***Official*** 2nd Test at Adelaide

[Gob]

50 more

 

[Starfighter]

And if England had batted first with the rain they would have only had one over of the new ball under lights. Yes the team batting first has lost twice here but this pitch was clearly less grassy.

 

[Burgey]

No, but there was declaration talk on Cricket Web Forum two pages back..

Ive got that place on ignore

 

[Starfighter]

Okay, now the declaration talk has started. Thanks Clarke.

 

[Dan]

Starting declaration talk aws

 

[Second Spitter]

Nine declaration talk detected.....

 

[Spark]

Clarke commentating about tactics knowing that Smith is listening is... a bit weird.

 

[Second Spitter]

Smith looks like he's listening to one of those Commonwealth Bank ear things, tbh......not sure which commentary they pick up.

 

[Second Spitter]

And now we have a declaration poll......sponsored by Gillette<tm>

 

[wpdavid]

It needs saying again: bowling first was really stupid decision, clearly based on the gutlessness of the batting. And it looks like they're going to get a nice long session against the new ball under lights as their reward.

Yup. Spectacularly poor captaincy and a a spectacularly mediocre team.
One of the weakest England sides to tour Aus in living memory actually.

 

[Starfighter]

Also Root's tactics have hardly set the world alight -very reactive- and the bowling has been a bit meh - tight but persistently short. Not only was it the wrong decision but the execution has been poor.

 

[Gob]

No way Cummins should be batting below Starc

 

[TheJediBrah]

Yup. Spectacularly poor captaincy and a a spectacularly mediocre team.
One of the weakest England sides to tour Aus in living memory actually.

This sort of statement gets thrown around a lot, but in this case it might actually have merit. Other than Broad, Anderson and Root they look very ordinary, especially without Stokes.

 

[Spark]

Also Root's tactics have hardly set the world alight -very reactive- and the bowling has been a bit meh - tight but persistently short. Not only was it the wrong decision but the execution has been poor.

Tbh I think there have been too many "tactics" full stop. Tried to be too clever without trying the good old "spend an hour bowling at the top of off stump", save at Handscomb.

 

[Dan]

Now that Warne's in the box, we're never going to hear the end about the declaration.

 

[Starfighter]

Root has done a Sobers, is now doing a Hussain. How else can he screw up? Losing 0-5 would be another thing to add I suppose.

 

[Second Spitter]

This is could get ugly fast.

 

[Second Spitter]

Its pretty clear to me that Root's thinking was that Australia was overdue for a trademark collapse.....but as Bargearse pointed out earlier, if this happened, England would been batting under lights anyway.

 

[wpdavid]

This sort of statement gets thrown around a lot, but in this case it might actually have merit. Other than Broad, Anderson and Root they look very ordinary, especially without Stokes.

And Broad's not what he was.

Yeah it was a serious observation on my part. Even the 1990s sides usually offered more with the ball and had more guys looking like they might contribute with the bat. And obviously they were up against a significantly stronger Aus side anyway. Throw in the propensity for petulance and this England side really doesn't impress at all.

 

[Starfighter]

No way a Marsh hundred here would be on the same calibre of Khawaja's last year. That bowling attack was far above this one. Abbott's second morning spell was insanely good.