My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

Bairstows batting was sensational last year though – he deserves his place on that basis. He looks overweight to me though, ok not exactly Mike Gatting, but it ties in with the comments about his lack of agility, relatively. But getting him in to the team as a batter only is problematic – who do you drop? Maybe one of the openers and play him there? That’d be peak bazball.

Great test match.

Aye, maybe Duckett?

Bairstow was sensational last year but I reckon he’s in negative equity with his misses/drops so far. The Aussies are too good to not take every chance offered.

Catches win matches.

No amount of bazball will change that fact, no matter how entertaining to watch

You can argue similarly about picking Moeen over Liam Dawson. Moeen clearly doesn’t bowl enough any more and his batting is that of a guy who will only average 25 or so from now on. I was a big Moeen Ali fan, but his time has passed. He also looks off the pace in the field.

They should have gone like for like with Dawson and had Foakes in the squad too. The trouble is Stokes and his dodgy knee. He practically had to push himself back to his feet using his bat like a crutch after sweeping Lyon. He isn’t going to be a full fourth seamer again in Test cricket, I’m afraid.

I still think Aus have a better balanced team and are broadly better player vs player. Over a five match series I think that will show. Bazball can paper over a lot of cracks, but not all of them. Smith, Labuschagne and Head will all probably deliver at some point, Carey is a better keeper by miles vs Bairstow and they can afford to leave out Starc.

dander
Full Member
Bairstows batting was sensational last year though – he deserves his place on that basis

Fascinating stat from Zaltzman on TMS that Bairstow’s batting average is notably worse in the innings after he’s kept wicket than in the first innings of matches, so not only is his keeping not up to scratch, it’s dragging his batting down too.
Not entirely sure how one would make space for him as just a batsman though?

Not entirely sure how one would make space for him as just a batsman though?

I wonder how to rate batsmen in the Bazball era. If it’s here to stay, at least while he and Stokes are in charge, then your solid batter with an average above 40 doesn’t have the same value as someone like Bairstow with an average in the 30’s, but double the strike rate and the potential to absolutely turn a game or take a game away and cause panic in the opposition – even if it is only 1/4 or 1/5 innings. Plus batting at the other end when someone like Bairstow or Stokes, or Buttler in the past is off on one becomes so much easier, no pressure to score, just run when told and get off strike if you should accidentally end up facing.

It wasn’t my way when I played and I still rate Cook as the best batter ‘of my type’ – but I wonder if he’d even get a game for this team. 2 scoring shots and the patience to wait all day to use them……

I wonder how to rate batsmen in the Bazball era.

Sums up Zak Crawley perfectly. I still don’t know what to make of him as a test opener. Bazball has certainly upset the applecart of norms – but is it a winning strategy in the medium to long term?

Pitch inspection ongoing.

Squeaky bum time for both sides now.

Absolutely enthralling test this has been.

This is on a knife edge! Khawaja digging in, need him out.

Australia being patient to get past the worst of the weather. The more it dries out the easier it should be to bat.

EDIT and they’ve still scored 50 runs. Soon the target will be down to double figures. Oz are favourites unless England can get Khawaja soon.

English bowling is very good and khawaja seems to have nerves of steel.

Could go either way this

with this tail its effectively 2 wickets to win it, with one of the current partnership, and then Carey. Khawaja might have the nerves but does Carey?

bookies currently favouring Aus, will be interesting to see how that turns following a wicket.

with 38 overs remaining seems the draw is out of the picture unless the weather intervenes.

if England had a proper keeper, fit spinner and a bowling all rounder they’d have won this match at a canter.

with this tail its effectively 2 wickets to win it

Cummins is pretty handy with the bat.

That wicket of Green was vital. It puts more heat on Khawaja to get on with it a bit. Or does Carey have a look then press the pedal?

what we haven’t done (yet) in this innings is something that England have been good at recently….and that’s get one followed by another and cause a bit of panic. I think it’ll happen yet. New ball in 8 overs as well.

KHAWAJA!!

Stokes makes things happen!

there’s a odious yorkshire man nodding with approval @ that innings from Khawaja

Advantage England.

Come on!

Carey is going to do something daft soon.

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.