*Official* Fourth Test at Trent Bridge

[Burgey]

What I can't believe is how the team seems to have believed its own press after one win. It seems from an outsiders perspective they arrived in ****ingham believing they only had to turn up to win.

 

[Spark]

The bloke who should be getting them to do that is Craig McDermott, with a bit of help from the captain. If that's what they've told the bowlers to do but they're not, then sure, rissole them.

I don't think Clarke has helped them with some of his plans tbf.

 

[Furball]

McGrath made a point in a Sky piece that he didn't always bowl to get a batsman out with every ball and pointed out that even Dale Steyn and Waqar Younis, the two greatest bowlers of the last 100 years if you're just looking at strike rates, on average will only take 1 wicket every 6-7 overs.

It's something I think Starc could do with learning as he doesn't seem to really have a stock delivery where he can just tie a batsman down and play the waiting game.

 

[adub]

Certainly Starc needs to get his stock ball sorted. I don't think he knows what it should be. But that's a long way from wanting Siddle in the side. We've conceded 400 once and that was after Root was dropped on 0. Bowling ain't the big problem.

 

[Tangles]

I have been surprised at Haze not settling down into long spells of accurate bowling. His bowling to lefties has been poor also. Scoreboard pressure counts for sure but I was expecting more from him. I kind of expect MJ and Starc to go for 4 an over but not him.

 

[OverratedSanity]

He strayed onto Cook's pads so much.

 

[Tangles]

He strayed onto Cook's pads so much.

Really miss Ryano against the lefties.

 

[Swingpanzee]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with Australia's bowling. England has crossed 400 once in the series. Every single problem in the Australian team is a problem with the batting. The bowlers look tired because they're carrying around the sorry arses of the middle order on their backs.

Even 250 odd in the first dig at the **** Hole would have put a different complexion on the game. The batting was inept in the face of some good (I wouldn't even call it very good, tbh) bowling.

Yeah I think I was wrong in implying that Australia's bowling is a worry, however imo it would still be fair to say that the bowlers (Haze in particular) have disappointed based on our expectations pre-series. That Australia have not bowled their best and still have restricted England below 400 has also got to do with England poor batting. Actually both sides have fairly strong bowling sides, it's the batting that's poor for both England and Australia. So yeah I pretty much agree with what you said.

 

[adub]

Haze isn't the finished item yet tbf. This is what his 9th test coming up.

And yet he's still the leading wicket taker in the series with 14 @ 22.5

Imagine what the ****'s gonna do when he's bowling at the top of his game.

 

[Swingpanzee]

Haze isn't the finished item yet tbf. This is what his 9th test coming up.

And yet he's still the leading wicket taker in the series with 14 @ 22.5

Imagine what the ****'s gonna do when he's bowling at the top of his game.

yes he'll definitely be better for the experience. Can't see how anybody would be worried about him, a bit disappointed atm yes

 

[flibbertyjibber]

What day of the week is this one starting?

 

[Gob]

Yeah I think I was wrong in implying that Australia's bowling is a worry, however imo it would still be fair to say that the bowlers (Haze in particular) have disappointed based on our expectations pre-series. That Australia have not bowled their best and still have restricted England below 400 has also got to do with England poor batting. Actually both sides have fairly strong bowling sides, it's the batting that's poor for both England and Australia. So yeah I pretty much agree with what you said.

think the problem is that once the batsman ****s it up and get bundled for 130, the bowlers naturally try to go and blast the batsmen away and that often results in wayward bowling. They were far more economical at Lords and im pretty sure if they get a decent total on the board, the bowling would be far less wayward

 

[Gob]

What day of the week is this one starting?

Starts on Thursday and ends on Saturday

 

[Gob]

Haze isn't the finished item yet tbf. This is what his 9th test coming up.

And yet he's still the leading wicket taker in the series with 14 @ 22.5

Imagine what the ****'s gonna do when he's bowling at the top of his game.

too many lefthanders imo

 

[Swingpanzee]

What day of the week is this one starting?

Thursday, that's why we're gonna win

 

[adub]

too many lefthanders imo

Yeah he's definitely not as dangerous against lefties, but that will come.

 

[Top_Cat]

Criticism of the bowling is warranted, sure, but at least we're seeing people actually talking about where the big problems lay this time, with the bats. The denial about the batting problems a few years ago was incredible, people laying the blame for defeat at bowlers for (understandably) busting a gut for wickets after yet another sub-300 score. It's telling, to me, how the other bowlers didn't get around Johnson after those two balls to Bairstow and Stokes at Edgbaston. They couldn't just use those two strikes to build pressure because, despite being 5-not much, England had already passed their score. So they kept having to go for the magic balls on a day where the ball was doing a little but conditions were generally okay for batting.

McGrath made a point in a Sky piece that he didn't always bowl to get a batsman out with every ball and pointed out that even Dale Steyn and Waqar Younis, the two greatest bowlers of the last 100 years if you're just looking at strike rates, on average will only take 1 wicket every 6-7 overs.

It's something I think Starc could do with learning as he doesn't seem to really have a stock delivery where he can just tie a batsman down and play the waiting game.

It's not the traditional role of the leftie in Aussie cricket, generally they're the game-breaker hence why there aren't calls to drop him yet because at least he's trying to take wickets, you get what you pay for with him, etc. If he'd just quietly gone for < 3/over, most pundits would have him out for Siddle before the Test was over.

 

[Top_Cat]

Siddle has that knack of his one wicket per innings always being the opposition's best player. If he can just get Root out and let the others get themselves out he could be pretty ****ing valuable.

Spot on.

 

[wpdavid]

Just heard if England win this series Ian Bell will be the first English player ever to play in 5 winning Ashes sides....

Not true, I'm afraid.

Botham played in five - 1977, 1978/79, 1981, 1985 and 1986/87.

And Boycott played in five winning/retaining - 1970/71, 1972, 1977, 1978/79 and 1981.
1972 the retaining effort, when we kept the Ashes in a drawn series.

 

[Daemon]

That's pretty much what I said

Nah you said the rest of the attack doesn't take the lead from him when he bowls trash..but I think they kinda do