*Official* First Test at The Gabba

[Son Of Coco]

Is it at all possible that it might be a combination of both??

If you want to cite todays dismissal as proof that you were right 3 months ago would that then mean that if Cook had of scored a 100 today you were wrong???

Not sure If I'm the bloke you are referring to or not but I was certainly claiming that Cook was out of form during the English series. That does not mean nor did I ever say that Ryan Harris is not an extremely class act and he did not execute the plans faultlessly.

The thing is, where Harris is getting Cook in trouble has always been the spot to bowl to Cook. Ever since he first appeared in tests. That's what made it so frustrating to watch us bowl short outside off and down leg to him in 2010/11. If Cook is in supreme form then, yes, maybe he'd give the bowlers a smaller margin of error. I'd be prepared to bet that if Harris and the other Australian bowlers can maintain that line more often than not then Cook's 'form' will remain reasonably poor.

 

[social]

I just saying it as a test bowler.

Obviously he was a late developer but I never saw his early career so can only go on what i've seen.

TC can probably provide you with best analysis but it went something like medium fast, injury (repeat ad nauseam), **** it I'll bowl quick as I am going to get injured anyway, Australia, injury, (repeat ad nauseam)

Dizzy was a sensational fast bowler for many years

 

[Daemon]

India?
Credit to Aus, shame the game is over though. Will have to fight back from 1-0 down I suppose!

Yeah I know they toured India in that period as well, was just asking what they scored against NZ and SL. Didn't know they got bundled out for <200 against them, was under the impression that Pietersen won them the first game against SL. Have googled it anw so forget it.

 

[Spark]

That was the second game. First game they collapsed in an ignominious heap due to Herath.

 

[Son Of Coco]

TC can probably provide you with best analysis but it went something like medium fast, injury (repeat ad nauseam), **** it I'll bowl quick as I am going to get injured anyway, Australia, injury, (repeat ad nauseam)

Dizzy was a sensational fast bowler for many years

Yeah Dizzy gets massively under-rated at times here. He was a cracking bowler. He was mentioned as the most difficult bowler to face in shield cricket by a few blokes, which is a big wrap considering who else was around at the time. Apparently used to get very good lift off a length.

 

[Spikey]

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

spot the outlier

 

[Son Of Coco]

The Pieterson autograph thing today at the game was quite funny too.

 

[Pothas]

Well played Oz. Completely blew us away. I didn't watch after lunch - probably for the best really - but woke up to read that England had been completely annihilated. One of the worst days we've endured for many years.

The result of the match isn't in any doubt, but it'd be good if we can secure some kind of positivity from the second half of the match, and this England team has proven over recent years that it can put up a real fight in adversity.

Yeah, need to respond like they did in India. That was pretty much entierly down to Cook though, and it is unlikely to see that happening this time around.


At what point does Trott's position become vulnerable? I mean there is no obvious replacement for him but his performances are massively concerning.

 

[Adders]

The thing is, where Harris is getting Cook in trouble has always been the spot to bowl to Cook. Ever since he first appeared in tests. That's what made it so frustrating to watch us bowl short outside off and down leg to him in 2010/11. If Cook is in supreme form then, yes, maybe he'd give the bowler's a smaller margin of error. I'd be prepared to bet that if Harris and the other Australian bowlers can maintain that line more often than not then Cook's 'form' will remain reasonably poor.

I don't disagree with any of that, stands to reason that of you're not feeding his strengths and playing on his weaknesses then "finding" his form is going to be extremely difficult and you may very well keep him down for a good chunk of the series. But Alastair Cook has scored nearly 8000 test runs and has scored runs against good bowlers with tight lines before and will do so again...........in the form of his life he would be coping with Harris better than he has done is all I am saying.

 

[Spikey]

Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

spot the outlier

in case you're wondering. It's 2010/11. He hasn't hit a six in any other ashes series.

 

[Spikey]

Matthew Hayden AM ‏@HaydosTweets 2h
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[Son Of Coco]

I don't disagree with any of that, stands to reason that of you're not feeding his strengths and playing on his weaknesses then "finding" his form is going to be extremely difficult and you may very well keep him down for a good chunk of the series. But Alastair Cook has scored nearly 8000 test runs and has scored runs against good bowlers with tight lines before and will do so again...........in the form of his life he would be coping with Harris better than he has done is all I am saying.

Maybe, but as Spikey's stats show he has averaged over 30 once against Australia, and that's when he was fed a diet of short, wide **** in 10/11.

 

[Spikey]

are we starting early tomorrow? pretty sure we didn't get in the required overs today

 

[Adders]

Maybe, but as Spikey's stats show he has averaged over 30 once against Australia, and that's when he was fed a diet of short, wide **** in 10/11.

And after that series he went on and continued the rampage against Sri Lanka and India, went quiet for a but still scored a ton against Steyn and Co and then had an incredible series in India.

I can accept that the 766 runs he scored here last time was much ****e bowling as it was good batting........but when I suggest his lack of runs in England was as much **** batting as it was great bowling his Royal Highness Benchy seems to think I'm off with the fairies. Seems a perfectly reasonable argument to me.

 

[uvelocity]

so ****ing good

 

[uvelocity]

gonna lol so hard when johnsons tears it up day 1

and day 2

 

[Adders]

I reckon this Gabba test will be know as the retribution test in years to come.

Johnson and Broad both dishing up their own flavour of STFU.

 

[Spikey]

ESPNcricinfo ‏@ESPNcricinfo 3m
RT @ZaltzCricket: STAT ALERT: Matt Prior the first wicketkeeper to have bagged three golden ducks in Ashes history. Batting records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPN Cricinfo

 

[Spikey]

looking at the entire list, one more golden duck and Prior equals Ian Healy's record of 6

 

[Son Of Coco]

And after that series he went on and continued the rampage against Sri Lanka and India, went quiet for a but still scored a ton against Steyn and Co and then had an incredible series in India.

I can accept that the 766 runs he scored here last time was much ****e bowling as it was good batting........but when I suggest his lack of runs in England was as much **** batting as it was great bowling his Royal Highness Benchy seems to think I'm off with the fairies. Seems a perfectly reasonable argument to me.

He's not getting out to rash shots though. He's getting out to balls in the corridor just outside off. It's always been his weak area, and there's not a great deal he can do about it unless he changes his game, which won't happen. He was probably in top form last time and, as you say, him scoring a lot of runs after that series shows he was. But bowler's honing in on a weakness isn't down to a batsman's form, it's just good bowling.

Philip Hughes wasn't in bad form against England after smashing South Africa, the bowler's worked him over.