TOPIC:

I guess day 2 is the perfect stage for that pre series argument, Eng BazBall game plan will struggle v an experienced bowling attack....well tomorrow we are going to find out. 

Only 2 scenarios on offer here....Eng will Bazball to a 100 minimum run lead....400 + off 75 -80 overs at 5.5 runs an over.....or Eng implode and Aust bat again on day 2 with a 50 -100 + lead in their back pocket. 

Hopefully the latter....though I think the Cummins/McDonald haters will be hoping for the latter....just for that "told you so" moment. Can't  see this test seeing much action on days 4 & 5....so Eng will just pin the ears back and go all out...should be entertaining either way.....as for a spinner.....perhaps it's best Murphy isn't playing....slow down the over rate, giving the Eng less overs to score off.....Aust only got 80 odd overs and that's with Ali bowling nearly a quarter of them.

mikeh wrote:

Am I just being a boring traditionalist or is anyone else finding this series a bit too much like longer version 20/20. It just seems to me that batsmen are incapable of playing long test innings. 5 batsmen got a solid start in the Australian innings and in past series you would have bet on at least one of them to convert this start into a ton. Even Smith seems distracted and incapable of playing in his bubble like he has in previous series. 

It just seems like Australia has got sucked into this adreneline charged box office stuff that has been promoted by the England team. In the first couple of tests Ussie managed to ignore all that and played innings of substance that went a long way to putting Australia ahead in the series. Now it seems that noone has got the attention span and concentration to play long innings anymore.

Imagine if we had been 4 -250 at stumps with perhaps 2 sessions of batting ahead on day 2. This would have really put pressure on England to make all the play given the dire weather forecasts at the back end of the match. As it is now unless Australia make big inroads with the ball, England will already have a first innings lead by stumps on day 2 with the view to get Australia back in to bat as early as possible on day 3

the batting is where Australia has problems but the whole approach is skewiff - and questions around why do we need a spin coach if we just keep discarding them one after the other or simply not using them at all ?
Only reason they got past India was because it was played in England
this set up isn't going to go far

Mikey i agree with you mate, we have lost the mind games and batters have looked like they feel they need to keep the game moving forward. In Pakistan we were happy to play longer and win the test in the last hour of day 5?

No batter was willing to dig in and the 4 LBW decisions (Yes Ussie got a decent ball) were all lazy wafts across the line rather than playing straight. Don't get me started on Head. Sure, he plays that way, but in the second over after tea when bowlers are refreshed, to play a hook shot against a short ball that was above head height with three man in the deep was only ever going to have one result. The smart play is to duck for a few overs, bore the poms and make their bowlers tire and then revert back to taking the shot on.

I also agree with the comments - no spinner could burn us especially if the game goes longer. Moin is only just a tweaker and he was getting turn, what could happen by day 4 or 5, especially if the fickle pommie weather doesn't turn wet.

Looking at the weather its now saying fine but cloudy for Thursday and Friday - the game could be over by the time the rain comes if we are not careful, that reason alone was reason to play the long game and bat for two days being boring.

Call me older generation mentality but id rather be boring and retain the ashes than be adventurous and go to game 5 locked at 2 all.

PH....when Head got out Aust were 5/189 off 50 overs....that's hardly a rollicking run rate mate.... when Green and Marsh went, it was a touch over 4 .....now back under 4.....yeah agree the Aussie batters wafted across the line....more out of laziness, then pinning the ears back with reckless intent....bar Head....but that's Head.

Interesting how this all pans out....Eng will be looking to go at 5 - 5.5 an over, boom or bust for both sides.

Spot on Mike & PH, this has actually been brain dead cricket from an Australian point of view!

he's a tailender but geez that's a poor shot first ball

Our bowlers will need to be at their best for us to have any chance of winning this test. Then our batsmen need to knuckle down and show some fucken steel. I was dead against Smith ever captaining Australia again but he was a much better batsman when he was captain. Seemed to relish the pressure and responsibility and probably tactically better than Cummins except for one obvious error of judgment.

Well I think we have our answer. Rarely have I seen an Australian team completely taken apart as they have been in the post lunch session today. Crawley has ridden his luck but fortune seems to have favoured the brave and the Australians have been thrashed all over the park. They have been unable to get any sort of control of the scoring and continue to bowl rubbish short stuff which the poms have gratefully smashed to the fence.  Completely brainless cricket and clueless tactics. They have no answers to this England bazball assault.

Cummins has really had a poor day, getting out first ball, bowling all over the place, dropping catches and confused captaincy

Only rain can halt this complete demolition job and to be frank it would be an injustice to England.
Mooen Ali came out of retirement FFS, batted at number 3, scored a 50 and picks up cheap wickets with his nude nuts. 
Its going to be a long couple of days
 

5.5 an over and rising.....lap shots, reverse sweeps, hooking with a multitude of  boundary riders, wafting across the line...this lunch/tea session .couldn't get more uglier then what it is right now.....well it could and probably will.

Crawley doing what the Aussie bats couldn't do.....convert a start into a ton.....at a run a ball mind you too.....No need to batten down the hatches either to please us traditionalists...Root not far behind him from the looks of things either.

Got to agree with the masses here, Cummins looks void of any answers.... his bowling looks tired and jaded.....as does his tactical nous...or lack of it....Might need a rest for the next test maybe. Hopefully Ronald doesn't do a JL though and play 3 cooked bowlers for the final test.... ....looks like that India home series loss is repeating itself.

Well Bazball definitely winning this battle right now......100 + ahead before stumps....does Stokes crack on into Day 3 in search of a huge lead?....or does he stick Aust in and roll them over on day 3  before the predicted rain sets in.?...Perhaps Aust get lucky and get saved by the rain and replicate what the Aussie girls did by securing that Clayton's Ashes win, giving the English a moral victory.

Great bowling change by the skipper.....not sure where Green has been hiding though.....kudos to Crawley for pinning the ears back, riding his luck or for even being  fortunate to be brave, and bucking the traditionalist view, that one needs to put their head down and not waft their way to a 100 after reaching 50.