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required run rate creeps above 3! an over 😀
Carey needs to be the hero or go down trying. A half arsed attempt at both going for the win and the draw will probably acheive neither. Edit - seems he is starting to attack Root.
Hard to give Khawaja any stick when he has done what he has so far in the game to get them to this position, but I reckon he threw it away there.
ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!
3rd times a charm! 😀
Nathan Lyon is very good in tense situations near the end of an Ashes match!
What price a run out?
🙂
It's not over yet...
If one or two fly with the new ball it could get interesting again.
Yes, but are we entertained yet?
My arse is like a little rabbit's nose
Got to take the new conker, surely?
They'll scruff and cloth and kick the old ball around with (relative) ease.
bad decision for the new ball, too easy to time.
What a tense finish! Australia are gonna get this aren’t they…
Yup - England played too aggressively and the first day declaration has come back to haunt them.
Chuffed for Cummins - hopefully that'll silence some of the knuckleheads who criticise him at the slightest thing.
England dug themselves a hole with the short stuff - it got to the point where they could not take a wicket unless the Aussies took it on.
Great game, though.
Disagree. 6 or 7 missed / dropped catches and stumpings cost them.
The declaration was a gamble but has not been the difference.
Hell of a final partnership from the Aussies. Oh well, win some, lose some!
The declaration was a gamble but has not been the difference.
Whilst I agree about the missed chances I'd say the declaration very definitely did cost them this time. Obviously the England first innings might have only lasted another 2 balls but it 'probably' would have lasted 5 or 6 more overs and 20 runs. That would have made this games a draw.
I just have a feeling that's the last close one (unless we get some weather). Australia won without their batting engine room firing this time - that's not going to happen too many more times.
Stokes the player currently compromises the team.....the Bazball way maybe should be to do the unthinkable and drop him.
I think the first day declaration played a big part. If it was overcast conditions and the wicket was offering something to the bowlers it would’ve been a very good choice to throw the ball to Jimmy and Broad for the last 30min or so. Trouble was the wicket was a belter to bat on, Root was seeing the ball like a balloon and could’ve easily added another 40 runs. It’s all ifs and buts but that possible 40 runs might’ve changed the result ? Who knows. Still a cracking game though, bodes well for the rest of the series
I never go for that logic. If we'd batted on then maybe we'd have scored 20 more but then everything shifts and eg: Broad wouldn't have had a late go at the Aussies at the top of the second innings and got Smith and Labuschagne with the boozed up crowd behind him, they'd have been on the back of a good night's rest, or whatever. It was a gamble, and yes it's easy to point at what 'might' have happened, but the missed catches did happen, and cost us dearly.
you don’t choose to miss a catch - the declaration was a choice and it was the wrong one and cost the match
nobody said the catches were missed by choice, but we did choose to pick a fill in keeper and those are the consequences of that. That decision has cost the game.
you don’t choose to miss a catch – the declaration was a choice and it was the wrong one and cost the match
I agree. The most charitable thing you can say about it was that it was a gamble that didn't pay off. Personally I think it was more costly than that this time with Root playing the way he was.
we did choose to pick a fill in keeper and those are the consequences of that.
I think that's a bit harsh on Bairstow. He's more than a fill in keeper - he's just not the best keeper available.
So....what changes would you make for the next England XI?
Anderson out for Wood, Stokes out for Curran for me. Depends on Ali's finger.
It wasn't the declaration or the Bairstow drops or the Sunday league swishes by Moeen and others, it was a combination of all of those things and an inability to read the game effectively. They are committed to this approach but still learning to master it themselves. There have to be times when giving additional wicket opportunities to the Aussies is erased from their mindset - the down the wicket charges at seemingly meaningless points in the game just makes no sense when you are already chugging along at >5 per over in test cricket.
Also, as someone up there says, the Aussie batters will hit some proper form at some point. I'm guessing if they had known that the wicket would be that dead, Mark Wood might have been picked.
Real entertainment though
That's really difficult - lots of if's but's and maybe's in my selection below but here goes.
Anderson for Wood I think, depends on the pitch as well - if a greentop then Anderson stays and we have a seam attack of Broad, Robinson and Anderson. Or does Broad get rested, not on form but on the workload that's coming - he looks like a kid but he is 37.
I think Stokes stays; although I can see some justification in his position being at risk he does now have 10 days rest for his knee, he's the skipper and he is talismanic in the field and does just have that golden arm (I thought he might have an over or two right at the end).
After all I said IMHO Foakes has to come in. And if he does, it depends then on Stokes' knee and the pitch. If it's a greentop and Stokes can give us 10 overs an innings, plus the three main seamers, I'd let Root bowl spin and bring Foakes for Ali.
If it's a proper test pitch, hard but then a turner, then Wood in for Anderson and keep Ali so we have both spin options (depends on finger) - but then means one of Duckett, Crawley or Bairstow make way, and the other two make up the opening pair.
Does that help 😉
What I *think* will happen is if all fit and well, and fingers and knees healed - unchanged / or maybe Wood for Anderson, depending on pitch. Declarations, village style swishes, and catches aside, they very nearly won this test, and remember AUS annihilated IND the week before. We were pretty good, and while I know SS and ML won't fail all series, as I said 5 days ago - despite losing I think AUS have plenty to worry about how to counter Bazball, which burnt steadily for us this game but didn't actually explode in the way it can.
