England openers fail again .. no surprise, neither have good techniques nor (I suspect) the necessary 'grit' and concentration .. they have spent a long time fielding in hot conditions and then had to face top bowlers with the ball moving around .. but remember opener Ozzie Harris has hardly set the series alight so far The Aussie innings was a case of the tail not just wagging the dog but bringing it to it's knees .. patient batting by the top order allowing 7 8 9 and 10 to come in and thrash a knackered attack all round the field, will we ever see an England team do the same ? .. unless it's perhaps against Scotland, Ireland or Bangladesh Expect Australia to go two up sometime very soon
England openers fail again .. no surprise, neither have good techniques nor (I suspect) the necessary 'grit' and concentration .. they have spent a long time fielding in hot conditions and then had to face top bowlers with the ball moving around .. but remember opener Ozzie Harris has hardly set the series alight so far The Aussie innings was a case of the tail not just wagging the dog but bringing it to it's knees .. patient batting by the top order allowing 7 8 9 and 10 to come in and thrash a knackered attack all round the field, will we ever see an England team do the same ? .. unless it's perhaps against Scotland, Ireland or Bangladesh Expect Australia to go two up sometime very soon
England used to have a brilliant late middle order, but it makes a massive difference coming in with 380 on the board and knackered bowlers, instead of coming in at 180-7
I'd back myself to not get out to that Neser delivery, and i'm crap
But would you have crisply dismissed it through midwicket?
Not that Hameed managed to do that, mind
I'd be aiming 12 rows back. Had a fairly crap season this year but hit a 6 in every innings bar 1 (last game) which I was delighted with. Don't think my teammates were pleased when I swaggered off for another 30 every week
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
That yard further up the pitch that the Aussies are landing the bowl on is the difference between us and them. They are not worried about being driven for runs. They want us to do so.
Playing to the conditions - or doing one's job properly - alien concepts to the donkeys "leading" this tour.
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
It was a good ball, but as Cook pointed out with the height it was bouncing it was going well over the stumps and could have been left
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Crawley and Bairstow to open in Melbourne
That's kicking the can down the road and not addressing the issues
Interesting chat from Jim Maxwell this morning. Did we all know that the wicket dimensions were increased by an inch in height and width in the early 1930s? .. Bradman started his phenomenal career defending smaller sets of stumps Maxwell was advocating increasing the size of contemporary wickets by an inch in height 'to bring lbw back into the game', especially on bouncy Australian wickets Andy Zaltzman backed up his theory to a certain extent. The dismissal rate for bowled/lbw in Australia is around 28% (only SA has a lower rate); in England the rate is some 48%. Food for thought
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Crawley and Bairstow to open in Melbourne
That's kicking the can down the road and not addressing the issues
?? .. so can England import a new set of openers who will do a better job in Melbourne .. I just do not understand your comment .. are you addressing the issue of failing openers or what 'issue' are you talking about .. and what can needs kicking
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Crawley and Bairstow to open in Melbourne
That's kicking the can down the road and not addressing the issues
?? .. so can England import a new set of openers who will do a better job in Melbourne .. I just do not understand your comment .. are you addressing the issue of failing openers or what 'issue' are you talking about .. and what can needs kicking
There is absolutely no way Hameed should be dropped as his technique is fundamentally sound. He played that first over from Richardson as well as any batsman could have hoped to do. I'm convinced it's a concentration issue with him. Tickles down the leg side and getting caught at mid on are the sort of shots he needs to stop playing.
We have to remember that this is a lad whose confidence was so shot to pieces that he couldn't get a gig in the Lancs 2nd XI. He has come back from that but to drop him now would, effectively, end his career. And he is too good for that.
Burns, on the other hand, simply has too many moving parts which will get found out against the moving new ball.
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Trouble is that Burns doesn't get in the right position to leave the ball so finds himself forced to play it and as the bat also doesn't come down straight he gives himself no chance to play down the line.
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Crawley and Bairstow to open in Melbourne
That's kicking the can down the road and not addressing the issues
?? .. so can England import a new set of openers who will do a better job in Melbourne .. I just do not understand your comment .. are you addressing the issue of failing openers or what 'issue' are you talking about .. and what can needs kicking
Replacing the current opening pair with Crawley and bairstow will not change things. We will still be 2 down for not a lot of runs.
