4th Test at Sydney (?) - Jan 5-9 2022

[Shady Slim]

Maybe Pakistan should play England in Australia to see whether it’s conditions or just some mental ****ery preventing both teams from looking even semi competent there.

pakistan came here in 2016 or 2017 and they very easily could’ve won two out of the three that they played tbf

 

[Gnske]

Stokes batting like he's concussed and has a point to prove

 

[Calm_profit]

Stokes showing intent

 

[Burgey]

Maybe Pakistan should play England in Australia to see whether it’s conditions or just some mental ****ery preventing both teams from looking even semi competent there.

Make it a tri series with SL and that way no one can watch all three of those sides at once

 

[halba]

cummins on a dry spell. 2 innings no wickets.

green out bowling cummins and starc. hes been great.

 

[Calm_profit]

Make it a tri series with SL and that way no one can watch all three of those sides at once

Add NZ and WI.

 

[Alex0paul]

Bairstow in the nervous 30s

 

[morgieb]

Have been out since lunch. Are Australia bowling poorly or have England attacked really well? Gone from 4/36 to 4/118 really quickly.

 

[Daemon]

pakistan came here in 2016 or 2017 and they very easily could’ve won two out of the three that they played tbf

3 close ones in the last 20+ years

 

[Jfry]

Have been out since lunch. Are Australia bowling poorly or have England attacked really well? Gone from 4/36 to 4/118 really quickly.

Incredibly streaky for 30 minutes then quite good batting.

 

[morgieb]

pakistan came here in 2016 or 2017 and they very easily could’ve won two out of the three that they played tbf

Ehhh that's generous. The second Test Pakistan probably should've drawn, but that required a fair bit of rain to help. First came close but was fairly flukish - Pakistan's tail wagged harder than anything I've ever seen and probably had something to do with Australia being so far on top until quite late. Reckon if they were chasing like 350-400 it wouldn't have been as close.

 

[Spark]

Ehhh that's generous. The second Test Pakistan probably should've drawn, but that required a fair bit of rain to help. First came close but was fairly flukish - Pakistan's tail wagged harder than anything I've ever seen and probably had something to do with Australia being so far on top until quite late. Reckon if they were chasing like 350-400 it wouldn't have been as close.

Yeah saying Pakistan were close to winning that Test is very much hindsight analysis. At the time they weren't ever really that much of a chance, at some point they were going to nick one the way they were playing.

 

[social]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1479234221214294016

 

[Gnske]

Whoever sledged Stokes near the changeroom is lucky. You can tell from the look in his eyes he was thinking if it would be worth trying to murder yet another man.

 

[Burgey]

Good to see a brave spectator confronting renowned violent thug Ben Stokes as he walked off the field there before tea.

 

[morgieb]

England probably need to double it. One advantage for England though is that this has happened so quickly and (since getting set) rather elegantly that it's put pressure back on Oz. The Root/Malan partnerships weren't anywhere near as rapid. Be interesting to see whether the break hurts their momentum or whether Australia start to wilter.

Funnily enough I actually think (assuming the 4th day is largely washed out) England might prefer to score 250 rather than 350. Might encourage a risky declaration that puts the game into one day mode.

 

[the big bambino]

England’s bowlers are good but these slower 130s their bowling ain’t going to win in Australia. India in their last few tours in Aus and South Africa had the right bowlers in the past to do it.

Boland bowls at those speeds and is doing a passable job. India's net bowlers last tour basically bowled the same speeds and India won. Anderson and Broad have had success here as did Tremlett and Bresnan. SA have won here with Philander and Abbott. From memory and down the years Kapil and Manoj did well and NZ were competitive with Chatfield, Hadlee and Cairns. Recently Wagner. Md Asif and Sarfraz have done well too. Australia have had Alderman, Maxie Walker and Reiffel. England's problems are more related to length than speed and I think they bowled shorter lengths than Australia. You can do well here as long as you're accurate.

EDIT: forgot McGrath and Stuart Clark. (Red face)

 

[morgieb]

**** that would've been ATG tier catch if he reached it.

 

[Burgey]

Is that another bloke hit in the nuts? Gotta be a record this series

 

[Son Of Coco]

Keep your ****ing hands off our Usman, Ben!