TOPIC:

Looked like Stokes dug himself a trench so deep it was only a matter of time before he got out......Pope looks like a younger version of  Ian Bell.....thank fark he can't bat like him.......up to Buttler and Woakes to carry on.......

Pretty sure Marcus Harris must be thinking WTF.....Buttler takes two classic to get Harris out and dropped a few dollies to enable the well entrenched guys to make a few runs.......reckon with the  next match being played at the MCG, Harris will keep his spot.....would love to see Philippe get a test gig......seems to have found some consistency with his batting across all formats this season so far.......

Woakes & Buttler making batting look very easy on this Day 5 pitch mind you Buttler should have been out or a duck but Carey & Warner were having a snooze behind the stumps!
Gary The Goat not really having much of an influence on Day 5 yet again!

As for Harris maybe George Bailey can drop himself instead........!

great to see Richardson get 5 and we won with a patched up side as well - bodes well but we need another opener and get the leggie in for a mix up

Hard work for the Aussies England really showed some fight,but to little to late.
The last ball of day 4 was huge.With the dismissal of Joe Root.If Joe was there today . England might of saved the match today.

Where was the fight that England showed today when faced with a hopeless cause during the other days of this lop sided test series ?. Buttler played courageously for hours on end then treads on his stumps for goodness sakes, what a way to get out. Great to see Jhye get a 5 wicket haul. He will drop out if Hazlewood is fit for Boxing Day but he will play lot more test cricket in 2022. Starc will probably get a rest during the series so Richardson should come in for him. Harris appears to be getting another chance which surprises me.

England have some huge decisions to make ahead of the 3rd test. They have Bairstow Lawrence and Crawley as spare batsmen. Hameed and Pope could be replaced by two of the reserves. Wood needs to come in to the bowling, along with a spinner. If they haven't got confidence in Leach, pick Dom Bess. Just someone to provide variety. I don't think Broad and Anderson can play in the same test so they may need to rotate them, maybe Broad play in Melbourne and Jimmy in Sydney. 

Can't see Starc getting dropped/rested for  his home test, the Sydney test mikeh....perfect home coming to play all three of those baggy blue fast bowlers - maybe their last as a trio perhaps in Sydney.....and surely bowling in Tassie will be up Starc's alley too......does that mean he plays all 5 tests?.....Richo needs to play in Melbourne surely.....keep that momentum he has developed this season confidence wise with his bowling/shoulder.....I wonder how proppy is Hazlewood then with that side strain?....No way he will miss Sydney or Hobart either.......if fit.......

I wonder if Lyon will play or even needed in Hobart....surely a seamers  paradise there.....interesting when Eng were digging in, Green wasn't called upon till later in the day......management thing I guess.....

Great to see Richardson end up with a 5 for.
Made a complete and utter mockery of those "wise men" from the East calling for Neser and or Boland to be picked ahead of Richo.....sheesh you must have to be born clueless when born over there!

Interestingly they are also very quiet about Harris being dropped.
I can remember the likes of that Vic boofhead Jon Ralph & co being very vocal about the Marsh brothers getting picked for the last Ashes Series here even though both scored a couple of centuries each in that Test Series......but so far crickets about the "Vic boy" getting dropped who's run of scores in Test cricket let alone against England looks like that of a number 11 bunny!

it is the ideal time to blood a new opener instead of wheeling out a 35 year old as a patch up mate - there are younger players available and the experience would be invaluable to them 

Spot on Southy. Drop Harris and bring in a new face. Also Hazlewood doesn't look like getting up for Melbourne so Cummins in for Neser is the obvious move.

we've got a richness of bowling choices mate I thought Neser was quite good he contributed well all round but it's time to get a weakness sorted up top of the batting before it's too late 
to me it's an ideal time to look at the up and comers with the series being 2 nil