den

Roy gone for 10, struggled throughout.

Another fascinating day coming up. It’s always applicable but as Broad just said the first session is huge. I would love Roy to come good and show that he can move over to test cricket, but that bit of fishing last night worried me. hopefully that’s just me worrying too much. also, if you have sky tv, there’s a series of five short programmes on demand, with and about Kevin Pietersen. Very interesting. Gives a good insight of the kind of person he is.

? thats how I felt too. Think Aussies have upper hand at this point. It was frustrating after the 8th wicket went down, but England had bowled brilliantly until then on a pitch that always helped the bowler. I can’t complain too much because the bowlers tired due to Jimmy being out and I don’t think they could really have done much more. The tiredness combined with a softer ball made it very difficult. it will be difficult tomorrow.

I don’t know, but do Bury have an investor willing to keep the club financially afloat?

https://www.efl.com/news/2019/july/efl-statement-bolton-wanderers-and-bury-fc2/

I remember Kevin with a lot of fondness. He was rovers version of David Fairclough. Don’t really know what happened to him after leaving Ewood, but he certainly made an impression on me when he was here. RIP Kevin. Loved watching you.

Yes and it went very well. Special mention to Faulkner and Saqib. Exceptional bowling.

Apart from the Jack Walker era, haven’t we always done our work at the back end of the transfer deadline when all the big boys have done their business Arbitro? I think so. Managers should always have plans, but if you’re back of the queue ( which we are) it’s very difficult to get the balance they want. I don’t like it, I’ve never liked it, but I think that’s just the way it is. Of course the hopes are that when very rich owners step in things will change. The only thing I can add is that on the occasions where the owners have backed the manager with a large transfer budget, our managers seem to have blown it all on one player. It hardly ever worked.

That’s no way to address a long standing member of the M/B. Bazza’s a gentleman.

Better 2nd half for sure. Quicker, more urgency all round. the defence still worries me though. Whenever we lose possession we are caught out of position and opposition strikers have big spaces to exploit. Why can’t Mowbray sort this out, just like Howard Kendall sorted it out. There’s a good comparison there.

The players look uninspired and stale. Not surprising really considering summer business.

I know it’s a friendly but that was quite pathetic.

4 points out of 33 was it in that awful run? That wasn’t down to luck. That showed we were indeed a long way off. Good teams don’t go on runs like that at any stage.

The pitch was a disgrace for a 50 overs World Cup final. Same as in football poor pitches are great levellers and today couldn’t been more even. However what a fantastic game. From our batting from the first over we never looked quite good enough to win it but massive credit to Stokes and Buttler in particular, we never lied down. Football has its nerve biters but not in the way cricket can give you so much stress for so long. This is a superb English one day team, possibly the best we’ll see for a long time. Got to feel sorry for NZ. They were superb. They fought with the bat every bit as hard as England and I thought their bowling was brilliant. Easy to say the ricochet from Stokes won it for us but cricket is a game of very fine margins and in the end we won it and NZ lost it by the bat being probably two feet short of the crease when everything else had levelled out. brilliant game.

The academy is there for the future. £12m spent in this league, by a club like ours must provide first team regulars. There really can’t be any arguments with that.

Would you call this a turning wicket? ?

It was meant to be a joke DE.

As someone else pointed out to me, he can’t play right wing because Brereton will be there.

? just a question Stuart.

So, £12m on Gallagher and Brereton - is that right?

The final is on channel4 as well as sky. Free to air.

Brilliant from England. I don’t think there’s a weakness in their side.

124/0 after 17. shows what I know about cricket. ?

Only thing I will say is that England won’t find it any easier on this wicket. There’s something in it for every bowler. Need to stop Aussies batting full 50 overs.