Disaster for Brighto Paint

Pakistan 286-4
v England
close on Day 1

Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Tuesday 13 October 2015

Twitter @ball_sup

Dry Day #4
All Balls. No Sup.

Team Selection

I've softened my initial views. My knee jerk reaction to the idea that Moeen should open was "no thanks". I just don't think it's a sustainable option going forward. In English Summers. Against the World's best. I prefer a honed opener. I've said in other blogs. Given the failed try & jettison approach. I'd have gone back to Compton.

Before the game, I was willing to give the Moeen thing a go. But, only as a one off. Horses for courses. Hard arsed. Moneyball. For the balance of the team. It allows you to get two spinners, three seamers & Stokes in. But, you can't have a half cock hard arsed approach. The same argument for Moeen opening must have Bairstow keeping.

So, I'd have gone with Cook, Ali, Bell, Taylor, Root, Bairstow, Stokes, Rashid, Broad, Anderson as a base 10. Plus a seamer. I'd said go Finn. But, he's on crutches.  I'd have Wood. Or Plunkett if they felt they could go that way.

And, I got it wrong. They've stuck with Buttler as the keeper. Bairstow is in. No place for Taylor. Finally, Rashid makes his debut.

At one stage, they looked like they were hitting Adil around for fun. Nought for 76 off 17. He turned a few. But, a good few hit over the top as well. Disappointing. Bell shelled two regulation Slip catches. Disappointing. Not out of it. But a long way back from here.

Stadium teething

I have vast experience of Cricket Grounds not being fully ready for play. Here is today's report from the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Bear with me.

The advertising logos on the sightscreens.

A. The logos are being projected onto an essentially black screen by a PowerPoint projector. The black screen is in front of the much larger full width white screen.

B. When the bowling is from that end a white sheet is pulled from the floor to cover the black screen.

C. The white sheet is hoisted by a rope and pulley at each end.

What could possibly go wrong? Let us count the ways.

1. The frame is black. The pulleys at each end are black. The white sheet is hoisted. The batsman can see a horizontal black line in the middle of the otherwise white screen. With 2 bigger black oblongs at each end for good measure (the pulleys). Solution. Paint the top of the frame & pulleys white. That was still happening as play started.

2. And lo. The white sheet is smaller than the black frame. So, now the batsman can also see two vertical black lines in the middle of the otherwise white screen. Solution. Move the sheet left or right. Depending on left/right handed batsman/bowler. Leaving only one black vertical line. Hopefully not in the batsman's sightline.

3. And behold. The vertical black line is always in the most inconvenient sodding place. The local staff have no idea about changes of end & right/left combos. And the Umps are sorely troubled. Solution. Drape some more white sheets over the ends on the black screen. Attempting to cover the vertical black frame.

4. And it came to pass. That at the Northern End, the new white sheets mean the rope & pulley cannot be operated. So, the whole sorry debacle was abandoned before the first drinks break.

5. ZIC Motor Oil & Brighto Paint (irony...) are denied crucial TV exposure. And the Pakistan Cricket Board lose yet another revenue stream.

220/448