The Ashes 2019

[SolanNo1]

Originally Posted by daveathall

It is a shame not to see Smith, he is absolutely the best batsman in the world and, although I am an Englishman, I would love to see him play at Headingly. It is also a shame that Anderson wont be playing either.

Agree...although his replacement (forget his name) isn't too shabby. Expect him to replace Wade in the next test. Hope Root can win this test for the Poms, although it will be an extraordinary effort if he does. What's the deal with Warner? It's one thing not to score but dropping those slip catches? Seeing Warner batting in the Ashes makes me respect Smith even more.

Smith? Root? Kohli? Williamson? Not much to rate one over the others, IMO.

[Rock]

I dunno. I'm looking at the scorecards for the three Tests and apart from the '67' in the First Innings of the current Test, I don't think the English Team have done too badly.
The pitch has been challenging in each location and the pace bowlers on both sides have been at the top of their game and making a mark.
In many ways it has been a pretty well-matched competition.
The weather was a major pain in the Second Test and really messed with the natural flow of the contest.
Warner is just a player going through a form slump at the worst possible time. It happens to the best of them. He will come good again.
Yes it is a shame to see Smith injured when he adds so much to the viewing pleasure but likewise with Jimmy Anderson. I hope there are no long-term implications resulting from Smith's injury, it would be a tragedy to see a stellar career impacted.

[AK797]

Wow, unbelievable win! We can't bat test cricket anymore so let's just pretend it's 20/20 and then Stokes always bats like a maniac! Wow, what a summer of cricket we are having.

[Zakalwe]

Oh. My. God.

Best Test match I’ve ever seen.

Stokes managed to top the innings of a lifetime only a month later.

Utterly, utterly ridiculous.

[AK797]

Botham, Flintoff, now Stokes... something about these all rounders that just makes them inhuman at times.

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by AK797

Botham, Flintoff, now Stokes... something about these all rounders that just makes them inhuman at times.

And they all saved their best for the Aussies.

[77T]

Here in USA, Willow switched to another match just after the lunch break ended.

Was the final winning stroke good for a “6”?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by daveathall

I agree with this, The Ashes have gone now. It it will have gone half a day after England get their second innings under way. Absolutely disgraceful performance.

Well, wasn't I wrong?

[Zakalwe]

Originally Posted by daveathall

Well, wasn't I wrong?

It’s known in the trade of long-suffering England cricket supporting as “reverse jinxing” so well done

[daveathall]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

It’s known in the trade of long-suffering England cricket supporting as “reverse jinxing” so well done

Now that has me laughing.

But so very true.

[Andad]

Originally Posted by AK797

Not knee jerk, we've been prone to collapses for many years and haven't had a good set of test batsman for a while now, for OD they are fine. Funny thing is the Aussie batsman were supposed to be the real weak link so shows just how bad ours are now, we should have taken steps earlier.

Originally Posted by daveathall

I agree with this, The Ashes have gone now. It it will have gone half a day after England get their second innings under way. Absolutely disgraceful performance.

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

The batsmen are a shower, and have been for a while, as stated. Since 2018 England have passed 400 once and have been bundled out for under a hundred four times. You could almost accept it if it was a one-off against what is an exceptional Aussie attack (Starc is on the bench and he would be an opening bowler for every other team in the world) but 85 all-out against Ireland?!

It does remain to be seen how much is due to the batters’ having limited talent and how much is due to coach and captain directing the team to “be positive” and “put the pressure back on the bowler” which translates to “give your wicket away cheaply” whenever the going gets tough. I tend to think the latter more than the former. Labuschange, who is a decent but not spectacular batsman and Pattinson, a bowler, are both at the crease at the time of writing and have between them scored more than the entire England first innings.

Originally Posted by AK797

That Irish score was a real signal but we kind of excused it with the WC win and all, but that was no fluke result. Too often the case has been the batsman has gotten himself out rather than a bowler has got the batsman out, that weak-mindedness and lack of discipline that was common in the 90s is back, when Steve Waugh would beat us pretty much all by himself. We could so do with a Waugh or Roy Keane in this side. I like skill as much as anyone but these two sportsman are probably the two I've most admired, for their steel and grit.

Originally Posted by SolanNo1

Agree...although his replacement (forget his name) isn't too shabby. Expect him to replace Wade in the next test. Hope Root can win this test for the Poms, although it will be an extraordinary effort if he does. What's the deal with Warner? It's one thing not to score but dropping those slip catches? Seeing Warner batting in the Ashes makes me respect Smith even more.

Smith? Root? Kohli? Williamson? Not much to rate one over the others, IMO.

See post 26.

Being Scottish I have no dog in his fight.
A great win.

[Futuristic]

For real, I hardly follow this game in particular

[AK797]

Originally Posted by directioneng

See post 26.

Being Scottish I have no dog in his fight.
A great win.

You did think England might still win it so fair play, altho as a neutral that's a standard call, but everything we said was right including more batting collapses, and hopefully England will make some changes now and not ignore the warning signs again just because someone, once again, played one of the greatest innings of all time to save us. That is no blueprint for the future.

