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

[Gob]

wtf was Arun doing?

 

[Nintendo]

I honestly don't get how Marnus was so high. He didn't really do anything in India any he didn't do really anything last week either.

Made a **** ton of runs against the windies last summer and did fine vs SA when they toured. He didn't have a standout india tour, but he was our second leading run scorer and averaged 45. Think he stayed #1 for so long more cause of the guys around him, honestly. Smith had a horror series in india, head averaged 10 when we toured SL+PAK and missed a few tests hits in india, kane has barely played in the last few years, root has a stretch of low scores when SA toured eng, then when eng went to pak and the first test in NZ vs NZ, pant got injured and usman didn't play tests between 2019 and 2022 so he was really low down the rankings when he started making runs.

Aside from that windies series where he made 3 straight tons marnus hasn't had any massive series, but he's consistently managed to average 35-45 and string together decent scores.

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah but I don't just think their new brand is something you can easily tinker around the edges with.

I get that the principle is to always take the more aggressive approach. But I don’t understand how they’ve conceptualised giving away wickets in a tight game as aggressive. It’s taking your foot off the opponent’s throat.

 

[Son Of Coco]

England can say they will stick to their Bazball plan all they like. There's no way they won't blink if Australia can put some pressure on them in the next game. They won't want to be 2-0 down while they are 'entertaining' everyone as it would be a long way back from there.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

It is very close between Pant and Blundell in 10th and 11th, but Brook is one to watch now he has played a few more games (up 5 to 13th). If Haz Ball gets going and he has a big series, Brook could get well inside the top 10.

 

[TheJediBrah]

He's a Cantab so loves to win, and a ranga so loves to fight.

I would watch "Ben Stokes fightin round the world"

rubbish post

you picked up on that, well done

 

[CartyDurham]

presumably in this scenario England take all their catches but australia still drop theirs? I just want to make sure we’re on the same page here.

You know what I mean. Yes the declaration was proved to be wrong but that alone did not lose the game. England missed chances, you know that and when you miss so many , in a game so tight, you usually lose

i don’t know why so many think that’s funny or wrong but there you go. It happens and we move on

i know people are taking the Micky but remember there are games still to come.

well played Australia you got over the line. Let’s see what happen next

there you go all, laugh your heads off, but the above is reality

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Socrates-ishly: Why is Bazball?

 

[Molehill]

You know what I mean. Yes the declaration was proved to be wrong but that alone did not lose the game. England missed chances, you know that and when you miss so many , in a game so tight, you usually lose

i don’t know why so many think that’s funny or wrong but there you go. It happens and we move on

i know people are taking the Micky but remember there are games still to come.

well played Australia you got over the line. Let’s see what happen next

there you go all, laugh your heads off, but the above is reality

No one thinks it's funny. The issue is that chances do get missed but you can't always control that. Sometimes edges go straight to first slip, and other times they split the keeper/slip perfectly. What you can totally control is when to declare, and Stokes got it horribly wrong. It wasn't even with hindsight, we all knew it at the time. You don't give away Root's wicket for free unless you have 550 on the board.

 

[CartyDurham]

No one thinks it's funny. The issue is that chances do get missed but you can't always control that. Sometimes edges go straight to first slip, and other times they split the keeper/slip perfectly. What you can totally control is when to declare, and Stokes got it horribly wrong. It wasn't even with hindsight, we all knew it at the time. You don't give away Root's wicket for free unless you have 550 on the board.

It’s all fair points and believe me, I agree with everyone one who thought it was wrong

my point is about the chances England missed, without them the result would have been different and the declaration an irrelavance

that’s all I’ve been saying.

anyway I’m posting my horses today on the ascot thread. Any fancies ?

 

[Nintendo]

No one thinks it's funny. The issue is that chances do get missed but you can't always control that. Sometimes edges go straight to first slip, and other times they split the keeper/slip perfectly. What you can totally control is when to declare, and Stokes got it horribly wrong. It wasn't even with hindsight, we all knew it at the time. You don't give away Root's wicket for free unless you have 550 on the board.

Next time the powerball maxes out can you tell me what numbers you think will win? Wanna know what to avoid when I buy my tickets.

