The Ashes

[lord bunberry]

England can't continue to be 3 wickets down so early in an innings. There was a graphic I saw on sky showing how many times it's happened recently.

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England can't continue to be 3 wickets down so early in an innings. There was a graphic I saw on sky showing how many times it's happened recently.

Oh yes they can. But if they do, they'll get more hammerings like this one.

It looks to me as if every time Mitchell Johnson even looks like getting the ball in his hands, blind panic sets in.

Most of those dismissals yesterday were down to the batsman playing at deliveries that could quite safely have been left alone.

Buttler was a perfect case in point. First ball after tea, the ball nowhere near the stumps, and he goes fishing. Stupid.

And Ben Stokes. I've watched Ashes series since Ray Illingworth and Ian Chappell were the captains and I don't think I've ever seen such utter stupidity on the part of the batsman. If the commentator was right and he was scared of Johnson hitting him with the ball, he shouldn't be in the side. As Atherton (I think it as Atherton) was yelling, "Slide the bat, Ben! SLIDE THE BAT!" Two feet over the crease, bounding gracefully through the air, neither his feet nor his bat in contact with the ground. Stupid.

"The aim of English cricket is, in fact, mainly to beat Australia". Jim Laker.

[lord bunberry]

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Oh yes they can. But if they do, they'll get more hammerings like this one.

It looks to me as if every time Mitchell Johnson even looks like getting the ball in his hands, blind panic sets in.

Most of those dismissals yesterday were down to the batsman playing at deliveries that could quite safely have been left alone.

Buttler was a perfect case in point. First ball after tea, the ball nowhere near the stumps, and he goes fishing. Stupid.

And Ben Stokes. I've watched Ashes series since Ray Illingworth and Ian Chappell were the captains and I don't think I've ever seen such utter stupidity on the part of the batsman. If the commentator was right and he was scared of Johnson hitting him with the ball, he shouldn't be in the side. As Atherton (I think it as Atherton) was yelling, "Slide the bat, Ben! SLIDE THE BAT!" Two feet over the crease, bounding gracefully through the air, neither his feet nor his bat in contact with the ground. Stupid.

"The aim of English cricket is, in fact, mainly to beat Australia". Jim Laker.

Its not just against Australia though, it's happened in each of the last 3 series.
Ben Stokes dismissal was bizarre , I've never seen that happen before. It looked like England chucked it tbh.

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Its not just against Australia though, it's happened in each of the last 3 series.
Ben Stokes dismissal was bizarre , I've never seen that happen before. It looked like England chucked it tbh.

Yup. It certainly looked like it. Right now I can't see where they go from where they are - I was wondering last night just exactly what guys like Atherton, Hussein and Boycott would have said if they'd told us what they were really thinking ...

They're a young side with a great deal of potential, but there's a lack of senior players with the character and experience to mentor the younger guys in pressure situations like an Ashes Test against a wounded and determined Aussie team like that one.

Cook is a good batsman and (I think) has the capability to captain the side well, but it does seem to me that he's getting little support from the older guys, Bell, Broad and Anderson. Not that Broad and Anderson are exactly in a position to sit down with Lyth or Ballance about their problems in the top order.

Bell hasn't been pulling his weight for a long time now and 14 runs in a total of 81 minutes at the crease in this match doesn't suggest anything's likely to change soon. Who they replace him with is another question, of course, but I can't help feeling that promoting Root to #3 and bringing in Jonny Bairstow lower down might be a positive option - though not one that seems entirely fair to Bairstow.

I also can't help feeling that there are too many 'old lags' from previous administrations still hanging about the team for anyone's good.

A bit like a committee of Mr Petrie's.

[Stonewall]

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Yup. It certainly looked like it. Right now I can't see where they go from where they are - I was wondering last night just exactly what guys like Atherton, Hussein and Boycott would have said if they'd told us what they were really thinking ...

They're a young side with a great deal of potential, but there's a lack of senior players with the character and experience to mentor the younger guys in pressure situations like an Ashes Test against a wounded and determined Aussie team like that one.

Cook is a good batsman and (I think) has the capability to captain the side well, but it does seem to me that he's getting little support from the older guys, Bell, Broad and Anderson. Not that Broad and Anderson are exactly in a position to sit down with Lyth or Ballance about their problems in the top order.

Bell hasn't been pulling his weight for a long time now and 14 runs in a total of 81 minutes at the crease in this match doesn't suggest anything's likely to change soon. Who they replace him with is another question, of course, but I can't help feeling that promoting Root to #3 and bringing in Jonny Bairstow lower down might be a positive option - though not one that seems entirely fair to Bairstow.

I also can't help feeling that there are too many 'old lags' from previous administrations still hanging about the team for anyone's good.

A bit like a committee of Mr Petrie's.

I would agree with you, however you would hope that by the time a player gets to test level their technical faults would have been ironed out and no more than a bit of fine tuning should be required.

Ballance's technique looked very suspect even when scoring runs previously and has unravelled under the pressure exerted by the Aussies.

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I would agree with you, however you would hope that by the time a player gets to test level their technical faults would have been ironed out and no more than a bit of fine tuning should be required.

Ballance's technique looked very suspect even when scoring runs previously and has unravelled under the pressure exerted by the Aussies.

Yup. I think that's a very sound assessment of what's been happening with him.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens at Edgebaston - maybe they'll swing back and find a bit of form again.

Or then again, maybe not.

[3pm]

Ballance out, Bairstow in.

Bell now 3, Root at 4 and Bairstow at 5.

[IWasThere2016]

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Ballance out, Bairstow in.

Bell now 3, Root at 4 and Bairstow at 5.

Is that confirmed as he doesn't want to bat #3?

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Aussies 34-3, great bowling display by Finn, Broad and Anderson so far.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

77-4 now.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

82-5 Anderson flying!

[lord bunberry]

85-6 Anderson again

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

94-7

[Golden Bear]

Right, I'm going to sit down in front of the TV to try and understand the intricacies of this game.

Never been a cricket fan but it's obviously popular in some quarters so I'll give it another go. Now then , what do you call they stick things?

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

110-8

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

119-9

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

136 All Out

[marinello59]

The Aussie bowlers are going to love this pitch as well. Time for the England openers to produce a performance.

[weecounty hibby]

I'm in France and surprisingly the ashes is not easy to get on TV here. Please can the educated chaps amongst us keep the cricket updates coming. Thanks

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

England 76-2

[heretoday]

That's it then. England are gonna win the series now.

[Off the bar]

On the train back to London, probably the best days cricket I've been to, great atmosphere lots of bevvy. Big group of Aussies behind us who got quieter and quieter as the afternoon wore on! Would definitely recommend a day at a test match to anyone who's not been.

[marinello59]

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On the train back to London, probably the best days cricket I've been to, great atmosphere lots of bevvy. Big group of Aussies behind us who got quieter and quieter as the afternoon wore on! Would definitely recommend a day at a test match to anyone who's not been.

The crowd sounded great on radio and TV.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Bairstow bounced out, 142-4

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

142-5, Johnson flying now.

[3pm]

Cave in on the cards.

[marinello59]

What a start to the day.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Root gone for 63, 182-6.

[lord bunberry]

Root out for 63 182-6

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Lyon does it again! 190-7