You cannot comment on the pitch until both team have batted on it. All those thinking this game is dead are deluded! England are in big, big trouble, and will be desperate not to have to bat last on it. To do this, they have to at least get close to the Aussies first innings score. This may mean just missing out on the follow on target (if enforced). They will have to bat very, very well to get in front if the convicts get my predicted 650-odd later today. The wicket is taking spin now, and once it has another couple of days wear and tear, Lyons will turn it way too much for our bunch of lefties...
It's alright playing sexy and attractive attacking cricket, but to play all day with no third man, rarely a long leg and with three slips for most of the time was just folly .. the Aussies scored at around 3.7 runs an over, this could and should have been held to 2.5 or 3 per over. Several times Cook left the field, probably to get instructions from the coaching staff, he was terrific in the first test, he's gone backwards in this one
Draw written all over this one. Flat as a pancake this pitch.
i'll keep an eye on this post for day 4/5 !!
Do the Aussies have the bowlers to take 20 wickets? I don't think they do tbh.
Famous last words!!!! Starc, Johnson, Lyons, and Hazlewood are all dangerous. Even the part-timers in Smith, Clarke, Voges and Marsh could weigh in with the odd scalp. The problem with batting second after a big first innings is that the pitch is worn by then - England's seamers will have been running down outside off stump to the left handers (of which we have seven!). After our first innings, the Mitchell's will have roughed up outside off for the right handers too. The pitch is very dry; it won't break up (or shouldn't) but it will turn more the longer the game goes on. Lyons will have no better chance to get on the Lords honour's board!
I would love this pitch to be dead as a doornail, and for England to bat the game out, but I simply cannot see this happening when the Aussies can attack with impunity on days three and four.
Draw written all over this one. Flat as a pancake this pitch.
i'll keep an eye on this post for day 4/5 !!
Do the Aussies have the bowlers to take 20 wickets? I don't think they do tbh.
Famous last words!!!! Starc, Johnson, Lyons, and Hazlewood are all dangerous. Even the part-timers in Smith, Clarke, Voges and Marsh could weigh in with the odd scalp. The problem with batting second after a big first innings is that the pitch is worn by then - England's seamers will have been running down outside off stump to the left handers (of which we have seven!). After our first innings, the Mitchell's will have roughed up outside off for the right handers too. The pitch is very dry; it won't break up (or shouldn't) but it will turn more the longer the game goes on. Lyons will have no better chance to get on the Lords honour's board!
I would love this pitch to be dead as a doornail, and for England to bat the game out, but I simply cannot see this happening when the Aussies can attack with impunity on days three and four.
This. I'm confident i'll be bringing that post up again at some stage over the weekend. Once Johnson and Starc are bowling at you at 90+, it sometimes doesn't matter how supposedly flat the wicket is.
No matter how good the wicket is going out when the oppo have piled up 600+ is a very different game to getting first use of the deck on a Thursday morning
They will have eight men around the bat and Johnson, Starc etc will be charging in
Cook is the only proven test quality bat of our top three so it will be no surprise if we are 20-2 again regardless of how good the wicket is
Hell of a long way to go in this Test - the only thing we can be sure of right now is we won't be winning it!
Clarke is done. No way a pro should be spooning those up to square leg. His back problems has done him in. If he wasn't skipper I could have seen him retiring half way through this series.
Clarke is done. No way a pro should be spooning those up to square leg. His back problems has done him in. If he wasn't skipper I could have seen him retiring half way through this series.
The good news for us is that as he is skipper he'll hopefully soldier on getting out cheaply every time!
Yep - they stack up 550 and then we have to bat on a pitch that is waking up and a ball that is starting to swing (havent seen any of the game so far today so based only on gut feel).
Comments
Several times Cook left the field, probably to get instructions from the coaching staff, he was terrific in the first test, he's gone backwards in this one
I would love this pitch to be dead as a doornail, and for England to bat the game out, but I simply cannot see this happening when the Aussies can attack with impunity on days three and four.
I'm confident i'll be bringing that post up again at some stage over the weekend. Once Johnson and Starc are bowling at you at 90+, it sometimes doesn't matter how supposedly flat the wicket is.
362-2
We're right back in it
Yesterday, only 9% of balls, would have hit the wicket.
They will have eight men around the bat and Johnson, Starc etc will be charging in
Cook is the only proven test quality bat of our top three so it will be no surprise if we are 20-2 again regardless of how good the wicket is
Hell of a long way to go in this Test - the only thing we can be sure of right now is we won't be winning it!
383-3
We're on a charge.
426-4
It was certainly the toss to win.
Australia 361-1 - they're going to get 600,, and under scoreboard pressure we'll collapse
Australia 433-4 - the pitch is quickening up, perfect for Starc and Johnson, they've got the best of the batting conditions, we'll collapse
Voges doesn't look like much of a Test bat which is another plus for us