The Ashes 2019!!!!!!!

[JeMeSouviens]

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Good summary and I think it will be an Aussie win too.

I have tickets for days one to four but having been inadvertently stranded in Venice until Wednesday I am now trying to decide whether it is more practical to go straight to Old Trafford from here.

First world problems, I know.......

There are definitely worse places to be stranded!

[JeMeSouviens]

England - as expected Denly and Roy swap and Overton comes in for Woakes who's had a disappointing series.

Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (c), Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler, Craig Overton, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach.

[JeMeSouviens]

Australia - Khawaja and Pattinson dropped, Smith back and Starc is in the 12. So it's from:

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matt Wade, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

I guess the last place will be between Starc and Siddle?

[Mibbes Aye]

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Australia - Khawaja and Pattinson dropped, Smith back and Starc is in the 12. So it's from:

David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matt Wade, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.

I guess the last place will be between Starc and Siddle?

I think it will be and I think Starc will get the nod. Pattinson hasn’t done anything wrong but he is rebuilding his career after awful injury, a bit like Cummins a while back, so rotation of the bowlers makes perfect sense. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Siddle return at The Oval though - I guess a lot depends on the outcome of this Test. England can’t lose either of the two final matches and in fact, even drawing them both will see Australia retain the urn.

Having called repeatedly for Khawaja to be dropped I now feel a bit guilty but he simply doesn’t perform at first drop. His batting average is reasonable but that is skewed by him being strong on home pitches and poor on tour, especially in English conditions. I’m hoping Labuschagne can continue his form and while the forecast is for overcast weather, the pitch looks batting-friendly.

Overton has had a good summer with the red ball but I think he has been playing almost exclusively T20 for the last five or six weeks. You’re right about Woakes being disappointing. I’m not convinced he is fully fit.

[Zazu62]

Bad weather forecast?

[Stonewall]

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I think it will be and I think Starc will get the nod. Pattinson hasn’t done anything wrong but he is rebuilding his career after awful injury, a bit like Cummins a while back, so rotation of the bowlers makes perfect sense. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Siddle return at The Oval though - I guess a lot depends on the outcome of this Test. England can’t lose either of the two final matches and in fact, even drawing them both will see Australia retain the urn.

Having called repeatedly for Khawaja to be dropped I now feel a bit guilty but he simply doesn’t perform at first drop. His batting average is reasonable but that is skewed by him being strong on home pitches and poor on tour, especially in English conditions. I’m hoping Labuschagne can continue his form and while the forecast is for overcast weather, the pitch looks batting-friendly.

Overton has had a good summer with the red ball but I think he has been playing almost exclusively T20 for the last five or six weeks. You’re right about Woakes being disappointing. I’m not convinced he is fully fit.

i think Woakes has an ongoing knee problem which is monitored on an ongoing basis.

i still think England are ignoring the deficiencies in their batting and that the amazing win last time out has given them the excuse to not make changes.

I was thinking about the lbw not given at the end of the Headingly test. I think it’s fairly conclusive that video reviews have meant that umpires are far more inclined to give lbw decisions that they would never have given before the review system in the knowledge that the review system was in operation.

Having done a fair amount of umpiring myself the only doubt about the Stokes’s decision was that his front pad was moving to leg at the same time contact was made thus creating some doubt. Knowing that, would the sensible umpiring decision not have benn to give him out knowing that England have a review and if so is it right that the presence of video review dictates an umpire’s decision.

[lord bunberry]

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i think Woakes has an ongoing knee problem which is monitored on an ongoing basis.

i still think England are ignoring the deficiencies in their batting and that the amazing win last time out has given them the excuse to not make changes.

I was thinking about the lbw not given at the end of the Headingly test. I think it’s fairly conclusive that video reviews have meant that umpires are far more inclined to give lbw decisions that they would never have given before the review system in the knowledge that the review system was in operation.

