TDK's International Test Cricket Update's

[The Dark Knight]

The only test between England and Zimbabwe starts tomorrow night at Trent Bridge, it's a four day test match.

If I was supreme overlord of cricket, this match wouldn't be accorded test status.

Why? There's been plenty of three, four and six day test matches in the past?

[Brodlach]

The only test between England and Zimbabwe starts tomorrow night at Trent Bridge, it's a four day test match.

If I was supreme overlord of cricket, this match wouldn't be accorded test status.

Why? There's been plenty of three, four and six day test matches in the past?

I agree with RB, all Test matches should be 5 days

[RB]

The only test between England and Zimbabwe starts tomorrow night at Trent Bridge, it's a four day test match.

If I was supreme overlord of cricket, this match wouldn't be accorded test status.

Why? There's been plenty of three, four and six day test matches in the past?

I've no problem with ENG and ZIM playing a (scheduled) 3- or 4-day international which should of course be accorded FC status. And perhaps that would be a sensible course where developing test nations are involved.

But test matches are 5-day events. Obviously some are going to fall short of that. But limiting it to 4 days cheapens and diminishes test cricket.

[The Dark Knight]

The only test between England and Zimbabwe starts tomorrow night at Trent Bridge, it's a four day test match.

If I was supreme overlord of cricket, this match wouldn't be accorded test status.

Why? There's been plenty of three, four and six day test matches in the past?

I've no problem with ENG and ZIM playing a (scheduled) 3- or 4-day international which should of course be accorded FC status. And perhaps that would be a sensible course where developing test nations are involved.

But test matches are 5-day events. Obviously some are going to fall short of that. But limiting it to 4 days cheapens and diminishes test cricket.

Fair enough, I agree the upcoming match and all test matches should be five days (even if day five might not be used), I'm just pointing out that test matches haven't traditionally been 5 days throughout history.

Irrespective of whether they agreed to it or not I think it's disrespectful to Zimbabwe that it's not 5 days, similar to Ireland when they played at Lords In 2019. Zimbabwe have reportedly prioritised test cricket and will play 11 test matches this year.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/2025 ... re-1486024

[DOC]

The revised conditions are:

Let’s look at all the rules and playing conditions of the four-day Tests and how different it is from the five-day format.
1 - Let us start with the most obvious one: it will have a maximum of four days, instead of the usual five.
2 - A total of 98 overs will be bowled every day, compared to 90 in a five-day Test. Therefore, a total of 392 overs will be bowled in the game, instead of the usual 450.
The play will run for six and a half hours each day, instead of the usual six hours for five-day Tests. Play can be extended by 30 minutes each day to ensure overs are completed.
(However, when England and Ireland played a four-day Test in 2023, they didn’t even bowl 90 overs in a single day. The game lasted for three days. Even the ECB didn’t mention anything regarding the number of overs to be bowled in a day in their playing conditions.)
3 - In four-day Tests, the follow-on margin is reduced to 150 runs (compared to 200 in five-day Tests).
4 - What about the second new ball? Just like it happens in a five-day Test, the second new ball will be available after 80 overs in each innings.

[The Dark Knight]

Duckett and Crawley humming along after England lost the toss, 0/93 from 19 overs.
Duckett 51* (50)
Crawley 40* (65)

[DOC]

Duckett and Crawley humming along after England lost the toss, 0/93 from 19 overs.
Duckett 51* (50)
Crawley 40* (65)

Yep. The Zimbabwean Captain should relinquish the Captaincy immediately.

[locky801]

Engl 3/498 at Stumps

Pope 169*
Duckett 140
Crawley 124

[Brodlach]

Could be a two day test

[The Dark Knight]

Engl 3/498 at Stumps

Pope 169*
Duckett 140
Crawley 124

From Wisden-
Pope now seven hundreds at number 3, the same as Jonathan Trott. Only Hammond, Barrington and Gower have more hundreds at 3 for England.
This top three become the first top three to score hundreds in the same innings on two seperate occasions.
This is Crawley's first hundred since the 2023 Ashes.

And Joe Root pass 13,000 test runs with his 34.

[DOC]

England declare at 6/565

Every chance this is over today. Sincerely hope I am wrong.

Englands total yesterday was a first day record in England. That was from 88 overs.

[The Dark Knight]

England declare at 6/565

Every chance this is over today. Sincerely hope I am wrong.

Englands total yesterday was a first day record in England. That was from 88 overs.

Will be interesting to see if England can score like that against India, if they do I think they can win the series but they somehow have to get through Bumrah.

Also interesting to see how Bashir goes in this match and against India as he's the weak link in the England attack. He can't get a game for Somerset with Jack Leach being their preferred spinner so has been on loan to Glamorgan.

Cook started pretty well with the ball, he's been a gun for Essex so deserves his chance after being behind Anderson and Woakes for a while.

Zimbabwe with an ok start with the bat, 1/73 at lunch.

[locky801]

England declare at 6/565

Every chance this is over today. Sincerely hope I am wrong.

Englands total yesterday was a first day record in England. That was from 88 overs.

Zimbabwe currently 2/131

[jackpot jim]

5/226 (47)

Bennett 128* (119) with 25 x 4s Only 21 y.o.

[spell_check]

5/226 (47)

Bennett 128* (119) with 25 x 4s Only 21 y.o.

Fastest century by a Zimbabwean - the first to make one in less than 100 balls

[jackpot jim]

5/226 (47)

Bennett 128* (119) with 25 x 4s Only 21 y.o.

Fastest century by a Zimbabwean - the first to make one in less than 100 balls

Bennett brilliantly caught at short leg by Pope for 139 of Tounge.

Wait a sec ! NO BALL

[jackpot jim]

FMD Tonges very next over Bennett pops up a sitter catch to Pope at short leg without addition to his 139.
This time Tongues foot is about a foot behind the line
6/246

[locky801]

Zimbabwe bowled out for 265

Bennett 139
wickets shared

followed on 2/30 at stumps
Bennett out

[The Dark Knight]

Zimbabwe are 3/141 at lunch on day three, trial by 159. Zim still quite a long way behind but certainly not embarrassing themselves. The pitch looking pretty flat at the moment with not much happening for the bowlers.