As this is the plan, it's times like this when we could do with Wood steaming in at 90mph rather than Broad at 80mph
I thought it sounded as if it would be Broad or Wood for the starting 11 and Broad has been the pick of the England bowler's.
I actually would have picked the seam attack we did. But that's not to say that this isn't an occasion that calls for that extra pace. The commentators are talking about Stokes doing it but the guy has bowled just 7 overs in the game and we really do not know if he can slam that left knee down.
I'm sorry but that's 38 extras we've conceded already in the match including 22 no balls. That is ridiculous. If Michael Holding were commentating he would say as much. To put that in perspective, Australia bowled 4 no balls.
Head is strange. The year he played for Sussex, he couldn't make any decent scores - 50 runs in his first 7 innings as far as I recall, yet he has always scored big in Oz. Let's hope he finds his Sussex form today.
That spell with Sussex was absolutely atrocious in all formats. Think he got one 50 all season.
Where we are getting away with these no balls is that the 3rd Umpire is calling them. In the old days with the standing Umpire calling them it was, in effect, a free hit.
Head is strange. The year he played for Sussex, he couldn't make any decent scores - 50 runs in his first 7 innings as far as I recall, yet he has always scored big in Oz. Let's hope he finds his Sussex form today.
Did he have the moustache back then? That must be the key to his improvement.
Feel like so much of this depends on Moeen's finger. His fourth innings record with the ball is properly brilliant: Average better than Warne, and, with a cut-off of 50 wickets, the second-best strike rate of all time
I was thinking the same. This situation calls for something different and Stokes can give you that but the longer it goes on without him bowling the longer it appears that he can't. There is no scoreboard pressure whatsoever, the ball is doing next to nothing and Khawaja looks like he's got half an hour to play every ball.
Comments
153 runs required
53 overs to go
England 2.38
Australia 2.00
Draw 11.50
Feel like so much of this depends on Moeen's finger. His fourth innings record with the ball is properly brilliant: Average better than Warne, and, with a cut-off of 50 wickets, the second-best strike rate of all time
Score 173-5. 108 required by the Aussies.
100 required with 40 overs still to go
Need an inspired spell from someone.