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

[Starfighter]

It's hard not to smell a 5-0 scoreline now, weather permitting, innit?

Be surprising if it isn't now.

Doesn't look like the Stokes thing is getting sorted any time soon either.

 

[Warnest]

Seems both Root and Smith are trying very hard to win the worst captain competition. Winning toss then bowling vs Not enforcing follow on with new ball under lights; Batting Bairstow at no.8 vs Batting Cummins at no.10

 

[Victor Ian]

Cummins is definitely the unluckiest bowler ever. Would've had a 5-for already if it weren't for the dropped catches, slips standing a bit closer, and all the half chances. Smith needs to show him more confidence by giving him the new ball for once

Looks like Cummins is the unfortunate recipient of the unlucky bug that Lyon possessed not too long ago. Lyon became awesome and successful once Smith showed confidence in him so maybe you are on to something.

Actually, forgive me...Lyon was always awesome.

 

[Cabinet96]

Starc could get man of the match lol. Eight wickets.

 

[Gob]

3 out of Starc's 5 were top order players.

Got to taste it like it or not

 

[Zinzan]

Be surprising if it isn't now.

Doesn't look like the Stokes thing is getting sorted any time soon either.

Stokes wouldn't make up the difference between these two sides from what we've seen anyway. I can't see his bowling being much of a factor on these decks tbh, so it's really only his middle order batting they'd be missing IMO.

 

[CarlsbergXpress]

god

What are his 1st class batting numbers like?

 

[quincywagstaff]

Agree with Ian Chappell on the radio who suggested Bairstow may have to play as a Top 6 bat; absurd that he came in No 8 considering his record and how weak the Top 6.

As it is, I reckon this Top 6 is close to the weakest I can recall England have brought out for an Ashes. tour. Even when they were struggling in the 1990s they still had quality bats like Gower, Gooch, Thorpe and Stewart. This current top 6 contains three mediocre plodders and an opening batsman in Cook who looks just about done.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Starc could get man of the match lol. Eight wickets.

And equal top-scored in the 2nd innings!

 

[GotSpin]

Now that's how you bowl to the tail

Too good really

 

[srbhkshk]

Bairstow at 8 is stupid af, currently he seems the best bat in side after root, get him at 3 or 5 and if the rest of the line-up memes about , so be it..

 

[quincywagstaff]

I think today's capitulation just shows Australia should've enforced the follow-on. Would've been an innings defeat or a 10 wicket win.

 

[GIMH]

Well done Oz. Worth the win across the five days.

Shaun Marsh the obvious MOTM; he was the difference between the sides in an otherwise fairly even match (IMO)

How Starc got five there is beyond me, would not get in as 12th man if I did a composite XI from this test, but Cummins was superb, and Hazlewood too this morning. Probably the 862537th time I’ve ever said this but all the Aussie bowling performances are a real point in favour of actually watching games over scorecard analysis

Premature for the 5-0 shouts for me, the previous whitewashes were obvious at this stage after shellshocked displays from England. That’s not the case here, and if it was Melbourne next I’d fancy us to win. Unfortunately Perth is not a kind place for England, but let’s see. I don’t think we are rolling over like 06 or 13, but the truth is we just aren’t good enough at batting.

 

[Pup Clarke]

Changes for Perth : Foakes in and Bairstow up to his rightful position at 5. This 100% should of happened at the start of the tour

 

[Daemon]

Imagine how well it could've gone for Australia if Steve Smith didn't make the worst leadership decision since Brexit.

Wasn't Brexit more of a people's decision.

 

[CarlsbergXpress]

Oh goody, this is the bit I love. Post match autopsy of another piss poor batting performance.

 

[Cabinet96]

Aussie bowling lineup is just relentless. Cummins as 3rd seamer barely bowls a bad ball and doesn't let up on his pace all innings. Was amazed he could do it when he was a lightning fast 17/18 year old and still am after all the injuries and how little first class cricket he's played over the years. Lyon is obviously just fantastic at this stage.

 

[NotMcKenzie]

Well, a meek submission at the end there.

Now on to Perth.

 

[Cabinet96]

Wasn't Brexit more of a people's decision.

Government proposed and carried out the referendum in the first place and even then they had no legal obligation to carry through with it after the vote. Doesn't even get to the way they handled doing it.

 

[Pothas]

Agree with Ian Chappell on the radio who suggested Bairstow may have to play as a Top 6 bat; absurd that he came in No 8 considering his record and how weak the Top 6.

As it is, I reckon this Top 6 is close to the weakest I can recall England have brought out for an Ashes. tour. Even when they were struggling in the 1990s they still had quality bats like Gower, Gooch, Thorpe and Stewart. This current top 6 contains three mediocre plodders and an opening batsman in Cook who looks just about done.

He should definitely be swapping places with Moeen.

They could maybe bring Foakes for someone but that is about it really. I would imagine we will see players like Lawrence and Clarke next summer (Or maybe in New Zealand) but this is no time to be drafting those sorts of guys in from outside the squad. Any talk of Wood is madness.

Can't drum up munch enthusiasm right now but there is still a chance nicking a Test like they did in the good old days.