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late wickets always welcome.
Seems those calling for Khawaja over Head my well be proved wrong…
staring down the barrel of an innings defeat, Stokes looks done already 🙁
staring down the barrel of an innings defeat, Stokes looks done already 🙁
Yep.
Leach hit out of the attacker, Stokes injured, it’s going to be a long few weeks.
The seamers bowled remarkably well. Warner should have been out 3 times at least.
Australia took every chance. We didn't.
To be fair to Leach, they have shown no faith in him all year. You can't then chuck him the ball when you are under the pump in an Ashes test and expect him to rescue you.
What really annoys me with this English team though is that they spend so much time worrying about the future that they forget to actually win any matches. We spent all summer not picking our best side because they wanted to have everyone at their best for the Ashes. Even when we get to the Ashes they don't pick the best side for the first test because they are worried about the second. How about just trying to win some bloody matches. Maybe it will become a habit.
Seems those calling for Khawaja over Head my well be proved wrong…
I was one of those. In this instance he has played a decent knock. Not a knock that makes you sit up and say "that's him in the middle order for the next five years", though. However, when batting at 6 you have to play the hand you're dealt with whatever partners you have.
England have been a distant second in all departments. Pretty sure the Aussies generated more nicks per 50 balls than England, they all carried and most were caught. England have also shelled catches and missed direct hit runouts. If I was Rory Burns I'd want it to puss down solidly for the next three days and get the first available flight out of Queensland.
England have been a distant second in all departments.
Second definitely but I dunno about distant. The Aussie Fox commentators kept going on about how lucky Australia had been to not lose more wickets early in their innings. England got the toss wrong, clearly.
Root is going really well right now (jinxed him, soz) - England now only 140 runs behind with 8 wickets in hand. Still think Australia will win the game and perhaps comfortably but it's not been the shellacking some have even making out.
I'm not even sure they got the toss wrong yet. It's a decent cricket pitch; bit for the bowlers early which England didn't deal with, turning flat through days 2-4 where if England had held catches, not no-balled Warner, Aus could have got 100 or more fewer runs. Then it might deteriorate later. A bit uneven, a bit of turn, Leach might have a role yet.
There's a long way to go but could be a lead and a run chase on day 5 if England's middle order can also do their thing, Buttler and Stokes setting up a total. They got the toss right, just haven't then (or yet) used that advantage.
Another point to consider. Even if this is lost, if we can make Australia bowl for 2 whole days, the next test is only a few days away, the attrition on bodies is not insignificant and we have Anderson and Broad in the shed and ready.
Regardless of what happens next this Root and Malan partnership has showed England aren't just here to make up the numbers/get pushed around. Really superb fightback.
Good point re tiring out the bowlers/fielders also.
I just can't help thinking there will be a collapse at some point tomorrow but I hope I'm wrong.
The Aussie Fox commentators kept going on about how lucky Australia had been to not lose more wickets early in their innings.
Warner dropped a fair few edges short of the slips. Maybe the pitch flattened out a bit, but even so....
Warner has a reputation as a hard-handed dasher, but actually he adapted very well early in the innings.
When you're outplayed in every department on days 1-2 you are struggling. Even though there has been a bit of resolve shown on day 3, England still need at least 3 sessions lost to rain in my estimation and given the last few years.
When you’re outplayed in every department on days 1-2 you are struggling
If England were outplayed in every department for two days then Australia ought to be in a much stronger position. As I said I still expect a collapse but England are now -60/2.
Did you actually watch day 2? England's bowlers were all over Australia for significant periods but Australia rode their luck massively. They capitalised on their luck so fair play to them, but I didn't see them outplaying anyone except maybe Leach.
You're employing post-hoc rationalisation based on the score not on the actual play.
England are going to have to make at least 500 to give themselves any sort of target to bowl at. they have been on the defensive since the first session.
The momentum is with England now. I don't think they'll try and win the match but a draw is a much better result for them. Hopefully they'll bat through day 4 and grind down the Aussie bowlers, it already looks like they might be a bowler down. If Root scores big in this match and Anderson and Broad come back in, Australia will be worried.
crap
FFS I’m off to bed.
It's the hope, etc..
