That's that then. See you for the deciding test next week!
English cricket thread
- Thread starter Samid
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Up to the gods now
It’s sad if rains prevent this result because from selection to performance this is an incredible Aussie meltdown
If England can get another 40 overs under clouds it should be enough.
They will get some time on Sunday. Believe.
Let’s all hope for a sessions worth of play on Sunday. Australia predictably nowhere near challenging the runs column. Another hour or two of bowling would have been lovely.
Weather aside now, Incredible from England. Far more reflective of what we’ve seen this series now.
Weather aside now, Incredible from England. Far more reflective of what we’ve seen this series now.
The Sunday forecast has deteriorated through the day, looking at the radar it’s just a big band that doesn’t move. If it shifts north a tad it could change the forecast quite a bit.
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GOAT doing GOAT things.
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Let's hope we get some play over the weekend, else the decision to keep batting will look a bit silly.
That decision can't look silly because chasing any kind of target on a tricky day 5 pitch is close to impossible.
I hope there's enough play across the next two days to finish this one, this series deserves a decisive final test where all three results for the series are possible.
Why on earth are people obsessed with a fictional run chase when 10 wickets is absolutely required. You're basically saying "we should risk not giving ourselves enough time to take 10 wickets in order to avoid possibly having to chase". I'm sorry, but makes no sense.
Lads it’s @Samid. You’ve been successfully trolled (I think).
Until this knock he's been crap.
I don't blame Stokes for carrying on, if he'd declared 150 ahead and they ended 150/1 everyone would be screaming. I genuinely believe by carrying on he's given England the best chance of winning we just need some luck with the weather.
He got 78 in the first dig in the first test, to be fair I don’t mind it at all when Jonny’s ticking like that, rightly or wrongly. When he’s in that mindset he’s at his best.
Aussie's still can't bat well in english conditions. Been going on for over a decade now. Warner is absolutely USELESS in eng. Talk about a flat track bully...
I think the rain will help them retain the ashes. However, the chances of them winning the series in England for the first time since 2001 look to be slipping. Got to fancy england for the last test. Could end 2-2 like last time.
I think the rain will help them retain the ashes. However, the chances of them winning the series in England for the first time since 2001 look to be slipping. Got to fancy england for the last test. Could end 2-2 like last time.
Bairstow's now averaging 40 for the series so can't be too critical of his batting performance over the series as a whole. Five low scores isn't a unreasonably long run, and one of those scores was a mirky run out. But a 40 average with 2 big scores in 4 matches is about the minimum standard expected from him if he's being selected over the superior keeper for his batting.
I'm not sure about his comments in that interview though, as he's criticising pundits for criticising his performance by highlighting that he's just come back from injury and hasn't kept for years. But really, that was part of the criticism of his selection- it's nothing personal against him, it was just questioning whether he was ready to return and to also be keeping. If his injury and lack of keeping form meant he wasn't at or near the top of his game then probably he shouldn't have been given the gloves in the first place.
I'm not sure about his comments in that interview though, as he's criticising pundits for criticising his performance by highlighting that he's just come back from injury and hasn't kept for years. But really, that was part of the criticism of his selection- it's nothing personal against him, it was just questioning whether he was ready to return and to also be keeping. If his injury and lack of keeping form meant he wasn't at or near the top of his game then probably he shouldn't have been given the gloves in the first place.
I think the over rates have been more impactful than England batting on to be honest, I make it 27 overs lost which is about 1 session of play.
Sunday met office a frustrating shift to a lot of rain. Currently looks like we might get some play tomorrow late afternoon, evening?
Most of the forecasts seem to be getting worse. BBC weather guy has said no play on either day. Worst thing about cricket grounds is that it takes ages for them to start playing and by that time it starts raining again
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in anyone’s wet dream, we batted on an hour too long. the conditions weren’t there this morning to declare only 70 odd ahead. and i don’t think we’d have got them all out with an extra hour today. any more time and they’d be ahead and potentially only a couple down. after crawley and root, the aussies were only able to save the test after getting rolled for 300, unless we let them back in. scoreboard pressure got to them today, and mentally they looked shot after going around the park.
with them batting to number 10, it’s not a 300 deck. australia could, and should, have batted england out of the series on day one. it’s not a three day test pitch. england could have got way more if they weren’t in such a hurry to score, brooks, stokes, bairstow all left runs out there.
with them batting to number 10, it’s not a 300 deck. australia could, and should, have batted england out of the series on day one. it’s not a three day test pitch. england could have got way more if they weren’t in such a hurry to score, brooks, stokes, bairstow all left runs out there.
