Cricket

[Buzzo]

Been WFH today so have had the test match on having watched a fair bit over the weekend.

Proper contest this. Exceptional second innings so far from India after a strong innings from England. The teams look well matched.

India are a great watch with the bat. And Bumrah is an insane bowler.

[Sus]

Think England have a great shout of winning it today, which would be unbelievable given India was 3/430 in the first innings and 3/300 odd in the second

Jadeja might be the key today with is undepredictable turn away from the right handed batters, though, as good as Bumrah is

[Yozza]

Think England have a great shout of winning it today, which would be unbelievable given India was 3/430 in the first innings and 3/300 odd in the second

Jadeja might be the key today with is undepredictable turn away from the right handed batters, though, as good as Bumrah is

Not if the rain has anything to do with it...

[Buzzo]

India are over reliant on Bumrah. If it’s not happening for him - it’s not happening.

[Yozza]

Back in play

188-1

England require 183 runs to win with 9 wickets remaining

[Yozza]

253-4

two wickets in two balls....

118 needed

[peterbread]

India are over reliant on Bumrah. If it’s not happening for him - it’s not happening.

Same thing happened when they were in Australia recently. He was amazing but all the other bowlers struggled to make an impact. They’d won the last two series in Australia but they are nowhere near that same level right now.

[Sus]

**** that was a good chase from the English - Indian attack well over rated apart from
bumrah, I guess

Though I think Kuldeep would have been a handful on that final day

[spud_gun]

Great performance by England.

Ironic that Bumrah didn't take any wickets in the 2nd innings

[Yozza]

Duckett looks like a mofo albino oompah loompah

When the **** is on form though he’s unbelievable

That reverse six?!

[Yozza]

Wtf was this about?

During the first over of Lancashire Lightning’s run chase, an umpire conducted an on-field bat gauge test, as part of an assurance process undertaken to check the sizes of a bat being used. To pass the test, the bat must fit through a gauge of the specified size.

Lancashire opener Salt's bat cleared by corruption unit

Lancashire batter Phil Salt has had the bat he used in their T20 match against Northants Steelbacks cleared by the Cricket Regulator's anti-corruption unit.

Salt was alleged to have breached ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3 after his bat failed an on-field bat gauge test during Friday's Vitality Blast fixture.

The club said that it was the same bat he had used for the past two years for England, Lancashire and in the Indian Premier League, but it did not pass through the gauge on the field and was deemed to have failed the test.

Further tests carried out after the match were deemed inconclusive despite the bat fitting through the gauge on several occasions, but it was eventually found to be compliant with the regulations and no further action will be taken.

"The club and player felt this should have been the end of the matter, but the officials felt it necessary for the bat to be taken away for further testing," the club's statement continued., external

"At Lancashire, we believe this whole process could have been avoided with improved processes on and off the field, whether that be through better equipment and/or additional training.

"Following the incident there have been inappropriate comments made by match commentators, inaccurate articles written in the media and some unsavoury social media posts towards the player, that could have been avoided."

In response, the Cricket Regulator said it notes "that the match officials performed their roles fully in compliance with the regulations."

In addition, they said they "acknowledge the cooperation provided by Lancashire and the player in this matter."

An ECB spokesperson told BBC Sport: "We are working with all parties involved to ensure they are clear on the correct process for bat gauge testing."

[Scratch]

Sounds like they thought his bat had too much weight in the blade behind the "sweet spot". I think they have a gauge through which the cricket bat must pass at it's thickest point, and his was failing and then not failing. There is also a limit to the thickness a bat can be at the edges. So it could have been either of those 2 elements that they were measuring.

[Yozza]

Sounds like they thought his bat had too much weight in the blade behind the "sweet spot". I think they have a gauge through which the cricket bat must pass at it's thickest point, and his was failing and then not failing. There is also a limit to the thickness a bat can be at the edges. So it could have been either of those 2 elements that they were measuring.

Yeah but the point is it passed the on field test a few times

Just seems like incompetence from the umpires

[Scratch]

I'd probably put it down to a misshapen (or possibly heat affected) gauge rather than Umpire error....i mean, how difficult can it be to see if a lump of wood passes through a hole

[Sus]

I've followed / played cricket since I was 8 and never knew there was this gauge test! Makes sense though, it would be great for bats to become a little thinner so that mi****s and edges don't go for 6

Will never happen, though, in the T20 era