Hardly watched today but what I did see, he was good again. Nothing really going his way (leading edges landing safe, lbw shouts pitching centimetres outside the line...) but definitely worth persisting with.
We can’t bat properly and the bowlers are impotent.
Keep reading there is not a lot between the teams but there is.
We are mentally weak and unless the ball is moving three feet laterally I don’t think the team believes we can take twenty wickets away from England.
I think the circumstances surrounding Stokes pre-tour put us back on our heels, which you cant afford to do v Oz. tbh, (maybe before today !), Oz have been held together by Smith and Starc, but they have still proved to be a much better side which is a worry. In Oz, in the bowling dept you need 2 things more than anything else, 1) speed 2) a good spinner - In past tours we have had the likes of Swann, but unfortunately we have neither in this squad.This was a poor management/selectorial decision, and tbh, some of the things that have happened on this tour, such as Roots decision not to bowl Jimmy and Broad ater tea at Brisbane, Roots determination to bat at 4 ,Bairstow and the night watchman the other day, plus the littany of anti-social incidents means that the management set-up needs a serious looking at and heads should roll - i think that Bayliss is a waste of space and should be relinquished of his position for starters.
We can’t bat properly and the bowlers are impotent.
Keep reading there is not a lot between the teams but there is.
We are mentally weak and unless the ball is moving three feet laterally I don’t think the team believes we can take twenty wickets away from England.
I think the circumstances surrounding Stokes pre-tour put us back on our heels, which you cant afford to do v Oz. tbh, (maybe before today !), Oz have been held together by Smith and Starc, but they have still proved to be a much better side which is a worry. In Oz, in the bowling dept you need 2 things more than anything else, 1) speed 2) a good spinner - In past tours we have had the likes of Swann, but unfortunately we have neither in this squad.This was a poor management/selectorial decision, and tbh, some of the things that have happened on this tour, such as Roots decision not to bowl Jimmy and Broad ater tea at Brisbane, Roots determination to bat at 4 ,Bairstow and the night watchman the other day, plus the littany of anti-social incidents means that the management set-up needs a serious looking at and heads should roll - i think that Bayliss is a waste of space and should be relinquished of his position for starters.
agree with most of what you have said and think it's echoed by pretty much all the supporters.
We started on the back foot and never looked like winning the series bar 2-3 outstanding sessions. Like you said, that was mainly when the ball is moving around. Definitely some advantages like the form of Malan and Stoneman looks decent. Biggest worry is Broad, Jimmy is a swing bowler so can be forgiven but Broad relies less on swing and just isn't upto test match cricket anymore IMO.
Thing I don't agree with is management/selectorial decision on the speed/spin part. Perhaps someone like Plunkett could have come in yes, but the bottom line is that they are not there at the minute.
If we had a genuine 90 MPH bowler and a quality spinner, we would have got a lot closer as the Australian batting line up isn't that strong. We have made them look better with some average bowling.
But where are they coming from. Bayliss isn't a test match coach, he is a limited overs specialist. I believe they got it wrong although not helped by the lack of talent and also the Stokes situation.
All well and good having a pop at Bayliss and/or the selectors, but where is the quick who would have ripped through Oz's batting and where is this spinner who would have got 20+ wickets in the series? I just don't see where they are.
Ali has done a decent job covering our lack of spinner. Obviously a better batsman than most out there but his bowling has been better than expected, but he's not good enough to be the front-line option.
You say that the Australian batting line up is not strong but the two Marsh's Khawaja, Paine, Cummins have all done well. That is leaving out Smith and the poison dwarf who opens.
Because of the excitement at the end of the morning session, instead of going to bed at "lunch", I ended up watching the wicketless afternoon session and going to bed at 4:10. Thanks England...
Crane might become a top international bowler, but is desperately raw, and surely called up too early. England have a habit of picking spinners then dumping them (Kerragan, Borthwick), Australia did the same the same thing between Warne and Lyon
Root was England's best spinner today, no idea why he took himself off, as he was a genuine threat and economical too (8 overs going for only 21)
Aussies milked Crane for 3.5 an over. To only bowl 3 maidens in 39 overs as a supposed spinner is piss poor. Root bowled 4 in his 8 overs.
Hyped by CL so called cricket experts. Another dud.
Er I missed the Crane hype. Most of the posters I read were unconvinced by any of our spin options. Leuth's unwavering support for Moeen was the only exception.
Australia have got wickets through a combination of England's batsmen being fucking awful and their own ability to bowl short and fast now and again, which is just about the only cricket that works on these pitches
Bit unfair on Nathan Lyon.
I'd back this Australian attack to get the better of England in England too. They haven't even needed a 5th bowler.
Crane might become a top international bowler, but is desperately raw, and surely called up too early. England have a habit of picking spinners then dumping them (Kerragan, Borthwick), Australia did the same the same thing between Warne and Lyon
Root was England's best spinner today, no idea why he took himself off, as he was a genuine threat and economical too (8 overs going for only 21)
It was a good job Australia picked Steve Smith too early.
