My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

Australia’s management has requested the MCC investigates the incidents in the Long Room at lunch

after what happened they would have known it was coming, so to bite back at whatever was said is just daft. Not excusing what was said (IDK, I just hope that as it was Khawaja that bit first that isn’t an indication of the nature)

Oh well, never mind.

Everyone* been hating Bazball the last 4 days

Not me. But they haven’t been playing it very well, if you look at last year, they were much better at adapting to the game situation.

All over now, but Australia lost the toss, had the worst of the conditions, and lost their main spinner. England only got close because of one brilliant innings.

The result goes back to the three cheap wickets England chucked away in the first innings for me. But in such relatively close contests there will be plenty of what ifs.

Hating Bazball?

No. Not enjoying watching world class English batters slapping tennis overheads to fielders? Guilty. Not enjoying watching two of the greatest seam and swing bowlers in history bowling 80mph long hops? Guilty.

Wanting England to play positively 90% of the time, intimidating the opposition with their attitude. Yes. But Cummins would have been rubbing his hands together watching his plan of last resort yield three cheap wickets.

This positivity is great – particularly in its wider mission to ‘save’ Test cricket. But a strategy and team are judged by their results and you cannot win a 75 session test series by hitting the max odds gamble button relentlessly.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66082409

MCC have acted quickly so I’m assuming it’s all on audible record.

Probably a bunch of New Money Hooray Henrys getting lippy after too much shampoo. For once, I think I would have respected Warner if he’d chinned one of the loutish ****.

The stumping of Bairstow was 100% fine. Bairstow was stupid to just go wandering around whilst the ball was still live. The ruling against the Starc catch was also 100% fine.

A lot of this has to be laid at the door of the media and their football-isation of the Ashes. This stuff has been going on on the field for generations. First test after WW2 down under – a batter (I think Aus) nicked one to slip, wasn’t given out and didn’t walk. The comment from the fielder was “well, that’s a fine ****ing way to start a series”. But the media weren’t all pervasive and whipping it up.

Cricket ought to be above all this crap that is put out there to appeal to the bellend element of the crowd.

100% agree. I just hope the clowns with stripes on their ties didn’t use any slurs it’s the last thing the ECB need.

Oh great.

Little Rishi, the pintsized pocket pillock has seen an opportunity for some gammon courting.

How undignified.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/jul/03/australias-actions-in-ashes-test-not-in-the-spirit-of-cricket-says-rishi-sunak

The stumping of Bairstow was 100% fine

Nah, it was snidey. Technically correct but just like the mankad you give a warning first. The umpires had turned and were of the opinion it was end of the over, Bairstow even stamped his foot in his crease. The aussies shouldn’t have let it go to review.

As for the catch it was fine but he should have turned his hand and not land on the ball, if he hasn;t got time to turn his hand how do we know he had it under control and wasn;t using the ground to control it. Personally I think it was a catch, but he shoul dhave turned his hand.

Now that Rishi has spoken, the correct side of this particular argument is now established. Fair dismissal, carry on.

Pope out of the rest of the Ashes, BBC saying they will bring in Dan Lawrence. Surely this would be a good time to bring Faokes back and move Bairstow up to 3?

Surely this would be a good time to bring Faokes back and move Bairstow up to 3?

Apparently they’re only looking to promote from within the current squad which rules Foakes out. Can’t help feel there’s something going on, like Stokes and Bairstow are too matey, to drop the latter. So as much as I’d like to think we’ll be fired up and put in a winning performance at Headingly, I reckon letting Bairstow continue with the gloves is going to cost us too many wickets again.

Another great win for Scotland today. West Indies and Zimbabwe beaten in recent days; one more win and they’re off to India.

Games come around quick, don’t they?

So it is Headingley today – a pitch that every former bowler worth their salt knows does not respond to whacking the ball in halfway down. Hopefully we will see less of the clown cricket over the next five days.

Time for England to stop playing playground games about the perfectly legitimate Bairstow dismissal and actual walk the walk. They have to – two-nil after two games.

