*Official* First Test at the Gabba

[Furball]

If any Australian quick is under pressure, surely it has to be Hilfenhaus? Has been rubbish this Test, and doesn't have anywhere near the credit in the bank that Johnson has.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

If any Australian quick is under pressure, surely it has to be Hilfenhaus? Has been rubbish this Test, and doesn't have anywhere near the credit in the bank that Johnson has.

Yeah but he runs in all day like Siddle.

 

[Woodster]

Excellent work Cookie. Double ton for the taking, hopefully, previous Test high of 173 next target.

 

[Spark]

I like how Hilf is bowling right now. Just aim for that crack every ball, and let the pitch make the odd one do something strange.

 

[Sam Handwich]

Is this speed gun right and this is the bowlers genuine pace or is it wonky? I remember Johnson consistently being at 90mph anytime I've seen him.

 

[Blocky]

Pace does strange things to batsmen. No-one likes facing 90mph plus missiles aimed at their throat region, or crushing into their toes. Some guys pace probably has been over-rated in the past, but bowlers such as Holding, Croft, Roberts and a number of other WI bowlers. Jeff Thompson, Allan Donald, Waqar, and plenty of others were real quicks. Even Shaun Tait, but only in two over bursts.

Those guys are still around - just so happens that most of them are more Heath Davis than Allan Donald, i.e, they've got the pace but they're so loose with it and such scatter guns that they can't reliably do a job for you, or in Shaun Tait's instance, so incredibly prone to injury that 2 over spells is all you get

It also doesn't help today that cricketers do play a lot more than they ever have and can be prone to injuries through that, i.e Shane Bond, Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar, Shaun Tait, Peter Siddle, Dale Steyn himself, Simon Jones, Andrew Flintoff.

Bowling fast today generally means missing 1 out of every 3 games while you're available and only playing half as long as your compatriots.

 

[pskov]

England fans shouting "Hallo Shane!" when announced that he's coming on to bowl.

 

[Furball]

Reasons why Shane Watson is a **** #3723

His stupid, effeminate scream when he beats the outside edge.

 

[Spark]

Has Cook actually anything to mid-off?

 

[Blocky]

Time to feed Mitchell Johnson a wicket or potentially make his bowling look more threatening if you're in the England side? Surely you want this guy playing against you in the next match

 

[GotSpin]

Those guys are still around - just so happens that most of them are more Heath Davis than Allan Donald, i.e, they've got the pace but they're so loose with it and such scatter guns that they can't reliably do a job for you, or in Shaun Tait's instance, so incredibly prone to injury that 2 over spells is all you get

It also doesn't help today that cricketers do play a lot more than they ever have and can be prone to injuries through that, i.e Shane Bond, Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar, Shaun Tait, Peter Siddle, Dale Steyn himself, Simon Jones, Andrew Flintoff.

Bowling fast today generally means missing 1 out of every 3 games while you're available and only playing half as long as your compatriots.

Bet you pace bowlers in the past played just as much and didn't break nearly as often. Bowlers spend too much time doing weights, too much time with media commitments and not enough time simply bowling

 

[Woodster]

Has Cook actually anything to mid-off?

Think he's only got four runs in total down the ground, and they were through mid-on area.

 

[Spark]

****'s sake. How many have gone in the air between nth slip and gully.

 

[Somerset]

No. Would be ridiculously generous. Why risk going 1-0 behind in a 5 match series?

Ideally, bat all day, giving your bowling attack a rest with the Test in Adelaide starting on Friday. Australia would have been in the field for 2 days, hardly ideal with the 2nd Test starting in 4 days on a pitch that will be a complete featherbed.

That'd be my approach too - I'd imagine England'll only feel safe when they're 250 ahead and I don't think that'll happen until midway through the second session. IMO that gives them nowhere near enough time to bowl Australia out, especially given how easily the batting has become on this pitch; so might as well tire Australia's bowlers out and really test their spirits by batting all day.

 

[Woodster]

Bet you pace bowlers in the past played just as much and didn't break nearly as often. Bowlers spend too much time doing weights, too much time with media commitments and not enough time simply bowling

Fair comment.

 

[Blocky]

Bet you pace bowlers in the past played just as much and didn't break nearly as often. Bowlers spend too much time doing weights, too much time with media commitments and not enough time simply bowling

Different style of play in the past, the only guys who got near that amount of play were those playing County + Home Domestic + International like Richard Hadlee. In his case, he admitted to tapering off and picking his matches at domestic and county level but I also agree with your point, bowlers these days do everything possible to avoid bowling in practice, they'll do weights, running and simulation instead of just grabbing a ball and bowling.

Hadlee said he'd bowl between 36 and 120 balls a day, every day, even in the off season when he wasn't playing a game. He'd do it between 75 and 95 % intensity also, rather than just roll his arm over.

 

[Woodster]

****'s sake. How many have gone in the air between nth slip and gully.

Another four of them. A third man or a floating slip perhaps?

 

[pskov]

Another four of them. A third man or a floating slip perhaps?

A third man would've saved 20 runs this morning alone.

 

[Blocky]

Another four of them. A third man or a floating slip perhaps?

Ponting never employs this type of tactic, in my view when you've got a guy like Siddle who does get thick edges quite often, you'd do well to have a third man or fly slip in place because chances are you'll get a chance there and if not, you'll cut down possibly up to 100 runs.

 

[Furball]

That'd be my approach too - I'd imagine England'll only feel safe when they're 250 ahead and I don't think that'll happen until midway through the second session. IMO that gives them nowhere near enough time to bowl Australia out, especially given how easily the batting has become on this pitch; so might as well tire Australia's bowlers out and really test their spirits by batting all day.

The pitch looks like it could be dangerous, the Australian bowlers are just bowling absolute rubbish.

The only way I can see England setting a target that looks reasonably safe whilst potentially giving themselves enough time to bowl Australia out is by smashing 160 runs in the next hour. 300 lead, 60 overs to bowl out Australia - however, given that would be almost impossible, there's absolutely no value in any declaration from an England POV.