[Vivalas]

Totally incredible display by Stokes - we give out Knighthoods way to easy nowadays but on that basis he must be a shoe in for one.

[Vibroverb]

Originally Posted by 77T

Here in USA, Willow switched to another match just after the lunch break ended.

Was the final winning stroke good for a “6”?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

No - it went for 4.

That was the most incredible test ever seen. England need to learn the lesson, drop Roy and lose the white ball approach.

I feel sorry for the Aussies - a great bowling display, the lose a world class batsman and drop many catches and they lose to a result that never should have happened. England can't rely on that approach again

[77T]

Thanks

While I missed the match live, I finally found the highlights it was more exciting as a tie and then that 4.

Just goes to make the next 2 tests max drama in September.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Vibroverb

No - it went for 4.

That was the most incredible test ever seen. England need to learn the lesson, drop Roy and lose the white ball approach.

I feel sorry for the Aussies - a great bowling display, the lose a world class batsman and drop many catches and they lose to a result that never should have happened. England can't rely on that approach again

The Aussies were unlucky right at the end, altho so much pressure on Lyons for the run out so can't blame him, but bad tactics to review that late LBW that obviously pitched outside leg so they couldn't review Stokes' blatant LBW right at the death.

[wantonebad]

"baffles" was the wrong word OP

[rolexinfl]

Originally Posted by Blansky

Not to be insulting but when watching and hearing a cricket match, I always go back to some comedy routine (can't remember what movie it was in) about guys just making stuff up about some imaginary game and calling the shots absurd names and yelling and cheering at some sort of goal and groaning when the other guys scored on some new made up term.

I'm guessing you could say that about any game you never followed or understood but cricket has some strange names for the action. I'm totally lost.

Jiskefet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_6d3JBBo4s

[Zakalwe]

Congrats Australia. They’ve had the best batsman and the best bowler on either side. In truth they’ve been better in three out of four Tests and it took an all-time-great, freak innings in the last game to keep the contest alive.

England’s batting unit is not good enough.

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Zakalwe

Congrats Australia. They’ve had the best batsman and the best bowler on either side. In truth they’ve been better in three out of four Tests and it took an all-time-great, freak innings in the last game to keep the contest alive.

England’s batting unit is not good enough.

Yup, they papered over the cracks and kept with Joe as uninspiring captain, which then almost always affects your batting even when you are a good captain like Vaughan was, and kept with Denly and Roy in the side, they need to change this all up as they are a good ODI side but poor Test side. Australia deserved to win but they are a thin side on talent too, esp on the batting side.

[Rock]

I guess we all tend to be hard on our own teams.
I thought there were some great performances from players on both sides (and a few not-so-great ones as well) Broad was very impressive and it was exciting to watch Stokes gritty performance.
Some of the Aussie batsmen were very underwhelming and some of the English team were better than expected, so it is the usual variation that you get in Test Cricket.
It has been a great contest so far, probably one of the most entertaining Ashes I have seen.

[Vishy26]

Terrible decision by Paine, this match could go anywhere from here
No bowler would say, "Hey Skipper, I am tired, we need rest". He just overloaded the bowlers by choosing to bowl first, still work to be done this morning. Butler can seize upon the tired attack

[Rock]

I have only just watched the 5 hours worth of telecast from last night (Thursday) , so I'm not up to date with today's (Fridays) play, which I will start watching tonight.
Choosing to bowl doesn't look like it was a good call based on what I have seen so far.
Marsh appears to have been a good choice with the ball, Siddle maybe not so much.
Fielding looked sloppy and unmotivated.
Buttler and Leach impressive.

[Vishy26]

Originally Posted by Rock

I have only just watched the 5 hours worth of telecast from last night (Thursday) , so I'm not up to date with today's (Fridays) play, which I will start watching tonight.
Choosing to bowl doesn't look like it was a good call based on what I have seen so far.
Marsh appears to have been a good choice with the ball, Siddle maybe not so much.
Fielding looked sloppy and unmotivated.
Buttler and Leach impressive.

Not good call at all. It seems sometimes even at the highest level, they forget to keep things simple, second guessing too much. Weather forecast is good, Lyon gets to bowl last on a dry surface. English hate that. So why not bat first?? Smith's there to make it count. I am not saying Australia can't win, its a tougher road now

[AK797]

Originally Posted by Rock

I have only just watched the 5 hours worth of telecast from last night (Thursday) , so I'm not up to date with today's (Fridays) play, which I will start watching tonight.
Choosing to bowl doesn't look like it was a good call based on what I have seen so far.
Marsh appears to have been a good choice with the ball, Siddle maybe not so much.
Fielding looked sloppy and unmotivated.
Buttler and Leach impressive.

Aussie's doing as much as they can to make this a fair fight, letting us bat on a great track, putting in Siddle for Starc... but still England collapse as usual. Buttler batted well but like Stokes becasue he turned it into a 20/20 game in his head, this seems the only way to 300 for England nowadays.