*Official* Fourth Test at Headingley

[inbox24]

Are they still playing 2005 on TV?

 

[GIMH]

They've had a series on it in the lunch breaks throughout the series.

 

[GIMH]

Yorkshire had offered Broad and Swann a cut of third days proceedings if they could make it last 20 overs, IMO.

Finish quickly plz.

I reckon Surrey bribed out batsmen into losing this one to make sure the Ashes were still on the line there

 

[Son Of Coco]

he can't stand there and project a false reality on the situation though. React FFS!!!!

You can't move fielders every ball either though. If the plan is to put the ball on a length then you have to trust your bowlers to do so. Given the number of runs they are ahead I'd guess he backed them for longer than he normally would have. He did eventually put someone back when he lost patience with the bowlers and got Broad.

 

[pup11]

Yeah I would think Ponting expected his bowlers to pitch it up and give the slips and keeper something to do/ hit the stumps. If the plan was to bowl short **** he would have had men out from the start as well as a third man.

This is where our new breed of quicks suck big-time, as soon as they see the tail-enders at the crease, they think its mandatory to rough them up with bumpers, hoping the tail-enders would get intimated and throw away their wickets.

The thing is nowadays not many tail-enders are absolute bunnies, they can bat and bat decently, and as a bowler you need to try to work them over like any other top-order batsman.

 

[howardj]

Macca has flown home for the birth of his 1st child.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Macca has flown home for the birth of his 1st child.

Welcome to 14 pages ago.

 

[Redbacks]

You can't move fielders every ball either though. If the plan is to put the ball on a length then you have to trust your bowlers to do so. Given the number of runs they are ahead I'd guess he backed them for longer than he normally would have. He did eventually put someone back when he lost patience with the bowlers and got Broad.

No plan, they just expected England to roll over and have had their pants pulled down to their ankles. Needed to offer some advice to the bowlers and perhaps drag them quicker when it was obvious we were bowling way too many short balls and giving them too much room to swing.

Come the oval and we are looking to remove the tail and chase a small total, today is an opportunity lost if we become totally final result focused.

 

[howardj]

Welcome to 14 pages ago.

Well, I'll jump back into my box with my tail between my legs.

 

[Son Of Coco]

No plan, they just expected England to roll over and have had their pants pulled down to their ankles. Needed to offer some advice to the bowlers and perhaps drag them quicker when it was obvious we were bowling way too many short balls and giving them too much room to swing.

Don't agree, I don't think the bowlers bowled to the plan (with the exception of Hilfy and Johnson) and that's where the problem was. I strongly doubt Ponting got the players in a huddle this morning just to say "There's no plan guys, just chuck 'em down and we'll be out of here by the first drinks break".

Clark and Siddle bowled like they personally had no great plan and thought the game was over though.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Well, I'll jump back into my box with my tail between my legs.

 

[pup11]

I actually thought Bell might do alright this series. Reckon he'll get another go at The Oval as well. Bopara has to go, though. Shouldn't have played this match, get Trott in.

Bell and Bops both have pretty much the same problem of playing around their front pad, and at this level bowlers are going to expose and exploit weaknesses like those, and from what I have seen and heard about Trott, he too seems to have problems with the incoming ball.

So its good that the English selectors are giving bloke like Bops, Bell and Trott a chance since they have scored heavily in the CC, but they also need to asses whether they have the technique to survive and do well at the highest level.

I think Key is the best man England can pick to bat at no.3, he has come across a resolute cricketer, and England can do well to have someone like him in the side atm.

 

[Redbacks]

Don't agree, I don't think the bowlers bowled to the plan (with the exception of Hilfy and Johnson) and that's where the problem was. I strongly doubt Ponting got the players in a huddle this morning just to say "There's no plan guys, just chuck 'em down and we'll be out of here by the first drinks break".

Clark and Siddle bowled like they personally had no great plan and thought the game was over though.

I doubt they would have been thinking about what to do if England started going at 13 an over. Clark and Siddle bowling poorly still should have some responsibility residing with the captain. They needed some guidance other than waiting for the eventual miss-hit which was going to bring the wicket, if you spotted a noted change in their approach between overs after talking with the skipper please do tell. Take this to a live match situation (as you mentioned no pressure=England x 5) you need to react quickly or you can lose a chance of winning a match. Man management is a key skill therefore if the skipper fails to do this effectively you could question his performance.

 

[TT Boy]

Nick Knight speaking two weeks ago, "Ian Bell will comeback a stronger cricketer, he isn't the same player anymore."

 

[GIMH]

So how many does everyone think England will set Australia? And what can they realistically expect to chase?

 

[Son Of Coco]

I doubt they would have been thinking about what to do if England started going at 13 an over. Clark and Siddle bowling poorly still should have some responsibility residing with the captain. They needed some guidance other than waiting for the eventual miss-hit which was going to bring the wicket, if you spotted a noted change in their approach between overs after talking with the skipper please do tell. Take this to a live match situation (as you mentioned no pressure=England x 5) you need to react quickly or you can lose a chance of winning a match. Man management is a key skill therefore if the skipper fails to do this effectively you could question his performance.

I'm sure they wouldn't have been talking about that at all. But the reason they were doing so was because the bowlers were bowling rubbish. It's difficult to set a field to bowlers bowling poorly, and given the match situation pushing everyone back would have been a bit ridiculous. I'd say Ponting was giving them a chance to get things right and then changed it up when it was obvious that wasn't happening. He was in a situation where these guys had to bowl for a few overs at least as Hilfy and Johnson had just finished spells. I think he gave them every chance to get it right. It's not like everyone was in the circle.

I am pretty sure there was a discussion with Siddle at some stage. Ponting can only tell the bowler what he wants, and it should be quite obvious with the field he sets. You dictate where you want the bowlers to bowl with your field placings (a reason why I disagree with captains habitually taking out all the slips in OD games at the end - you're saying to your bowler 'Bowl straight and full', which if you get it slightly wrong always ends badly). Obviously in consultation with the bowler.

I would have asked if they wanted men back (a subtle way of saying 'You're bowling ****') and if they said no then they would have been off if they kept bowling the same lines. Maybe the bowlers did this, I don't know. We don't see everything that happens between overs.

 

[GIMH]

Hear that stat from Botham?? Last 5 wickets have scored nearly many as runs as the first 5 in the series so far. And surely the first five in general have had more chances to bat, as both sides have declared once in the series so far.

 

[Son Of Coco]

So how many does everyone think England will set Australia? And what can they realistically expect to chase?

I think they'll be chasing about -82. Will probably do it with the loss of only 1 wicket.

 

[GIMH]

Nice clip from harmy. Has now scored his average, don't anticipate that he'll be out here too long. Am still raging that we batted him above Jimmeh in the first dig.

 

[pup11]

Nick Knight speaking two weeks ago, "Ian Bell will comeback a stronger cricketer, he isn't the same player anymore."

Yeah, he has got worse.