I am hoping for rain for the next 2 days at this rate. Maybe, just maybe they had the weather in mind when it came to the declaration in mind. It seems weird that they said they didn't want Anderson hanging around if wickets got no 8. All he had to do was try and stay there and let Root get loose. It is a shame that Anderson and Broad are coming to the end of their careers.
Looking at Tuesdays forecast, there may be not much more than a day to get to a result.
Tomorrow looks warm and pretty sunny which should be mean a full days play. With major stoppages looking likely on the final day (with little time to chase a score), I reckon we may see two sessions of major bazball tomorrow, try and set a 250 target and see what happens.
Looking at Tuesdays forecast, there may be not much more than a day to get to a result.
Tomorrow looks warm and pretty sunny which should be mean a full days play. With major stoppages looking likely on the final day (with little time to chase a score), I reckon we may see two sessions of major bazball tomorrow, try and set a 250 target and see what happens.
I think England would take your hand off if you offered them 250. Be lucky to get 150 the way things are headed.
Looking at Tuesdays forecast, there may be not much more than a day to get to a result.
Tomorrow looks warm and pretty sunny which should be mean a full days play. With major stoppages looking likely on the final day (with little time to chase a score), I reckon we may see two sessions of major bazball tomorrow, try and set a 250 target and see what happens.
Yes it's great to try and force a result, but this isn't an exhibition series. If there's a tiny chance of getting an England win, and chasing this gave Australia a great chance of getting the win, it would be madness to gamble on this.
Horrible batting conditions during the period when we lost 2 wickets. Tomorrow though should be much better, so no reason why we can't post a decent total.
Horrible batting conditions during the period when we lost 2 wickets. Tomorrow though should be much better, so no reason why we can't post a decent total.
Set them 200 and have 55 overs to bowl them out is my guess, of the aim.
On Bairstows keeping its not actually the drops that worries me the most its his foot movement - or rather lack of. his feet just aren't moving. Even the ones he does take his movement is all wrong. He looks like someone who hasnt kept in years doing so after a long injury.
Given how well he kept in Pakistan when asked to step in I reckon Pope would be a better bet with the gloves for a one off innings. Obviously the context of batting 3 and vice captain over a long series means that isnt a good option but I'm not sure Bairstow is either. maybe them 2 a Duckett can share it around.
Those that know anything about keeping predicted that Bairstow would cost us wickets. It is a skill that you can switch on but not one when you haven't done it for a good period of time or when you are coming back from the sort of injury that Bairstow sustained. Movement, reaction, hands in right place and repetition. The quick movement of the feet is such a big factor because those that have fast feet can get in line with the ball without the need to dive. And if they have to dive to get to the ball they have to be able to gain distance too. Bairstow's injury does not lend itself to movement or spring. And Foakes was always a far superior keeper to Bairstow even before the latter's injury.
Fitting Foakes in was the issue. I advocated Bairstow opening. He bats in the same way as Crawley and I'm sure that given the same number of opportunities doing so, as an opener, wouldn't have done any worse. Crawley did get a score in the first innings and his success will be determined by whether he can bat, more often than not, on a road with no influential atmospheric conditions. The minute the ball starts to nibble he's in trouble. There are simply too many moving parts to his game and his bat, invariably, is looking toward midwicket rather than straight back down the pitch.
England gambled. As they do. McCullum is a gambler. His string of race horses is evidence enough of that. Declaring was a gamble too. But if Bairstow continues to average three big mistakes an innings it probably won't matter what Crawley or Bairstow does overall. It could, on its own, be the difference between winning and losing the Ashes. And that particular gamble will be an expensive one to lose.
if we open with bairstow i think he'd have a claim of being the most messed around england batsman since mark ramprakash. He's found his role in the lower middle order, that's his role, let him keep it.
if we open with bairstow i think he'd have a claim of being the most messed around england batsman since mark ramprakash. He's found his role in the lower middle order, that's his role, let him keep it.