It's only too early if selectors get muddled and dump players afterwards.
Fact is, all the time Moeen Ali plays, then a second spinner will only play occasionally. If Stokes returns then maybe Crane will get more chances.
Smith is an absolute freak - how does he make the way he bats look so easy? At times he looks like he could light a cigar and have three puffs of it before deciding exactly where he wants to hit the ball.
A freak indeed. And tonight he’s really taking the Michael. Logically he should be easy to get out by bowling a fast leg stump yorker, given that he’s virtually batting at gully by the time the ball is delivered. I just don’t get it.
Maybe someone can clarify something for me. I was having a discussion RE smith with a few mates and particularly how he shuffles across the crease.
I can't remember which test it was but there was a scenario where smith stopped the bowlers delivery due to a fielder changing positions. Now in theory, is this not exactly the same as Smith moving all the way to gully just as the bowler enters his delivery stride?
Are there specific laws in place prohibiting a fielder changing positions but no such law for batsmen?
His numbers are incredible this series but I do feel like Stokes would have made some difference. Jimmy and Broad are greats but they're not fiery, in your face characters which I think we have missed in Stokes.
Smith is an absolute freak - how does he make the way he bats look so easy? At times he looks like he could light a cigar and have three puffs of it before deciding exactly where he wants to hit the ball.
A freak indeed. And tonight he’s really taking the Michael. Logically he should be easy to get out by bowling a fast leg stump yorker, given that he’s virtually batting at gully by the time the ball is delivered. I just don’t get it.
Maybe someone can clarify something for me. I was having a discussion RE smith with a few mates and particularly how he shuffles across the crease.
I can't remember which test it was but there was a scenario where smith stopped the bowlers delivery due to a fielder changing positions. Now in theory, is this not exactly the same as Smith moving all the way to gully just as the bowler enters his delivery stride?
Are there specific laws in place prohibiting a fielder changing positions but no such law for batsmen?
His numbers are incredible this series but I do feel like Stokes would have made some difference. Jimmy and Broad are greats but they're not fiery, in your face characters which I think we have missed in Stokes.
Batsmen seem to be able to do what they want. Switch hitting being a prime example. Can You imagine a bowler running up and switching what hand he bowls with. It would be a no ball. The laws are set up to favour the batsmen and he exploits them within those laws
You say that the Australian batting line up is not strong but the two Marsh's Khawaja, Paine, Cummins have all done well. That is leaving out Smith and the poison dwarf who opens.
It's nowhere near as strong as we have made it look.
It's better than I thought admittedly, but some of the averages are going to be incredibly flattering. Pitches have helped aswell but this is not a strong Australian line up.
Smith is an absolute freak - how does he make the way he bats look so easy? At times he looks like he could light a cigar and have three puffs of it before deciding exactly where he wants to hit the ball.
A freak indeed. And tonight he’s really taking the Michael. Logically he should be easy to get out by bowling a fast leg stump yorker, given that he’s virtually batting at gully by the time the ball is delivered. I just don’t get it.
I've always thought is the best way to get Smith out once set. ok, when he first comes in , bowl the usual 4th/5th stump line, but once he's settled, bowl to his strengths - full at leg stump and pack the on side with 5/6 fielders. After all, he is naturally a leg side player, he plays stuff outside off to leg, not the other way round - so lets force him to do something that he doesnt want to do. So, pack the leg side , bowl full leg stump from around the wicket. This would stop him doing his shuffling across the crease, and force him to play leg side. OK, this would require the bowler to be accurate enough to do it , and would likely preclude most LBWs - but you have to try something different- you cant just let him do what he does.This would force him to play everything leg side, and if he wanted to exploit the gaps off-side it would also force him to play a different game.
Crane might become a top international bowler, but is desperately raw, and surely called up too early. England have a habit of picking spinners then dumping them (Kerragan, Borthwick), Australia did the same the same thing between Warne and Lyon
Root was England's best spinner today, no idea why he took himself off, as he was a genuine threat and economical too (8 overs going for only 21)
It was a good job Australia picked Steve Smith too early.
It's only too early if selectors get muddled and dump players afterwards.
Fact is, all the time Moeen Ali plays, then a second spinner will only play occasionally. If Stokes returns then maybe Crane will get more chances.
Smith was picked as a leg spinner though, not a batsman. It was at the time when they were desperately looking for the new Shane Warne!
By picking Crane for this tour, the selectors made it incredibly hard to drop Moeen as picking a 20 year old as your sole spinner would be incredibly risky.
Crane might become a top international bowler, but is desperately raw, and surely called up too early. England have a habit of picking spinners then dumping them (Kerragan, Borthwick), Australia did the same the same thing between Warne and Lyon
Root was England's best spinner today, no idea why he took himself off, as he was a genuine threat and economical too (8 overs going for only 21)
It was a good job Australia picked Steve Smith too early.
It's only too early if selectors get muddled and dump players afterwards.
Fact is, all the time Moeen Ali plays, then a second spinner will only play occasionally. If Stokes returns then maybe Crane will get more chances.
