Posted by India’s most newsworthy selection for this Test was their decision to bowl Deep – but it’s notable they set themselves up to bat deep too. That particular move seemed to leave tail-amputating Josh Tongue with fewer targets. How would he respond?
As previously reported, in the first Test India were 453-5 when Tongue took his first wicket of the match and 349-6 when he belatedly made a contribution in the second innings.
We’re calling him The Late Show. Ben Duckett calls him The Mop. His captain mimed the consumption of rabbit pie.
Sorry to use the above image again. We have the same relationship with it as we do with Dave’s Insanity Sauce. We can’t believe it can possibly be as bad as we remember it, so we give it another go and turns out it absolutely is as bad as we remember it and we’re filled with regret. You can’t go back though. All you can really do is quaff milk until the pain subsides. (What’s that? Delete the image, you say?)
Somewhat ironically, India’s deep batting in this match only really ends with Akash Deep at number nine. A mere three tail-enders does not make for a good recipe for a Josh Tongue seven-for. Except one of his first wickets in the first Test was in fact a top order batter.
Remember? He hit a Pant leg.
Rishabh Pant had 134 when this happened. Because as well as snaffling tail-enders, that’s the other thing Josh Tongue has been doing in this series. He’s been dismissing well-set batters.
In the first innings of this second Test, The Late Show watched India make their way to 414-5 and then LEAPT INTO ACTION.
He then took two wickets – India’s two top-scorers – Ravindra Jadeja for 89 and Shubman Gill for the small matter of 269.
This is a useful thing. It is definitely better to dismiss a batter for 269 than to let him carry on and make 369 or 469. A bowler who dismisses set batters and mops up the tail is ticking a couple of important boxes for his team. ‘Actually being physically capable of bowling more overs’ is a third one.
All good stuff, but what we’re thinking here is that it would be helpful for England if Tongue – or someone else – would do a rather better job of ticking the ‘dismissing specialist batters before they’re well-set’ box.
You don’t need Deep knowledge to be aware that’s the first and biggest tick your team requires.
Purest Bazball this morning.
…is what I came here to comment, but then I saw that horrible picture of Stokes again and my afternoon is now ruined.
“Yet again that oaf has destroyed my day.”
So, how many innings have there been where there have been 2 150+’s and 6 ducks?
P.S. Changed my email so I don’t have a toilet as an avatar.
WTH! Now it looks like an ill carrot vomiting.
https://support.gravatar.com/your-profile/ – I think.
(I already had one set up from my own, far inferior, cricket blog, which was put out of its misery about 15 years ago)
Thanks AP. I will look at it, but I tend to avoid things where you have to input personal data, me being incredibly famous and all. Alternatively, I’ll keep changing email addresses until I come across an avatar I approve of.
Let’s see what this one produces (actually, this is more fun than it should be).
Don’t know why this stat comes to mind just now, but I was wondering if anyone knows what England’s biggest defeat by runs in Tests was?
Mind you the real stat of the match was revealed by Cricinfo on day 3, when they noted that Carse’s (I think) score of zero was the 10,000th duck in Test cricket. There’s a claim to fame
Lost by 562 runs v Australia at The Oval in 1934.
This has been a cracking match for stats. First ever innings with six ducks and two centuries. Highest score by an England men’s wicketkeeper. Most individual aggregate runs by an Indian in a Test; second most overall. First player to record scores in excess of 250 and 150 in same Test. Most runs in first two Tests as captain. Lowest total for an all-out innings that had a 300-plus partnership. Highest total containing six ducks.
Thanks Sam! Ah well, that particular record is safe for now. That’s quite a list of other records though; a remarkable mix of feast and famine for batters.