Thanks Leuth. Yes originally chosen for lions and would have been called up but for the back injury so they went with Finn who obviously then got injured too.
Day four - here's my spin on it. I won't apologise for being more positive than many posters. I sometimes like to see things from the point of view of "how to win", rather than "it's all going as badly as I thought it would". If you don't enjoy positivity, please feel free to stop reading this post now!
The third innings is the only important one in this match so far. So, while it's frustrating that England scored fewer than Australia in their respective first innings, none of that matters in terms of what needs to happen next.
First, a few facts:
1. England are ahead, albeit by only 7 runs. 2. England have eight wickets left in order to extend their lead. 3. The ball is already 16 overs old. 4. The new ball is still 64 overs away. 5. The conditions (ie heat and humidity) are in favour of the batting team. 6. The Australian bowlers have already had to bowl more than 132 overs in the match. 7. Starc and Cummins have already slogged through 33 overs each.
And now, some opinions.
Joe Root is the best batsman in the world (I know Steve Smith has the "official" title, but honestly, who looks the better player? Who strokes the ball with the more consummate ease? Whom would you honestly pay to watch bat?). But, so far, in one of the three, key disciplines, he's been out-played by his opposite number.
1. Root's captaincy has been exceptional. (Some people are moaning about him not using Anderson either side of lunch. But do those moaners genuinely believe that the pain-killer popping, grimacing Anderson, unable properly to throw the ball in from close to the boundary, wasn't carrying an injury?). His inventiveness and control have been in marked contrast to Smith's staid, conservative, chip-on-the-shoulder (I hope he gets fined for complaining about not being "given" wides while he was batting) captaincy. Smith's a very effective batsman, but he's no Alan Border.
2. Root's currently top of the bowling averages in the series.
3. But Root's been out-scored by Smith. That's going to hurt. And he's going to be determined to put that straight. This year, he scored more runs in England in a calendar year than any other player, ever. So he's clearly very very hungry. And, while he may have scored more runs in the series so far than Bancroft, Khawaja, Handscomb, Paine, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon, he won't be satisfied until his name is top of the list of scorers. And I think he'll be aiming to get back there on day four.
Root has other records to concentrate on. He's won every series in which he's been captain: he will want to protect that. That doesn't mean the run will continue automatically. But it shows he has something about him to complete wins. And England have won every Test match at the Gabba when they've reached 300 in the first innings. They exceeded that, of course, in this match. Whereas Australia's unbeaten run at the Gabba stretches further back than the lifetime of any of their players. Root will want to keep up his series-winning streak and England's first innings conversion streak at the Gabba; Smith will be desperate to avoid losing. Let's hope that, as day four progresses, Smith's mind turns more and more to avoiding defeat.
It will probably be hot. The pitch will offer more to the batman than at any other time during the match. And will offer less to the bowlers than it will on the final day. The Australian bowlers are injury prone and have suffered a heavy workload already - an injury or loss of form for any of them could prove disastrous for the remaining three bowlers, and the heavy lifting they will have to do.
England have to bat all day, that seems pretty obvious. But therein lies another opportunity. The team will be focused on reaching the end of play with wickets intact. And the incessant grind of bowling towards an unshiftable opponent will hurt Australia's bowlers more and more as the day progresses, so long as the wicket column doesn't progress.
So far, Australian have taken four, six and two wickets on days one, two and three. So both teams should set out knowing that eight in the day is a big ask. Stoneman, Mallan and, to an extent Moeen (more than two hours in his first innings) have already proved they are difficult to shift. Bairstow and Woakes will be out to prove they're better than their first innings showing. And every player knows their spot may be at risk if the prodigal son is gifted a place on tour by her majesty's constabulary.
Three of the current England team (Cook, Broad and Anderson) played in the Brisbane Test seven years ago. England's opener and captain failed in the first innings, we were bowled out cheaply and had to suffer a big century from a seemingly-unshiftable Aussie middle-order batsman. We were in a lot of trouble having conceded a first-innings deficit of 221. Cook, Broad and Anderson will be able to remind their team-mates how England's second innings proceeded, in the face of a barrage of negative media comment. We made 570-1. I don't expect England to score 570 on day 4 of this match. But, right now, I would take half of that.
If we lose no more than two per session in day four, we will be in good shape. And here is my big prediction: if we do so with Root still there at close of play, we will win.
Chizz, I agree with most of this and think the same. I predicted we'll score 282 in the 2nd innings. I can't see your 2nd innings prediction, although I see you predicted 601 in the 1st innings.
