England v India 2025 Test Match Series June 20-August 4

[PhatBoy]

Siraj just gifted England the series.

To be fair England have tried incredibly hard to do the same but yes this could go pear shaped as a consequence of that.

But Brook doesn’t rein it in so he will probably offer them another one

 

[samFFC]

2 wickets, “only” 114 runs.
Only 6 to go.
India still ahead.

 

[PhatBoy]

2 wickets, “only” 114 runs.
Only 6 to go.
India still ahead.

Woakes will undoubtedly bat if there is even a sniff of victory. If any one of a Root, Brook, Smith, Atkinson, or even Overton is at the crease and they need 50 or less I’d be near certain he would bat and the other guy would just try and tee off.

 

[katana]

2 wickets, “only” 114 runs.
Only 6 to go.
India still ahead.

200+ runs. india well ahead.

 

[Grumpyshades]

Better than Carey, how many sitters has Carey dropped recently?

lol
no footwork, no feel for keeping
just a backstop

dont sook

 

[PhatBoy]

200+ runs. india well ahead.

60 more is the tipping point imo

 

[Plugger35]

Yorkshire are showing some good fight here.

 

[Bedi]

England are bloody going to win this aren't they. Extraordinary if they chase down another one.

 

[Plugger35]

This is getting boring, this is the problem with The Oval pitch, it gets better to bat on as the match goes on, it should get worse.

 

[PhatBoy]

This is getting boring, this is the problem with The Oval pitch, it gets better to bat on as the match goes on, it should get worse.

For 3 days it was doing plenty. If you want it hard at the start and getting worse, what sort of pitch do you think someone can produce? It’s halfway through day four.

They haven’t won it yet but there’s a strong chance that they will. At some point, if this gets added to a growing list of really big fourth innings chases that they’ve pulled off, people will stop looking to write them off and maybe go ‘you know what, this is happening too often to just ALWAYS be the pitch, maybe they’re actually good at it.’

 

[Plugger35]

A good hundred from Brook but Ponting is taking the piss saying it's a difficult pitch, it doesn't look that difficult to me.

It looks like an ODI or a T20 pitch now which is one of the reasons flat track Harry just scored a ton.

 

[Plugger35]

For 3 days it was doing plenty. If you want it hard at the start and getting worse, what sort of pitch do you think someone can produce? It’s halfway through day four.

They haven’t won it yet but there’s a strong chance that they will. At some point, if this gets added to a growing list of really big fourth innings chases that they’ve pulled off, people will stop looking to write them off and maybe go ‘you know what, this is happening too often to just ALWAYS be the pitch, maybe they’re actually good at it.’

Trust you to be contrary but anyone that's followed test cricket knows that The Oval pitch gets better to bat on as time goes on.

It's not a good venue for test cricket, it's a better venue for ODI cricket but it's Surrey's home ground and they have the money.

 

[Bedi]

With Oscar Piastri just getting pipped at the line, this is turning out to be a shit weekend of sport, so hoping India can rectify things here

 

[Plugger35]

Flat track Harry gone, India probably still aren't that much of a chance to win but at least it gives Bethell another chance to bat.

He is a batsman worth watching if he gets going.

 

[PhatBoy]

Trust you to be contrary but anyone that's followed test cricket knows that The Oval pitch gets better to bat on as time goes on.

It's not a good venue for test cricket, it's a better venue for ODI cricket but it's Surrey's home ground and they have the money.

It’s not being contrarian to understand that it’s virtually impossible to get a pitch to behave the way YOU want it to at every tick of the clock.

Why does every test pitch have to be the same? What makes a ‘good’ venue for test cricket - because by what you’re saying, all pitches should behave the same way at the same rate, yeah?

 

[PhatBoy]

Flat track Harry gone, India probably still aren't that much chance to win but at least it gives Bethell another chance to bat.

Flat track Harry who’s played comfortably the best hundred of the last 12 months on a seaming pitch and it happened to be against your team.

Christ you post some rubbish mate.

 

[Bedi]

well bowled, well batted Siraj slow ball to Bethell

 

[Bedi]

what? why? who?

 

[PhatBoy]

lol wtf was that

 

[Bedi]

has to be up there with the worst shot ever for a batsman to survive. Absolute miracle.

 

[PhatBoy]

has to be up there with the worst shot ever for a batsman to survive. Absolute miracle.

You couldn’t mistime or mishit a shot that poorly in 1000 innings on purpose.

 

[Bedi]

You couldn’t mistime or mishit a shot that poorly in 1000 innings on purpose.

haha the placement was superb

 

[Bedi]

England strong favourites from here. But 1-2 wickets can change things instantly

 

[PhatBoy]

England strong favourites from here. But 1-2 wickets can change things instantly

You’d assume the instructions would just be to let Root guide things home.

 

[Bedi]

You’d assume the instructions would just be to let Root guide things home.

Yep a Root 100 would put the finishing touches on a superb win. To win two matches chasing 350+ runs in the 4th innings in a series is extraordinary. Dare say it'd be the first time it's ever been done. Regardless of what happens, this is right up there with the most tightly contested 5 test series i can remember.