still going to be interesting on selections for winter tours bearing in mind we have 3. Few experiments in NZ (Sibley. Crawley, Stone maybe), strongest side possible for SA and extra spin options for SL.
Slightly disappointed not to get to see us wrap it up tomorrow. But a great win.
Full refund and a bunch of us all got the day off work so gonna have a net and then drinks.
Been a great summer of cricket.
I've always been a massive cricket badger but this summer has just absorbed me to another level. I am already planning a trip to watch the next ashes down under.
That's a great photo, good to see the teams mixing like that. England winning today, but Australia retaining the Ashes meant that both teams had reasons to be satisfied, whereas if Australia had won 3-1 then the conversation might have been more awkward!
Very, very strange series indeed - can't remember another one quite like it.
I think the 'composite' side demonstrates how weird it was....
Burns (Good - but not spectacular) Denly (Only really came good in the last Test) Lambushagne (Only played when Smith got knocked out) Smith (No comment required) Root (Very average series...not a single ton) Stokes (No comment required) Wade (Wkt) (Outbatted Paine, Bairstow and Buttler with two tons) Archer (May not have played if Anderson and Wood had been fit) Cummins (Best bowler) Hazlewood (Dropped from 1st Test) Lyon (Bowled poorly after 1st Test...nowhere near his best)
All up, only Smith, Cummins and Hazlewood for the Aussies and Stokes, Broad and Archer for us can be said to have had really good series.
People talked about great bowling and average pitches but I just thought that the batting on both sides - except for Smith and Stokes - was very poor indeed.
Which is, of course, very true. A strange series, in that overall, IMO, OZ were the slightly better of the teams, if only because of Smith and Cummins, for the first 3 days of 1st Test England were on top but lost, second test was all England but weather intervened,third was Oz all the way until the Stokes show, fourth always Oz, and the fifth always England . so a draw was probably the fairest result in the end.
A weird but fascinating series between 2 very uneven sides.
Wade for example scored 2 centuries yet got no 50s whereas Root and Denly got 4 and 3 50s respectively but no centuries! Cummins had 29 wickets without a 5fer. Harris and Warner averaged less than 10, which is slightly worse than Bancroft who was dropped!
Gower & Botham gone from Sky commentary team .. C5 lose the test highlights, next season BBC will have test highlights, two England 20/20 games live and ten 100 matches live .. Isa Guha will be the main BBC TV cricket presenter ..
bbc getting the rights makes sense, plenty of TMS talent that can go between the two - they do anyway with boycott and vaughan etc. But this will be easier I guess.
Gower & Botham gone from Sky commentary team .. C5 lose the test highlights, next season BBC will have test highlights, two England 20/20 games live and ten 100 matches live .. Isa Guha will be the main BBC TV cricket presenter ..
I'm proper sad I'm not going to be able to listen to Botham and especially Gower on Sky. They've always been insightful yet humorous. Sky cricket wont be the same without them two.
Gower & Botham gone from Sky commentary team .. C5 lose the test highlights, next season BBC will have test highlights, two England 20/20 games live and ten 100 matches live .. Isa Guha will be the main BBC TV cricket presenter ..
I'm proper sad I'm not going to be able to listen to Botham and especially Gower on Sky. They've always been insightful yet humorous. Sky cricket wont be the same without them two.
I don't know, always found gower a bit droney and uninspiring. Botham didn't seem right this series, tripping over his words, clearing his throat, replying "morning warney" when warne had just said "afternoon beefy" after lunch. Also think botham is one that couldn't understand how/why people couldn't just play well like he could.
I think it's good news Gower and Botham have gone early. Too many cricket commentators dragged out their careers well beyond their sell-by date. Tony Lewis. Fred Trueman. Jack Bannister...
I think it's good news Gower and Botham have gone early. Too many cricket commentators dragged out their careers well beyond their sell-by date. Tony Lewis. Fred Trueman. Jack Bannister...
Don't agree on Fred Trueman one of my all time heroes
I think it's good news Gower and Botham have gone early. Too many cricket commentators dragged out their careers well beyond their sell-by date. Tony Lewis. Fred Trueman. Jack Bannister...
