We have one dayers to go, T20 and then some tests in NZ....
Not interested in the Mickey Mouse, so irrelevant.
Sadly, going to NZ could well paper over some cracks as the wickets are usually pretty puddingy over there.
The latter sadly is a myth.
I bet you’re fun at parties
all of us like cricket and cycling, I don't think we are the life and soul of any social gathering 😀
I still prefer '....standing at slip with his legs apart, hoping for a tickle'
Oh well, Malan gone to a corking catch.
Eng will be lucky to make 300 at this rate.
Well that didn't take long... Ali wafting at stuff, maybe Broad needs to come in then...320-330 will make it tough for England, don't think they will get there, though at least Starc is slowing down
Garry seems to have Ali dancing on the end of a string. Ali just seems to have completely lost any ability to pick the spin.
Paine and Smith are utter shite heads. Trying to get Curran out after having his bat grounded and after the over was obviously completed. Utter pricks.
Curran currently outscoring Ali, he is playing fairly well there with the exception of the last short ball.
Curran seems to have decided that as long as he dosn't walk past one, it doesn't matter how it's spinning if he slogs it on the half volley 😆
Is Monty the Aussie's catching coach?
2 Dropped in 2 overs...
That 2nd one looked even worse in the replays
Limp from Ali
So what can these 2 do, given Lyon hasn't had one yet quicks will still be king today. I think Warne has lost his bet with Broad getting 100 for the series
I've just been reading how Joe Root as a captain thinks tactically he's been quite good! ???? and he seems optimistic about winning in Sydney. I realise of course that he is only one part of many moving ones but he is the captain and his team haven't taken 20 wickets once all summer, First innings they've averaged 356 and second it's been 215 (Australia 20wkts x 3, 1st Inns - 439 2nd Inns-191, didn't need to be more as Englands scores were so poor). Only positive for me this summer so far has been the emergence/competence of Dawid Malan.
SHOT! from Curran
EDIT: ....and from Broad
Well positives,
Broad has his Mojo back with the Bat
Curran looks like a very useful player
Malan, Stoneman & Vince have all shown the makings of Test batsmen
I hope these new guys get a solid chance to form the backbone of the next Ashes side.
Another 6 from Broad there, finding some gaps and smacking them, if they can run this up past 350 it will be a huge rescue job.
Yeah, Root has been fairly inept in his tactics. I still agree with his decision to bowl first in Adelaide as it had Trent Bridge 2015 written all over it. Given how poorly we batted when conditions improved, we could have been out for less than 100 on that first day. But, that's about it. Fielding and bowling choices questionable. should have declared in Melbourne. Should have had a mechanism in place to get Curran out as night watchman with fewer than three overs remaining. Personally, his own shot selection and concentration have been poor also.
He has a lot of talent with the bat, but if Warner can manage to convert from being a T20 slogger to being a very good test opener, i'm pretty sure Root, who is technically superior and an out and out test player should be able to build the mental aptitude consolidate centuries..
Balls.
Curran, joint 3rd best score for England there - unless Jimmy and Broad get going, time to see what Crane is about with the bat.
zokes - Still not a customer
Yeah, Root has been fairly inept in his tactics
A lot was made of the fact he is good tactically but naturally conservative, Stokes as VC gives him more belief is his decisions and pushes some of the more aggressive moves that he hasn't been going for this time around.
I guess Cook is trying not to be the "When I was captain" as that would undermine Root far too much.
So if Ben Stokes does come back into the side at some point how do you fit him in?
For me it would be to replace Woakes. I agree that Curran has looked impressive in quite hostile conditions. Does he eventually replace either Anderson/Broad? Do you stick with Vince? he has many detractors and not many big scores. Do you persevere with Ali or hang your hat on Mason Crane as the future? I say this because 2 years ago the Australians weren't at all convinced with Nathan Lyon and now he's one of the first names on the team sheet.
Do we as fans just satisfy ourselves with home victories more often than not (like India)
As usual for England, More questions than answers,
For me Ali either needs to be back playing county or with England A at this point. In this team Stokes for Ali no questions asked, Crane needs a go with the ball to see how he stacks up. You could also juggle around and have Stokes replacing Vince really just up at 6/7 moving the rest up.
The 80 Runs from Broad and Curran might mean this game ends up on day 4....
Have to agree with the more rational end of C9WWOS here that the Aussies are giving a hard time all the way through giving no chances.
and 346 all out, Anderson trying to get the hell out of there to get Run out.
Much better than when Broad came to the crease.
[quote=mikewsmith ]Malan, Stoneman & Vince have all shown the makings of Test batsmen
Malan has probably already guaranteed his place to at least the end of the summer, if not on the next winter tour. Stoneman shows signs of being a Test batsman (especially given it's tough at the top and so many others have failed there). However Vince only looks like a Test batsman. Until he gets out flashing at a ball wide outside off having scored 20 that is.
Given he's not converting to 100s at 4 (sure he's racking up the 50s and the runs again, but you feel he could do so much better), maybe it's time to try Root at 3 again?