 

[CartyDurham]

I wonder if England had not declared and batted on, the four overs to close, then batted on until lunch the following day and even into an hour or so of the next afternoon and come day 5 , the Aussies had time only for the draw, whether anyone would be now moaning on about Stokes not declaring early enough ?

id put money on they would be and saying oh bazball eh, couldn’t force a win and left it to late

it’s gone and it’s time to move on in this potentially series of a lifetime

 

[Spark]

I wonder if England had not declared and batted on, the four overs to close, then batted on until lunch the following day and even into an hour or so of the next afternoon and come day 5 , the Aussies had time only for the draw, whether anyone would be now moaning on about Stokes not declaring early enough ?

id put money on they would be

If they had done that they wouldn't have had to bat as long in the second innings. You know that all else being equal they would have gotten a massive first innings lead in that case right?

In fact they almost certainly have more time to bowl Australia out because they can go absolutely bonkers in the 3rd innings with zero regard for their wicket at all. If they start out with a first innings lead of, say, 150, then Stokes would quite happily tell his batsmen that they have a session to put on 250 and go for their lives. In that case the 30 plus overs they save in the second innings compensates more than enough for the time they spent batting in the first.

Also this consistent line of posting you've made with the bolded is intellectually dishonest. It's not that hard to be consistent about these things if you aren't completely a slave to outcomes and can analyse things honestly according to the information available at the time. Just as the fact that there's been a result doesn't change my view that the pitch was ****house, nor would have a different result changed the vast majority of people's views here that the declaration sucked. Sometimes you just get lucky, sometimes other factors outweigh the error.

 

[Spark]

Besides I thought the only reason they declared was to save Anderson from getting a broken finger. Or so someone claimed.

 

[the big bambino]

You know what I mean. Yes the declaration was proved to be wrong but that alone did not lose the game. England missed chances, you know that and when you miss so many , in a game so tight, you usually lose

i don’t know why so many think that’s funny or wrong but there you go. It happens and we move on

i know people are taking the Micky but remember there are games still to come.

well played Australia you got over the line. Let’s see what happen next

there you go all, laugh your heads off, but the above is reality

No one’s laughing their heads off. The banter between the fans has been good with hardly any gloating or whinging. But really your point about dropped chances is too one sided. Both teams made mistakes which most likely cancelled each other out.

Neither would it have mattered if England made twice the mistakes. It just means you would have played twice as badly and deserved to lose. Just like a batsman getting himself out with a bad shot and saying I could’ve got a ton otherwise. No one will have much sympathy.

The mistake England made that really cost them was the declaration. England gave up runs when it was easiest to bat so we didn’t have to chase them when it was hardest to bat.

 

[KungFu_Kallis]

Hmm looks like England's bulldog spirit has been replaced by a noisy hyperactive chihuahua who can't stop ****ting on the carpet

 

[CartyDurham]

Right lads, it’s clear now that I’m wrong and you won’t accept the examples I’m putting forward

i can’t really comment any further as I’m “ intellectually dishonest”

just say I’m bloody stupid eh?

let’s look forward to another thriller

 

[CartyDurham]

No one’s laughing their heads off. The banter between the fans has been good with hardly any gloating or whinging. But really your point about dropped chances is too one sided. Both teams but made mistakes which most likely cancelled each other out.

Neither would it have mattered if England made twice the mistakes. It just means you would have played twice as badly and deserved to lose. Just like a saying a batsman got himself out with a bad shot and saying I could’ve got a ton otherwise. No one will have much sympathy.

The mistake England made that really cost them was the declaration. England gave up runs when it was easiest to bat so we didn’t have to chase them when it was hardest to bat.

Would you say all this if England had won ?

 

[CartyDurham]

If they had done that they wouldn't have had to bat as long in the second innings. You know that all else being equal they would have gotten a massive first innings lead in that case right?

In fact they almost certainly have more time to bowl Australia out because they can go absolutely bonkers in the 3rd innings with zero regard for their wicket at all. If they start out with a first innings lead of, say, 150, then Stokes would quite happily tell his batsmen that they have a session to put on 250 and go for their lives. In that case the 30 plus overs they save in the second innings compensates more than enough for the time they spent batting in the first.

Also this consistent line of posting you've made with the bolded is intellectually dishonest. It's not that hard to be consistent about these things if you aren't completely a slave to outcomes and can analyse things honestly according to the information available at the time. Just as the fact that there's been a result doesn't change my view that the pitch was ****house, nor would have a different result changed the vast majority of people's views here that the declaration sucked. Sometimes you just get lucky, sometimes other factors outweigh the error.

No need for the smart Alec intellectually dishonest

 

[CartyDurham]

Hmm looks like England's bulldog spirit has been replaced by a noisy hyperactive chihuahua who can't stop ****ting on the carpet

As for you my lad, the saffers have zero to gloat about