*Official* 1st Test at the SWALEC Stadium

[Stace]

Just to save him while the ball gets older and to try and put them off there lines and length's, as if Anderson bowls like he did with the last time he had a new ball they could be 3 down in an hour.

 

[uvelocity]

416

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

Better control of catching at the legside...?

He possibly has a propensity to flick aerially onside balls on leg stump.

Now his first innings dismissal was pretty ugly with his onside flick, and it was even uglier a few balls before that too. But, that was Ali. I'm talking Wood and Broad firing it into him on a middle and leg line, both full pitch and back of a length.

Now I understand that Smith has scored huge against South Africa and India and is the next big thing of Australian cricket. But, there is a possible weakness here that the English are very keen to test this Ashes series. From silly mid on right round to square leg and maybe leg gully or leg slip, look for the onside fielders against him this summer and the line of the bowling.

 

[Stace]

Ha. He wants Watson given a license to attack to save his career. He reckons the only place it can happen is if he opens. Take the lbw out of the equation but getting further down and driving the hell out of the ball and making the bowers bowl shorter at him. He would look daft doing it at 3 if he failed. He also wants to protect Smith and Clarke from the newer ball. I don't think Warner wants to give up the openers spot but if it was best for the team, a lot of Aussies like and think it a privilege to bat 3 don't they?

I am very very interested to see how Smith's leg stump, leg side catching practice goes this winter, or whether he exercises better control.

Thanks for putting words in my mouth, but I will thank you to put nothing else in there.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Some of the Australian smugness around Smith has reminded me a bit of pre-2009 with Hughes.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

Thanks for putting words in my mouth, but I will thank you to put nothing else in there.

Well if you meant something else, then speak up. That is the implication of your post.

 

[ajdude]

Well if you meant something else, then speak up. That is the implication of your post.

i think he was making an inappropriate ***ual reference

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

i think he was making an inappropriate ***ual reference

And here I was concerned that he wanted me to no longer spoon feed him.

He said that I put words "in his mouth" and did not say that "I took the words out of his mouth".

 

[Stace]

Well if you meant something else, then speak up. That is the implication of your post.

I think its pretty obvious, I have no idea were you thought i'm trying to save Watson's career, also where did I say he can only save his career by opening?

I tell you what, if 2 other posters think the same as you I will go into detail how that's not the case, but for now I desperately need to sleep...

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

I think its pretty obvious, I have no idea were you thought i'm trying to save Watson's career, also where did I say he can only save his career by opening?

I tell you what, if 2 other posters think the same as you I will go into detail how that's not the case, but for now I desperately need to sleep...

Ha. Well go sleep. But if you don't think Watson's in danger of being dropped, then I'm not sure that you're awake and not dreaming. I merely inferred moving him to opener from #6 was a 'last hurrah' to salvage a test career.

 

[NUFAN]

Reckon Warner bowls right arm mediums now.

Awesome. I did not know that as I went to sleep when he was bowling. I did wonder why they chose him to come on in the first innings, thought he must have been landing them in the nets.

I can see both Marshes happening if we lose. Which along with Siddle, if Starc is gimped, is a worse team IMO. I don't want Clarke bowling at all. Back won't take it.

I'm not going to focus on the quick spot, but if Marsh is 5 and 6 it really does seem suspect. I do think the team looks better with a Marsh in it than Watto though.

NUFAN, I think that you're absolutely correct. I have this debate with everyone on cricket web, including possibly yourself on occasion. 6 best batsmen is definitely better than an inferior batsmen who bowls a few cheap overs with less chance of a wicket than the spinner and the main bowlers could bowl. England is somewhat different in that because there is no top drawer spinner, they play the best available spinner being a batting alrounder at 8, which means another batting allrounder can play 6 in Stokes with better balance than Australia doing something similar. For Australia to carry Watto in the top 6 like England do Stokes, they need M Marsh at 8 to be like Moeen Ali and drop one of Johnson, Lyon, Starc and Hazelwood. Not going to happen anytime soon.

Yeah true.

Australia really shouldn't carry anyone in our XI and at the moment I feel like our 6 and 7 are definitely being carried. Johnson too with the Duke in England hasn't shown match ever and he is now on his 3rd tour.

 

[Stace]

And here I was concerned that he wanted me to no longer spoon feed him.

