My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

I’d save the electricity and not bother. The highlight of today from England’s perspective was Malan’s wrongun. I think that says it all.

Coupled with our own collapse, the bowling today pushes this match very close to the top of the list of worst performances I’ve witnessed from England. Utter capitulation.

Well day 3 over.
Unless it starts raining now and Perth floods its over. England will be padding up an hour before lunch tomorrow and be facing balls up and in them.

I still think that the teams are not that far apart, home advantage is just worth that much. That said instead of lining their coffers the ECB could have used the Sky deal to invest in the future, instead cricket is becoming a public school sport and the championship concentrated early in the season just encourages swing bowlers and batters that can play swing.

No, they’re not that far apart at all. That’s what makes our utter capitulation yesterday so infuriating.

they are miles apart at times england have been in the game but they have never been ahead
If you disagree what engand player are making the Australian team on ashes form? Not one bowler and probably no batter

Well, batters I’d say Stoneman and Bancroft about equal, and I’d rather Root than Uzi, Malan over either Marsh, and Bairstow over Paine.

In these conditions I concede I’d struggle to pick one of our bowlers over their attack.

It’s a fair point about home advantage – I recall seeing a stat recently showing the number of away test and series wins for all teams declining rapidly.

The difference is there and it was covered on one of the commentary stations. England don’t play on anything like this, nothing that fast and nothing that bouncy. The Aussie bowlers can be nullified a bit on English pitches and moving the ball becomes more important – the night session at Adelaide proved that.
The simple things we are lacking is a genuine accurate 145kph bowler and batsmen who are used to facing them. Which of the Englishes has played red ball cricket here?
I’m sure before the last ashes trip to England the Aussies were playing domestic cricket with the English ball for practice.

They still lost – 16 years since they last won a series in England. However the obvious difference is that they have managed to win tests (even ones which aren’t dead rubbers), whilst England are looking like they might be on the way to their 3rd whitewash in 4 visits since they first won the urn back on home ground.*

Not that trying to replicate Aussie conditions for practice in England would be likely to help much – and nor would getting England players to play domestic Aussie cricket (were that even possible given the modern international merry go round). The problem is far earlier in the system.

* I think I’d take a non-whitewash as a moral victory

Not that trying to replicate Aussie conditions for practice in England would be likely to help much – and nor would getting England players to play domestic Aussie cricket (were that even possible given the modern international merry go round). The problem is far earlier in the system.

Partly but I’d like to see the new bunch (Stoneman/Vince/Malan etc) being encouraged to come down here for a couple of summers early on. Same with the bowling unit or at least if England get some good pace getting them over to see what they can actually do with it.

way i see it is that in general batters build a platform – you need enough runs to win a game – but bowlers earn you the wins; taking 20 wickets on test match quality pitches is hard work.

Our batters haven’t scored enough runs to give the bowlers the platform, but I haven’t really seen evidence from the bowlers that they could capitalise on it anyway. The only time we’ve really looked dangerous was with the moving pink ball around the dusk period. We look toothless on these flat decks, and without any scoreboard pressure it’s easy pickings.

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/IDR701.loop.shtml#skip
Perth Radar this morning

Fast and bouncy? That describes almost all indoor facilities where you’d think they hit the odd ball

Bowlers in these conditions are the main issue though.

It is worth noting that the England team is missing three of its most promising bowlers: Wood, Roland-Jones, and of course the ginger kiwi. Take Cummings, Stark and Hazelwood away and the second string Aussies look decidedly average themselves.

I can understand them not bringing Plunkett, he’s been a liability with the odd spell of brilliance in the past. That said, hindsight suggests he can’t be much worse than Broad in this test

That crack doesn’t give me hope. Broad just bowled a leg break

The only good thing about that crack is that it won’t be in play in the same way for all our lefties.

Still, the crims have just knocked up well over 600, nothing stopping us doing the same 😆

It’s still a 3-400 pitch easy if they get settled. Don’t think there is enough time to score 300 out there with the forecast but you never know, they need a very steady progress. I think Smith has a score and/or a time in mind.
Jimmy has an Lbw pending review coming

Why hasn’t he declared? Very puzzling.

wants to win with the ball not rely on the bat/weather Love Chappelle saying plan A break some bowlers fingers 😉

Must have missed that charming comment. It’s not hard to see why Beefy laid him out in the Adelaide Oval car park a few years ago.

yeah, tough it’s amazing how much KP makes Warne seem like good bloke too.

And that is it, 259 ahead with Lyon banging it up there. We have at least the rest of this session Bom has 90% chance of rain from 5pm.

There we go.

I don’t actually mind either Warne or KP commentating for the most part, but then I’m one of the few who still questions why sacking KP was seen as the fix it clearly hasn’t been for England’s woes.

…I’ve changed my mind on the Stoneman vs Bancroft question

4-1

How long until the rain?

It’s coming, but probably not soon enough:

http://www.bom.gov.au/products/national_radar_sat.loop.shtml

After that shot, Cook needs one of those arm restrictors Slats was showing off earlier. A stretched poke back to the bowler. Effing wonderful.

Yeah, he needed to go big very slowly, and marsh into the attack

Well knocking off some beer and single malt cheering the rain

Star Wars for me this evening. I seem to spend my life supporting the underdog…

If its like the cricket then the two best characters will drop their light sabres very early in the fight as the dark side walks around smiting all foes effortlessly

At the risk of providing spoilers, I’ll say no more on that analogy…

Well, I hate to say it, but looks like the rain will stop just in time for play

Looks like this particular wet otter and his/her pocket may stick around for a while. 😀

So somebody moved the covers over night?

It’s a real shame we can’t win 3-2 now. Such is life however.

http://www.cricket.com.au/video/waca-ground-wet-pitch-rain-groundsman-australia-england-ashes-waca-third-test-highlights/2017-12-18

oh well, much deserved. What might of been … Root will grow as Captain and we have found some decent new players. With our best bowlers back we’ll win them back in England I’m sure…. ish

Watching the last blows here, been a desolate day there waiting for the rain that never came, can Anderson and wakes get 44?

Probably not, but it would be quite amusing to get a lead of one and bowl Warner off that bloody crack.