TOPIC:

Hmmm I am not so sure about that GTR England will make sure this Test is at least a draw.
For all the talk about Paine being our best keeper option I reckon at least Carey would actually dive for any edges that come less than a 1m to his right....I have had to watch that leaden footed Paine just stand still and watch edges go past him less than a 1m away at least a handful of times in this series alone surely the likes of Marsh, Healy, Zoehrer, Gilchrist & Haddin would be shaking their heads in disbelief at that rubbish...just have a crack and dive ffs Paine!

BH yes, 'the man with the gloves should go'

one must avoid the follow-on or Australia will keep the Ashes. if England bat well from here I would pull out at 370 and see what happens with the ball.
if Smith fails at 'the oval' England will get the urn back.

Of course, Ark, a Steve Smith failure these days is him NOT making a century.
If The Oval wicket is a road, as fragile as Australia's batting is, England may struggle to take 20 wickets.
It doesn't always work out this way, but Dave Warner is also due for a score.
The Poms' batting is not overly crash hot and Australia - by virtue of having an occasionally match-winning spin bowler - has the better bowling attack.
The ex-factor is Ben Stokes' batting and whether he's come down from the Cloud 9 of Headingley.
Then there's the English weather - who knows whether it will rain in London next week?
Returning to the current match, I agree that Australia needs to dismiss England for 297 or less and enforce the follow-on; otherwise, I doubt there'll be enough time to force a result.
If they get within 100 runs, the Poms will harbour hopes of doing an Adelaide 2006 in reverse.
But Jack Leach certainly ain't no Shane Warne.

gtrxuone wrote: Well done again to Smudger Smith.After the heavy blow received in the second test. I think we have England here .Not even Ben Stokes can save them in Manchester.

I certainly hope you're right, gtrxuone.

AD -- what was that score in 1938 at 'the Oval' 903-7 declarred. WR Hammond, as you know, only got 59 of those.

Smith is definitely the closet thing to Bradman statistically, at least for Australia. What was Barrington's average?

Barrington averagged 63 in Ashes cricket, 69 in tests played in Australia; a genuine hero; in all tests he averagged 50 in England, overseas he absolutely clobberred bowlling attacks.

Broad's bunny.

Warner could have been out 3 times in the first over, before plumb LBW.

Send him home to get his head straight?

Bye bye David you had a good career up until Feb 2018 but the last 18 months have been nothing short of disgraceful.
Has there ever been a bigger bunny in cricket history than Warner to Broad currently?
And as for poor old umpire Erasmus he must have gone out in sympathy for that other good for nothing hat rack Joel Wilson absolutely piss poor lbw not given against Leach from Starc!

gtrxuone wrote: Well done again to Smudger Smith.After the heavy blow received in the second test. I think we have England here .Not even Ben Stokes can save them in Manchester.

How is that looking now GTR?
Yet another predictable collapse from this piss weak Australian batting line up currently occurring...Stokes & co will chase this low lead down with ease ala Headingly.

ArkRoyal wrote: Barrington averagged 63 in Ashes cricket, 69 in tests played in Australia; a genuine hero; in all tests he averagged 50 in England, overseas he absolutely clobberred bowlling attacks.

I never saw Ken Barrington play (well before my time), Ark, but I get the feeling he was typically a very dogged batsman who occasionally smashed the bowling around.
But yesterday's 2.5 runs-per-over is today's 3.5 and I reckon every Test team would love a bloke like Barrington coming to the crease to steady the ship.
They say cricket is a batsman's game these days, but there were four 700+ scores (and a 695) in the 1930s, none better than England's 7(decl)-903 at The Oval that you mentioned, Ark.
Len Hutton's bat probably looked about a metre wide to the Aussie bowlers, particularly Chuck Fleetwood-Smith (87-11-298-1).