Cricket

[Pericardinho]

Cricket must've been so crap before the technology. Thank god for the review system.

Stokes clearly hits the ball first, given out LBW by the umpire.

But imagine we were out of reviews.

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Read somewhere no team has ever scored 400+ at Lords batting first and lost.

[Qunk]

Bairstow has to score a hundred. Simple as that

[Jimmy HaveHave]

Agreed as our tail end is quite poor.

[Ides of March]

So, so daft from Bairstow

[adje]

That's just dumb. Don't think you can class it as "cheating".

[Ides of March]

That's just dumb. Don't think you can class it as "cheating".

Agreed, Carey threw the ball before he walked out his crease regardless. Really poor from Bairstow

[Pericardinho]

What a joy to watch Stokes is when he plays like this.

He's going to get caught eventually but this is fun.

[BambooToTheFuture]

Half way there with half wickets gone and two sessions to play....Tough ask, and a shame Duckett now gone. He has put in the hard yards that Pope, Crawley and somewhat Brook failed to do.

Another poor showing from Root - he really needs to play his traditional game and sit in there. Wicket slowly improved from a batting perspective and Stokes can obviously hit the high figures too.

Going to take something special from Bairstow, Broad and Robinson...not expecting much from Anderson or Tongue obviously.

I do think with a traditional Test approach in the first session, England would have made things easier for themselves in trying to win. Aussie's will probably slowly pick England off or the game will run out of time. A draw probably suits both right now but Aussies probably also seeing blood now. That would still leave everything to play for. Third Test clearly will be key for England and must win.

NB: On Australia...they actually are a very beatable side, which is frustrating. They're probably a slightly above average test side - the trouble with England is part of their own creating, they aren't playing anything like a traditional test side, not even individually. It's telling when the req R/R is currently around about or under 4 per over, proving that a fully aggressive approach isn't needed. They've got to mix it up a bit - let the ''one dayers'' play Bazball, then Root and maybe one other {not sure who - maybe Stokes}.

Edit: Strange out that. Bairstow really just needed a quick glance there and he stays in. Carey did well there and quick thinking. Bleak for England now unless Broad puts in a good performance...he's capable of half centuries but his only hundred at international level has come in Test cricket...v Pakistan...at Lord's - 169.

Good over then though - obviously going for it now. England do need a bit of that win at all cost mentality. Sometimes a bit too kind or nice about it. Go into Lunch needing about 15O and who knows. Have to treat anything after Lunch as an ODI with say 40 overs of play available and a RRR of still about 4 per over.

[Saxondale]

I think Ben Stokes is a bit annoyed.

Which is nice.

[Pericardinho]

I can't believe what I'm watching.

The crowd are up. He couldn't do it again could he? surely not.

I am gripped to the screen!!!

[The Artist Formerly Known as Audrey]

Yowzer!

[BambooToTheFuture]

Three Sixes from Stokes and Ton up. He'll get caught but it's no shock that a Kiwi would be fired up to score against the Aussies.

So we thought Bairstow needed to score a ton. I think Broad tickling a 3O and Stokes probably needs to double his score. There's another four away. Even the skeletons at Lords are off their seats.

[Pericardinho]

Got to get to less than 100 without losing Broad. Then suddenly OZ might start getting twitchy. Especially as this has happened before.

[Saxondale]

On the Bairstow dismissal rights and wrongs its interesting to hear Glenn Mcgrath being pretty uncomfortable about it and Aussie Jim Maxwell being absolutely very much against it.