Ashes I - 2013 - In England

Am with KM.

Root is class at #6. He's very attacking and takes the game away from there.

I think Compton was shabbily treated, but you could also see where the selectors came from. He's twice the plodder Cook is. In a major series like this, a player like Compton could well have been enough to hand the initiative up front to the opposition.

Problem is that Bairstow doesn't seem ready for test cricket. He was fantastic against SA a year ago in those two knocks.
 
Poor from England, this winning the ashes has made them carried away and the poor batting has been slipped under the carpet. Bairstow is not ready I agree, Compton was harshly treated and should be given another shot. James Taylor is my recommendation, I think he has the temperament and tecnique for test match cricket. He played well in the only test he played in but then wasn't given another go. This has to be a wake up call for England, they need to get back to basics because they have been papering over the cracks.

The bowling selection has been odd as well, Finn who has an excellent record at Lords wasn't picked and likewise with Onions here. He has also been performing excellently at county level this season, yet they seems to persist with Bresnan but I just don't think he has that threat for test match cricket.
 
I wondered if they might give Taylor or Ballance a chance in these last 2 tests, given the series is won, just to see how they'd go. They both have better averages at first class level than Bairstow and are probably more suited to the patient (which is being kind) style of play that England employ. Unless one of them is chosen at the Oval, particularly Taylor due to him having some test experience, then Bairstow will probably keep his place for the tour to Australia. They threw Root in in India but I'd imagine England would be loathe to pick someone so inexperienced in such a big series.

Overall I'm not sure what England's targets are. They mentioned this on the Guardian's Ashes podcasts but they're too far behind South Africa and well ahead of everyone else, they're good enough to be a bit more positive in terms of the way they bat and the fields they set when they're bowling rather than sticking to the policy of merely grinding things out that they needed when they were struggling under Hussain and Fletcher.
 
I don't think England have played well all series with the bat apart from a good 2nd innings at Lords. The batting has been poor for a long time now and it is thanks to the bowler we are where we are, at this rate I don't think we will retain the ashes in Australia unless we start to improve. 2-0 flatters us at the moment.
 
Just saw a couple of the wickets :lol: talk about getting yourself out. Broad, Swann and Bairstow all playing awful shots. Bairstow heaving across the line on one knee what are you doing son. Wicket donation service to Lyon.

That ball that got Prior was a gem as well. He has a genuine problem imo with the extra zip on the ball. I remember when Aus lost the ashes in Aus and Prior toweled everyone then as soon as the ODI's started he was cleaned up twice by Johnson and Lee and then again plum LBW in the first over against Lee hardly even seeing it.

Shows that maybe there is something there in the deck there was a generous amount of seam. Not enough to be dangerous but it was really odd batting from Cook. It's not as though he was under pressure at all to play his strokes. But he just seemed to leave nearly everything that was going across him and not full. Great bowling? Poor batting?.. That rock that trapped him LBers was absolutely ridiculous. Seamed a fecking mile.

Will be interesting tonight when the Aussies bat. How well they make use of the supposed tame nature of the pitch. I feel that in terms of tricks and technique the Aus bowlers have more seam bowling ability and with Broad and Bresnan I think they will be the key. There was plenty of swing early and Anderson will always swing the ball but the extra umpf hitting the deck from Broad and Bresnan will be where I think England can really get on top. Swann will always take wickets on these types of slow turners with his nudes an especially if Lyon got a couple of nude wickets then Swan should take 7.
 
Out without adding to the total.

Jackson Bird take a fecking bow son. It's becoming more and more infuriating that he wasn't chosen in the first three games. Really tidy bowler and has a very very bright future ahead of him. Can't say enough good things about him.

What did you think Disease?
 
Anderson swinging it just short of hoop both ways.

Outrageous and utter utter world class bowling. This guy when he first came onto the scene was absolute fecking pedestrian fruit. Now, wow.
Also for some reason reminds me of the Michael Carrick of cricket :lol: I don't know why.