I’m dissapointed with the England team selection for Headingly

with Pope out I would have picked Foakes as Keeper and moved Bairstow to No.3 (an ideal time to see how the England  team can work with a specialist Keeper who is no slouch with the bat)

Moeens’ inclusion is by default as there not brave enough to pick any of the other spinners

I thought Josh Tongue deserved another game

Still not convinced by Robinson

Ultimately England don’t have enough pace and accuracy in their attack on what appear to be dead pitches

^^^

The inclusion of Wood is the only positive for me.

Moeen is not test match fit – in the sense that he can’t bowl more than six overs without his finger blowing up and his eye seems to have gone with the bat.

Boland is a horses for courses pick, admittedly I would have expected Starc to make way, but perhaps Hazelwood isn’t fit for back to back games. Murphy is a lovely bowler, he really floats a hard-spinning delivery.

Let’s see if England can make some early inroads.

Mitch Marsh in for Cameron Green feels a retrograde step by the Aussies, but not a massive one.

Broad’s bunny back in the hutch again already.

Wickets with the new ball – hooray!

Let’s see if Gobbo Robbo can pitch it up enough.

Out field is so fast so can england keep the ball on the ground for easy 4’s or will we go all out and play smack it in the air?

I took the family to the KIA Oval for the womens T20 v Australia last night. 20,000 in and a great atmosphere. £1 tickets for the kids. We got tickets up on the new Lock Balcony, which is usualy hospitality and has its own bar/terrace – lovely up there!

This morning I shared my train journey into Leeds with lots of smartly-dressed and very civilised people all on their way to Headingley. I can’t say I’m looking forward to the journey home tonight with those same people 🤣🤣🤣

Woody’s got wheels today! 150kph and a hint of swing. Marnus likes to bat out of his crease to negate the lbw a bit, I wonder if he will today.

[edit – 155.3 last delivery]

277-9 doesn’t sound like a lot, but sounds as though it could be a tricky pitch to score on. Could be a tight one.

I took the family to the KIA Oval for the womens T20 v Australia last night. 20,000 in and a great atmosphere. £1 tickets for the kids.

£1 tickets for kids is excellent, and what cricket really needs. Bollox to making up new ways to ruin the games (Hundred, looking squarely at you), and here’s to making the game more inclusive and inviting!

Wood’s spell is already one that will be talķed about for a while. But, bowling like this, he needs to take a wicket or put a batter in hospital in the next 12 deliveries.

Love watching it, though.

Got to get Khawaja down that end.

Yeeeeeessssssss!

It’s a half volley, but at 95mph they are wicket-taking deliveries.

🔥🔥🔥🔥

Oh dear! Jonny

Smith is a right ****, burns a review 😀 it wasn’t even faint!

YJB owes the team a big ton already.

Unfortunately non-natural keepers will be exposed by two things – standing up to spinners and really quick bowlers with a bit of movement. He really should have taken that second one.

But, four wickets in the first session – that is a session win for England.

Nasser informs us England have dropped 13 catches and had a missed stumping

we’ve had two tests and one morning of a third

Remind me again. What do ‘catches’ do…? 😀

Beaten by Bas (deLeede) ball 🙁

Oh well, at least England should be well on top by now… Oh crap, I hate this game sometimes.

Bonkers session this afternoon. Marsh out last ball before tea then suddenly Wood and co are on a purple patch. One more wicket required and suddenly we’ll be batting with plenty of time to start chipping away at the Aussies’ score.

Basbowling now. That injection of genuine pace from Wood has hurried them all up

England two down. It is starting to feel lìke those dropped catches will cost England dear.

Don’t understand Brook coming in at no 3. Just when you need a calm head in the event of an early wicket, and sure enough look what happened. Anyway, lets hope Bairstow can repay some of the debts he’s accrued. He owes everyone a big innings.

Anyway, lets hope Bairstow can repay some of the debts he’s accrued. He owes everyone a big innings.

As does Root. By my reckoning they owe about 130 between them before they are in credit.

It is imperative that England get a first innings lead of 100+. Headingley has tended to flatten out in recent times. This is prime batting time. They simply have to work themselves into a position of ascendancy. Mitch Marsh played Bazball yesterday without a spinny-round bow tie on. England have to do the same.

TBF to Root he was unbeaten on 118 in the first test when they made the mistake of declaring, should have let him carry batting for a bit longer.

His reaction to the catch yesterday was enough for me, he’s knows he’s better than that.