Another 6 from Broad there, finding some gaps and smacking them, if they can run this up past 350 it will be a huge rescue job.
It would have been, and still a good effort by the tail, but they didn't quite make it, and I can see Smith making the England total look puny. I suppose he's got to fail sometime though, right?
I suppose he's got to fail sometime though, right?
We could spike his lunch with picolax, but I think that’s the only plan with any certainty of success
So, here we go... 1/1
Good to see Bancroft gone early but he was never the danger man, Khawaja looks unsettled and leaving the bulk of the scoring to Warner.
But... apart from the half hearted LBW shouts and the edge that didn't carry it's not doing enough to challenge them - as warner nearly clips one to Bairstow
Yup, good to get Warner out. Him or Smith on their own are a handful enough, having the pair of them at the crease makes it very hard work.
Do the Aussies have anyone else other than Usi at three? He only ever seems to score big when they're not under pressure.
Smith batted 3 in India earlier this year with both Marsh's and Handscombe in the team. Smith at 3 seems a lot more daunting than Usi there but it does leave him open to being in too early if something like this happens.
What do you suppose it is about the ECB set up / expectancy of our test captaincy? Okay, so Cook managed to hold on to most of his form when he became skipper, but we can go back to Botham, Flintoff and now Root, whereby all their natural talent is stripped away from them as soon as they become captain of the test team.
Do other countries have this issue? Certainly not with the likes of Smith and Kholi, even MS Dhoni continued in his rich vein whilst captaining India. Alright, it's not an absolute, but when Root was selected to be captain, my heart droid sink a bit as the tendency to score next to **** all looked on.
Happy to be proved incorrect with stats, but sometimes, it's not about the best player, who makes the best captain, S Waugh being a prime example. I'm sure there are many examples of fine English cricketers who became the test captain and continued to either score big or take wickets, but, unless we go back to the mid C20th, none are springing to my mind.
Well, KP's average during his short captaincy was 52.5 (whilst we won 1, drew one, and lost one away to SA and India), vs 50.8 for the rest of 2008. Not sure that really counts though!
I'm sure there are many examples of fine English cricketers who became the test captain and continued to either score big or take wickets
Without checking the stats, Gooch, Atherton, Hussein and Strauss held up pretty well didn't they?
Not the slightest hint of a wicket this morning. Aussies to finish the day on 475 with Eng losing cheap wickets before the end of play.
Doesn't seem to be heading any other way. Smith managing to somehow still hit it well whilst being knocked off his feet by a Broad delivery.
Do we not train debutants where the line of the popping crease is?!?
On the plus side, Mason Crane appears to have quite excited the Aussie commentators, they seem to be pleasantly surprised by both his bowling and his ticker.
and the faint hope of a wicket overturned on review...
Going to be a long day, forecast 42c tomorrow going to be grim out there
And usi has gone, not seen it but assumed he just got bored and wanted to go back inside for a bit
Nice ball actually - dragged him out wider than he thought he was going then ball through the gate for a stumping. Crane is quite good fun to watch bowl, I just wish Root would set a more aggressive field for him. There have been a couple that would have been caught had we had more close in fielders.
The locals do seem to rate him fairly well there, he seems to at least be a bit of a handful which is promising.
So the real question isn't will S Marsh get his 100 tonight but will Mitch...
Well as the day draws to a close here there is a hint of delirious in the Tms box, Australia will March on and as somebody quipped winning the toss won't help England avoid batting last. Lyon will rip them apart.
But it's been an awesome day for charity with $800,000 raised so far this test so please all dig deep and donate
https://www.pinktest.com.au
Glen has been on TMN and the TV talking about the cause and the fund raising so a bit more will help them.
I've figured out who Tom Curran is impersonating with his bowling.
The run up is Dominic Cork, elbows jutting, looking like someone running through deep mud. The action is Andre Nel, but without the pace.
I can't see him being an integral part of the Test side for long, unfortunately.
No, sadly he seems to be just a bit too slow at this level. Might be good as an injury replacement on a pitch that suits, but definitely seems to be lacking penetration here.
But then that latter point nearly applies to all of them.
This no pace in the English bowler lineup business......because apparently we don't breed them. Not sure I understand the logic - West indies scarey quicks didn't seem to struggle to be effective in English conditions in the 1980s. Just because English conditions also favour swing does not mean we can't grow our own proper fasts too surely. And with central contracts and all surely you could see potential in youthful very fast fast medium and pay them to spend their time getting even faster rather than pounding themselves to death on the county circuit..
Just turned the telly on. Now 517/4. FFS.
Convert - mark wood is the obvious example to disprove your comment but I accept that his fitness has a big ? over it.
Australian climate and weather conditions, in general, favour speed over swing/seam. English conditions favour swing/seam over outright speed; I accept that Windies, Lillee, Thommo had great success in england but since their days there has been an increased tendency for groundsmen/keepers to produce wickets which reward the national team skillset so....Australia - flat, dry; England - slightly green.
Spinners, on the other hand, if they're good enough will pick up wickets irrespective of the surface.
It almost suggests two different teams - one for home and some significant changes for away.
