Cracking day at Lord's on Saturday.

I must admit that when I realised I was going to have to watch Smith bat, my heart sank. However, well done to Jofra Archer by making the day much more enjoyable by skulling the fúcker good and proper. :bow:

I must admit there was a brief guilty moment as the sickening thud of leather on convict echoed around the ground where the cheer died on one's lips and one realised the bástard might ruin everyone's fun by actually dying. Thankfully, however, he had the good taste simply to be concussed and one could go home and watch the incident repeatedly with a clear conscience.

Now if Jofra could just hit Warner as well. :cloud9: Mind you, he'd have to hang around long enough to allow him to get up to top speed for that to happen.

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Originally Posted by Burney

I must admit that when I realised I was going to have to watch Smith bat, my heart sank. However, well done to Jofra Archer by making the day much more enjoyable by skulling the fúcker good and proper. :bow:

I must admit there was a brief guilty moment as the sickening thud of leather on convict echoed around the ground where the cheer died on one's lips and one realised the bástard might ruin everyone's fun by actually dying. Thankfully, however, he had the good taste simply to be concussed and one could go home and watch the incident repeatedly with a clear conscience.

Now if Jofra could just hit Warner as well. :cloud9: Mind you, he'd have to hang around long enough to allow him to get up to top speed for that to happen.

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You chose to attend a cricket match in London rather than come see The Arsenal?

:forshame:

You missed Cellabos looking like a 21 year old Cesc Fabregas and Pepe gloriously nutmegging Mee :cloud9:

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Originally Posted by Burney

I must admit that when I realised I was going to have to watch Smith bat, my heart sank. However, well done to Jofra Archer by making the day much more enjoyable by skulling the fúcker good and proper. :bow:

I must admit there was a brief guilty moment as the sickening thud of leather on convict echoed around the ground where the cheer died on one's lips and one realised the bástard might ruin everyone's fun by actually dying. Thankfully, however, he had the good taste simply to be concussed and one could go home and watch the incident repeatedly with a clear conscience.

Now if Jofra could just hit Warner as well. :cloud9: Mind you, he'd have to hang around long enough to allow him to get up to top speed for that to happen.

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Very much looking forward to my Friday and Saturday at Old Trafford......probably piss it down though :-(

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Originally Posted by IUFG

You chose to attend a cricket match in London rather than come see The Arsenal?

:forshame:

You missed Cellabos looking like a 21 year old Cesc Fabregas and Pepe gloriously nutmegging Mee :cloud9:

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:nod:

It was a fine experience, to be sure. I don't recall an atmosphere like that for an early kickoff. Cracking stuff, Gromit! :gromit:

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Originally Posted by Burney

I must admit that when I realised I was going to have to watch Smith bat, my heart sank. However, well done to Jofra Archer by making the day much more enjoyable by skulling the fúcker good and proper. :bow:

I must admit there was a brief guilty moment as the sickening thud of leather on convict echoed around the ground where the cheer died on one's lips and one realised the bástard might ruin everyone's fun by actually dying. Thankfully, however, he had the good taste simply to be concussed and one could go home and watch the incident repeatedly with a clear conscience.

Now if Jofra could just hit Warner as well. :cloud9: Mind you, he'd have to hang around long enough to allow him to get up to top speed for that to happen.

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Shouldn’t have bowled bouncer after bouncer at Woakes and Archer then. Stupid ****ers. (tbf the Aussie players aren’t complaining)

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Originally Posted by Burney

I must admit that when I realised I was going to have to watch Smith bat, my heart sank. However, well done to Jofra Archer by making the day much more enjoyable by skulling the fúcker good and proper. :bow:

I must admit there was a brief guilty moment as the sickening thud of leather on convict echoed around the ground where the cheer died on one's lips and one realised the bástard might ruin everyone's fun by actually dying. Thankfully, however, he had the good taste simply to be concussed and one could go home and watch the incident repeatedly with a clear conscience.

Now if Jofra could just hit Warner as well. :cloud9: Mind you, he'd have to hang around long enough to allow him to get up to top speed for that to happen.

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I must confess to being slightly bored by the endless chin-music by the end of yesterday. I mean, letting them know you're there and putting it in the mixer is all very well but when your prime strategy is to kick as many of the opponents off the park as possible it eventually ... lacks elegance, I felt.

I enjoyed watching Leach more tbh.

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Originally Posted by Burney

I must admit that when I realised I was going to have to watch Smith bat, my heart sank. However, well done to Jofra Archer by making the day much more enjoyable by skulling the fúcker good and proper. :bow:

I must admit there was a brief guilty moment as the sickening thud of leather on convict echoed around the ground where the cheer died on one's lips and one realised the bástard might ruin everyone's fun by actually dying. Thankfully, however, he had the good taste simply to be concussed and one could go home and watch the incident repeatedly with a clear conscience.

Now if Jofra could just hit Warner as well. :cloud9: Mind you, he'd have to hang around long enough to allow him to get up to top speed for that to happen.

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injured but it's a start.

What was highly amusing was the whole TMS team expressing their most earnest concerns and repeating like a mantra that "none of us wants to see someone getting hurt" blaah blah :hehe:

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Originally Posted by PSRB

Very much looking forward to my Friday and Saturday at Old Trafford......probably piss it down though :-(

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At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, fúck me, but Archer's lethal. :yikes: I've never seen anything like it.