Having done a fair amount of umpiring myself the only doubt about the Stokes’s decision was that his front pad was moving to leg at the same time contact was made thus creating some doubt. Knowing that, would the sensible umpiring decision not have benn to give him out knowing that England have a review and if so is it right that the presence of video review dictates an umpire’s decision.

The ball did seem to make 2 movements as it passed the bat and that might have influenced the decision. Like you say the review system must have a bearing on the decisions they make.

[Mibbes Aye]

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i think Woakes has an ongoing knee problem which is monitored on an ongoing basis.

i still think England are ignoring the deficiencies in their batting and that the amazing win last time out has given them the excuse to not make changes.

I was thinking about the lbw not given at the end of the Headingly test. I think it’s fairly conclusive that video reviews have meant that umpires are far more inclined to give lbw decisions that they would never have given before the review system in the knowledge that the review system was in operation.

Having done a fair amount of umpiring myself the only doubt about the Stokes’s decision was that his front pad was moving to leg at the same time contact was made thus creating some doubt. Knowing that, would the sensible umpiring decision not have benn to give him out knowing that England have a review and if so is it right that the presence of video review dictates an umpire’s decision.

I have never umpired but I have refereed youth football and that was stressful enough! Good to read your view on Stokes, thank you for sharing.

I think you are right about the batting order. It simply isn’t right. I’m not convinced about Burns, not convinced about moving Denly up. We have no idea whether Roy can bat at four in red-ball. Bairstow and Buttler can be explosive, dynamic batsmen in the shorter format but haven’t had a great Test series to say the least. Woakes and Curran are tailenders who can bat but neither are playing in Manchester.

On the plus side, Root had a decent knock at three and that hopefully boosts his confidence in the role. There really isn’t anyone else suited for the slot IMO. It’s interesting that Khawaja, who I am very critical of, would stroll into the England team at first drop based on his stats!

As things stand, it is hard to see Australia not retaining the Ashes. Two draws or a win seals it. They have the return to their side of the best batsman on the planet (assuming he is psyched up to deal with Archer), along with Marnus Labuschagne bidding to secure a regular place, Harris too, and Warner looking like he is rediscovering his form. And a pace attack that is simply on point, backed up by the reliable Nathan Lyon.

For England, so much depends on Overton stepping up. If England had Anderson then it would be a formidable attack, with him and Broad opening, and then Archer coming in. Overton is disciplined but doesn’t carry the same threat as Anderson, meaning there is more pressure on Broad and Archer to make the breakthroughs.

[lord bunberry]

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I have never umpired but I have refereed youth football and that was stressful enough! Good to read your view on Stokes, thank you for sharing.

I think you are right about the batting order. It simply isn’t right. I’m not convinced about Burns, not convinced about moving Denly up. We have no idea whether Roy can bat at four in red-ball. Bairstow and Buttler can be explosive, dynamic batsmen in the shorter format but haven’t had a great Test series to say the least. Woakes and Curran are tailenders who can bat but neither are playing in Manchester.

On the plus side, Root had a decent knock at three and that hopefully boosts his confidence in the role. There really isn’t anyone else suited for the slot IMO. It’s interesting that Khawaja, who I am very critical of, would stroll into the England team at first drop based on his stats!

As things stand, it is hard to see Australia not retaining the Ashes. Two draws or a win seals it. They have the return to their side of the best batsman on the planet (assuming he is psyched up to deal with Archer), along with Marnus Labuschagne bidding to secure a regular place, Harris too, and Warner looking like he is rediscovering his form. And a pace attack that is simply on point, backed up by the reliable Nathan Lyon.

For England, so much depends on Overton stepping up. If England had Anderson then it would be a formidable attack, with him and Broad opening, and then Archer coming in. Overton is disciplined but doesn’t carry the same threat as Anderson, meaning there is more pressure on Broad and Archer to make the breakthroughs.

