The only thing that will save England from a great walloping in the 1st Test is if the heavens open and large buckets of water descend onto the ground in an disorderly fashion for a decent part of the 5th day. Not the prettiest way to save a Test match, but England has clearly decided it’s their best bet.
Starting the 4th day with little hope of winning, but a good chance of getting a draw and some much needed momentum going into the 2nd Test at Lord’s, England quickly made it clear that they weren’t much interested in doing anything other than sulking in the field and waiting for the rain to come and save them from the onslaught.
Opening the bowling with Anderson and Broad was a peculiar decision, given that the new ball wasn’t too far off and the pitch was a spinners paradise — which is handy, since you’ve got two full-time spinners in your team, for the specific purpose of bowling them on this dusty pitch… but never-mind, details, details.
To say that England’s performance on the 4th day was lacklustre, is an understatement. One got the feeling that they’d rather be at home, eating ice cream, and playing on their XBOX, rather than playing Test cricket. If only they weren’t International Cricketers, they could have taken their ball and gone home. But alas, they are International Cricketers, so we had to witness two sessions of fully grown men, sulking like School children — who’ve just been told off for stealing a cookie — wishing that the rain would just bloody well hurry up and arrive already.
England: it’s time to stop sulking, drink some concrete, and harden the f**k up.