4th Test at Old Trafford, Manchester

[morgieb]

This is a big big reason why I was really hesitant about picking Starc and going away from "all control, all the time" as a strategy. Just brings the crowd right into the game.

Though funnily enough this - a flattish deck where Australia have lots of runs on the board and probably can't realistically lose - is where Starc actually comes in handy. But yeah, outside of London the crowd is a big advantage for England.

 

[zaremba]

Starc on course to take a wicket with something wayward (leg side strangle perhaps) or an unexpected peach. He's in full-on Mitch Johnson '09 mode here.

 

[Burgey]

I mean it did. They lost the game, and everyone knew the new ball was going to be absolutely vital.

Oh dear god.

 

[Burgey]

Though funnily enough this - a flattish deck where Australia have lots of runs on the board and probably can't realistically lose - is where Starc actually comes in handy. But yeah, outside of London the crowd is a big advantage for England.

Probably because the north is full of ferals

 

[stephen]

Really, English fans promised us that Burns was rubbish. So far he's been the best English batsman this series.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Think Starc's problem is that he seems to be trying to get wickets by being a swing bowler when I think what worked for him in the SL Canberra test was he adopted the mindset of being a pure aggression strike bowler utilising his pace.

 

[zaremba]

You've got to hand it to the crowd.*



*Mainly for being prepared either to live in Manchester or to travel there

 

[quincywagstaff]

Lyon bowled a bit better to Burns that over but still bowling too short.

 

[BSM]

Really, English fans promised us that Burns was rubbish. So far he's been the best English batsman this series.

With him being in bad form and having a funky technique I really wasn't confident about him getting himself back into form. Fair play to him for proving a lot of people wrong.

 

[Groundking]

Really, English fans promised us that Burns was rubbish. So far he's been the best English batsman this series.

Stokes?

 

[morgieb]

Ooof that hurts.

 

[Spark]

man down

 

[Burgey]

Last couple of overs much better from Starc. Thank ****

 

[zaremba]

Botham with the stunning insight that "it always causes great amusement for everyone else" when the batsman gets hit in the balls

The lamest cliché in the cricket commentator's armoury

 

[quincywagstaff]

Umpires being pretty generous in how much time they're giving Root here. Didn't seem that serious.

 

[zaremba]

Umpires being pretty generous in how much time they're giving Root here. Didn't seem that serious.

Can't be too careful with ****cussion

 

[Burgey]

Take back what I said about liking Burns’ temperament. He has one of those terrible 90s boy band undercuts.

 

[wpdavid]

Botham with the stunning insight that "it always causes great amusement for everyone else" when the batsman gets hit in the balls

The lamest cliché in the cricket commentator's armoury

We just need Bumble to retell his story from 1974/75 when Tommo hit him there in the days when the box was a strange item with lot of gaps in it, maybe to help the vital organs breathe. iirc everything that was supposed to be in the box was outside it.

 

[Burgey]

Graham Onions in the crowd. Fondly remember him trying to bounce out Ricky Ponting in the 2009 series.

 

[zaremba]

Graham Onions in the crowd. Fondly remember him trying to bounce out Ricky Ponting in the 2009 series.

38.3 got him! He's out! A quick bouncer, Ponting went for a hook and got a thin edge through to Prior. Onions has bowled so, so well this morning 163/4