*Official* First Test at Trent Bridge

[dermo]

That was 2 days before Swann gets at him again.

true but compared to how Hughes looked in the first 3 tests in India it does at least give hope

 

[BeeGee]

This partnership is huge. Bell and Broad, whoda thunk it?

Loving this game.

 

[Tom Halsey]

I didn't realise that but still...

At the start of the day, you could not have anticipated England on course for the highest score of the match?

The England top order probably averages around 45 runs per wicket, so the fact they've put on less than 200 runs and lost 4 wickets doesn't mean they've had a far better day than the market should've expected. It might be marginally England's day, but not to the extent that the market is suggesting.

 

[grecian]

For me 250 Aus favs. 275 Eng favs so somewhere in between. Right now I have Aus as clear favs as England do not yet have the runs on the board.

Yeah, I'd go with this, think the bookies have just got it wrong. Pitch is getting slower, which doesn't help any bowling really. Might turn a bit, but it'll be slow turn I reckon. Obviously the Ozzies might just bat like crud, like they're quite capable of doing, but I want many more runs.

 

[Manee]

I've rarely seen him bowl really poorly. Seems to always do a job.

Real shame about his fitness. His bowling seems suited to long attrition based spells.

 

[Cabinet96]

Funny people talk about Bell and hard runs. I actually don't think his problems in the last year or so have been hard runs at all, in fact, his best innings have been backs to the wall rearguards. Think Nagpur or Auckland. Heck even the Oval against South Africa last year was one of his better knocks.

His issue since the start of 2012 has more been a lack of fluency and an inability to cash in when set. I can't really remember the last time I really looked at Bell and thought I was watching a guy in really good form. Maybe a couple of innings against the Windies last summer, but other than that, you have to go back to the India series in 2011. His scoring rate in that time has in particular been really poor, and he just seems to get bogged down regularly against any sort of consistent or accurate bowling. It's probably the reason he keeps getting out in stupid and frustrating ways when set. Lots of attempts to manufacture things because the runs are rarely flowing easily.

What's weird about all of what I just said is that he's been good in one day cricket in the same time, having been really poor in the format before that. Maybe he's become to fixated on forced attacking shots or has overcompensated to a more defensive game in tests. As Spark said, the amount of blocking back of half volleys has been abnormally high, even in this innigns.

 

[Goughy]

I think 150 Australia favourites and 200 England favourites.

To defend 200 then not one of the Aus top order have to bat well. While that is entirely possible for Aus to go 0-6 with the top order playing wel, it isnt likely. Probability is that someone will get some runs and graft an innings. Chasing 200 and Aus are massive favourites IMO. or England to be favs they have to set a total that can be defended if one Australian bats well. For me that is approaching 275.

 

[ajdude]

this is ****ed shut it down

 

[Spark]

Yeah, I'd go with this, think the bookies have just got it wrong. Pitch is getting slower, which doesn't help any bowling really. Might turn a bit, but it'll be slow turn I reckon. Obviously the Ozzies might just bat like crud, like they're quite capable of doing, but I want many more runs.

Yeah, the pitch is so slow that it should be possible to grind them out, but...

 

[Spikey]

victorians have let down the country

 

[Tom Halsey]

This is becoming more and more England's day by the second though with these runs.

 

[Expressway76]

Yeah, the pitch is so slow that it should be possible to grind them out, but...

Sooo difficult for teams to grind out chases. This is starting to look like a good total.

 

[Cabinet96]

Strange that noted bowling all-round Steve Smith is yet to bowl.

 

[Spark]

This is becoming more and more England's day by the second though with these runs.

We seriously shouldn't have taken that second new ball. Not when we did, anyway

 

[Maximas]

Australia able to chase 270 at most, opening and 2nd wicket partnerships mean everything, especially Watson

 

[Stapel]

Pattinson is not exactly doing aus any favours here.

 

[ajdude]

once again Cowan ruins everything

 

[Expressway76]

Australia able to chase 270 at most, opening and 2nd wicket partnerships mean everything, especially Watson

Watto to get 20 runs in 15 balls then precipitate a collapse with an LBW dismissal.

 

[Viscount Tom]

Ponting would have caught that.

 

[dermo]

victorians have let down the country

we need a certain Tasmanian imo