Thought a collapse would be on the cards but not instantly. 😩
bloody Nora 🙁
Buttler and Stokes in already, jeepers.
I don't like cricket. I hate it.
Oh dear me. England failure of planning and execution. Australia successful planing and execution.
Not hopeful for this rest of the series
Should've gone to bed when the TV signal went down. Ironically that was the only period in which they didn't lose a wicket.
I didn't see one dismissal where I thought it was an unplayable delivery.
I didn’t see one dismissal where I thought it was an unplayable delivery.
The one Burns got was a snorter. Other than that I agree entirely.
So now Anderson and Broad come in and if it isn't 50-5 and hooping around corners, the pressure is on them.
The sad fact is, in Oz with the Kookaburra, their bowlers move the ball as much as ours and are 5-10mph quicker. Even with the 'new' Kookaburra. So England are behind from the off. It is difficult to underplay how much movement is enhanced by the threat of a rapid, steepling bouncer. Only Wood is quick enough for that, but he is gun-barrel straight.
Leach disappeared at 9 an over for an extended period. Lyon looked threatening and kept it fairly tight when he wasn't taking wickets. In Australian conditions a series XI would definitely contain Root and Stokes if fit. Other than that it would be 9 Aussies.
I can't see Robinson taking those two catches that Hazlewood took, either.
I'm also hating Lyon's straight on ball being called a doosra or arm ball. It is neither, it is an undercut offbreak that skids because it lands on the flat part of the ball not the seam.
Doosra is impossible to bowl with a legal action (Murali was a chucker, sorry to say) and the arm ball is a seam up outswinger pushed off of the index finger.
England to Bowl
Stokes fit to play and a lot of bowling for root
Better start moving around when sun sets
Good to hear Ian Chappell talking sense about England's tactics, ie play Ben Foakes at wicketkeeper, Jos Buttler has already dropped two and is now very negative in the runs department. He's not, and never will be, Adam Gilchrist.... He also questions England's use of bowlers especially Ben Stokes' role.
I've found England's selection and tactics to be absolutely baffling. I know we're not that strong, particularly the batting line up, but it feels like the team has an arm tied behind its back.
I wish someone would change Chappell’s batteries
FFS Buttler
Oh. Dear.
Why are we not picking Foakes? Buttler just doesn't bat well enough at test level to accept his keeping.
With England it's always trying to win something in the future. Resting players so they can be good next week/month etc. Today was about not letting the Aussies score in the first two sessions so they could take all the wickets in the final session. Except they didn't and they will end up batting after tea tomorrow. What chance another 150 all out against Australia's 450?
Joe - how about you try and win what's in front of you NOW?
What chance another 150 all out against
Bit optimistic on the number of runs there.
I think one of the Aussie commentators on TMS (can't remember who) made a similar point about England trying to be too cleaver. Just try to get the batsmen out and win the test.
5/0
Evening stickball fans. Another one of my silly questions. I thought when I checked the end of play feed earlier that two hundred and twenty something runs for a team that spent all day batting seemed very low. Is that normal for a first day innings, in that it’s going to be cagey after the early wicket loss? Or was it pitch dependent today?
Is that normal for a first day innings
It’s not super low, but it’s definitely not a big score. They’re going at 2.5 an over, in test cricket you’d expect it to be 3, maybe 3.5 on the first day.
England didn’t bowl badly, quite tight but didn’t get the wickets.
More down to England’s bowling really. They set negative fields and bowled negatively. Lots of short stuff that was unlikely to take a wicket but hard to score from. The idea was to restrict the scoring until they got to those last ten (or 9 as it turned out) overs under lights with the new ball when they hoped to take wickets. It didn’t happen of course and was just another example of England trying to be too clever rather than just trying to hit the top of off stump and get them out.
I guess it’s possible that they’ll take early wickets tomorrow, but it’s more likely that Australia will make them toil in the heat, score quickly in the second session then put England in under the lights and do what we failed to do; take wickets.
That's exactly what I'm expecting as well.🙄
Yes, My prediction is Aus declaring at 410-7 and England being 40-3 at the close.
Whether it’s selection or tactics England just get it wrong too often don’t they? Captain or coach to blame?
So, what's the betting we'll see Root and a nigh****chman at stumps today?
That’s optimistic!