Don't agree on Fred Trueman one of my all time heroes
Totally understand that. As a cricketer he was without peer. But, by the end of his commentating career, he'd become a parody of a gruff, grumpy Yorkshireman for whom anything of the present day was never as good as in his day.
I am sure he was a lovely man; he was a monumental cricketer, but I think his commentating career was a few years longer than it should have been.
I think it's good news Gower and Botham have gone early. Too many cricket commentators dragged out their careers well beyond their sell-by date. Tony Lewis. Fred Trueman. Jack Bannister...
Don't agree on Fred Trueman one of my all time heroes
Totally understand that. As a cricketer he was without peer. But, by the end of his commentating career, he'd become a parody of a gruff, grumpy Yorkshireman for whom anything of the present day was never as good as in his day.
I am sure he was a lovely man; he was a monumental cricketer, but I think his commentating career was a few years longer than it should have been.
Yes, a bit like Bumble now, Fred seemed to almost become a parody of himself
To give credit to Boycott, while outside cricket he's the grumpy Yorkshireman, when commentating he doesn't just spend his spend moaning about how defensive technique was much better in his time, but also is positive about great attacking shots as well.
Botham seems happy to go, whereas Gower is clearly devastated. He's been everywhere talking about it
Gower will probably miss the money from what was a well paid gig .. Botham has appeared bored and off message for a few seasons .. he has improved for this last series, perhaps he wanted to go out with an intact reputation or was looking for a last ditch reprieve .. my beef is that the BBC has not sacked the creep that is Sir G Boycott .. I know that he is an 'English institution' to many, to me he is a disgusting bullshitting crafty old codger .. and that is on his good days
I think it's good news Gower and Botham have gone early. Too many cricket commentators dragged out their careers well beyond their sell-by date. Tony Lewis. Fred Trueman. Jack Bannister...
Glad Gower and Botham have gone - the worst two commentators on Sky - i also dont get what Holding brings to the table, never have done. Is he gone too?. I am assuming Ward is taking over the top table? Very good,insightful commentator. Maybe they will be looking to bring Key up to the top too, however, his up-his-own-arse stance really puts me off.
Comments
We we have a moral 3-2 victory.
Full refund and a bunch of us all got the day off work so gonna have a net and then drinks. Been a great summer of cricket.
I've always been a massive cricket badger but this summer has just absorbed me to another level. I am already planning a trip to watch the next ashes down under.
I think the 'composite' side demonstrates how weird it was....
Burns (Good - but not spectacular)
Denly (Only really came good in the last Test)
Lambushagne (Only played when Smith got knocked out)
Smith (No comment required)
Root (Very average series...not a single ton)
Stokes (No comment required)
Wade (Wkt) (Outbatted Paine, Bairstow and Buttler with two tons)
Archer (May not have played if Anderson and Wood had been fit)
Cummins (Best bowler)
Hazlewood (Dropped from 1st Test)
Lyon (Bowled poorly after 1st Test...nowhere near his best)
All up, only Smith, Cummins and Hazlewood for the Aussies and Stokes, Broad and Archer for us can be said to have had really good series.
People talked about great bowling and average pitches but I just thought that the batting on both sides - except for Smith and Stokes - was very poor indeed.
A strange series, in that overall, IMO, OZ were the slightly better of the teams, if only because of Smith and Cummins, for the first 3 days of 1st Test England were on top but lost, second test was all England but weather intervened,third was Oz all the way until the Stokes show, fourth always Oz, and the fifth always England . so a draw was probably the fairest result in the end.
Wade for example scored 2 centuries yet got no 50s whereas Root and Denly got 4 and 3 50s respectively but no centuries! Cummins had 29 wickets without a 5fer. Harris and Warner averaged less than 10, which is slightly worse than Bancroft who was dropped!
Don't agree on Fred Trueman one of my all time heroes
I am sure he was a lovely man; he was a monumental cricketer, but I think his commentating career was a few years longer than it should have been.
To give credit to Boycott, while outside cricket he's the grumpy Yorkshireman, when commentating he doesn't just spend his spend moaning about how defensive technique was much better in his time, but also is positive about great attacking shots as well.
I am assuming Ward is taking over the top table? Very good,insightful commentator. Maybe they will be looking to bring Key up to the top too, however, his up-his-own-arse stance really puts me off.