Smith was picked as a leg spinner though, not a batsman. It was at the time when they were desperately looking for the new Shane Warne!
By picking Crane for this tour, the selectors made it incredibly hard to drop Moeen as picking a 20 year old as your sole spinner would be incredibly risky.
yep, in hindsight wasnt a good move - would have been better served sending him out with the Lions - another selectorial/management cockup.there have been lots of them
That was a superb 4 over spell by Anderson, he caused the Marshes all sorts of problems whereas the other England bowlers have been smacked around with ease
Am i right in saying that if Mitchell Marsh gets a hundred then Australia would have got more centuries in this innings(3) than England in the whole Ashes series(2) ?
Comments
Australia 479-4
S Marsh 98* (207)
M Marsh 63* (87)
Lead by 133
We can’t bat properly and the bowlers are impotent.
Keep reading there is not a lot between the teams but there is.
We are mentally weak and unless the ball is moving three feet laterally I don’t think the team believes we can take twenty wickets away from England.
tbh, (maybe before today !), Oz have been held together by Smith and Starc, but they have still proved to be a much better side which is a worry. In Oz, in the bowling dept you need 2 things more than anything else, 1) speed 2) a good spinner - In past tours we have had the likes of Swann, but unfortunately we have neither in this squad.This was a poor management/selectorial decision, and tbh, some of the things that have happened on this tour, such as Roots decision not to bowl Jimmy and Broad ater tea at Brisbane, Roots determination to bat at 4 ,Bairstow and the night watchman the other day, plus the littany of anti-social incidents means that the management set-up needs a serious looking at and heads should roll - i think that Bayliss is a waste of space and should be relinquished of his position for starters.
We started on the back foot and never looked like winning the series bar 2-3 outstanding sessions. Like you said, that was mainly when the ball is moving around. Definitely some advantages like the form of Malan and Stoneman looks decent. Biggest worry is Broad, Jimmy is a swing bowler so can be forgiven but Broad relies less on swing and just isn't upto test match cricket anymore IMO.
Thing I don't agree with is management/selectorial decision on the speed/spin part. Perhaps someone like Plunkett could have come in yes, but the bottom line is that they are not there at the minute.
If we had a genuine 90 MPH bowler and a quality spinner, we would have got a lot closer as the Australian batting line up isn't that strong. We have made them look better with some average bowling.
But where are they coming from. Bayliss isn't a test match coach, he is a limited overs specialist. I believe they got it wrong although not helped by the lack of talent and also the Stokes situation.
All well and good having a pop at Bayliss and/or the selectors, but where is the quick who would have ripped through Oz's batting and where is this spinner who would have got 20+ wickets in the series? I just don't see where they are.
Ali has done a decent job covering our lack of spinner. Obviously a better batsman than most out there but his bowling has been better than expected, but he's not good enough to be the front-line option.
Hyped by CL so called cricket experts. Another dud.
He's 20 years old, in his first Test ffs.
Root was England's best spinner today, no idea why he took himself off, as he was a genuine threat and economical too (8 overs going for only 21)
I'd back this Australian attack to get the better of England in England too. They haven't even needed a 5th bowler.
It's only too early if selectors get muddled and dump players afterwards.
Fact is, all the time Moeen Ali plays, then a second spinner will only play occasionally. If Stokes returns then maybe Crane will get more chances.
I was having a discussion RE smith with a few mates and particularly how he shuffles across the crease.
I can't remember which test it was but there was a scenario where smith stopped the bowlers delivery due to a fielder changing positions. Now in theory, is this not exactly the same as Smith moving all the way to gully just as the bowler enters his delivery stride?
Are there specific laws in place prohibiting a fielder changing positions but no such law for batsmen?
His numbers are incredible this series but I do feel like Stokes would have made some difference. Jimmy and Broad are greats but they're not fiery, in your face characters which I think we have missed in Stokes.
Switch hitting being a prime example.
Can You imagine a bowler running up and switching what hand he bowls with.
It would be a no ball.
The laws are set up to favour the batsmen and he exploits them within those laws
It's better than I thought admittedly, but some of the averages are going to be incredibly flattering. Pitches have helped aswell but this is not a strong Australian line up.
ok, when he first comes in , bowl the usual 4th/5th stump line, but once he's settled, bowl to his strengths - full at leg stump and pack the on side with 5/6 fielders.
After all, he is naturally a leg side player, he plays stuff outside off to leg, not the other way round - so lets force him to do something that he doesnt want to do.
So, pack the leg side , bowl full leg stump from around the wicket. This would stop him doing his shuffling across the crease, and force him to play leg side. OK, this would require the bowler to be accurate enough to do it , and would likely preclude most LBWs - but you have to try something different- you cant just let him do what he does.This would force him to play everything leg side, and if he wanted to exploit the gaps off-side it would also force him to play a different game.
By picking Crane for this tour, the selectors made it incredibly hard to drop Moeen as picking a 20 year old as your sole spinner would be incredibly risky.
Just another dud... :-)