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have it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Crackin' test match
watching fast bowlers taking a step to leg the just walloping a straight 90 mph ball to the boundary is just joyous 🙂
England clearly have some selection issues now. jimmy Anderson playing at old Trafford is there room for him it could be his last chance to play at Trafford. and bairstow clearly is 10% off his game.
Batting line up can stay as is now.
# edit. good win tbh and the bowling team definitely deserve it
can't drop Woods and Woakes though you can Bairstow, though Id keep Ali if he's fit to bowl though not batting at 3
the "1 dayer" approach, ignore convention everyone chips in
he made (Wood) the aussie top order look asleep 🙂 if England had held their catches this would have been over yesterday
Ali can bat all over and tbf has for most of his career. Wood at the oval will be epic he looks up for it but they cannot rest him with it being 2/1 he is frightening the Aussie tail.
Tough call on bairstow but he is definitely missing something and not just catching practice.
tough ?
bairstow should be toast but it's england cricket clique, chums a go go
Thriller (from the Western Terrace 🤪).
Chuffed you were there to witness it. I was there on the last day in 2019 and was still shaking my head after the umpteenth pint in the pubs of Headingley.
so england are sticking with Billy "Bairstow" Bunter behind the stumps.
so england are sticking with Billy “Bairstow” Bunter behind the stumps.
It's like watching me keep wicket, and I'm rubbish* 😳
(*disclaimer - I was a bowler as a younger person but very broken now, still pining for my wicket-taking days 😂)
Billy “Bairstow” Bunter
Aka 'Cymbals'.
Or 'Iron Mitts'.
🙄
The England women's team currently making a bollocks of a run chase...
Decent start to the Women's ODI - couple of wickets but Aus going at nearly 6 still. Although level in the series this is a must win for England; with 2 to play the overall draw means Aus retain.
Also an interesting read in the Guardian.....takes a while to get to the point but what do we actually want from England?
Shout out to the cidermen for defending a modest total twice yesterday to lift the T20 blast cup after so many recent unsuccessful Finals days. Somerset, la la la!
T20 final was ok the weather definitely did not help. Deserved the win with some great bowling
Yeah - until then, it felt they’d restricted Aus. to a manageable total; Bell had no answer to Wareham’s use of the crease.
Gah. That last over cost them the game.
Ashes gone, but heck of a game. Easy to say that the 26 last over cost the game but the girls batting with NSB just failed to turn strike over effectively, too many dot balls in the last 5 overs and with just a few more balls - 2 or 3 even - they'd have got in.
[edit - Glenn 22 off 35 balls. She hit one 4 so if the others came in singles that would be 16 dot balls, more if there were some 2's or 3's. You don't have to be boundary hitters but you have to be able to play tip and run]
Ashes gone, but heck of a game. Easy to say that the 26 last over cost the game but the girls batting with NSB just failed to turn strike over effectively, too many dot balls in the last 5 overs and with just a few more balls – 2 or 3 even – they’d have got in.
It was a record chase and they got very close, so I think criticism of that is very harsh. Ultimately they were trying to get 15 more runs than they should have.
They were (chasing 15 more) but they'd still have done it. And it's not 'blame', it's learning what to do better next time.
If we're talking about what to do better, it's the execution of the final over.
It's both.
It’s both.
Not for me. I didn't think they got a huge amount wrong in the chase. In contrast, the final over was a whopper.
I didn’t think they got a huge amount wrong in the chase.
Well we've got a clear difference of opinion there then - at least 16 dot balls where we neither scored a run nor got the other batter back on strike is getting it wrong. Half of those would have been 8 more runs plus whatever NSB would have done by being on strike. An easy win. It sounds harsh but these details make the difference - I just looked, Glenn came in after 38.4 overs so was there for 11.2 overs, 68 balls. She faced just over half (35) and dot balled at least 16 of them. Well done for staying in so NSB could score at the other end, even better if......
There will come a time when they need to score 50 off 5 overs again without having gone for loads in the last over. And they need to get the main batter facing most of those balls. It's run chase 1.01 - rotates the strike and get the batter facing as many balls as you can.
Well we’ve got a clear difference of opinion there then – at least 16 dot balls where we neither scored a run nor got the other batter back on strike is getting it wrong
Did you watch it? They bowled very well to Glenn, and got the field placement spot on. It's asking an awful lot of a number 9 to try and manufacture something in those circumstances. She didn't get it wrong, she was just outplayed. If I have one criticism, it's that NSB could've sacrificied a few singles to retain the strike.
In contrast, the last over by Bell was rank awful, absolute buffet bowling.
Yes, I did watch it, albeit flicking over to the tennis as well. There was little effort from what I saw to try to just drop the ball down and run, she kept hitting where they bowled at her and failed to penetrate the off side umbrella time and again.
It is asking a lot but that is what you have to do to beat sides like Australia and become the best in the world. Get better at this sort of thing.
Yes, the last over was bad and meant they were chasing 15 too many, but that's not the only reason they lost.
They also missed Perry three times in getting 91; another area to improve.
Yes, the last over was bad and meant they were chasing 15 too many, but that’s not the only reason they lost.
They lost by 3 runs! There are always areas for improvement but that's the main one.
I don't know why we're disagreeing - there were several reasons they lost, several things if they'd done better they'd have won and should therefore look to improve on next time.
I don’t know why we’re disagreeing – there were several reasons they lost, several things if they’d done better they’d have won and should therefore look to improve on next time.
There's one big reason why they lost, and some other areas for improvement.
Anderson back for Robinson, I guess that's as close to like-for-like as we have. I think I'd have preferred Tongue though, despite Jimmy obviously being a legend. We'll need a better return than I think 3 wickets in the two tests he played though.
Ali to bat at 3 confirmed. At least he can prep for it, and as we're unlikely to be reverting to playing properly he can still be free-playing and going for his shots rather than 'third opener' style.
Hope JB has had time to clear his head after the Lords debacle and his poor performances and prove us wrong.
Looking like a washout at the weekend so England will possibly only have 3 days to keep their hopes alive which should provide for some entertaining batting 😀 What's the betting on England winning the toss, batting first and declaring by teatime?
84 previous tests at Old Trafford where winning the toss and bowling first has never led to a win. I guess there is always a first time 🙂
At least we don't have to suffer the teatime declaration. 🙂
Unless this first session goes SPECTACULARLY well.
65 all out
300-7 declared in 50 overs. Aus batting in the last session.
(and monkeys might fly out of my butt)
Can't help but think Stokes has just handed them the ashes with that decision to bowl. 🙄
A draw's no good, they retain anyway, and it's easier to dictate in a fourth innings chase, where you can opt to go for it wherever the state of play is. Bowling a side out on a flat pitch in reduced hours where all they need to do is block is much harder, particularly with a makeshift spin attack.
It's high risk, unless they have a very good day today I can't see them bowling AUS out twice anyway, or at least not before being set 400+ in 50 overs or similar. But at the same time i think it's the positive approach.
- Good start..
Bairstow looking sharp as usual. 🙄
...old metal mitts...😕
Credit where it's due, that was quite a catch by Bairstow.