3rd Test at Melbourne - December 26 - 30

[Line and Length]

Congratulations on an inspired spell Scott Boland. But remember, not all inspired spells lead to a long and successful Test career. Ask Bob Massie.

 

[Prince EWS]

Congratulations on an inspired spell Scott Boland. But remember, not all inspired spells lead to a long and successful Test career. Ask Bob Massie.

I don't think anyone in this thread has been guilty of thinking Boland will have a long Test career tbh.

 

[cnerd123]

not even the worst batting collapse of the day tbh

 

[social]

Did you go to the beach on the way back?

I live on the beach so checked the score and went for a dip & a walk with the dog

I must be getting old as it’s hard to watch

 

[Prince EWS]

I live on the beach so checked the score and went for a dip & a walk with the dog

I must be getting old as it’s hard to watch

Bill Lawry smiling from above.

 

[Woodster]

Where to start with this…..another completely inept batting performance in the face of some admittedly excellent bowling. Every time an opposition side bowls well we simply crumble and this has now happened for far too long.

Silverwood will rightly come under scrutiny for his role in this pathetic series but it’s difficult to see what options he had in terms of batsmen that haven’t been selected. I’m a fan of Dan Lawrence, I think he has the kind of confidence and positivity that wouldn’t see him overawed in an Ashes series in Oz, but he has technical issues that I’m sure could get exploited too. I couldn’t say with any certainty that he’d improve things for us with the bat and I don’t think we have anyone that could currently.

It’s generally at the end of a series like this (well, the end of it being a contest) where I think we don’t need a major overhaul of players, but I think we might need a real look at five spots in the top seven. If Broad and/or Anderson call it a day now, and who could blame them, then we need to look at a couple of bowling options too. It may take a major overhaul to instil any kind of optimism in the England fans.

 

[Line and Length]

I don't think anyone in this thread has been guilty of thinking Boland will have a long Test career tbh.

Haven't you heard of tongue -in-cheek?

 

[Starfighter]

Bill Lawry smiling from above.

Lawry's still alive ftr

 

[Prince EWS]

Lawry's still alive ftr

Tall though.

 

[Victor Ian]

dude did you go to the mcg during the game at all

Actually I did go there. Unfortunately it was to clean up a disaster patch of rubbish left by some homies under the bridge that leads to it.
I prefer to watch cricket on TV. Since I went to the MCG in a box I refuse to go as regular scum anymore, but unfortunately my friends who have good jobs to get box tickets all moved away

 

[Hurricane2]

This series is addictive to watch

Will hameed get a 50
Will hameed get a new haircut
Will joe root make his first century on Aussie soil
Will joe root say something racist on a tv interview
Will jimmy Anderson continue to dial back the years and bowl like a cornered tiger
Will jack leach continue to bowl like a drunken tiger
Will Marcus Harris play and miss more than 20 times in his next innings like he did in his last dig
Will the Australian posters on this message board continue to claim that playing and missing without nicking it is a skill that better players have?
Will the Australians make it on to the team bus
How fast can mark wood crank it up to?
Can Cameron green actually bat ?
Does steve Smith ever drop a slip catch ?
Can Jos Butler conceive of any more bad ideas or make further poor plays to lower his stature further
Finally will it dawn on Ben Stokes that his reputation can’t score his runs for him and will he stop batting in a paint by numbers fashion

All these questions and many more will be answered in the 4th test

 

[social]

Where to start with this…..another completely inept batting performance in the face of some admittedly excellent bowling. Every time an opposition side bowls well we simply crumble and this has now happened for far too long.

Silverwood will rightly come under scrutiny for his role in this pathetic series but it’s difficult to see what options he had in terms of batsmen that haven’t been selected. I’m a fan of Dan Lawrence, I think he has the kind of confidence and positivity that wouldn’t see him overawed in an Ashes series in Oz, but he has technical issues that I’m sure could get exploited too. I couldn’t say with any certainty that he’d improve things for us with the bat and I don’t think we have anyone that could currently.

It’s generally at the end of a series like this (well, the end of it being a contest) where I think we don’t need a major overhaul of players, but I think we might need a real look at five spots in the top seven. If Broad and/or Anderson call it a day now, and who could blame them, then we need to look at a couple of bowling options too. It may take a major overhaul to instil any kind of optimism in the England fans.

Woodie

Here’s my take

Some combination of Jimmy/Broad/Robinson/Wood/Jofra/Stone/Stokes etc is a quality seam attack if all are fit

Leach can do a job in support but Bess is nowhere near test class

Need another spinning option

Foakes is world class and England needs to get over whatever is happening there

Issue is batting, tactics and selection

Need at least 4 players who can play in top 5

 

[Spark]

Will the Australians make it on to the team bus

incredible vintage cw reference, this

 

[quincywagstaff]

8th time out of last 9 Oz Ashes tours that Australia have retained the Ashes with 2 Tests to spare.

Truth be told wasn't terribly interested in opening two Tests as watching England's utter mediocrity for decades in Oz made those matches so predictable it felt a bit tedious.

But watched most of this Test and England's ineptitude stooped to such a level that it's become entertaining again!

Favourite bit was how long it took Stokes to come out yesterday evening in a pointless attempt to stop another over be bowled. Just awesome.

 

[Woodster]

Woodie

Here’s my take

Some combination of Jimmy/Broad/Robinson/Wood/Jofra/Stone/Stokes etc is a quality seam attack if all are fit

Leach can do a job in support but Bess is nowhere near test class

Need another spinning option

Foakes is world class and England needs to get over whatever is happening there

Issue is batting, tactics and selection

Need at least 4 players who can play in top 5

Can’t really disagree with any of that!

The bowling depth is there and decent quality too, I worry if both Broad and Anderson go soon though, that knowledge will leave us without leaders of the unit.

I would favour Parkinson over Bess, as I don’t think Bess is anywhere of the requisite quality required with the ball either. England and Root need to decide where they stand on Leach, either show some confidence in him or leave him out.

I’m a huge fan of Foakes and at least picking him will give us one of the best keepers in the world. His county form has stuttered recently with the bat which may have delayed his re-selection.

 

[Burgey]

Will the Australian posters on this message board continue to claim that playing and missing without nicking it is a skill that better players have?

It’s up there with the rubbish “oooh nice soft hands, chePu” as an edge bounced in front of slips for the 846th time here last summer tbh.

 

[Gnske]

It’s up there with the rubbish “oooh nice soft hands, chePu” as an edge bounced in front of slips for the 846th time here last summer tbh.

You can say that to ChePu but you say it to your wife all of a sudden you're a sick pervert

 

[TheJediBrah]

So I watched the cricket this morning and it finished faster than a virgin

Interesting, let us know when it finally happens for you how fast it was

 

[quincywagstaff]

That’s mid-80s TOTAB level of one man team stuff

Even Border in the mid-80s never had a year carrying the Oz batting lineup like this. There was Kepler, Boon, Matthews and Jones who extended good patches of form.

For England, there's just no one even moderately having a decent calendar year. Just stunning.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Wait...did Root get clanged in the knackers again today!? By Cummins no less. The poor bastard is going to be wheeling his nuts onto the plane home on a luggage trolley at the rate he's going. The swelling will be permanent.