1st Test, Edgbaston, Birmingham

[wrongun]

Does this include *****?

What is a *****? WHo is he? Where is he from? Who does he support? Is he really in Hong Kong or secretly lurking in Nepal?

 

[wrongun]

I reckon five days ago Australia would have jumped at a draw in Birmingham. The obvious downside to that is having to spend five days there, but it is England's best and favourite ground, so getting away with a draw would have been seen as a great start to the series. Bit different now, I suppose, given the state of the game. Will be disappointing not to win, but if England is good enough to bat the day, good luck to them I guess.

Spot on! A month ago if you told me we get a draw in this garbage stadium, then I’d be ecstatic. I want us to win, but even a draw will have us ahead. What I really Hope doesn’t happen is that JL and Paine cost us the series due to their stupidity. It’s time to end the supposed drought in England.

 

[mr_mister]

Apparently Warne's packing what's known in the entertainment industry as a Hollywood Loaf.

Explains his Liz Hurley relationship

 

[wrongun]

These are the sort of posts I look forward to when we’re playing England. Whenever their team plays like crap they start bragging about their fans or bagging the other side’s.

Considering the superior exchange rate and their claim to having the best travelling fans in the world, I’ve hardly seen the Barmy Army travel to India in big numbers. All I see is a bunch of senior citizens and some shady burnt alcoholics in the crowd. Point is, Poms brag about silly things but their confidence really doesn’t add up in big sporting moments. Another reminder that the WC was a tie and awarded to England on a technicality. They did not go ahead at any point of the games deciding factors. They get nervous in difficult situations.

 

[wrongun]

I have been advocating 5 bowlers since last week and tomorrow will prove whether I was right or wrong. Tbh, before the test, I essentially had Khwaja opening w Warner and Smudge at 3. Don’t know how that would have affected our batting. I just felt like it was too much to ask Patto to rip through the Poms in his first match back and Cummins has been kinda out of form for his standards. Also, didn’t imagine Siddle in the squad. Gaz needs to step up.

 

[stephen]

Yeah if Anderson doesn't get hurt we get bowled out for under 200 and England win this by 8 wickets or something. As it is....

Hopefully the weather stays away for tomorrow.

Anderson would have made a difference in the first innings but I couldn't see him being much of a threat in the second. At least no more than Broad or Woakes were. The pitch was very dry, slow and variable up and down but Anderson does his damage through air movement, which there was none of. He would have kept out tighter than Stokes I suppose but that's about it.

Sure, any side is way better off with 11 players rarer than 10 but it was a bit of a road yesterday and I don't think Anderson would have made a huge impact were he fit.

 

[morgieb]

Anderson would have made a difference in the first innings but I couldn't see him being much of a threat in the second. At least no more than Broad or Woakes were. The pitch was very dry, slow and variable up and down but Anderson does his damage through air movement, which there was none of. He would have kept out tighter than Stokes I suppose but that's about it.

Sure, any side is way better off with 11 players rarer than 10 but it was a bit of a road yesterday and I don't think Anderson would have made a huge impact were he fit.

Scoreboard pressure, though. Sure the pitch wouldn't have suited him in the second innings but if Australia are 200 runs behind I don't think it matters.

 

[TheJediBrah]

stephen just having an extra bowler would have made a huge difference in both innings. They wouldn't have relied so much on Stokes and Moeen who were bowling trash.

 

[GotSpin]

Apart from Root and Stokes I can’t see many of the English bats lasting a whole amount of time. Few early wickets in the first session and we should run through them.

 

[stephen]

Yeah we're taking different things. If course he'd have been more restrictive than Stokes but it's the kind of pitch that Ali had to step up on. Denly looked the biggest threat by a long way while he was bowling. Root looked more threatening than Ali. If your spinner is going for a lot of runs on that pitch in those conditions you are going to have a bad time.

 

[vcs]

Stokes may bowl rubbish now and again but he has a massive ticker and can bowl magic balls out of nowhere. It's a bit of a cliche, but like Flintoff, I reckon he'll be one of those guys whose stats underplay his value.

 

[GIMH]

lol Stephen

 

[Prince EWS]

I have been advocating 5 bowlers since last week and tomorrow will prove whether I was right or wrong.

If they played five bowlers they would've left Wade out. As much as I don't rate Wade at all I'm not sure that would've worked out too well given he came in at effectively 114/4 in the second innings and hit a ton. Even if Australia don't win tomorrow, picking that extra bat could've been the difference between drawing and losing.

I realise you would've picked a different batting lineup entirely, possibly including all the blokes who actually made runs, but I don't think a draw here would necessarily back up your team balance opinion.

 

[harsh.ag]

Australia not bowling a few overs of Head and Smith is the bigger problem. Paine not being able to order Smith to bowl on this pitch is a pretty sad indictment of the state of affairs.

 

[Gob]

Weather looks reasonable

 

[TheJediBrah]

Paine not being able to order Smith to bowl on this pitch is a pretty sad indictment of the state of affairs.

I don't know if that's exactly how it's going down but I don't get why Smith doesn't want to bowl. He's always been more than handy

 

[TheJediBrah]

lol Stephen

and I'm the one you lump in with spintolose

 

[Gob]

I don't know if that's exactly how it's going down but I don't get why Smith doesn't want to bowl. He's always been more than handy

Should bowl today. Plenty of runs to play with and should 'dump' few to the rough

 

[Burgey]

Australia not bowling a few overs of Head and Smith is the bigger problem. Paine not being able to order Smith to bowl on this pitch is a pretty sad indictment of the state of affairs.

I think there was a good reason not to bowl him much in the first dig, because the front liners kept it so England didn't get away, which is something Australia just could not afford once they posted an average first innings. We sort of saw with Denly last night the danger of a part timer bowling a decent amount of overs. Ok, we sit here and say he isn't the worst - he isn't - but he went at fives and was part of England just hemorrhaging runs like they did. I wouldn't be surprised if Smith bowled a bit today though, because the game is out of England's reach and if he gets tonked it won't cost them the game.

 

[GIMH]

and I'm the one you lump in with spintolose

Yeah but these are his actual (terrible) opinions whereas you’re on a fishing expedition at all times