Fine margins, had Stokes clung on to that chance - hardly a chance, really - England would probably have won. Bit perturbed by Lyon’s batting transformation.
Jimmy was well off it.
Fair play to England for pushing the Aussies all the way. They had them on the back foot for most of the match and nine times out of ten they would win when the the opposition are 8 down with 50 odd left to get. But fair play to Cummings, who by all accounts is a thoroughly decent chap, for a career-defining captain's innings. Hopefully both sides can shake hands on a great match and we can look forward to more of the same.
I do think that Stokes has bigger goals than winning a match. He seems to be trying to save test cricket by showing just how exciting it can be. He wants to create talking points and by that measure (given all the chat above) the declaration was a success.
Ben's own words say what I think almost exactly.
"I thought that was a time to pounce. I am not going to change the way I have gone about my cricket because it is the Ashes. Who knows, we could have got an extra 40 runs or lost two wickets in two balls. I am not a captain who gets by on what ifs.
"We were in control of most of the game and managed to produce a result. Obviously we wanted to be on top. We are devastated but that's sport. It is great and an emotional rollercoaster."
Hopefully both sides can shake hands on a great match and we can look forward to more of the same.
Even with single digits to get, I enjoyed Cummins walking across all three and flicking one down to fine leg. I think Broad said something about don't miss one and him and Cummins then just giggled at each other as it if was a backyard knock up.....he then promptly hit him in the ribs three times. Exactly how the game should be played.
Great game, but if there’s any way of getting Vaughan away from our screens and radios then please make it happen.
He sucks the joy out on everything.
Vaughan
For a pretty successful captain, who must have had a fair bit of tactical acumen, he talks a lot of shit.
Athers and Hussain are far superior in their analysis of the game.
you don’t choose to miss a catch – the declaration was a choice and it was the wrong one and cost the match
It was a gamble, but batting on would have meant a draw.
It was a great match and people need to remember the state England were in before Stokes became captain.
Anyone else watching the womens' test?
Obviously an absolute road at Trent Bridge, but the standard of cricket is pretty damned good. The standard of seam bowling is dire, but spin, batting and fielding are all top notch.
Tammy Beaumont can certainly play - compact, organised and times the arse off of it when she plays an attacking shot.
👍
Listened to a fair bit on TMS. Great double hundred by Beaumont.
Good fightback by England after an awful start to this innings.
Going to be a tough chase but not impossible. 10 wickets for Ecclestone, excellent performance.
Ecclestone is probably the best spinner in England after Jack Leach. She’s an amazing bowler. Not bad with the bat either. It’d never happen but it’d be fascinating to see her in a men’s first class game.
Well played Australia. That opening bowling spell in Australia's 2nd innings made things tough for England.
Tongue in for Ali as the only change. 4 seamers says Stokes knee is not healed, Moeen was apparently fit but Root will be the spin option.
Four and a bit seamers and reduced spin attack makes the 'keeper choice a bit easier as he'll be stood back for 90% of the time.
Tongue in for Ali as the only change. 4 seamers says Stokes knee is not healed, Moeen was apparently fit but Root will be the spin option.
Eesh, that's not exactly a confidence-inspiring lineup. Maybe they're expecting overcast weather, and a green bouncy wicket?
as he’ll be stood back for 90% of the time.
watching the ball fly past no doubt :/ The England Cricket Clique.
It's still not the right selection, I'm afraid. Liam Dawson is the LFL replacement for Leach. He's OK with the bat and he's sufficiently down the road career-wise to know he will be a temporary fill in who can play Bazball with gay abandon.
I agree on not picking Rehan for Lord's - it is generally not a spinning wicket for a ripper of the ball. It is also always small on one side of the ground too. I favour always playing a spinner for variety, I just think Dawson is the right pick for this game. Moeen 'fit'? Well, he was supposedly fit for Edgbaston but his spinning finger was too soft through underuse. That won't have changed in a fortnight.
If I was Aus I would want to win the toss, get batting and single out one or two of the seamers for punishment. Stokes will find himself running low on options very quickly. I think, sadly, we may be witnessing the last acts of Stokes as a bowler. He's not even a fourth seamer now.
Much as he's determined to make a twunt of himself, Robinson should prosper at Lords as it is now probably the equal bounciest test wicket in England.
It's on the line now. If England go 2-0 down, that's the Ashes gone.
Liam Dawson is the LFL replacement for Leach. He’s OK with the bat and he’s sufficiently down the road career-wise to know he will be a temporary fill in who can play Bazball with gay abandon.
But if they'd picked him he wouldn't have been able to score 140odd or take 12 wickets for Hants against Middlesex!
But if they’d picked him he wouldn’t have been able to score 140odd or take 12 wickets for Hants against Middlesex!
😎
...morons......
yep I concur describes the England selectors to a tee!
Aussies openers look comfortable here. Big gob Ollie on already.
First thing Bairstow has held on to this summer.