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Stokes explosion and an Aussie implosion....amazing up the ante by Stokes....well deserved victory for the fella....Mitch Marsh I hope you were watching fella.....

Can't add anything to what has already been said.....the bowlers did their bit till the Stokes explosion and then they lost the plot....

needed a leader out there to calm things down...sadly Paine didn't step up....surely his head space is a mess right now....liability with bat and DRS at present....if Aust win the Ashes Paine will stay....if Aust loses the Ashes Paine will go....sorry guys but short term "Paine" for long term gain is my preference......

mikeh wrote: Best innings I have seen in an ashes test assisted by some clueless captaincy and panic fielding. Can't see Paine being in the team for much longer. They had at least five opportunities to break that last partnership. If Paine had not reviewed that stupid LBW in the 2nd last over they still would have snatched it with that howler not out. Can't see Australia recovering from that.

Cant see Paine hanging around. Great catch by Warner early But the rot started when Warner let four byes through his legs. Then the bowling short off the stumps which Stokes enjoyed.. Should have played SIDDLE as he is accurate & never short..
Dump Paine for Marsh should be a Monte.

Amazing stuff by Ben Stokes again.He's a man of steel as he proved already in the CwC Final.The Aussies chocked under the pressure of it all.Anderson back for Manchester. Where in a world of pain in these last 2 tests.

I thought Australia made a massive mistake when the 7th wicket fell. They stopped trying to get Stokes out. Pushing guys out on the boundary helped Stokes develop rhythm which he then used to devastating effect towards the end. I thought they should have been a bit more aggressive in their field placements when they still needed 70 or so and made Stokes think a bit more about his shot selection.

I cannot believe the selectors have stuck with Wade at 6 for this upcoming crucial Test.
As I posted before the series started if we are picking this bloke we are in real trouble and yes he did score a hundred at Edgbaston in the second innings but it was against a tiring attack who were a bowler down with Anderson injured 4 overs into the Test.
With the hopelessly out of form Paine coming in at 7 it makes for a very long tail.

Who do you pick instead of Wade BH....Mitch Marsh?....tho interesting to read Hohns concerns about too many lefties in the Aussie top six, suiting the Eng bowlers....yet Langer the coach being a leftie saying it isn't a problem...yet the two guys scoring consistently over 50 are right handers in Smith and Smith's super sub....Starc in or Siddle?...

I would have opened with Harris & Khawaja and dropped Warner down to 6.
Starc should come in for Pattinson who has been a touch disappointing for mine as I rate him highly as a quick bowler.

BH: Starc is erratic, but I agree, on the the bowlling front, we need his left arm seamers for variety. To strengthen your point on the dropping of Wade, you could have added that he batted against Moen Ali. Your 100 per cent right about the England bowllers being tired in that test too; as I said at the time England's batsmen lost that game, aided by some good bowlling from Lyon.

For mine the batsman to go out of the top 6 for Smith's return would have been Wade - would have lent towards leaving the top 3 as it was and then Smith, Head and Labuschagne before we got to being in 'Paine' at 7.
Don't think Paine should be in the side but there is politics and reasons behind it and I don't think they are going to change their minds for this series at least.
Batting would look better (doesn't necessarily mean it is) with either Wade or Carey at 7 followed up by a Cummins/Starc/Pattinson type filling up numbers 8 and 9.
Starc should come in for this one - not just for left arm variety but also for and more so for mine his extra pace.

Only way Paine will be dropped,is if Aust lose this series and thus the ashes...but agree Carey at 7 followed by Cummins, Pattinson and Starc does add some depth....can see Pucovski batting 6 this summer v NZ....pity not already....