*Official* England in Australia (2 T20 & 7 ODIs)

[morgieb]

Well it does prove that we can't just get lucky/have an awesome knock 4 times in a row. Good game England.

We'll probably still take the series, but if we don't....

 

[Spark]

I mean it was an odd game. We bowled and fielded quite poorly, then batted without any sense of intelligence... and still only lost by 20 runs?

 

[pup11]

It's a bit harsh to blame Smith in this chase, because if he went for something out there and got out early on he would be ridiculed. He made his runs at almost a run a ball (he had a few leg byes too so more runs then balls faced really) and actually bowled well.

It was his best performance for Australia in ODI Cricket.

Lee's bowling, Hastings game, White getting out at the wrong time after using 64 balls and Clarke's continued failures with the bat were the big issues.

Yeah, don't know what UC is on about here, Smith made his runs at a SR of almost 100 don't know what else he could have done, we pretty much lost the game when both Clarke and White allowed the RRR to blow up and we never really recovered from there.

 

[Sylvester]

Mike Hussey would probably be the only one that could have come in the same situation as Smith and changed the result although even then it would have been touch and go. The English bowled well at the death which made it even harder.

On Bollinger he probably bowled the fastest he did all summer around his 7-8th over. Clocked it up to 142km/h. His final spell was the shocker, don't know if it was his fitness or him not being the greatest death bowler.

 

[Jacknife]

Trott's (career) SR doesn't cut it. All well and good averaging 50 but when your tapping back half volleys and letting the low order face the best part of 25 overs, you are tacking the piss.

Mate, I think you are.

 

[Spark]

Mike Hussey would probably be the only one that could have come in the same situation as Smith and changed the result although even then it would have been touch and go. The English bowled well at the death which made it even harder.

On Bollinger he probably bowled the fastest he did all summer around his 7-8th over. Clocked it up to 142km/h. His final spell was the shocker, don't know if it was his fitness or him not being the greatest death bowler.

Two of the worst PP overs I've seen. Length ball length ball length ball full toss. Lucky it didn't go for more.

 

[andyc]

Smith's innings wasn't ideal, but tbf the English bowling at the death and in the powerplay especially was brilliant. The kind of control and discipline that none of our pacers seemed willing to display. Very much a deserved win.

 

[Spark]

Yeah, leg stump yorkers aplenty. Hard to hit those for four.

 

[pup11]

I mean it was an odd game. We bowled and fielded quite poorly, then batted without any sense of intelligence... and still only lost by 20 runs?

The wicket was such that Dussey, Doherty and Smith should have bowled 30 overs between them, Clarke should have never brought back his quicks during the batting PP that's where we allowed England to comeback into the game.
Still 300 was very chaseble, but we just didn't use our brains and hopefully the few lessons learned out of this are :
#Marsh is better off in the middle order.
#Haddin needs to go on after a start.
#Clarke needs to either improve (quickly) or go.
#Smith isn't good enough to bat at #7.
#Binga needs to bowl with more discipline on a slowish pitch.
#Dougeh needs to work on his fitness.

 

[TumTum]

Good to see Smith continue to make runs when we lose Didn't watch most of the match as I've been out, but our first 3 dismissals were just dire. Marsh stop ****ing plonking your front foot way across the stumps, so so bad.

 

[Spark]

Yeah agreed that Clarke made a major mistake (possibly his first major captaincy error of the series) in overbowling the quicks and not going to Dussey until the 40th over.

And Marsh is a worry. Made a hundred two games ago sure, but ever since England have started bowling right-arm round angled into his pads he's looked very clumsy.

Clarke's innings, not gonna say anything about that. Especially not about his dismissal.

 

[andyc]

Yeah agreed that Clarke made a major mistake (possibly his first major captaincy error of the series) in overbowling the quicks and not going to Dussey until the 40th over.

And Marsh is a worry. Made a hundred two games ago sure, but ever since England have started bowling right-arm round angled into his pads he's looked very clumsy.

Clarke's innings, not gonna say anything about that. Especially not about his dismissal.

Playing himself has hardly been a stroke of genius either, tbf.

 

[Spark]

Haha I meant on-field

 

[Uppercut]

It's a bit harsh to blame Smith in this chase, because if he went for something out there and got out early on he would be ridiculed. He made his runs at almost a run a ball (he had a few leg byes too so more runs then balls faced really) and actually bowled well. .

I didn't blame Smith for the chase tbf. It's just a concern that he failed so badly at hitting boundaries when the team needed nine an over, even during the batting powerplay. He scored at a run a ball, but England allowed him to. A number seven who can't hit boundaries in the batting powerplay is far from ideal.

I'm sure there are much more pressing issues to come out of the match, but I commented on that because I only caught the end.

 

[pup11]

Smith needs to steady down while he's at the crease rather than trying to play a premeditated shot every ball, he would be much better off if he stays still while playing his shots and stops moving around the crease like a hyper-active kid on an overdose of sugar.
Still despite the fact how well England bowled at the death, I'm not sure Smith would smacked 6's even if they had bowled full-tosses at him because he just isn't that type of player, if we wanted a hitter who can bowl spin in the worldcup which is what they are looking at Smith to do, then O'Keffe would have been a more sensible choice.

 

[Uppercut]

Is Dan Christian in the squad for the World Cup?

 

[pup11]

I didn't blame Smith for the chase tbf. It's just a concern that he failed so badly at hitting boundaries when the team needed nine an over, even during the batting powerplay. He scored at a run a ball, but England allowed him to. A number seven who can't hit boundaries in the batting powerplay is far from ideal.

I'm sure there are much more pressing issues to come out of the match, but I commented on that because I only caught the end.

He hit more boundaries than White and Hussey put together!! The problem is he and the lower order had a bit too much to do in the end, and tbh we just didn't need boundaries we needed 6's which Smith isn't really that capable of doing.

 

[four_or_six]

Good to see we've started our winning streak that's going to take us to the world cup, finally.

I'm still not sure we've sorted out our team. I'm assuming Broad in for Tremlett (if fit) and the question then becomes Swann in for who... I presume it's going to be Collingwood, but I think it's a shame to miss him in the field.

 

[pup11]

Is Dan Christian in the squad for the World Cup?

No... he isn't which is outrageous given his form with both bat and ball.

 

[Uppercut]

He hit more boundaries than White and Hussey put together!! The problem is he and the lower order had a bit too much to do in the end, and tbh we just didn't need boundaries we needed 6's which Smith isn't really that capable of doing.

Lol, you can't defend his knock by comparing it to the two even worse innings from the batsmen above him. When you bat out the last fifteen overs, including the batting powerplay, with your team needing a steep but not impossible run rate, you should be getting more than four boundaries. No way round it.