Bairstow opening effectively means we go into an innings with one less review as this will be used and lost within the first 5 overs
Opening the batting is the hardest job in test cricket. Let's play a guy there who has struggled to cement his place in the lower middle order.
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Crawley and Bairstow to open in Melbourne
That's kicking the can down the road and not addressing the issues
?? .. so can England import a new set of openers who will do a better job in Melbourne .. I just do not understand your comment .. are you addressing the issue of failing openers or what 'issue' are you talking about .. and what can needs kicking
Replacing the current opening pair with Crawley and bairstow will not change things. We will still be 2 down for not a lot of runs.
Bairstow opening effectively means we go into an innings with one less review as this will be used and lost within the first 5 overs
Opening the batting is the hardest job in test cricket. Let's play a guy there who has struggled to cement his place in the lower middle order.
I agree with you about Bairstow but Crawley on these fast bouncy wickets might actually do OK and he probably deserves that chance if only because Burns simply has no game plan or the technique. As a coach at Kent put it to me, England wanted him to go away and work on his game in the County Championship on tracks that are no way near comparable to Test wickets. And that is also part of the issue.
It is ironic though that we are so critical of our openers when Australia have someone who has someone doing the job who averages 22.15 from 21 innings and who has scored 121 runs in total in his last dozen innings. The fact that they are having to turn to someone with that record suggests that we aren't the only ones struggling to find openers. And if you were to ask the best batsmen on show namely Labushagne, Smith or Root to do so, you wouldn't have to be Einstein to work out what their response might be!
Think we've missed the major point about the Burns' dismissal. The Aussies took a catch in the slips.
Yeah cheating sneaky convicts, catching the ball, bastards! In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either. Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Crawley and Bairstow to open in Melbourne
I agree about Bairstow but Crawley is no better than Burns.
Interesting stat I heard on Talksport earlier from Steve Harmison...
In 6 days of Ashes cricket...
No Balls: Eng 19, Aus 0 Dropped Catches: Eng 10, Aus 0 Wickets off No Balls: Eng 2, Aus 0
Its a huge gulf in class.
It comes down to one thing - a total lack of discipline. The discipline to ensure that you don't overstep in training let alone in a match and the discipline to practice, practice and then practice some more your fielding until it becomes second nature
Comments
The Aussie innings was a case of the tail not just wagging the dog but bringing it to it's knees .. patient batting by the top order allowing 7 8 9 and 10 to come in and thrash a knackered attack all round the field, will we ever see an England team do the same ? .. unless it's perhaps against Scotland, Ireland or Bangladesh
Expect Australia to go two up sometime very soon
Not that Hameed managed to do that, mind
In Burns's defense, figuratively speaking, he got an absolute jaffer and did well to get that much bat on it
He'll need a monster 2nd innings to keep his place cos his all around game has been pony, he can't catch or throw straight either.
Openers get out cheaply, that's an occupational hazard but he's costing us runs and wickets in the field all the time, there has to be an option.
Maxwell was advocating increasing the size of contemporary wickets by an inch in height 'to bring lbw back into the game', especially on bouncy Australian wickets
Andy Zaltzman backed up his theory to a certain extent. The dismissal rate for bowled/lbw in Australia is around 28% (only SA has a lower rate); in England the rate is some 48%. Food for thought
We have to remember that this is a lad whose confidence was so shot to pieces that he couldn't get a gig in the Lancs 2nd XI. He has come back from that but to drop him now would, effectively, end his career. And he is too good for that.
Burns, on the other hand, simply has too many moving parts which will get found out against the moving new ball.
Opening the batting is the hardest job in test cricket. Let's play a guy there who has struggled to cement his place in the lower middle order.
Buttler to open
Foakes to keep wicket
Got to be worth a try.
It is ironic though that we are so critical of our openers when Australia have someone who has someone doing the job who averages 22.15 from 21 innings and who has scored 121 runs in total in his last dozen innings. The fact that they are having to turn to someone with that record suggests that we aren't the only ones struggling to find openers. And if you were to ask the best batsmen on show namely Labushagne, Smith or Root to do so, you wouldn't have to be Einstein to work out what their response might be!
In 6 days of Ashes cricket...
No Balls: Eng 19, Aus 0
Dropped Catches: Eng 10, Aus 0
Wickets off No Balls: Eng 2, Aus 0
Its a huge gulf in class.