Did someone say he was a United fan?
 
As with Cook and not bowling slappable or full shite, David Warner absolutely struggles with the ball speared into his hips from over the wicket. Unless he has his chops out and is buzzing he will really struggle to get it away confidently.

Interesting period here.
 
Told you, garbage Warner.

What I said yesteday it will be Broad and Bresnan the key. Anderson will always swing it but the taller chargers will be the ones who benefit.
 
I know a few of you in here rate Khawaja and technically he seems like a fine batsman. But he isn't ready to bat at number 3 for Australia just yet.

Anyway it's Clarke or bust at the moment it seems.
 
I was saying to the guys at work yesterday how we couldn't read too much into our score until Australia bat today, it's early days still but it doesn't look like it's going to be easy to put on a high score. Famous last words now of course.
 
Touchwood Rogers has looked good. Playing late under his nose and compact. Look at Clarke just then. That problem of phantom playing forward but weight being late and not quite back and not quite forward.

Broad is loving bowling on this wicket and his lengths have been perfect.
 
Well the best three Aussie batsman in the series are still out there; Clarke, Rogers and Smith. Still can easily get 350+. They need to see out the new ball with at least two (Clarke and one other) still there.
 
ugh.. Looked going down leg. But I think tahts out.

I touched wood and everything. Kiss of death.

Not out. Well played Hill. Didn't think it pitched THAT far outside leg stump but good stuff none the less.
 
I think in this little period if we can get some good solid wood on the ball regularly it will stop seaming a bit. The Aussies showed there was a little bit of that when Watson come on and just bowled slow and low across Cook.

Sounded like pad.

This is going to be fecking umpires call isn't it. Hill hangs himself again.
There was one noise.

How on earth can you be given out LB!?? What the f-
Oh ok. That would have been absolutely ludicrous.

Fair enough - that's clearly way to much doubt to be given as a straight up decision. But that raises yet another new grey area in the technology.
 
That wasn't even close, Cook and Prior need to work out when best to listen to Broad
 
Right decision made. Umpire gave him out for caught behind and not for LBW. So it's obvious that umpires call was going towards the batsmen.
 
Lucky a bit by Rogers. Confusing as hell but he probably should still be out there as I don't think the umpire would have given him out LBW anyway.
 
Broad bowling superbly here.
Disease :lol:

What did you think of Bird? Just what I described? bowling tight lines and genuine old school test tightness bowling, well rewarded.
 
Fkn Ian Chappell in the studio..

Broad takes two wickets from the zip in the pitch.
"It's been all about the movement in the air".. :wenger:
 
ghaliboy said:
Broad bowling superbly here.
Disease :lol:

What did you think of Bird? Just what I described? bowling tight lines and genuine old school test tightness bowling, well rewarded.
Click to expand...
Yeah, impressive. He reminds me a lot of Onions - which, after seeing Bird getting a lot out of the pitch, is making me even more frustrated that we picked Bresnan.
 
Shows just how silly that shot was from Clarke. If you just wait on the ball head over it and play it late then there will be runs and time at the crease.
 
Good session for both teams. I think if we can steer clear of giving away wickets to Swann and sillyness to the seamers then we can set something decent enough to bowl to.
 
I like Steven Smith.

He's probably not a test cricketer, but he's a great player to have in your team.

Busy cnut on the field, with or without the bat.
 
I like Smith. I think the world would like him a lot better if 5 years ago someone said to him 'be a leggy that can bat a bit'.
His game has really evolved in the last couple of years though. He's not 100% technically correct but he's really added patience and maturity to his technique and with his high batlift he's very suceptible to the spear in LB. But he won't get a lot of square-up caught behinds because he just doesn't square up.

I much prefer Watson to come in at 6 if these two can put a partnership together. Watson to counter punch if coming in around 150/200.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.