*Official* First Test (Edgbaston, Birmingham) 16–20 June

[IcarianStyles]

• Smith misses his chance to tie Sangakkara for fastest to 9000 test runs

• Smith average dropped below 60 again

• Smith repeated LBWs in English conditions last few weeks ala County and this Test (sign of old age in fading hand eye coordination)

Worst Australian cricketing day since 2nd Test BGT collapse.

 

[thierry henry]

Should've batted where batsmen bat then.

He wasn’t a batsman though, he was a pretend spinner

 

[TheJediBrah]

Vettori was a damn decent all-rounder what are we even talking about

Had to drop my daughter at her boyfriend’s house (she has to choose a boyfriend who lives literally on the other corner of the peninsula to me. Nice gaff though, over the road from where the Open is this year) so only saw the first hour and then got back home as Smith was walking back. But I’m happy with it

what are you like 40

 

[grecian]

moeen is an inaccurate bowler who bowls really good balls at times, so it's not a surprise he has a good Strike-rate and poor average. He is a wicket threat though, which is certainly when he's at his best, as a stock bowler he's dreck, but he won't be bowl;ing like that here.

 

[trundler]

He wasn’t a batsman though, he was a pretend spinner

Yes exactly, hence he was a no rounder like Mo

 

[Flem274*]

He was probably our best bowler in that 2021 final too. Its never made much sense.

From memory there were a lot of posters and commentators who wished Siraj had played, and that he was the victim of the two spinners selection.

Bumrah disappointed but apart from that the bowlers did their jobs, though Ishant was coming back from injury iirc and looked rusty at times. The batting was the difference. Tbf India were a bit hard done by to be ambushed by NZ gaining two power ups at the last minute in Conway and KJ who did a lot of heavy lifting, though they had at least faced one of those guys before.

 

[thierry henry]

Yes exactly, hence he was a no rounder like Mo

ok

 

[flibbertyjibber]

moeen is an inaccurate bowler who bowls really good balls at times, so it's not a surprise he has a good Strike-rate and poor average. He is a wicket threat though, which is certainly when he's at his best, as a stock bowler he's dreck, but he won't be bowl;ing like that here.

Yeah. He is a bowler who is just as likely to bowl a rank long hop as a jaffa. Makes him dangerous but you'd not like to be a close in fielder off him.

 

[trundler]

ok

Yeah

 

[grecian]

• Smith misses his chance to tie Sangakkara for fastest to 9000 test runs

• Smith average dropped below 60 again

• Smith repeated LBWs in English conditions last few weeks ala County and this Test (sign of old age in fading hand eye coordination)

Worst Australian cricketing day since 2nd Test BGT collapse.

This is an interesting point, we do live in a time where longevity in sportsman generally is much more common than it was, but Smith has always been an huge anomaly in that his batting is so dominated by incredible hand-eye co-ordination rather than technique that his demise could be quick.

Obvs massive wishful-thinking from me, but a possibility.

 

[TheJediBrah]

This is an interesting point, we do live in a time where longevity in sportsman generally is much more common than it was, but Smith has always been an huge anomaly in that his batting is so dominated by incredible hand-eye co-ordination rather than technique that his demise could be quick.

Obvs massive wishful-thinking from me, but a possibility.

Yeah it's not like it been talked about constantly for the last 10 years or anything

 

[Fuller Pilch]

• Smith misses his chance to tie Sangakkara for fastest to 9000 test runs

• Smith average dropped below 60 again

• Smith repeated LBWs in English conditions last few weeks ala County and this Test (sign of old age in fading hand eye coordination)

I wouldn't be too worried about Smith. He just scored a masterful 100 in the WTC final.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Also Tubby said on comms that Smith is the sort of bloke who will just retire out of the blue rather than look to go on to 40. Does he know something we don't?

 

[morgieb]

Also Tubby said on comms that Smith is the sort of bloke who will just retire out of the blue rather than look to go on to 40. Does he know something we don't?

I have seen similar things mentioned in the media. I don't think he goes past the 2025/26 Ashes at the most.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Smith is far less-reliant on hand-eye coordination than Warner, or Labuschagne, or Head or most Top-level cricketers. He almost always gets in a position where he's right over the line of the ball and playing it under his eyes. Him needing hand-eye coordination more than most is a myth that has never gone away and I think it's literally just because he walks across his stumps and plays straight balls to leg a lot

 

[social]

Vettori was a really skilful bowler who played much of his career with a bad back that robbed him of the ability to really spin the ball

He also basically learned how to bat at test level

 

[Fuller Pilch]

• Smith average dropped below 60 again

After 107 tests Ponting averaged 59.99

 

[grecian]

Smith is far less-reliant on hand-eye coordination than Warner, or Labuschagne, or Head or most Top-level cricketers. He almost always gets in a position where he's right over the line of the ball and playing it under his eyes. Him needing hand-eye coordination more than most is a myth that has never gone away and I think it's literally just because he walks across his stumps and plays straight balls to leg a lot

It's an opinion that you clearly disagree with, not a myth. Yes he manages to despite all his movement to get right on top of the ball, possiblly because he sees it so well, we'll see though.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Vettori was a really skilful bowler who played much of his career with a bad back that robbed him of the ability to really spin the ball

He also basically learned how to bat at test level

When he was young (pre back injuries) he actually turned it quite a bit.

 

[Shri]