Cricket

[Deano]

Haven't been watching, but is Dan Lawrence any good? Had a look at his first class record and it's pretty ordinary, surely there are better players on the county scene? Is he just a great technician who is better than his numbers? I haven't really seen him and seems a strange selection on paper.

India is such a awful start to a test scarer as he will not have seen the kind of pitches in the UK or AUS. Given India are vert strong in spin its a helluva a start for him IMO

[Zapater]

India is such a awful start to a test scarer as he will not have seen the kind of pitches in the UK or AUS. Given India are vert strong in spin its a helluva a start for him IMO

Wasn't meaning his test record, it's stupid to judge a player after a handful of appearances. I was referring to his domestic record, averages in the mid 30s which doesn't suggest he's uprooting trees at county level. Labuschagne also had a pretty unremarkable first class record and has been a revelation at test level, so sometimes it's more about the player than the numbers.

[Yozza]

Not really followed this before but I'll be watching quite a few games this year... Live on SKY

Pakistan Super League 2021: Who to watch and how it works

The Pakistan Super League begins on Saturday when defending champions Karachi Kings face Quetta Gladiators.

Six teams - packed with Pakistan players and overseas stars - will play a total of 34 Twenty20 games in just over a month as they aim to reach the final on 22 March.

All matches will be played in bio-secure bubbles, with the first 20 fixtures taking place at Karachi's National Stadium and the remaining group games, play-offs and final at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Both venues have been given permission to open their stadiums at 20% capacity, meaning 7,500 fans will be able to attend in Karachi and 5,500 in Lahore.

Meet the teams - and star players

Babar Azam, the Pakistan captain and last season's leading run-scorer in the PSL, will lead Karachi Kings, who also have experienced Australia all-rounder and serial T20 winner Dan Christian and Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi in their ranks.

South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis - recently retired from Test cricket - joins West Indies star Chris Gayle and England's Tom Banton at Quetta Gladiators.

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, the top-ranked T20 bowler in the world, will line up for last year's runners-up Lahore Qalanders alongside Pakistan seamer Shaheen Afridi and England batsmen Joe Denly and Somerset's Tom Abell.

England opener Alex Hales, the leading scorer at this season's Big Bash League in Australia, will play for Islamabad United alongside England all-rounder Lewis Gregory and Sussex opener Phil Salt.

Peshawar Zalmi have opted for a combination of youth and experience, with exciting 19-year-old Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman joining 40-year-old Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the side. England seamer Saqib Mahmood and all-rounder Ravi Bopara are also in the Peshawar squad.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi, 43, is still plying his trade in franchise cricket and will feature for a Multan Sultans side that also contains England batsman James Vince and Australia's Chris Lynn.

What is the format?

Franchises will play each other twice in the group stage, with the top four qualifying for the knockout matches.

The top two sides will play in qualifier one for a spot in the final, while the teams who finished third and fourth will play in an eliminator, with the losers being knocked out of the tournament.

The losing side from qualifier one and winning team from the eliminator will have the opportunity to make it through the final when they meet in qualifier two.


Edit - nice to see David Gower back in cricket

[Yozza]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-56165699

Motera: The world's largest cricket stadium to host India-England Test

[Shaggy]

Looking forward to this! 9am start!

[Yozza]

Won the toss... time to knuckle down...


So much for that!

[RichC]

Bairstow making the most of his recall then !

We seem to have some real issues with the top 3 at the moment

[Yozza]

Bairstow making the most of his recall then !

We seem to have some real issues with the top 3 at the moment

Daft review - he obviously felt he nicked it but must have been the bat hitting the pad

[Shaggy]

Crawley's playing a different game to the rest here. Looking magnificent.

[Yozza]

Crawley's playing a different game to the rest here. Looking magnificent.

Umpires call

I normally hate it!

[Yozza]

Root gone

Umpires call

[RichC]

Root going is a blow

[Shaggy]

Oh dear. We'll do well to make 150 here.

[Shaggy]

Stokes and Pope in before lunch

Foakes and Archer next two in. We've ****ed it.

[Yozza]

Really poor...