In the paper today, they point out that he's already hit 19 batsmen this summer. Not bad for a bloke who made his international debut in May. :hehe:

You can see why he keeps doing it, though. There's just no discernible difference between his action at 86mph and 96mph.

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Originally Posted by Ash

:nod:

It was a fine experience, to be sure. I don't recall an atmosphere like that for an early kickoff. Cracking stuff, Gromit! :gromit:

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twas.

the only fly in the ointment was, just as night follows day, the tides change, and taxes, Ashley fúcking Barnes scored.

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Originally Posted by Herbert Augustus Chapman

injured but it's a start.

What was highly amusing was the whole TMS team expressing their most earnest concerns and repeating like a mantra that "none of us wants to see someone getting hurt" blaah blah :hehe:

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To be honest, I'd have been happier if the earlier one had broken his arm, since that would've put him out of the series. But I can't deny the blow to the head was more aesthetically satisfying.

I can't be doing with all this po-faced sanctimony. Exactly what's exciting about watching a guy that fast is the same thing that makes him dangerous - the fact that he's scary and dangerous. For people to talk about how 'exciting' he is and then start wringing their hands when the cause of that 'excitement' has its inevitable consequences is ridicules.

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Originally Posted by IUFG

twas.

the only fly in the ointment was, just as night follows day, the tides change, and taxes, Ashley fúcking Barnes scored.

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As long as we keep beating them every time I can cope with them being the New Stoke.

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Originally Posted by Burney

At the risk of stating the bleeding obvious, fúck me, but Archer's lethal. :yikes: I've never seen anything like it.

In the paper today, they point out that he's already hit 19 batsmen this summer. Not bad for a bloke who made his international debut in May. :hehe:

You can see why he keeps doing it, though. There's just no discernible difference between his action at 86mph and 96mph.

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You just can't see the bumper coming and as they pointed on comms, it's all just so smooth that he shouldn't really get any major injury problems from it

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Originally Posted by IUFG

twas.

the only fly in the ointment was, just as night follows day, the tides change, and taxes, Ashley fúcking Barnes scored.

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Riddle me this: why didn't Sokratis put that **** into row Q?

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Originally Posted by Luis Anaconda

Shouldn’t have bowled bouncer after bouncer at Woakes and Archer then. Stupid ****ers. (tbf the Aussie players aren’t complaining)

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I think even the Australians would struggle to muster the level of hypocrisy required to complain about their batsmen being hunted down by fast, short-pitched bowling. They've been cheering it on when the boot's on the other foot far too long for that.

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Originally Posted by Ash

I must confess to being slightly bored by the endless chin-music by the end of yesterday. I mean, letting them know you're there and putting it in the mixer is all very well but when your prime strategy is to kick as many of the opponents off the park as possible it eventually ... lacks elegance, I felt.

I enjoyed watching Leach more tbh.

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The day I no longer enjoy watching Australians being made to fear for their lives by an England bowler, they can screw the coffin lid down imo. :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Sir C

Riddle me this: why didn't Sokratis put that **** into row Q?

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He was far too busy claiming offside. After he had deflected the ball into Barnes' path whilst stood in (defensive) no man's land...

Laubashagne or whatever his name is....that was his fault yesterday.

Poor technique.

Leech and Archer in tandem is a very decent attack imo

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Originally Posted by Burney

To be honest, I'd have been happier if the earlier one had broken his arm, since that would've put him out of the series. But I can't deny the blow to the head was more aesthetically satisfying.

I can't be doing with all this po-faced sanctimony. Exactly what's exciting about watching a guy that fast is the same thing that makes him dangerous - the fact that he's scary and dangerous. For people to talk about how 'exciting' he is and then start wringing their hands when the cause of that 'excitement' has its inevitable consequences is ridicules.

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Quite. The Edgbaston mob, who seems to take their behavioural cues from football, would have been chanting "Let 'im die, let 'im die, let 'im die".

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Originally Posted by Burney

To be honest, I'd have been happier if the earlier one had broken his arm, since that would've put him out of the series. But I can't deny the blow to the head was more aesthetically satisfying.

I can't be doing with all this po-faced sanctimony. Exactly what's exciting about watching a guy that fast is the same thing that makes him dangerous - the fact that he's scary and dangerous. For people to talk about how 'exciting' he is and then start wringing their hands when the cause of that 'excitement' has its inevitable consequences is ridicules.

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Absolutely. Nobody wants to see him die or suffer serious injury but a broken arm would have been perfectly acceptable.

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Originally Posted by Burney

I think even the Australians would struggle to muster the level of hypocrisy required to complain about their batsmen being hunted down by fast, short-pitched bowling. They've been cheering it on when the boot's on the other foot far too long for that.

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This is different though. Genuinely terrifying. He's hit the best batsman in the world twice on a slow pitch. The rest of their batsmen are going to be ****ting themselves.

It's just indescribably brilliant :)

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Originally Posted by Peter

This is different though. Genuinely terrifying. He's hit the best batsman in the world twice on a slow pitch. The rest of their batsmen are going to be ****ting themselves.

It's just indescribably brilliant :)

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Oh, yes. If he'd just been pinging tailenders that would be one thing. But he's been clattering top class batsmen. His first one was Amla, who's no-one's idea of a slouch.

I love him dearly.