lose.
 
Mamoon said:
This series has brutally exposed Overratedson’s captaincy.

“Williamson is the best captain in the world” drama has ended in tears. :91:

[MENTION=147292]RedwoodOriginal[/MENTION]
Click to expand...

I'll tell you what I think one you muster the guts to respond to me and everyone else that called you out for being wrong on the other threads.
 
lcimg-57323ace-5e0a-4cfd-b515-af65a430ec5b.jpg
 
England need 113 runs with eight wickets in hand to complete another superb final-day victory against New Zealand in the third Test at Headingley.

Set 296 to win, England hurried along once again to reach 183-2 on day four.

Ollie Pope made 81 not out and Joe Root an unbeaten 55, putting on 132 after Alex Lees was run out for nine and Zak Crawley caught for a frantic 25.

After chasing 277 in the first Test and breathlessly pursuing 299 to win the second, victory in Leeds will give England a 3-0 series clean sweep over the World Test champions.

They would have hoped to earn themselves a smaller target when New Zealand resumed on 168-5 - 137 ahead - but were thwarted by Tom Blundell's 88 not out.

Blundell, who overturned an lbw decision on 52 and was dropped on 67, combined with Daryl Mitchell yet again for their fourth century stand of the series.

Mitchell fell lbw for 56 to the impressive Matthew Potts 50 minutes into the afternoon session before Jack Leach took the last four wickets to claim 5-66 and his first 10-wicket match haul in Tests.

If England pull off the win they will become the first team to chase 250 three times in a row.

A full house is expected on Monday after Yorkshire followed the lead of Nottinghamshire, the hosts of the second Test, in allowing spectators in for free to watch this energised England side attempt do so.

Transformed England eye clean sweep

Before this series, when England had won only one of their past 17 Tests, a chase of almost 300 would have looked way beyond them.

But they have been transformed under new coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes to the point that anything now looks possible.

At Trent Bridge last week they had 72 overs to chase 299 and did so in 50.

With four sessions to reach their target on this occasion, they batted in slightly more measured fashion but still eased along at more than four an over, Joe Root reverse sweeping his first ball and later playing an outrageous scoop for six off pace bowler Neil Wagner.

New Zealand's only spinner, part-timer Michael Bracewell, was ineffective and seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee were neutered by a lack of movement and a flat pitch.

Showers are forecast on Monday morning, but there should still be time for either side to force a win.

Root and Pope cruise after Crawley fails again

In truth, England would not have wanted the close to have come because Pope and Root were cruising in late-evening sunshine against bedraggled opponents hurt by the decision to leave out frontline spinner Ajaz Patel.

Both batters nicked between wicketkeeper and first slip off Bracewell's off-spin but otherwise were comfortable.

Pope batted at a spritely pace, as he did in his 145 in the second Test, and drove elegantly through the covers.

He also brought composure to proceedings after a frantic start during which Lees was run out in the fifth over after a mix-up with Crawley, who himself played an innings that summed up his international career.

Crawley was dropped on nought playing a wild drive, cracked four elegant fours in one Boult over and then carelessly tried to hit Bracewell out of the rough to be caught at extra cover. He ended the series without a fifty.

Shortly after, New Zealand burned two reviews in consecutive balls to try to dismiss Root lbw, but on both occasions the ball hit him outside the line of off stump.

Leach profits after Blundell blunts England again
If the match seems to be following the pattern of the previous two Tests, the first session was also very familiar.

England were resolutely blunted by Mitchell and Blundell, who became only the fifth pair to share four century stands in a series. Blundell's haul of 383 runs is the best by a visiting wicketkeeper in England.

He was left stranded when, after Mitchell perished playing across the line, the lower order tried to attack.

Leach profited as Bracewell swiped to deep mid-wicket, Tim Southee was bowled and Neil Wagner was caught between the legs of wicketkeeper Sam Billings, who was rushed into the game as a Covid-19 replacement for Ben Foakes.

Leach ended with match figures of 10-166 to become the first England spinner to take 10 in a Test since Moeen Ali five years ago.

Along with Pope and Jonny Bairstow, he looks to be one of the players to have benefitted most from the appointment of Stokes and McCullum.

BBC
 
Surprised by how easy this has been for England so far.

They should win this by lunch tomorrow.
 
Ab Fan said:
Haha, Sangakkara showing his Rajasthan Royals love for Jos Buttler in this game. He wants Jos Buttler to be brought back and played as test opener. Why not? :warner
Click to expand...

Because Buttler averages 32 in 70+ tests. He had a long run as a batter and didn’t deliver.
 
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