I love the optimist. I wouldnt say Roots captaincy has been exceptional, what has he done to get that tag?. I would say its been inventive , of which i like, but his decision to not bowl either Jimmy (maybe he was injured) AND Broad the other side of lunch was the biggest mistake of the game, and was the decision which probably decided whether England would win or lose the game - it was a huge mistake imo- i still cant grasp it , it makes no sense whatsoever.They were 7 down, it might have only needed 6 more overs to clean them up .
Root doesnt have the patience of Smith, Root wants to dominate all the time and plays more risky shots than Smith (the dab to third man a particular hate of mine) - therefore to ask him to bat all day is virtually impossible. I hope he proves me wrong. I dont think so somehow though.
Yeah, I gave the post a like but that's the bit I'd quibble too.
My opinion is that Root is the best batsman in the world. I acknowledge that there's a statistical measure that "officially" puts Smith ahead of him. But my opinion is that Root is better. It's close. There are three very good batsmen in this series vying for top spot. All quick scoring right-handers. In my view, Root is the best.
Chizz, I agree with most of this and think the same. I predicted we'll score 282 in the 2nd innings. I can't see your 2nd innings prediction, although I see you predicted 601 in the 1st innings.
I haven't made a second innings prediction. But id be pretty happy if we achieved yours.
i get the argument about Smith,Root and Kohli and best batter in the world.....but theres another name that should be factored into the argument...Kane Williamson. Its well known that Smith and Kohli dont deal very well with lateral ball movement - both have poor records in England, but i think you will find that Williamson has a record second to none in all types of conditions.
Rather than Lyon roaring, the crowd roared as Lyon bowled the last ball of the day to Root. Root padded it away safely as a huge “Ooh” raised the roof (not that there is actually a roof) at The Gabba. Root ignored the faint, somewhat pathetic appeals for LBW and headed directly to the changing rooms. He didn’t want to be on the pitch a moment longer and an hour or so earlier had probably hoped that he wouldn’t be needed on the pitch at all on Day 3 after fielding for much of it.
With similar alacrity, I left Block 74 and headed to the exit so that I could get to the unnamed bar that had become the place to compare post-match opinions with Aussies, Brits and bar staff.
Aussies are very positive as a group, but individually they are pessimists. During the last hour, they were getting highly excited and leaping in the air even when Root middled an innocuous ball from Lyon. Individually, in the unnamed bar, they were predicting England to get 250 to 300 and, to quote, a man whose clothing, headgear and face was a mixture of yellow and green “We’ll succumb and lose even when we shouldn’t against you Poms”.
Outside the ground, there are people to who are employed to greet you with “Enjoy the cricket” in the morning and to say “Hope you enjoyed the cricket” on the way out. Perhaps I was being sensitive, but they seemed to be saying “Hope you enjoyed the cricket” with more glee than the previous two days. Getting across the main road outside the ground, you need to wait for the police to stop the traffic so that you can cross. The police are both friendlier and more forceful. They will happily talk and joke with you, but when it comes to crossing the road they bark “Get across the road immediately”.
Before Root’s rapid exit from the pitch, he and Stoneman had survived a shaky 40 minutes. A third wicket looked on the cards as every ball looked more threatening than it had in the first innings. England survived the shaky period and went in at 33 for 2, a mere 7 runs ahead. At 17 for 2, it had looked a lot worse. Vince got a nasty one from Hazlewood which he edged to the Aussie skipper and Cook holed out to the same bowler. What Cook was thinking as he hooked during the fourth over of an innings is beyond me. It led to that horrible last hour or so.
Earlier England had seen Smith and Lyon add 30 for the last wicket. Last wicket partnerships are great fun when it’s your side batting, but wretched when it’s the opposition as Australia gained a lead of 26. Smith, to be fair, batted beautifully. It was one of the best knocks I have ever seen. His 141 not out was arguably the difference between the two teams. He never looked hurried, scored with ease, albeit a little slowly, but rarely looked like losing his wicket.
England had started the day with four Australian wickets down. Smith and Marsh continued where they had left off at the end of Day 2 until Marsh mistimed a shot which Anderson pocketed. Suddenly, English optimism rose as Paine and Starc departed before lunch as they slumped to 209 for 7. Starc had just hit Broad for a huge six, but two balls later Broad caught a sharp chance of his own bowling to send the Aussie quick back to the pavilion. England’s tactic to deal with the Aussie chit chat seems to be to smile rather than get involved in a sharp exchange of words. Broad had smiled at Starc when Starc had hit the six and mouthed a few words. He smiled again as he caught Starc low to his right.
