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1st Test, Edgbaston, Birmingham

Shaggy Alfresco

State Captain
So hang on, Woakes not bowling all of the first session was a captaincy decision? Root thought we needed Joe Denly bowling pies up to Head once we got the breakthrough?
 
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BSM

U19 Cricketer
Disappointing to have the good possibility of victory dissipate so easily but it is what it is. Smith is outstanding and I guess having 3 (if you count Ali that is) proper bowlers to use always meant we were in danger.

Gonna have to work hard for the draw tomorrow. Nevertheless I would be pretty annoyed if we don't make it. I get the impression that the pitch is flattening out for the pacers, and while Lyon is getting decent spin, I think it's quite slow and manageable (right now anyway).

The only way we can win this is Roy. Roy will play aggressively and if he stays in will keep us sort of up with the rate. The rest, you would rather just block out.
 

BSM

U19 Cricketer
So hang on, Woakes not bowling all of the first session was a captaincy decision? Root thought we needed Joe Denly bowling pies up to Head once we got the breakthrough?
I can only think he was trying to manage the workloads of Broad and Woakes, which I personally don't think was too bad of an idea. The ball wasn't doing much anyway and was spinning. The issue was how badly Ali bowled. Even figures of 2 - 100 odd flatter him imo. No ability to dry up runs whatsoever. He was massively helped in the Winter when Leach could tie down an end imo. Think Leach would have subsequently done a lot better today, and I would be considering him strongly for the next test. Ali's confidence just seems shot.
 

trundler

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It didn't look like he wanted to bowl. Low energy. Just limped through every ball. Guy could do use being dropped imo. Looked like Rahane in a way.
 

hazsa19

International Regular
You called me out (perhaps rightfully so) for not praising England’s batting in the first innings. Let’s see how they perform here. 20 overs left in the day
That’s fair, Aus have played great since tea on Day one. Even when we were batting well we were never allowed to get away. Still, if you’re in the position we were on Thursday, you’re gonna be asking questions when you’re staring down the barrel. Think there will be a lot of noise over the Anderson selection and Ali’s performance. He’s so clearly not in the right mindset to perform atm.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
I can only think he was trying to manage the workloads of Broad and Woakes, which I personally don't think was too bad of an idea. The ball wasn't doing much anyway and was spinning. The issue was how badly Ali bowled. Even figures of 2 - 100 odd flatter him imo. No ability to dry up runs whatsoever. He was massively helped in the Winter when Leach could tie down an end imo. Think Leach would have subsequently done a lot better today, and I would be considering him strongly for the next test. Ali's confidence just seems shot.
Surely if you’re going to manage his workloads, you do it later in the day? Start with your best bowlers up front.
 

Spark

Global Moderator
Like even if you want to start with spin, which is fair enough, that doesn't explain giving Stokes an 8 over spell and not using Woakes at all before lunch. Something doesn't add up there.
 

Starfighter

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
I wonder if we left the declaration a bit too late. They certainly can vat the day and there's the weather. Good on Wade though.


So Eton Stowford Mess was a Cow multi. Mean my intuition about him never having been to a match here was almost certainly correct.
 

Lillian Thomson

Hall of Fame Member
I think he could have declared at about 370. But 340 would have been too soon. If England had made 50 odd without loss it would have left the door a tiny bit ajar.

I have no recollection of Cow. He must have come and gone during one of the years I missed. I doubted he'd been to a Test in Australia when he said he'd been to "about 6". If the number is that small you would remember exactly.
 

Burgey

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I travelled Queensland years ago. I saw a white Australian women roll out of a bush in Townsville, light a cigarette and proceed about her day. About as feral a place in the ‘western world’. Admittedly Brisbane is a return to normality.
You were doing well til the last sentence.
 

Burgey

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Amazing! I think that puts Smith in second place, behind Border, on least Wanker runs in two innings ever.
He is, however, developing a disturbing weakness where he seems to lose concentration in the nervous 140s. Were I England, I’d keep letting him get to that score ASAP in every innings.
 

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