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Do the bowlers believe he will snag the next one, and does that influence their confidence or even their tactics (bowl for more lbws and bowled rather than attacking the outside edge because consciously or subconsciously you don’t have absolute faith that wk and slips will take the chance if it comes)
Speaking as a former bowler - no.
As a bowler you are more preoccupied with the batter - where to take their wicket or how to restrict their scoring depending on the situation. Introducing the relative likelihood of a catch being shelled is too much. You wouldn't target Smith's stumps more just because you've got Stevie Wonder keeping wicket - if you did, you'll be going at ten an over and still have no chance of taking a wicket. 🤷♂️
Something tells me anyone with tickets for Sunday are going to be disappointed.
All out, 26 behind.
This is literally it.
Last orders in the last chance saloon of Ashes 23.
Has Bairstow dropped one yet?
Stevie Wonder keeping wicket
with two frying pans instead of gloves.....
Something tells me anyone with tickets for Sunday are going to be disappointed.
Less of that please! 🙃
RM.
Less of that please! 🙃
+1
As a ticket holder (and attendee) of the last day in 2019, I hope you are fortunate.
🤞
Mrsmidlife is there today. I think I'll make sure I'm out when she gets home.
And Bairstow drops another one...
Another crazy purple patch and the Aussies are effectively 116-4. Game on.
Have to get rid of Marsh and Head for <50 in the morning. It is an imperative.
Get ten raw steaks sent up to Mark Wood's room now.
Weather looks a bit iffy tomorrow. If any play does happen it should be good for bowling. Sunday doesn’t look great either. Could be a crazy Monday. 😳
2 quick wickets
England should slow down a bit here or they may have to bat in these conditions 🙂
8 down! lead of 200
FFS openers just stay in. Leave the run scoring til tomorrow.
It's on!!
0-0 at stumps, I'll be well happy.
Think the spectators who sacked it off and went home will be pissed off now.
Wonder who won the fancy dress?
A couple of England fans have just asked Todd Murphy if he will sign a piece of sandpaper.
😀
Job done. There may be life in this series yet. 🙂
Tonight's result will show if there's still life in the women's Ashes.
Job done? This is test cricket 🤪
Me - I’ll be there tomorrow. Gonna be mint 👌
Interesting stat on twitter as Moeen reaches the 200 wickets 2000 runs club (table is the point at which they did it) below is a full career comparison with Freddie Flintoff.
https://twitter.com/cricketingview/status/1677547797468291072
He also has the same number of 100's (5), more 5-fers (5 vs 3), similar batting ave (28 vs 31), inferior bowling average (33 vs 37) but at a better strike rate (wkt every 61 vs 66 for Flintoff)
Mo deserves to be mentioned as an all rounder in the same league as Freddie? Or has he (generally) played in better teams?
Thanks for sharing - interesting. England were really good 2003-2005 before falling away. Flintoff was pretty economical as well I think during this period - could tie an end up for long periods. Mo doesn’t have the same control.
Mo deserves to be mentioned as an all rounder in the same league as Freddie?
Not for me. At his best, Freddie was a match winner.
Nervy! Surely they can't f*** this up now?
Surely they can’t f*** this up now?
You've seen England play before, yes?? 😉
Nervy! Surely they can’t f*** this up now?
Time for Bairstow to repay those debts.
And gone
That should be the end of his participation in the series, hopefully.
pk13
Full Member
And gone
Hopefully for good. Cheerio!
Regardless of todays outcome, do Eng a favour and drop JB.
for ****s sake! they are like the tory party..... just a shrug and waltz off with the cash.
do Eng a favour and drop JB.
Root hold my beer....
I still don't see what wrong with just nurdeling about in the crease for 1 over when you first come out it's 6 balls ffs!!!
78 to win no rain forecast just bat at 3 an over with the odd 4 and your home
come on Brooks bring it home
I can barely watch this. 😀
It's as brilliant as it is unbearable, but, please can we have Foakes in for the next one?
37 with 4 wickets :/
It's alright, I placed a Judas bet at lunchtime to secure it.
2-1 with two to play.
Are you not entertained?
Mad rush from most of the press box to the toilets at drinks.
Can't cope.
even TMS can't cope
34 30 required
24 22 needed come on England!
Shit.
🫣
****!
Takes me back to 2005 but Warne was bowling and no-one had a clue how to play it.
what a dreadful shot! wtaf with so few needed 🙁
FFS just go for singles.
classic cover drive!
If Wood finishes this will he get the horse out?
Oh, and behind Smith that's my second choice for shelling one. Very talented keeper, just don't like him for some reason.
Are we entertained now?
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.