1st Test at Brisbane, 8th-12th of December 2021

[Hurricane2]

Well done Australia. They have rebuilt their team culture and are a tight knit group that is putting out strong performances in a manner in keeping with the spirit of cricket.
The turning point for me today was Green bowling an outswinger with a 75 over old ball to dismiss Joe Root. You would have to think he fluked swinging such an old ball but the English crumbled once their leader was out.
Gosh Lyon is a superb bowler in Australian conditions. You would have to say he is the best bowler in the ashes and the leader of the Australian attack.
The Gabba is such a fortress. I really hope the English have a team huddle tonight and flush this game down the dunny. India are unbeatable at home on a bunsen and Australia are unbeatable at the Gabba for any opposition. The English must not be intimidated or read anything into this match, they were always going to lose it. Some of those deliveries today had extreme bounce that were extremely difficult to cope with.
Their is a reason why Australia seem to always play game one of the ashes at the Gabba. It is because they are invincible there and want to psychologically destroy the English in a game one of an Ashes series so they never get back into the series. Cricket series are based on momentum so probably Australia will white wash from here unless the English have some personnel changes they can make who have fresh minds and were exempt from this drubbing.

 

[Spark]

Hameed looked extremely comfortable in both innings and was unlucky to get strangeled down leg.

Idk I feel I've seen this movie before with English top order players visiting Australia. Defensively they look okay, but they have very few scoring options and eventually they get out somehow for an underwhelming score. Carberry, Stoneman in the last two tours fall into that group.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Honestly don't think England should be as pessimistic as they are right now, hard loss but series is far from over. Hameed looked extremely comfortable in both innings and was unlucky to get strangeled down leg. Robinson bowled brilliantly, Malan and root are in the runs.

If stokes is injured I would go
1.Burns
2.Hameed
3.Malan
4.root
5.Pope
6.Lawrence
7.Buttler
8.Robinson
9.Andy
10.Broad/Woakes
11.Leach/Overton.

Wood Bowked his heart out, let him rest In the second game. Would back this attack to role through the crims under lights.

Starc playing this game is gonna massively bite us, he was always going to play the 2nd test, and if he performs there the selectors aren't gonna suddenly rest him, and the 5th is another pink baller. Nice to see green step up and fill in with the ball to make up for starc, 2 huge wickets.

If you've got both Root and Lawrence, there's no need for Leach.

 

[Prince EWS]

If you've got both Root and Lawrence, there's no need for Leach.

Yeah I don't think Leach can be carried in Australia unless Stokes is playing (and properly fit to bowl)... and even then it's a gamble after what happened here.

 

[Hurricane2]

England and all touring teams should take a custom build team to tour Australia. People do it for the sub continent by taking up to three spinners in a test, but they don't get adventurous when picking a team for Australia where the conditions are very unique and the bounciest and fastest in the world.
I would recommend to all touring teams
1) Don't take any spinners. Unless that spinner is experienced in Australian conditions they will find it a graveyard there. Part time spin to get through some quick overs is better.
2) Scour your country and find the tallest bowlers possible. Don't worry about speed. Height to induce bounce is key.
3) Pick fast bowlers who are unerringly accurate and can wither opposition batsman down rather than swing bowlers.
4) For your batting team pack it with dashers. If the balance of your batsman are grinders they won't make any runs in Australia as the Aussie bowlers are phenomenally accurate. They take accuracy to a new unparrallelled levels and if your batsman are the type who wait around for bad balls to score runs then they won't succeed in Australia.
5) Take a squad and rotate both bowlers and batsman to keep fresh.

All of the above could be wrong. It is just some thoughts for how to win in Australia as they are a juggernaut at home.

 

[Gnske]

I stand with Hurricane2 on those sentiments

 

[Fuller Pilch]

England and all touring teams should take a custom build team to tour Australia. People do it for the sub continent by taking up to three spinners in a test, but they don't get adventurous when picking a team for Australia where the conditions are very unique and the bounciest and fastest in the world.
I would recommend to all touring teams
1) Don't take any spinners. Unless that spinner is experienced in Australian conditions they will find it a graveyard there. Part time spin to get through some quick overs is better.
2) Scour your country and find the tallest bowlers possible. Don't worry about speed. Height to induce bounce is key.
3) Pick fast bowlers who are unerringly accurate and can wither opposition batsman down rather than swing bowlers.
4) For your batting team pack it with dashers. If the balance of your batsman are grinders they won't make any runs in Australia as the Aussie bowlers are phenomenally accurate. They take accuracy to a new unparrallelled levels and if your batsman are the type who wait around for bad balls to score runs then they won't succeed in Australia.
5) Take a squad and rotate both bowlers and batsman to keep fresh.

All of the above could be wrong. It is just some thoughts for how to win in Australia as they are a juggernaut at home.

Good comments, but not just dashers in the batting lineup. Without Pujara India wouldn't have won those 2 series.

 

[anil1405]

The Gabba is such a fortress. I really hope the English have a team huddle tonight and flush this game down the dunny. India are unbeatable at home on a bunsen and Australia are unbeatable at the Gabba for any opposition.

Didn't watch much cricket in 2021?

