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3 weeks ago
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The weather forecast is better after lunch so I’m sure there will be plenty of play. If not, there’s always Australia v India at the Gabba.
“Evening Rob,” writes Kim Thonger. “I’ve spent the last couple of days in Germany. Even though a large proportion of Germans are sports mad, I can confirm what we all knew. Nobody has the slightest interest in cricket of any sort.
“I’ve been pondering, could it be that those responsible for preparing school playing fields have always been horrified by the imperial measurements used to create pitches and equipment?
“For example. Here is a list of imperial measurements used in cricket and their metric conversions:
Cricket pitch Length 22 yards (66 feet) is approximately 20.12 meters
Cricket pitch Width 10 feet is approximately 3.05 meters
Boundary distance Typically ranges from 50 to 90 yards, equivalent to 45.72 to 82.29 meters
Bat length Maximum of 38 inches, which is about 96.52 centimeters.
Ball weight Between 5.5 and 5.75 ounces, or approximately 156 to 163 grams
“If we compromised slightly – for example, the pitch could be 20x3m – maybe ground staff in the village of Gschlachtenbretzingen, located in Baden-Württemberg (it really exists), might be less reticent?”
Nobody in Germany is interested in cricket? Tell that to Ben Kohler-Cadmore!
Start delayed
It’s raining in Hamilton so play won’t start at 10pm GMT as scheduled. I have no idea what else to tell you.
I’m with Colly. Though England weren’t great yesterday, the game turned on a spell of fast bowling from Will O’Rourke that any of the great West Indians of the 1980s would have been proud to bowl.
Preamble
Oh well! England’s hopes of a 3-0 series win were smashed to smithereens by Will O’Rourke and friends on the second day in Hamilton. Now they – and we, although I suppose you are free to go to bed if you like – must endure the admin of defeat. For the next couple of sessions, England’s bowlers are likely get an insight into how Sisyphus felt.
New Zealand will resume on 136 for three, a lead of 340, with Kane Williamson on 50 and Rachin Ravindra on 2. England will tell themselves they can chase anything. But even in Test cricket’s year of the unexpected, an England win feels impossible.
That doesn’t mean today’s play has no value. It’s a particularly important day for Shoaib Bashir, who is having a poor end to a largely excellent first year in Test cricket. Bashir is probably England’s greatest concern ahead of their big year. He looks tired, mentally rather than physically, and a few months off will do him good.
Bashir can still end on a high. A three-for would make him the second youngest bowler to take 50 Test wickets in a calendar year (the youngest was Kapil Dev in 1979). Even allowing for the inordinate volume of Test cricket that England have played it would be a lovely achievement and a reminder – to us and more importantly to Bashir – that what he has achieved is not remotely normal.
