Cricket

[Shaggy]

Sibley 85 not out off 26,000 balls.

[Shaggy]

****ing hell, Sibley gone last over.

[Yozza]

Sibley 85 not out off 26,000 balls.

You jinxed him!

[Shaggy]

Tempted to get up at 4 although I resent doing that on a Saturday morning ffs

[Scratch]

Given i flipped onto C4 just in time for the final over of the day, and we lost a wicket within 2 balls of me viewing, i think I'll avoid watching it live cos I'm obviously a jinx.

[Irishnev]

Great innings from Root and England going well, I have a great anecdote about Chennai and cricket which I’m surprised I never told here.

Back in 2004/2005 I backpacked in India, Nepal and a brief trip to Tibet for the best for of a year. I was in Goa with a buddy of mine from Uni and we watched the first test of the 2004 India/Aus test match in a beach bar. We were planning to leave Goa to trek across the country so we decided we’d go to Chennai to watch the second test.

We got to Chennai 2 days before the game and the day before we rocked up to the pitch to buy tickets for the test match. After getting the tickets we walked around the ground and some kid called us and showed us a ‘hole’ in the fence. Being two absolute Irish chancers in we went into the grounds........and approached the pitch. Two soldiers were guarding the entrance so we smiled at them and strolled in.

Both teams were in nets at opposite ends of the pitch - remember this was the great Aus team in their pomp - Langner, Hayden, Ponting, Katich, Clarke, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath, Gillespie etc. India had Sachin, Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble, Sewhag, Harbijhan etc. We went to the Aussie end and sat on the grass - we were throwing the ball back and we did the same in India end. My mate was fielding when Sachin was batting......it was mental.

We then realised we had no cameras so we left the ground, rickshaw to the hotel, grabbed cameras and rucksacks and back to the ground. Same way in and back to the pitch - the teams were winding up and there was a lot of security as Sachin was leaving. We walked over to crease started patting the pitch ‘inspecting it’ some Aussie journalist walked over to us and we started chatting. I said it looked like a 4 day wicket where the spinners would dominate - absolute spoofing - he concurred

We then walked into the stadium and into the press conference - sat down for a listen, not brave enough to ask a question. Walked out some back door later as the Aussies were getting on the bus - took some pics with the players and walked out the gate behind the bus where there must have been 1000 people outside.

In those days (not that long ago) a brass neck and being a “westerner” meant you could get away with a lot. Nobody checked our bag, asked who we were or what we were doing. Nuts but a great memory.

We used to take a rickshaw to pizza hut at lunch during the test and sit eating pizza for the afternoon

[Liverpool]

Chennai is mental place. Before covid was planning on a week in Goa then go to this test to meet up with people.

Was the pizza hut in a shopping mall?

[RichC]

I was living in Chennai when that test was played, the Aussies were on the lash every night of that test in fort St George (bar in the Taj) where they stayed. Darren Lehman in what looked like the same red Nike T-shirt and shorts with a can of fosters glued to his hand ! (They had something like 150 cases of it and left 13 behind) All on the beers bar Brett Lee who was on the Chardonnay. All good guys and approachable, only one I didn’t see was Warne. Indian test side were in the same hotel as well but didn’t see anything of them at all.
MCC famous for a draw and unsurprisingly it was !

[Irishnev]

Chennai is mental place. Before covid was planning on a week in Goa then go to this test to meet up with people.

Was the pizza hut in a shopping mall?

It was in some mall - it was over 15 years ago and I remember my time in India being a complete haze

[Irishnev]

I was living in Chennai when that test was played, the Aussies were on the lash every night of that test in fort St George (bar in the Taj) where they stayed. Darren Lehman in what looked like the same red Nike T-shirt and shorts with a can of fosters glued to his hand ! (They had something like 150 cases of it and left 13 behind) All on the beers bar Brett Lee who was on the Chardonnay. All good guys and approachable, only one I didn’t see was Warne. Indian test side were in the same hotel as well but didn’t see anything of them at all.
MCC famous for a draw and unsurprisingly it was !

If I’d have known I’d have looked you up - looked at the teams earlier. No Ponting and Lehman played instead

[Buzzo]

Great innings from Root and England going well, I have a great anecdote about Chennai and cricket which I’m surprised I never told here.

Back in 2004/2005 I backpacked in India, Nepal and a brief trip to Tibet for the best for of a year. I was in Goa with a buddy of mine from Uni and we watched the first test of the 2004 India/Aus test match in a beach bar. We were planning to leave Goa to trek across the country so we decided we’d go to Chennai to watch the second test.

We got to Chennai 2 days before the game and the day before we rocked up to the pitch to buy tickets for the test match. After getting the tickets we walked around the ground and some kid called us and showed us a ‘hole’ in the fence. Being two absolute Irish chancers in we went into the grounds........and approached the pitch. Two soldiers were guarding the entrance so we smiled at them and strolled in.

Both teams were in nets at opposite ends of the pitch - remember this was the great Aus team in their pomp - Langner, Hayden, Ponting, Katich, Clarke, Martyn, Gilchrist, Warne, McGrath, Gillespie etc. India had Sachin, Laxman, Dravid, Ganguly, Kumble, Sewhag, Harbijhan etc. We went to the Aussie end and sat on the grass - we were throwing the ball back and we did the same in India end. My mate was fielding when Sachin was batting......it was mental.

We then realised we had no cameras so we left the ground, rickshaw to the hotel, grabbed cameras and rucksacks and back to the ground. Same way in and back to the pitch - the teams were winding up and there was a lot of security as Sachin was leaving. We walked over to crease started patting the pitch ‘inspecting it’ some Aussie journalist walked over to us and we started chatting. I said it looked like a 4 day wicket where the spinners would dominate - absolute spoofing - he concurred

We then walked into the stadium and into the press conference - sat down for a listen, not brave enough to ask a question. Walked out some back door later as the Aussies were getting on the bus - took some pics with the players and walked out the gate behind the bus where there must have been 1000 people outside.

In those days (not that long ago) a brass neck and being a “westerner” meant you could get away with a lot. Nobody checked our bag, asked who we were or what we were doing. Nuts but a great memory.

We used to take a rickshaw to pizza hut at lunch during the test and sit eating pizza for the afternoon

Brilliant..!!

[Yozza]

England 178 AO

Lead of 419... there'll be a few overs this evening & all day tomorrow

WTF didn't we declare earlier?

[RichC]

Mental that we didn't declare earlier, I think there's more than a good chance of this ending up as a draw.

[spud_gun]

West Indies chased down 395 in the 4th inning against Bangladesh.

Myers (on debut) scored 210

That's some 4th inning performance

[Yozza]

Mental that we didn't declare earlier, I think there's more than a good chance of this ending up as a draw.

Especially with India time wasting again - they been getting tips off Mourinho?!