You’ forgetting about superman Stokes joking aside it could work well for England to move Roy down the order as there’s no doubting his talent with the bat. Denly and Burns opening seems like a good partnership to me as neither looks to score quickly. As always the toss will be vital, but if England’s openers can hang around they’ve got a chance. I really hope Starc makes the line up as him and Cummings together are the most formidable attack around today.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

England off to a flier!

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Broad takes Warner's wicket once again. 1-1.

[Mibbes Aye]

So I thought I would just share how much of a numpty I am.

i have said on here a couple of times that I have tickets for days one to four at OT. It was Mrs Mibbes who booked them ( she does a lot of our booking because she enjoys it and is very good at sourcing good deals).

Anyway, I assumed play started on the Thursday as is traditional. We are in Venice just now, we were meant to fly back home on Sunday but some shenanigans with French air traffic control meant our flight was rescheduled to today.

Despite several conversations with Mrs M and posting on here and reading various online news articles, it was only just before play started today that I realised the game was on!

She kept talking about Thursday to Sunday tickets, I assumed it was days one to four! Fortunately I have the Sky Go app so I’m about to fire that up as we are stuck in the Venetian equivalent of a hotel off junction 3 of the M8 until our airport transfer and then we are sitting in the airport for another five hours.

The way it all works out, we think we will make OT for the afternoon session tomorrow. I am not confident whether it will go to day five but it is Manchester so delays for rain seem utterly predictable!

[Mibbes Aye]

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Broad takes Warner's wicket once again. 1-1.

I find it hard to like Broad and I don’t dislike Warner but there is something utterly compelling when a bowler is all over a batsmen. I remember Shane Warne and Daryl Cullinan and it was brutal, you wonder how the batsman ever regains full confidence.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

2nd wicket for Broad. 28-2.

[JeMeSouviens]

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So I thought I would just share how much of a numpty I am.

i have said on here a couple of times that I have tickets for days one to four at OT. It was Mrs Mibbes who booked them ( she does a lot of our booking because she enjoys it and is very good at sourcing good deals).

Anyway, I assumed play started on the Thursday as is traditional. We are in Venice just now, we were meant to fly back home on Sunday but some shenanigans with French air traffic control meant our flight was rescheduled to today.

Despite several conversations with Mrs M and posting on here and reading various online news articles, it was only just before play started today that I realised the game was on!

She kept talking about Thursday to Sunday tickets, I assumed it was days one to four! Fortunately I have the Sky Go app so I’m about to fire that up as we are stuck in the Venetian equivalent of a hotel off junction 3 of the M8 until our airport transfer and then we are sitting in the airport for another five hours.

The way it all works out, we think we will make OT for the afternoon session tomorrow. I am not confident whether it will go to day five but it is Manchester so delays for rain seem utterly predictable!

Sunshine and showers for the next few days so there's bound to be some delays.

[JeMeSouviens]

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2nd wicket for Broad. 28-2.

Smith/Labuschagne now in - the key partnership. England have to get them both out without big scores.

Notwithstanding the 2 early wickets, I think it was a good toss for Australia to win.

[JeMeSouviens]

Ooooh, Labuschagne survives an lbw review on umpire's call.

England really need something, Aussies going along sweetly at 72/2.

[Mibbes Aye]

So, Smith and Labuschagne stabilise things to an extent. I think Travis Head has runs in him and Matthew Wade is a player who has been on form and should be better than he has shown this series.

Paine is always capable of chucking thirty runs into the board and the bowlers, regardless of permutation, seem to have it in them to throw up thirty to fifty most times out.

A lot will depend on this current partnership. Labuschagne is being consistent but maybe hasn’t quite learned the patience required against Test-class seamers, though that should come.

Smith has wrested back the narrative from Stokes and Archer. I saw the first over against Jofra, where Labuschagne defended, then got a single, leaving Smith with potentially four balls to play. He seemed a little bit tentative but within an over or two he was knocking off boundaries with ease. It reminds me of a comment by Brian Johnson or John Arlott, in reference to Viv Richards, where they described him as hitting the bowler’s deliveries like a gent out for a walk in the country, scything the heads off dandelions with his walking stick.