Lunch was an enjoyable moment to savour after the late clatter of wickets in the previous session. Mention should be made of Bairstow’s second excellent catch of the game to dismiss Paine. But pain was what followed lunch as Smith and Cummins looked more and more comfortable as each over passed. Ball and Woakes don’t look anywhere near as dangerous as Anderson and Broad and runs steadily accumulated as hopes of a healthy first innings lead gradually disappeared. The bloke next to me (TBNTM), an Aussie, asked me if I was enjoying Brisbane at a time when the score was 275 for 7. My half-hearted response was about to be “it’s a nice city” as Cook fell rather than dived and caught the very competent Cummins for 42. “I’m enjoying it a bit more now”, I replied to TBNTM, as I tried to hold back from punching the air. “Have you been around the city?”, TBNTM probed as though the wicket hadn’t really fallen. I can’t remember what I replied; I was just glad to see the partnership broken.
Hazlewood hung around for a while but missed one from Moeen Ali, which left Lyon to irritate the visitors. 328 all out was not a disaster for England. A lead of 26 could easily be knocked off. I knew one wicket would fall in the remaining period, but I wasn’t ready for what was ahead.
As for whether I am ready for Day 4. I am flipping between huge pessimism and the thought that when batsmen get in on this wicket, they seem to be able to stay there. Can England bat long enough to draw or, dare I say it, win? I have my doubts and have this feeling that Day 5 might be spent on a beach somewhere outside the city. But, that’s the beauty of cricket. Or, it is, if it’s not too painful today. Time for sausage and baked beans and the day ahead! What will be discussed in the unnamed bar later remains to be seen.
Smith's magnificent innings yesterday wasn't built on fine stroke play but determination and extreme patience and self discipline.
There was a really telling moment just after he got his ton. He chased a wide one and was lucky not to edge it behind. You could see him whacking his helmet and bollocking himself.
That is the attitude England need and to be fair it's not been a strength over recent years. Doesn't matter how fluid a batsman Root is, he needs to dig his heels in good a proper.
Smith's magnificent innings yesterday wasn't built on fine stroke play but determination and extreme patience and self discipline.
There was a really telling moment just after he got his ton. He chased a wide one and was lucky not to edge it behind. You could see him whacking his helmet and bollocking himself.
That is the attitude England need and to be fair it's not been a strength over recent years. Doesn't matter how fluid a batsman Root is, he needs to dig his heels in good a proper.
I think the key tomorrow is to make their 3 quicks work hard. To do that we have to not let Lyon dominate us. We don't have to go after him but of we can get 3 singles an over off him (and punish any bad balls) then they won't be able to bowl him in such long spells. Then the 3 quicks have to bowl more in the heat. The more they bowl the more likely it is one of them breaks down. That will help us a lot in the next few matches.
Of course to make it work we need to bat long. We can't lose a wicket in the first hour. We then need to make them pay a slowly build a lead.
I think a draw is the least likely result but right now were not favourites.
Yep, good analysis Canters. The only problem though is i think its easier said than done against Lyon. Whether we can have the same application and patience against them is another matter ( i think with Rocky its a given, but not sure with Root tbh). The longer we can keep them out there without a wicket the more the game will turn towards us. (stating the bleedin).
I watched the middle session yesterday, and Smith and Cummins just bunted back everything without any hassle, no scares or worries - it just wont be the same against Lyon and co, there will be a ball an over that will be a play-and-miss, or bat-pad, or lbw possibility - they just seem to get more out of the surface than we do.
Comments
The third innings is the only important one in this match so far. So, while it's frustrating that England scored fewer than Australia in their respective first innings, none of that matters in terms of what needs to happen next.
First, a few facts:
1. England are ahead, albeit by only 7 runs.
2. England have eight wickets left in order to extend their lead.
3. The ball is already 16 overs old.
4. The new ball is still 64 overs away.
5. The conditions (ie heat and humidity) are in favour of the batting team.
6. The Australian bowlers have already had to bowl more than 132 overs in the match.
7. Starc and Cummins have already slogged through 33 overs each.
And now, some opinions.
Joe Root is the best batsman in the world (I know Steve Smith has the "official" title, but honestly, who looks the better player? Who strokes the ball with the more consummate ease? Whom would you honestly pay to watch bat?). But, so far, in one of the three, key disciplines, he's been out-played by his opposite number.
