1st Test, Edgbaston, Birmingham

[Starfighter]

He's back.

Also, maybe we need to select Siddle for his batting.

 

[SteveNZ]

That was a "Waiting for a declaration" field, not a "Get the final wicket ASAP" field.

A poor captain Root is.

That's such a default mentality nowadays. It needs a good captain to question it and resist the temptation to fall into the spread the field and try and bore them out mentality. It actually deflates the bowlers, probably subconsciously, because they go away from clear plans and tend to just put it down the other end in the hope it either gets the dominant guy out or at least he won't find the boundary.

 

[Uppercut]

I mean the tactics were pretty bad. Short of how he did eventually get out i.e. slogging a straight one and missing, they really looked like they stopped trying to get him out. They couldn't even really keep him off strike for any extended period.

He wasn’t taking singles and catching positions weren’t really in play. Maybe could have kept one slip but that’s marginal.

They didn’t execute so well, probably because the attack was exhausted. But no way is there a possible plan to 120* Steve Smith that beats ‘bowl at Lyon+ hope he holes out’.

 

[GotSpin]

Steve Smith take a bow!

 

[stephen]

Undertale spoiler warning in video links.

Australian batsmen:

https://youtu.be/zXi6_-GIlm8

Steve Smith:

https://youtu.be/2QlYKKiT4Js

 

[NUFAN]

Test Cricket is always good* when the first team is bowled out in that 275 - 325 range.

Steve Smith is just special.



Unless its a real flat pitch

 

[Adders]

Any word on Jimmys scans?

 

[morgieb]

Smith, eh. Is this his best knock yet?

If only Blocky was still here......

 

[Flem274*]

yea so steve smith strolls into the aus atg xi now

 

[Burgey]

I think he was already there tbh. He’s now getting to the point where he starts to come into ATG XI reckoning. Period.

 

[Burgey]

Smith, eh. Is this his best knock yet?

If only Blocky was still here......

SpinToLose was posting during the day’s play iirc

 

[Burgey]

Any word on Jimmys scans?

Last thing I heard the comma say last night was there’d be no word until the morning, Pom time

 

[social]

Just to put things into perspective

Smith averages 8 more than Kohli & Williamson and nearly 13 more than Root

Those guys are very fine players but Smith is on a completely different level

 

[Burgey]

He wasn’t taking singles and catching positions weren’t really in play. Maybe could have kept one slip but that’s marginal.

They didn’t execute so well, probably because the attack was exhausted. But no way is there a possible plan to 120* Steve Smith that beats ‘bowl at Lyon+ hope he holes out’.

Yeah but at 9/220 or so wouldn’t you just keep the grind going and make him do something different? Because you suddenly went from a scenario where he’s taking one an over for the most part to flocking the game into LO mode, which actually gave him more scoring options. I think by setting that field they lost the patience game when they were still well on top.

But as Steve said, it’s a default position with skippers these days to go defensive.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

They were still giving him a single off the fifth ball on occasions, which is ludicrous.

 

[Daemon]

 

[BSM]

There should be an additional 'vs how India see Moeen Ali' and it be Murali

 

[BSM]

Really great test match in prospect here, which is always the case when near 300 is put up in the first innings (or at least in England, that is). However, the momentum is certainly with Australia. Smith really is sensational.

Predict 4 England batsmen to get 50+ tomorrow, for us to get a lead, going on to win, just to prove that hundreds don't always win matches, and that Joe Root's 40 odd fifties are more valuable than all of Smith's 24 hundreds as a result.

That's the English way

 

[Spikey]

The people love a comeback story and The People's Champion has given us one

 

[Spikey]

I see you viewing the thread Riggins. Post damnit