I have genuinely never seen anyone so dominant on their leg side, it just feels like free runs.

I am curious about the future of Tim Paine. He has a hard act to follow in that Haddin, Gilchrist and Healy all scored runs for fun. And obviously it is incomparably cruel to compare anyone to Gilchrist, who basically rewrote the rules. Paine came in off the back of sandpaper-gate as skipper and was the right man for the moment.

His batting isn’t great though and in Alex Carey the Australians have a ready-made replacement who can make runs and is six or seven years younger. It also opens the door to Smith resuming the captaincy and there is a tactical advantage in the fielding skipper being in the slips.

We shall see, but with the likelihood that Australia retain the Ashes I can easily see Paine stepping aside after the series, potentially after the forthcoming Australian summer.

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

I know it can't be helped but all these weather stoppages really interfere with my concentration over the course of the day. 😠

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

3rd wicket down, 144-3, Smith still there though.

[Smiggy 7-0]

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3rd wicket down, 144-3, Smith still there though.

Good, hopefully another ton plus.

[Zazu62]

Why isn’t Archer bowling at 92-95mph anymore? Don’t get it

[Mibbes Aye]

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Why isn’t Archer bowling at 92-95mph anymore? Don’t get it

I’m not sure he is getting the same speed from the different pitch. I also suspect strongly that he cannot physically bowl at that speed on a regular basis, especially given how many overs he was asked to bowl previously. If England have any chance of winning the Ashes, which means winning one Test and not losing the other then they desperately need to manage Archer’s workload, given they have lost Anderson.

[Mibbes Aye]

Delayed last night returning from Venice, had about two hours sleep in the Normandie Hotel in Renfrew and now in a taxi to Glasgow Central station. Should make it down to Manchester for the start of the afternoon session, Not been as rough as this since my teens! Looking forward to a bit of cricket but if play is delayed until mid afternoon I won’t be upset!

[JeMeSouviens]

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I’m not sure he is getting the same speed from the different pitch. I also suspect strongly that he cannot physically bowl at that speed on a regular basis, especially given how many overs he was asked to bowl previously. If England have any chance of winning the Ashes, which means winning one Test and not losing the other then they desperately need to manage Archer’s workload, given they have lost Anderson.

I think he might be still carrying an injury. He needed a painkilling injection to play in the world cup final and he missed the edgbaston test.

tbh, I think their chances of winning this one are minimal now. They really had to win the toss and bat well I think. Having lost the toss they had to have a stellar day yesterday which they didn't. If they can avoid defeat and keep it alive to the Oval they'll have done really well.

[JeMeSouviens]

Archer drops Smith c&b chance. Aw naw!

[Mibbes Aye]

Hah! Made it. I’ve had little sleep in the last three days and my body ABV count is probably enough to sterilise hospital equipment but I am now here. Conditions are beautiful. It is muggy, it is overcast and there is a decent breeze. James Anderson must be sick not to be bowling on his home ground.

[ACLeith]

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Hah! Made it. I’ve had little sleep in the last three days and my body ABV count is probably enough to sterilise hospital equipment but I am now here. Conditions are beautiful. It is muggy, it is overcast and there is a decent breeze. James Anderson must be sick not to be bowling on his home ground.

Hope you're wearing a Hibs top so we can spot you

[G B Young]

Smith is extraordinary.

Am I right in thinking that if England don't win this Test that's the Ashes gone? If so, Smith will have all but won them on his own.

[JeMeSouviens]

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Smith is extraordinary.

Am I right in thinking that if England don't win this Test that's the Ashes gone? If so, Smith will have all but won them on his own.

Not quite, a draw keeps the series 1-1 with one test match left at the Oval.