My dear old things, it's STW TMS!

Make that 3 left…

Well 46 up and 2 left, will cook go all the way through?

What a knock from Alastair Cook there, I know I was suggesting dropping him back to 3 but this was the change he needed and he looks like he can keep going. Lead up to 86 now and every run is important here to put some pressure on the Aussie batsmen. It’s a pitch you can get in and out on it seems.

I hope some people are turning this on for a watch up there, a smiling Stuart Broard getting bat on ball very well now.

Woke up to cook on 150 then 197. Great stuff and he has prolonged his England career here now. Just hope we surpass 100 lead

244 not out….
Handshakes from all the Aussies as cook leaves at the close. Such a great day to watch here with cook being superb.
Great to see board smiling out there too. Tick it over for 500 and cooks 250? Making them head back out to bowl for 10 overs could be fun.

Cook at his best. As I said yesterday, as any batsman but especially an opener, getting in and set is the hard bit. Once you’re in don’t do what Root did (again!) and get out for a perky 60-odd, make it count properly.

Go out again tomorrow, and instruct Jimmy to slog everything, might be worth another 20 and get Cook to carry his bat – no-one’s done that before in Australia I think.

It’s never been done at the MCG but as I went with TMS today the last Englishman to carry is bat was a certain Mr Boycott who was out on 99 in that game…. He didn’t go on about it much
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cricketers_who_have_carried_the_bat_in_international_cricket#Tests

good spot…..

I bet he didn’t mention who it was batted at 10 / 11 and left him stranded either.

The story was told in full at a resonable level of agitation… definitely one removed from the Christmas card list 🙂

I nearly had to brave Chanel 9 and risk KP and Warne in the same commentary box

any idea what time / what partnership was on, will try to find on TMS iplayer

Looks like I didn’t miss much after tea then……

Bit after tea I think

What a day for me to spend on the beach. Typical!

Oh well, sun tan topped up, interesting ales imbibed, leafy sea dragon and sting ray sighted, and glances at cricinfo kept me smiling. Are there highlights on any of the UK terrestrial channels?

There are free highlights via the BTsport website after 7PM UK time

Thinking back on the whole Moeen Ali as England’s best spinner thing.

Who was the last great English spinner (with the exception of Swann)?

I can’t think of anyone post-Laker.

Lock and Wardle were contemporaries of Laker and had issues with chucking and authority respectively.

Underwood doesn’t count – he wasn’t a spinner.

Edmonds and Emburey did the biz for a good period of time, so they definitely have to be considered ‘good’.

Tuffers was always overrated for me – overly obsessed with flight, to the point of not actually spinning the ball at all. Yes, we all* loved the antics, but occasionally taking a five-for against the Aussies in a dead rubber doesn’t reall do it for me.

*Not sure Athers would agree.

The Wheelie Bin was the definitive expression of the Hussain-Fletcher era – an acknowledgement of our dearth of spinners and effectively a way of inking fifteen overs, no maidens, none for forty into the scorebook. I would have preferred the two teams to come to an agreement over trading runs for overs and not had to have watch over after over bowled outside leg stump. In his defence, when he was allowed some personality, he could produce some really nice bowling. Be he certainly wasn’t a ‘great’.

Monty! Alas, poor Monty. Probably the best prospect we’ve had. Absolutely ripped it, at a lively pace and drift through the air. The coaches did good with him and toned down the silly hip swivel in his action. Unfortunately he had zero to offer in any other aspect of the game and was doomed to be the ‘specialist’ who played in India and at the SCG only. Plus marks for having a wee off of a balcony onto some bouncers, though.

In other news – isn’t cricket a great game!

I’ve been proved totally and utterly wrong by Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon and Shaun Marsh, pretty much right by Cook (came good in the end), Broad and Anderson (reduced to buying or boring out their wickets most of the time).

The worrying thing for me is who is knocking down the door to get into this England team?

Look at those on the periphery – only Mark Wood could be considered exciting and he might just well go down the same path that the other short-run explosive bowler (Simon Jones) went down.

Thinking of the others:

Craig Overton – really good gusto and performances, but I just can’t see him being a world-beater.

Toby Roland-Jones – I cannot see any difference between him and Overton.

Gary Balance – I don’t think so.

Tom Westley – all us leg-side lennies love seeing someone whip everything through mid wicket, but John Crawley did that and it didn’t take international bowlers five minutes to work him out either.

Thanks Danny, I like your analysis. The “who next” question seems to be quite a vexed issue. But that said, the three new batters have all had their moments and could grow into their roles. Overton I agree will never be a Jimmy (but also note Jimmy’s earlier performances- expensive and relatively unimpressive), but he might make a decent 4th seamer, particularly in conditions that suit. Whilst being cautious about picking a bowler for their batting, he seems fairly sound and capable of holding up an end, which shouldn’t be sniffed at.