 

[Prince EWS]

England and all touring teams should take a custom build team to tour Australia. People do it for the sub continent by taking up to three spinners in a test, but they don't get adventurous when picking a team for Australia where the conditions are very unique and the bounciest and fastest in the world.
I would recommend to all touring teams
1) Don't take any spinners. Unless that spinner is experienced in Australian conditions they will find it a graveyard there. Part time spin to get through some quick overs is better.
2) Scour your country and find the tallest bowlers possible. Don't worry about speed. Height to induce bounce is key.
3) Pick fast bowlers who are unerringly accurate and can wither opposition batsman down rather than swing bowlers.
4) For your batting team pack it with dashers. If the balance of your batsman are grinders they won't make any runs in Australia as the Aussie bowlers are phenomenally accurate. They take accuracy to a new unparrallelled levels and if your batsman are the type who wait around for bad balls to score runs then they won't succeed in Australia.
5) Take a squad and rotate both bowlers and batsman to keep fresh.

All of the above could be wrong. It is just some thoughts for how to win in Australia as they are a juggernaut at home.

England have actually tried these things to varying degrees across different tours. Unfortunately crap players who are kinda suited to the conditions are usually still crap. We got the glory of Boyd Rankin with #2 and the glory of James Vince with #4.

 

[Adders]

Can someone please explain wtf happened in those first few overs this morning? I was driving back from Melbourne and by the time I got the radio going g we'd lost 3 wickets.

Please tell me they were unplayable balls? Root talked a bit about wining the key moments blah blah blah before the series. Well that was the first session ffs, win that win or draw the test. The new ball was always going to be a tipping point......to lose 3 before it when 2 of them are on their ways to tons is just mind blowing to me having not seen it.

Such a positive day yesterday, fell into a stinking pile of shite today.

 

[Prince EWS]

Can someone please explain wtf happened in those first few overs this morning? I was driving back from Melbourne and by the time I got the radio going g we'd lost 3 wickets.

Please tell me they were unplayable balls? Root talked a bit about wining the key moments blah blah blah before the series. Well that was the first session ffs, win that win or draw the test. The new ball was always going to be a tipping point......to lose 3 before it when 2 of them are on their ways to tons is just mind blowing to me having not seen it.

Such a positive day yesterday, fell into a stinking pile of ****e today.

Root got a jaf.
Malan was spooked by field placements.
Pope vs spin.

 

[Spark]

Can someone please explain wtf happened in those first few overs this morning? I was driving back from Melbourne and by the time I got the radio going g we'd lost 3 wickets.

Please tell me they were unplayable balls? Root talked a bit about wining the key moments blah blah blah before the series. Well that was the first session ffs, win that win or draw the test. The new ball was always going to be a tipping point......to lose 3 before it when 2 of them are on their ways to tons is just mind blowing to me having not seen it.

Such a positive day yesterday, fell into a stinking pile of ****e today.

Malan's luck against Lyon finally ran out, Root got a decent outswinger that he probably would have left had it come half an hour later, and Pope batted like he'd never seen Lyon bowl before. All before the new ball, which meant it was basically curtains as a contest and England have been a 5-out-all-out team in Aus for a few tours now.

 

[Hurricane2]

Can someone please explain wtf happened in those first few overs this morning? I was driving back from Melbourne and by the time I got the radio going g we'd lost 3 wickets.

Please tell me they were unplayable balls? Root talked a bit about wining the key moments blah blah blah before the series. Well that was the first session ffs, win that win or draw the test. The new ball was always going to be a tipping point......to lose 3 before it when 2 of them are on their ways to tons is just mind blowing to me having not seen it.

Such a positive day yesterday, fell into a stinking pile of ****e today.

Malan out thought himself if that makes sense. Ran down the wicket at a peach of a delivery that he would have survived if he had stayed in his crease and flat batted with soft hands.
Joe Root had read a scouting report that didn't include the fact Green could swing it. It was the only ball Green swung all day. The ball should have been ruled illegal as it was out of keeping for Green to bowl an outswinger especially with a 75 over ball. I was taken aback that it swung and Root certainly didn't bank on the remotest possibility it might swing. End result he nicked off. Green is a very handy change bowler. Better than Shane Watson's seamers even.

 

[Adders]

Hmmm, what happened todays was always a very real possibility, but ****.......I said last night all I wanted to see was us fight again after yesterday and make Australia work hard for it and not hand it to them on a plate.

 

[Adders]

But I also think I had a bit too much 2010 in my head..........we've got Root but we don't have the likes of Cook, Trott and Strauss and this Aussie bowling attack is no crap Mitchell Johnson, bollinger and Hillfy.

Meh, it's the hope that gets ya every time lol

 

[Apex Predator]

Vince
Hameed
Malan
Root
Billings
Stokes
Buttler
Robinson
Wood
Broad
Anderson

For 2nd test

 

[wpdavid]

Hmmm, what happened todays was always a very real possibility, but ****.......I said last night all I wanted to see was us fight again after yesterday and make Australia work hard for it and not hand it to them on a plate.

Probably my fault for staying up to follow the first hour's play. By the time I realised my mistake, we were five down and the game was effectively over. Apologies to all England fans for that effort.

So apart from one good partnership, we lost 19 wickets for about 280. Not exactly surprising, but not much evidence that this series will be any different to the last two in Australia.

 

[Hurricane2]

Based on my above posted theory -

Overton to come into the team based on being 6 foot 5
Stuart Broad to also come into the team also based on being 6 foot 5

 

[social]

England’s problem is batting not bowling

Slip fielding as well

Bairstow for Burns?

Suck it up ranga & open

Forget about a spinner and get Root to bowl a few

 

[wpdavid]

England’s problem is batting not bowling

It's our bigger problem, no question. But much of our bowling wasn't great, so we may as well look at that too. At least we have options with the bowling.