:Cricket_bat_and_ball: 5th Test :engerland: England (and Wales) v India šŸ‡®šŸ‡³ - The Oval

So :engerland: have wrapped up the series with a hard fought win at the place near the home of cricket.

With this being a dead rubber what will happen? Will both sides experiment with :engerland: needing to find a more solid top order!

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Just drop cook.

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Not for this Test they won’t

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It’s absolutely the right time for him to go, but I’m still sad. Had hoped he might be able to go back to Essex and find some form.

He’s been bloody amazing for years. Hope he goes to the Oval and bats for three days solid, killing the game with a run rate of 0.3, and gets carried off the field by the ghost of Geoffrey Boycott (who, for the purposes of most of my fantasies, is dead).

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Bumble is getting pelters on Twitter for saying Cook shouldn’t play in this test.

He’s saying give him a ceremony and a little parade then let someone else open…I mostly agree with him…

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Yeah, I agree with him too. Our top order is in such a state that we should be using every opportunity to try and fix it.

But that’s not going to happen, so might as well enjoy Cook’s farewell. And then remember him and Trott down in Aus, when it looked like nothing could ever get them out. Happy days.

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I will be there on Saturday to see him off / give him thunderous applause for everything he has done. :clap: While enjoying free food and drinks with mates from breakfast onwards :smiley:

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SRSLY???

England’s top first innings batsman - 4/1

Jeez that’s a bit mean. On current form and against these Indian Opening Bowlers I wouldn’t waste 50p at 500/1

Bit of fun…

Managed seventeen in the time permitted. Missed a couple of obvious ones, but I’d totally forgotten Westley and various others.

Phew, I thought I was doing bad only getting 16, took me ages to remember Stoke’s name though!!

And I forgot completely about Roland-Jones

https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/845099

England team for fifth Test v India: Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Moeen Ali, Joe Root Ā©, Jonny Bairstow (w), Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Stuart Broad, Jimmy Anderson.

8 Bowlers in that team who have taken Test Match Wickets…

:lou_eyes_to_sky:

Does Joe Root own the copyright on the top three batsmen?

Has he forced Cook to retire with a cease and desist order?

ā€œThis player is substantially similar, but inferior, to England’s opening bat.ā€

Root wins the toss again. We are batting

George Dobell reports it is a perfect late-summer day. ā€œHardly a cloud in the sky and looks to be set fair for the day. Pitch still a little greener than I thought so we might be in for another interesting toss and first session. I’m told it’s dry underneath, though.ā€

Whatever pictures I have seen of the pitch - and they are from afar - it has some green on it, but it is expected to be dry too. The first session might be difficult to negotiate, but still a bat-first pitch. Can India finally win a toss?

Just over an hour gone an its 39-0.

You’d have thunk that Cook would be trying to go out with a bit of flair, not bore the pants off of everyone and be remembered for his obdurate last innings of 25 off 150 balls!!

We done a 50 opening partnership.
Bloody hell