I think we have to accept that any new player will take time to grow into their shirt. Plenty will fail, but a few won’t. the spinner position does seem quite intractable sadly.

Just seen that “catch” that got Broad out. The crims really are dirty cheating bastards 👿

Well that was a damp squib

Carried his bat though

*ripples*

That didn’t last long.

Cook carries his bat; Anderson having a swish.

Lets see if the overhead conditions will help Anderson & Broad – here’s hoping.

Yup, slightly amusing, but never mind. At least Bird went wicketless after all that whinging earlier 😆

I’m not staying up until 5 again today!

TMS in one ear, Live tv on the laptop and some work to try and get done, I hope I see England batting today.

I think we’ve finally found someone who is worse at DRS that Watto. The entire England team 🙄

Who was the last great English spinner

DRS has completely changed how spinners get their wickets, Swann was the first to really benefit, especially for LBWs, plenty of spinners in the past probably would have had far better figures if DRS had existed in their time.

I’d say the new guys will make their way in, you can’t tell until you try them at this level. The new batsmen have impressed and Curran is doing OK with the ball for a debut.

Ali may do a better spinners job elsewhere but he isn’t going to do it here, will see if he has to bat again if he can get something between the 2 styles shown so far.

+1 – that was shocking – TBH it was a shocking decision by the 3rd umpire, the last angle they showed you could clearly see the ball touching the ground.

Anyway, Broad didn’t even hit it 😉

The umpires seem to be getting worse. All those incorrect LBW descisions overturned in Adelaide, that “catch” and the two inside edge “LBWs” here, no to mention Curran’s no ball. What are the standing umpires actually for other than to hold the bowler’s cap and glasses?

And surely if the whole idea of the tech is to ensure the correct descision is reached, why can’t they ask the question about LBW themselves?

And rain stops play… For the 2nd or 3rd match now?
Shame as the scoring was well tied up, hopefully the bowlers will like the rest up and come out fresh and fierce again. I’d say wickets will equal runs out there, we see neither and we get a draw unfortunately

Meh, it’ll rumble on to a draw, and Lyon, the most overran underrated bowler in history will get ten-fer in SYD, and rightfully they’ll crow about a near whitewash.

Some knock by Cookie. Highest individual and overall innings score in which a batsman has carried. Longest knock in terms of time as well.

Shame it does seem to be heading for a draw but at least some pride is salvaged.

Hats off to Broad as well. Entertaining knock to back up some good bowling.

To be fair, Broads knock was rubbish – all top edges & mishits! Amusing to watch & very useful for us. But not good.

Broad cannot complain any time he gets given out wrongly.

Karma – and despite being an England supporter I am happy that this particular chicken has come back to roost. Lots of people winked and laughed at Broad hitting the cover off the ball and not walking – for me he actually brought the game into disrepute.

In any case, surely it is in his interests to get given out ASAP? It just means less opportunity for him to make himself look like a coward and/or get hurt in the process. The yellow streak down his back is so wide and bright its a wonder he isn’t a banana.

Broad is hardly alone in not walking
IMHO hitting it and walking for LBW is a far worse crime

If top order batsmen can’t tell they’ve hit it how can Broad be expected to know.

Broad cannot complain any time he gets given out wrongly.

The person who made most fuss about Broad not walking, Clarke, knocked the cover off it in Adelaide in 2010 off KP’s bowling. He reviewed the umpire’s decision, and then did an awful lot of swearing when the big screen showed just how much he hit it. As Junkyard says, very few Aussies walk, so it’s not as if they have any grounds to complain.

Claiming catches you clearly dropped like Usi did is a new low for me. Well, that and the standard of umpiring, which is by now starting to make Billy Bowden and Darryl Hair seem competent.

It just means less opportunity for him to make himself look like a coward and/or get hurt in the process. The yellow streak down his back is so wide and bright its a wonder he isn’t a banana.

Alright mate, let’s see you stand there and get peppered with a combination of 90+ mph bouncers and toe crushers. 🙄

So much to say.

Usman’s catch – I’m going to defend here, I thought he’d initially claimed it but then signalled he wasn’t sure. It was a brilliant catch, that bounced out and under him before he got it back in his hands. I don’t think he knew one way or the other, the umpires on field gave a soft signal out (maybe on his word that he thought he’d caught it) and then the third umpire has to have a clear reason to overturn, which there wasn’t.

As for Broad or Smith…. bowlers bowl, batters bat, umpires umpire. These were the early days of DRS, which was brought in remember to overturn clear errors, not for the ‘maybes’ that we now see and which would have clearly given Broad if the Aussies hadn’t burnt previous reviews on wrong’uns. By the same token when you are given out and you know you shouldn’t be, if you accept that you’re in the umpire’s hands for then, then why not the same when you get a let off. It might have been blatant but he was within his rights. As was Clarke to review his, although clearly he’s a dreadful judge and made himself look a nob when he then chuntered on about it.

It seems to be offering the possibility of being interesting…