1. Root's captaincy has been exceptional. (Some people are moaning about him not using Anderson either side of lunch. But do those moaners genuinely believe that the pain-killer popping, grimacing Anderson, unable properly to throw the ball in from close to the boundary, wasn't carrying an injury?). His inventiveness and control have been in marked contrast to Smith's staid, conservative, chip-on-the-shoulder (I hope he gets fined for complaining about not being "given" wides while he was batting) captaincy. Smith's a very effective batsman, but he's no Alan Border.
2. Root's currently top of the bowling averages in the series.
3. But Root's been out-scored by Smith. That's going to hurt. And he's going to be determined to put that straight. This year, he scored more runs in England in a calendar year than any other player, ever. So he's clearly very very hungry. And, while he may have scored more runs in the series so far than Bancroft, Khawaja, Handscomb, Paine, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon, he won't be satisfied until his name is top of the list of scorers. And I think he'll be aiming to get back there on day four.
Root has other records to concentrate on. He's won every series in which he's been captain: he will want to protect that. That doesn't mean the run will continue automatically. But it shows he has something about him to complete wins. And England have won every Test match at the Gabba when they've reached 300 in the first innings. They exceeded that, of course, in this match. Whereas Australia's unbeaten run at the Gabba stretches further back than the lifetime of any of their players. Root will want to keep up his series-winning streak and England's first innings conversion streak at the Gabba; Smith will be desperate to avoid losing. Let's hope that, as day four progresses, Smith's mind turns more and more to avoiding defeat.
It will probably be hot. The pitch will offer more to the batman than at any other time during the match. And will offer less to the bowlers than it will on the final day. The Australian bowlers are injury prone and have suffered a heavy workload already - an injury or loss of form for any of them could prove disastrous for the remaining three bowlers, and the heavy lifting they will have to do.
England have to bat all day, that seems pretty obvious. But therein lies another opportunity. The team will be focused on reaching the end of play with wickets intact. And the incessant grind of bowling towards an unshiftable opponent will hurt Australia's bowlers more and more as the day progresses, so long as the wicket column doesn't progress.
So far, Australian have taken four, six and two wickets on days one, two and three. So both teams should set out knowing that eight in the day is a big ask. Stoneman, Mallan and, to an extent Moeen (more than two hours in his first innings) have already proved they are difficult to shift. Bairstow and Woakes will be out to prove they're better than their first innings showing. And every player knows their spot may be at risk if the prodigal son is gifted a place on tour by her majesty's constabulary.
Three of the current England team (Cook, Broad and Anderson) played in the Brisbane Test seven years ago. England's opener and captain failed in the first innings, we were bowled out cheaply and had to suffer a big century from a seemingly-unshiftable Aussie middle-order batsman. We were in a lot of trouble having conceded a first-innings deficit of 221. Cook, Broad and Anderson will be able to remind their team-mates how England's second innings proceeded, in the face of a barrage of negative media comment. We made 570-1. I don't expect England to score 570 on day 4 of this match. But, right now, I would take half of that.
If we lose no more than two per session in day four, we will be in good shape. And here is my big prediction: if we do so with Root still there at close of play, we will win.
I can't see your 2nd innings prediction, although I see you predicted 601 in the 1st innings.
I wouldnt say Roots captaincy has been exceptional, what has he done to get that tag?. I would say its been inventive , of which i like, but his decision to not bowl either Jimmy (maybe he was injured) AND Broad the other side of lunch was the biggest mistake of the game, and was the decision which probably decided whether England would win or lose the game - it was a huge mistake imo- i still cant grasp it , it makes no sense whatsoever.They were 7 down, it might have only needed 6 more overs to clean them up .
I hope he proves me wrong. I dont think so somehow though.
Its well known that Smith and Kohli dont deal very well with lateral ball movement - both have poor records in England, but i think you will find that Williamson has a record second to none in all types of conditions.
Gabba Gabba Gabba – Day 3 – Down, Up, Down, Down
Rather than Lyon roaring, the crowd roared as Lyon bowled the last ball of the day to Root. Root padded it away safely as a huge “Ooh” raised the roof (not that there is actually a roof) at The Gabba. Root ignored the faint, somewhat pathetic appeals for LBW and headed directly to the changing rooms. He didn’t want to be on the pitch a moment longer and an hour or so earlier had probably hoped that he wouldn’t be needed on the pitch at all on Day 3 after fielding for much of it.
With similar alacrity, I left Block 74 and headed to the exit so that I could get to the unnamed bar that had become the place to compare post-match opinions with Aussies, Brits and bar staff.
Aussies are very positive as a group, but individually they are pessimists. During the last hour, they were getting highly excited and leaping in the air even when Root middled an innocuous ball from Lyon. Individually, in the unnamed bar, they were predicting England to get 250 to 300 and, to quote, a man whose clothing, headgear and face was a mixture of yellow and green “We’ll succumb and lose even when we shouldn’t against you Poms”.
