: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 wonā€™t

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Itā€™s absolutely the right time for him to go, but Iā€™m still sad. Had hoped he might be able to go back to Essex and find some form.

Heā€™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 shouldnā€™t play in this test.

Heā€™s saying give him a ceremony and a little parade then let someone else openā€¦I mostly agree with himā€¦

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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 thatā€™s not going to happen, so might as well enjoy Cookā€™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???

Englandā€™s top first innings batsman - 4/1

Jeez thatā€™s a bit mean. On current form and against these Indian Opening Bowlers I wouldnā€™t waste 50p at 500/1

Bit of funā€¦

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

Phew, I thought I was doing bad only getting 16, took me ages to remember Stokeā€™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 Wicketsā€¦

: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 Englandā€™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. Iā€™m told itā€™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.

Youā€™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