My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

just one more to go

So 327 seems a bit low…. lets see how close we get

I reckon we have a decent chance of avoiding the follow on here.

@aracer. Just catching the bus home now. I’ll try my best…

Lyon is having a hell of a series unfortunately

I think I’ll stay on the bus…

Does Alistair Cook have a twin brother?

When one finds form the others drop down and looks like Vince got the faintest of an inside edge on that

Yup, FFS. Why did he not review that.

Can’t sleep , too much cheesecake . Nothing more to add.

Anyone that said Cook had to go, line up outside the headmasters study after school.

Form is temporary, class is forever.

do runs in a dead rubber count ?

Ref: my earlier comment about wickets whilst I’m not watching, thankfully only works for Australia it seems. Two hours watching Paddington with the little one and the Chef scores a century!

Well, that’s improved my morning mood!!

Sent this comment in to cricinfo, should have had the balls to post it here:

“Broad seems to be one of those players who pulls out a performance when there’s talk of dropping him, speaking of which I wonder how Cook is going to do…”

…posted whilst Aus were still batting

They are both still very good players- sadly they, along with all the senior pro’s have been badly out of form. Moeen is a shadow of his form from last year – hopefully tomorrow…..

I don’t think that’s entirely fair, aracer. And even if it was, who would you replace them both with? We’ve spent a long time trying to find someone who can open with Cook, never mind replace him. As for Broad, from what I saw in Adelaide, the poor bloke couldn’t buy a wicket. Beat the bat many times. The new guys seem to be doing a reasonable job, but certainly nowhere close to being a replacement for Broad. In a couple of years I agree, someone will have to step up for both of them (and Jimmy too), but for now at least it makes little sense to drop them with no one knocking at the door.

The big bonus of this tour has been the new batters stepping up. I still think Robson would have been a far better bet than Vince – especially since he has played a lot in Aussie conditions.

Anderson as a senior pro is hardly ‘badly out of form’. Ok, he is not at his absolute best this series but I’m willing to bet his series average is not much worse then any bowler except Starc. In fact apart from Starc, their bowling averages are ok but not outstanding. Broad and Anderson have taken 900 wickets and have taken wickets before on flat pitches – it’s not all about express pace. The issue here though is Anderson has no support. The Aussies have bowled as a unit – if one fails, the others step up.

I’m a big fan of Jimmy – expect to see him go right through to the next home Ashes

I think, as an ex-opener, opening up is always the toughest place to bat. You’ve been in the field all day, 10 minutes to get sorted and then you face the new ball against in this case 3 top quality quicks bowling at express pace on intimidating pitches. No margin for error, one mistake, one moment of hesitation and you ‘fail’. The fact Cook has so many runs in that job shows his class but I bet if you plotted his runs per innings by innings he’d have a load of low scores, and a load of high scores and relatively few (for the number of innings) in the middle. Now he’s in, I’m hoping he can make a proper big score, although he also has the problem of starting from fresh again tomorrow.

Root on the other hand – great player, far more shots than Cook, but he gives it away for beautiful 60’s and 70’s far too often to be considered in Cook’s league as a run scorer for me.

What’s not fair? I’ve certainly seen suggestions that Broad should be dropped – or at least that he was nearing the end. Less so for Cook, but there have been mutterings – though he clearly has a slightly better history. There’s also a clear precedent for Cook – had he not scored that century at the Oval against Pakistan would he even have been on the plane to Aus? We all know what happened next…

Not suggestions from me – I’ve been watching long enough to know that Broad blows hot and cold and a long lean patch probably means there’s a match winning performance just around the corner.

Well, I took from you cricinfo reference that you thought Broad had only pulled it out of the bag to save his own skin, and that Cook might do the same. Those assertions, I feel, are a bit unfair.

And in any case, it’s not as if we have a queue of Starcs and Warners being kept out of the team by Broad and Cook, is it?

I’m taking the piss a bit, but I do wonder about Broad at least – he does seem to lose focus, and maybe needs a bit of criticism to focus his mind.

No, there are no obvious alternatives – would their positions be quite so safe if there were?

Cook probably safe even with an alternative available (unless he retired of his own volition), Broad, perhaps more at risk, but probably still safe for now, especially as his partner in crime is still there. That and Woakes, Overton and Curran, while effective enough, are hardly setting the world on fire either.

To be honest, the only person I can’t see why he’s still in the team is Ali.

By the way, seems the crims really are thin skinned. I’ve just stumbled across a furore that seems to have occurred whilst I’ve been eating mince pies. Anderson made a suggestion that beyond Starc, Cummins and Hazelwood they’re a bit thin on the pace front. The Aussies didn’t like that…

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-take-exception-to-jimmy-andersons-depth-comments/news-story/fe010845d04cf77408ac1a623477b331

That’s been in the press here for about a week now, however it’s gratifying to hear the delicate flowers have taken it to heart. 😀

Not a bad second day, although we’ve seen this before, where we’re sitting pretty, still behind on the scoreboard and come out the next day to capitalise capitulate.

Still, it gives my early mornings a certain piquant… 😆

it’s gratifying to hear the delicate flowers have taken it to heart.

Yeah, they’re a funny bunch alright. It’s a legitimate enough comment from Jimmy as well. England have been pretty diminished on this tour both by absences and absence of form. Bring back TRJ, Wood and Stokes, and slot in the Broad and Cook we saw in yesterday’s play and we might have seen just how flakey Australia are too

What’s the realistic alternative? Remember he was coming off a summer where he set all-rounder records. Rashid? A bit expensive, not really capable of doing the holding down an end job. Patel? Doesn’t have much test experience (though I’d have given him a try given recent form). Though neither of those are on tour, Crane is the man who is – I’m fairly sure he was selected only as a second spin option in case a pitch warranted that. Are you going to throw him in the deep end as the sole spinner?

How is Kerrigan doing now BTW?

Apart from Swann, we haven’t had a decent spinner for 20 years. Good spinners have absolute confidence. When Ali is good, he is box office, especially with the bat. With the ball, he just “puts it there”

As you say, not much in the way of alternatives…

But, Swann aside, the wheelie bin could at least hold an end up. Right now, Ali can’t even do that, which has major knock on effects of tiring the quicks as they get no respite.

Steady start.

Apart from Swann, we haven’t had a decent spinner for 20 years.

Are you harking back to Tuffers per chance? Capable of good spells for sure, but got taken for a heap of runs too often IMO. Really can’t think of anyone else.

Swann was mustard; could tie up an end, took wickets, scared the shit out of many a decent batsman.

Boycotts comments about Jackson Bird made me laugh.

Spinners are getting picked too young, look what happened to Kerrigan. Adam Riley at Kent looked superb until he went off with the performance programme and Peter Such completely changed his action.

Swann didn’t play tests until his late 20’s. Leach has had time to learn his game as examples.

No, he only looks good because the rest of our spinners have been rubbish!

This series Woakes & Ali a real disappointment

Dick. Fell for the trap.

That’s Root in every game for the last 2 years 🙁

Bit of a nothing game this IMO. Slow scoring rate and a draw looking the most likely outcome. Aussies keen to remain on target for the whitewash but running out of time. Mind you, more chance of an England collapse than a first innings lead.

Level now, time for a lead o0f some sort, if we can be batting until tea or close by then it will be a good start.

Woakes has done well after frenetic efforts bybBairstow & Ali, to just calm it down a bit & hang around for Cook. He is more than capable of hitting out after tea if required.

33 ahead at tea, 4 wickets left, Cook n/o. I’d have taken that at the start of play. Bed time now – hoping for a good final session.