But the same argument applies to Foakes. He was the established keeper/batsman. That is his role. Foakes has been dropped countless times for doing absolutely nothing wrong. And it wasn't Foakes' fault that Bairstow got injured but Foakes is the one having to pay the price for that happening. Brook probably wouldn't even be in the side right now but for that injury. Meanwhile Crawley keeps his place for enjoying the worst Test average of all time, for any country, for any opener having batted 50 times. All because he's won all those matches for us!
if we open with bairstow i think he'd have a claim of being the most messed around england batsman since mark ramprakash. He's found his role in the lower middle order, that's his role, let him keep it.
But the same argument applies to Foakes. He was the established keeper/batsman. That is his role. Foakes has been dropped countless times for doing absolutely nothing wrong. And it wasn't Foakes' fault that Bairstow got injured but Foakes is the one having to pay the price for that happening. Brook probably wouldn't even be in the side right now but for that injury. Meanwhile Crawley keeps his place for enjoying the worst Test average of all time, for any country, for any opener having batted 50 times. All because he's won all those matches for us!
You could go through the whole team and put a question mark against either them being in the team, or posotion in the batting order.
You have got two openers who have no real pedigree of opening.
Pope had never batted at 3 and there was a lot of kick back when he was first asked to do so for England. Why didn't Root "grow a pair" and bat at 3? Was asked more than once on here and elsewhere.
Stokes is an all rounder that can't bowl any meaningful amount of overs.
The wicket keeper can't keep.
The front line spinner hasn't played a first class game in about 2 years.
The pace attack lacks pace on a docile pitch.
Yet we are still well in this match and have won 11 of the 13 previous test matches. The selection, the declaration, some of the field settings, bowling Brooke in the first session all go against conventional cricket, certainly test match cricket, thinking. It seems to be working though doesn't it?
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I'm not, as my trousers are drenched
Then it starts raining again, with a crack of thunder, making it all a bit academic...
Tomorrow looks warm and pretty sunny which should be mean a full days play. With major stoppages looking likely on the final day (with little time to chase a score), I reckon we may see two sessions of major bazball tomorrow, try and set a 250 target and see what happens.
Given how well he kept in Pakistan when asked to step in I reckon Pope would be a better bet with the gloves for a one off innings. Obviously the context of batting 3 and vice captain over a long series means that isnt a good option but I'm not sure Bairstow is either. maybe them 2 a Duckett can share it around.
Fitting Foakes in was the issue. I advocated Bairstow opening. He bats in the same way as Crawley and I'm sure that given the same number of opportunities doing so, as an opener, wouldn't have done any worse. Crawley did get a score in the first innings and his success will be determined by whether he can bat, more often than not, on a road with no influential atmospheric conditions. The minute the ball starts to nibble he's in trouble. There are simply too many moving parts to his game and his bat, invariably, is looking toward midwicket rather than straight back down the pitch.
England gambled. As they do. McCullum is a gambler. His string of race horses is evidence enough of that. Declaring was a gamble too. But if Bairstow continues to average three big mistakes an innings it probably won't matter what Crawley or Bairstow does overall. It could, on its own, be the difference between winning and losing the Ashes. And that particular gamble will be an expensive one to lose.
You have got two openers who have no real pedigree of opening.
Pope had never batted at 3 and there was a lot of kick back when he was first asked to do so for England. Why didn't Root "grow a pair" and bat at 3? Was asked more than once on here and elsewhere.
Stokes is an all rounder that can't bowl any meaningful amount of overs.
The wicket keeper can't keep.
The front line spinner hasn't played a first class game in about 2 years.
The pace attack lacks pace on a docile pitch.
Yet we are still well in this match and have won 11 of the 13 previous test matches. The selection, the declaration, some of the field settings, bowling Brooke in the first session all go against conventional cricket, certainly test match cricket, thinking. It seems to be working though doesn't it?