My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

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.

TONGUE!!

1

midlifecrashes
Full Member
First thing Bairstow has held on to this summer.

Big enough that he can spot it coming

Hmmm, has Pope done his shoulder in? Still off.

Looks like it.

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Why isn’t the Lords Test first in the series any more? Best to get the defeat out of the way with four left to play.

Back in the day of one touring team playing 5/6 tests in the summer, Lord’s was, traditionally, the second test and the Oval the last.

England look to be in strife here – burned some reviews and Labuschagne in particular scoring in a very wide arc. The Ashes are still just poking out of Pat Cummins’ blazer pocket still, but might well disappear from English view in the next couple of days…

Hallelujah!

<p>Was just typing that the Ashes are gone, innings defeat impending etc. But Root’s given them a chance of limiting the damage today. </p>

Right.

FFS.

Come on England. You have an end open now.

Doh! Starc off the mark first ball with a four.

But the point stands. England have to get these last 4 wickets for under 50.

Decent start to the morning. Not that the Lords crowd seem to have noticed as there was barely a murmur for that last wicket. I’m guessing most of them aren’t really arsed about the cricket and are just there for a corporate networking shindig. 🙄

Well, this is The Ashes right here, right now.

England have to get this over and done with for <400.

I think Cummins will hold an end up, Smith will get his ton, then it’s over as they’ll get 450-475.

Game on!

So yesterday evening with the Aussies looking likely to run riot with their first innings score, we’ve reeled in their last 7 wickets for 100 runs or so and put ourselves back in the game. However, I can’t help feel that Duckett and Crawley are going to get themselves out cheaply if they go full on BazBall. Too much quality in the attack to go gung ho. Tone it down a bit boys, get through lunch and dig in through the afternoon. Plenty of time.

Spacemonkey has it.

I wouldn’t say England are back in the game yet, more avoided being batted out of it.

Momentum. We nipped their last few wickets out cheaply there. DO NOT HAND THE INITIATIVE BACK TO AUSTRALIA BY LOSING A CLUSTER OF WICKETS.

A few observations from yesterday:
Jimmy is getting a lot of stick for a man who bowled 15 overs for 29 runs. Sure, he didn’t take any wickets but he was very tidy indeed.
If Pope is injured, if (when?) Stokes gets injured who is the skipper? Broad? Jimmy? YJB?
Vaughan is soooo negative about, well, everything. Please, please get him off the screen.
It feels like a “normal” test. Nothing overly showy, a reasonable pitch, 400 runs.

Well they’re certainly not hanging about on the run-rate but not taking huge risks at the same time. All looking good assuming they don’t get carried away. Australia’s bowling probably shows just how well England did this morning. Very different to yesterday thank god!