Outside the ground, there are people to who are employed to greet you with “Enjoy the cricket” in the morning and to say “Hope you enjoyed the cricket” on the way out. Perhaps I was being sensitive, but they seemed to be saying “Hope you enjoyed the cricket” with more glee than the previous two days. Getting across the main road outside the ground, you need to wait for the police to stop the traffic so that you can cross. The police are both friendlier and more forceful. They will happily talk and joke with you, but when it comes to crossing the road they bark “Get across the road immediately”.
Before Root’s rapid exit from the pitch, he and Stoneman had survived a shaky 40 minutes. A third wicket looked on the cards as every ball looked more threatening than it had in the first innings. England survived the shaky period and went in at 33 for 2, a mere 7 runs ahead. At 17 for 2, it had looked a lot worse. Vince got a nasty one from Hazlewood which he edged to the Aussie skipper and Cook holed out to the same bowler. What Cook was thinking as he hooked during the fourth over of an innings is beyond me. It led to that horrible last hour or so.
Earlier England had seen Smith and Lyon add 30 for the last wicket. Last wicket partnerships are great fun when it’s your side batting, but wretched when it’s the opposition as Australia gained a lead of 26. Smith, to be fair, batted beautifully. It was one of the best knocks I have ever seen. His 141 not out was arguably the difference between the two teams. He never looked hurried, scored with ease, albeit a little slowly, but rarely looked like losing his wicket.
England had started the day with four Australian wickets down. Smith and Marsh continued where they had left off at the end of Day 2 until Marsh mistimed a shot which Anderson pocketed. Suddenly, English optimism rose as Paine and Starc departed before lunch as they slumped to 209 for 7. Starc had just hit Broad for a huge six, but two balls later Broad caught a sharp chance of his own bowling to send the Aussie quick back to the pavilion. England’s tactic to deal with the Aussie chit chat seems to be to smile rather than get involved in a sharp exchange of words. Broad had smiled at Starc when Starc had hit the six and mouthed a few words. He smiled again as he caught Starc low to his right.
Lunch was an enjoyable moment to savour after the late clatter of wickets in the previous session. Mention should be made of Bairstow’s second excellent catch of the game to dismiss Paine. But pain was what followed lunch as Smith and Cummins looked more and more comfortable as each over passed. Ball and Woakes don’t look anywhere near as dangerous as Anderson and Broad and runs steadily accumulated as hopes of a healthy first innings lead gradually disappeared. The bloke next to me (TBNTM), an Aussie, asked me if I was enjoying Brisbane at a time when the score was 275 for 7. My half-hearted response was about to be “it’s a nice city” as Cook fell rather than dived and caught the very competent Cummins for 42. “I’m enjoying it a bit more now”, I replied to TBNTM, as I tried to hold back from punching the air. “Have you been around the city?”, TBNTM probed as though the wicket hadn’t really fallen. I can’t remember what I replied; I was just glad to see the partnership broken.
Hazlewood hung around for a while but missed one from Moeen Ali, which left Lyon to irritate the visitors. 328 all out was not a disaster for England. A lead of 26 could easily be knocked off. I knew one wicket would fall in the remaining period, but I wasn’t ready for what was ahead.
As for whether I am ready for Day 4. I am flipping between huge pessimism and the thought that when batsmen get in on this wicket, they seem to be able to stay there. Can England bat long enough to draw or, dare I say it, win? I have my doubts and have this feeling that Day 5 might be spent on a beach somewhere outside the city. But, that’s the beauty of cricket. Or, it is, if it’s not too painful today. Time for sausage and baked beans and the day ahead! What will be discussed in the unnamed bar later remains to be seen.
There was a really telling moment just after he got his ton. He chased a wide one and was lucky not to edge it behind. You could see him whacking his helmet and bollocking himself.
That is the attitude England need and to be fair it's not been a strength over recent years. Doesn't matter how fluid a batsman Root is, he needs to dig his heels in good a proper.
Of course to make it work we need to bat long. We can't lose a wicket in the first hour. We then need to make them pay a slowly build a lead.
I think a draw is the least likely result but right now were not favourites.
The longer we can keep them out there without a wicket the more the game will turn towards us. (stating the bleedin).
http://cdn3.crichd.info/bt-sport-1-live-streaming
Can you actually get past the pop-ups on there?
Lyon looks irresistible against our lefties. Hope Moeen has a plan