He said that I put words "in his mouth" and did not say that "I took the words out of his mouth".

If you took the words "out of my mouth" that would suggest you and I were thinking the same, by saying "you put words into my mouth" that's saying you misunderstood me and quoted me incorrectly.

PLEASE tell me you understand the difference??

 

[Antihippy]

He possibly has a propensity to flick aerially onside balls on leg stump.

Now his first innings dismissal was pretty ugly with his onside flick, and it was even uglier a few balls before that too. But, that was Ali. I'm talking Wood and Broad firing it into him on a middle and leg line, both full pitch and back of a length.

Now I understand that Smith has scored huge against South Africa and India and is the next big thing of Australian cricket. But, there is a possible weakness here that the English are very keen to test this Ashes series. From silly mid on right round to square leg and maybe leg gully or leg slip, look for the onside fielders against him this summer and the line of the bowling.

I mean sure, he possibly might have that weakness. Until it actually manifests than it's still just a possibly.

Also the Ali dismissal reminds me of his bishoo dismissal. Over-eagerness to attack meant that it became completely obvious when he was going to do it and telegraphed it in advanced. Didn't have trouble with spin after that, though of course permaul is not in the same class as bishoo.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

I mean sure, he possibly might have that weakness. Until it actually manifests than it's still just a possibly.

That is why "I am very very interested" to see what control he displays with fielders on the on side waiting for the flick from seam deliveries on middle and leg. It is also why I said "possibly" twice in my post.

Did you watch the first innings against Moeen? You see the two ugly onside flicks, especially the one before the dismissal?

 

[Antihippy]

I saw it. I forgot the one beforehand, but the ali dismissal was pretty obviously him being unable to control his shot because Ali was good enough to fire it down short down the legside when smith was prematurely moving down at the off-side. Doubt he was trying for that shot at all, more like he was trying to avoid being stumped.

I would also be very interested to see what will happen when steve smith is finally unable to find the middle of his bat with his flicks, but right now he is honestly one of the strongest players off his pads that I have seen. If anything that's why he keeps moving onto his off-stump, because he knows that it's his strongest area.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

Thanks for putting words in my mouth, but I will thank you to put nothing else in there.

Well if you meant something else, then speak up. That is the implication of your post.

i think he was making an inappropriate ***ual reference

And here I was concerned that he wanted me to no longer spoon feed him.

He said that I put words "in his mouth" and did not say that "I took the words out of his mouth".

If you took the words "out of my mouth" that would suggest you and I were thinking the same, by saying "you put words into my mouth" that's saying you misunderstood me and quoted me incorrectly.

PLEASE tell me you understand the difference??

Wow.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

I saw it. I forgot the one beforehand, but the ali dismissal was pretty obviously him being unable to control his shot because Ali was good enough to fire it down short down the legside when smith was prematurely moving down at the off-side. Doubt he was trying for that shot at all, more like he was trying to avoid being stumped.

I would also be very interested to see what will happen when steve smith is finally unable to find the middle of his bat with his flicks, but right now he is honestly one of the strongest players off his pads that I have seen. If anything that's why he keeps moving onto his off-stump, because he knows that it's his strongest area.

Okay- watch the one before it. There is a fairly good highlights package on youtube. It includes it. It was even uglier than the dismissal. Also, did you notice where Cook was fielding? Now this was to Ali bowling a leg stump line. The plan will be Broad, Wood and maybe Jimmy with the ball swinging down leg. Look for a glut of unorthodox on side fielders, just like where Cook was for Ali.

Don't get me wrong, if S Smith gets through this Ashes campaign without any problems on the on side, people will look for a new weakness, and there may not be one. But this on side flicking from leg stump line balls is the current examination.

 

[Antihippy]

Any chance of linking it? Youtube has become a cluster**** of bogus channels posting fake videos claiming to be the highlights of a recent game in order to gain money from youtube views.

 

[CaptainGrumpy]

Any chance of linking it? Youtube has become a cluster**** of bogus channels posting fake videos claiming to be the highlights of a recent game in order to gain money from youtube views.

I hear your pain, but I do not have it readily available.

 

[Howe_zat]

Ricky Ponting has been doing an XI of the best Ashes players in matches he's played. Features | Ponting's Ashes XI | ESPN Cricinfo

Left out Clarke today, interestingly