I love how we’ve all normalised England scoring 592 runs in basically 4 sessions worth of cricket.
exactly. “normal test match cricket” after three days and we’re 50 odd ahead or australia are batting again 80-odd ahead. england have made mistakes tactically in the series but i don’t really see what they could have done differently in this one. you don’t win many test matches in three days. you win even fewer ashes tests in three days. you can certainly lose them though. australia have lost this one. maybe the weather saves them.
Hell of a day's test cricket today, I know its fashionable to slate Bazball but christ I was test match entertained today, let's hope we can knock these 6 wickets over in the next few days
We finished day two 70 ahead, and that was with Brook and Stokes batting fairly averagely. I’m pretty sure Brook was 10 from 40 at one point. It was completely in our grasp to accelerate last night, at the risk of losing wickets. We could have finished last night 100 ahead at worst.
I think 150 ahead was the sweet spot. We could have achieved that by midday today all out. It would have given an extra session to bowl, meaning you’d expect a few more wickets and a few more runs.
you can’t convince me that 162 runs behind and 6 wickets to take, is a better position going into Sunday than 50 runs behind and all those overs to take wickets. If ever there was a time to attack it was now, and I don’t understand why didn’t happen. We’ve literally trusted the weather over the ability of our bowlers.
Should be noted despite any criticism that Stokes might have got about the declaration, no other side in the world would have managed to have had a chance to win this game given the pitch and the rain.
Completely agree. Superb Cricket from England, we are arguing over tactical opinions - no right answer
If it rains all weekend and we can’t take 10 wickets now, there definitely is a right answer mate
Completely agree with all of this.
Whichever side you’re on to be honest, the deciding factor is always going to be whether more play is possible this weekend or not. If we’d declared earlier today I’m personally not sure we’d have much more to show for it, and there was value in putting them through the ringer for a bit longer and putting a really crushing lead on the board.
You wouldn’t have wanted an extra 20 overs to bowl at them tonight? No value in that?
I'd have declared earlier. Don't blame England for not, gone for a different angle - fair enoughIf it rains all weekend and we can’t take 10 wickets now, there definitely is a right answer mate
I think you can only nitpick if England fall 1-2 wickets short, not 6 which your scenario suggests. As much as Bazball brings all of our batshit schemes to fruition, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect England to score 450-500 and knock over Australia twice for less than that in what is technically 8 full sessions of cricket (27 overs lost to over rates). A pitch that enables you to bat once isn’t going to enable you to roll over a side that’s packed their batting so easily.If it rains all weekend and we can’t take 10 wickets now, there definitely is a right answer mate
I don’t agree. The aggressive option is giving yourself more time to take the 10 wickets and backing yourself to chase whatever is left if needed. Stokes was more aggressive on day one of the ashes, and I fully backed that declaration, I thought it was brilliant but didn’t come off.
England have allowed the weather to decide to the result. They could have won the test today if they went aggressive. England didn’t need those extra 150 runs, they needed another 40 overs to bowl Australia out and then use whatever is left to chase.
It would have been the conditions of earlier in the day though, not an extension of the evening, and without the psychological and physical advantage of having completely worn them down in the field first. Yes we might have got another wicket but we were never going to get 10 wickets today and I’m not convinced the extra hour would have meant they’d be 7 down tonight or whatever. For me if we need another 1.5-2 sessions to finish this and I think that would have been the case even if we’d declared earlier today.
I can see why others reach a different view but personally I had no issue with the tactics today.
Ok let’s entertain this. Australia already have 430 runs on this pitch, let’s say England had another 30 overs at them and knocked them over for another 100 runs. You think England could have made 531 in 77 overs?
Honestly can't see a situation where England would have won the test by now in this pitch if they went any more aggressive.
That’s not how it works though. England could have got to a 100 lead yesterday evening if Brooks and Stokes went for it, and that’s undeniable. I also believe England would have taken wickets due to Australia being in the field all day. Those mistakes we were seeing in the field last night, could have been batting mistakes. I believe they could have been a couple down and still 60 runs down starting today.
As it is, we’re looking at 4 wickets down but a completely over the top 160 runs behind.
Don’t get me wrong, what I’m suggesting is super aggressive, ridiculous cricket. But that’s what we needed in this situation. As it is, we’ve left the series completely in the hands of weather.