*Official* Second Test (Lord's, London) 28 June–2 July

[Starfighter]

Losing Marnus just before the end is irritating. England are confident chasers, there's no Lyon and if the pitch plays the way it usually has recently, it will be easiest last. Shoot for 450 at least IMO.

 

[grecian]

Ah I will probably do a long post about this when we lose the series, but in the end I was an huge fan of Bazball, because I thought it was more than mindless aggression, but about putting the best players in and keeping faith with them because they are clearly the best at their skills, best spinner, best keeper.

Yet immediately Bairstow came in for Foakes, then Leach got injured, and they chose a guy who hadn't played red ball for donkeys, Stokes can't bowl, so they leave him floating about as a nothing bat rather than replace a batsmen with him allowing you to pick Foakes or Dawson, every bit of the team just seems weakened, hey look I'm pretty magnanimous when we've lost a series and willing to say well-played, but it's hard to think of anyone apart from Khawaja that's impressed me from your lot, but no-one has impressed me from our lot.

I was wrong bazball is just mindless machismo as it stands and as it's been played in these 2 Tests so far.

 

[Kraken]

Ah I will probably do a long post about this when we lose the series, but in the end I was an huge fan of Bazball, because I thought it was more than mindless aggression, but about putting the best players in and keeping faith with them because they are clearly the best at their skills, best spinner, best keeper.

Yet immediately Bairstow came in for Foakes, then Leach got injured, and they chose a guy who hadn't played red ball for donkeys, Stokes can't bowl, so they leave him floating about as a nothing bat rather than replace a batsmen with him allowing you to pick Foakes or Dawson, every bit of the team just seems weakened, hey look I'm pretty magnanimous when we've lost a series and willing to say well-played, but it's hard to think of anyone apart from Khawaja that's impressed me from your lot, but no-one has impressed me from our lot.

I was wrong bazball is just mindless machismo as it stands and as it's been played in these 2 Tests so far.

Steve Smith’s 32nd test hundred didn’t impress you, eh?

 

[JBMAC]

Sorry JB but you’re wrong

Green is 6’7” with a 7 foot wingspan

Most of those guys wouldn’t lay a finger on the stuff he snaffles as they’re just too small

Oh ye of little faith

 

[the big bambino]

I think Garner is the standard Green's fielding has to meet. Even Mallet was pretty special in the gully.

 

[vicleggie]

View attachment 36239

this has to be the most emasculating thing for a 'quick'

 

[Son Of Coco]

It was good to see Broad's wankappeals shooting him in the foot yesterday too. If he didn't carry on like such a pork chop all the time, perhaps Stokes would have been more likely to review the one that was actually out.

Apparently he wasn't very happy about it either. If England don't manage to rescue a result from this test, we might see a dressing room starting to fracture.

 

[Gob]

Steve Smith’s 32nd test hundred didn’t impress you, eh?

Or Pat Cummins last match

Everyman to himself etc but that was a weird take

 

[Nintendo]

I really hope that if england chase whatever AUS down in miraculous fashion that it doesn't take attention away from england's batting approach in general. I'm as big a believer as any in the whole "England where way worse before stokes" and the "well their gonna make more runs batting aggressive than they will playing traditional test cricket" comments, but their's a difference between aggression and brainless batting. England have thrown away chances to bury the game two innings straight with the bat by missing straight breaks from lyon and trying to hit every short ball for 6 with 4 fielders on the fence. This is while having had the better of the batting conditions, at home, on pitches they specifically requested. It's not good enough.

 

[Burgey]

I actually agree but he honestly just doesn't do this a lot. He looks so much better when he's hitting the deck hard and throwing the odd one up rather than trying to get the magic ball every ball.

The video someone posted yesterday about Starc in England was instructive. The more I think about it, the more I agree with its conclusions. He should not get the new ball in England and should come on after about 10 overs when the lacquer is off and it's more likely to swing. If it doesn't swing he should revert to the type of bowling he hit this morning and which you're advocating. He was good first up today.

 

[Burgey]

Given Aus is a bowler down and it's their spinner, if I was in the shed i'd be wanting the two at the crease batting pretty normally to hopefully get the lead to 320 or so, then assess how the deck is playing under the sunshine before deciding how hard to push things along before a declaration.

Unless it shows signs of variable bounce, tbh i'd be tempted to bat til almost half way through the last session if there's wickets still in hand and pile on a 450-500 chase. I just don't know that the England line up is able to bat time even if they want to, and that many runs would be too many even without a front line spinner on day 5. We're 1-0 up. Give them nothing. The Ashes are over here, lads. Come chase them.

 

[halba]

No Nathan Lyon is my main concern if you are an Aussie supporter

 

[halba]

Given Aus is a bowler down and it's their spinner, if I was in the shed i'd be wanting the two at the crease batting pretty normally to hopefully get the lead to 320 or so, then assess how the deck is playing under the sunshine before deciding how hard to push things along before a declaration.

Unless it shows signs of variable bounce, tbh i'd be tempted to bat til almost half way through the last session if there's wickets still in hand and pile on a 450-500 chase. I just don't know that the England line up is able to bat time even if they want to, and that many runs would be too many even without a front line spinner on day 5. We're 1-0 up. Give them nothing. The Ashes are over here, lads. Come chase them.

They will never declare with 320 ahead. Has to be over 420. They will keep batting as much as possible until then. No Nathan Lyon.

Better off drawing this game and going into Headingley with Todd Murphy.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Given Aus is a bowler down and it's their spinner, if I was in the shed i'd be wanting the two at the crease batting pretty normally to hopefully get the lead to 320 or so, then assess how the deck is playing under the sunshine before deciding how hard to push things along before a declaration.

Unless it shows signs of variable bounce, tbh i'd be tempted to bat til almost half way through the last session if there's wickets still in hand and pile on a 450-500 chase. I just don't know that the England line up is able to bat time even if they want to, and that many runs would be too many even without a front line spinner on day 5. We're 1-0 up. Give them nothing. The Ashes are over here, lads. Come chase them.

Yeah, you want them in a position where they have to question their approach. If it's 400+ (preferably 450+) in 3 and a half sessions, do they Bazball it or do they hang on for a draw? If it's the latter, are they capable of doing so having not played that way for more than 12 months? I guess it depends on how the deck plays too.

I hope we set the target we want first though.

 

[Burgey]

They will never declare with 320 ahead. Has to be over 420. They will keep batting as much as possible until then. No Nathan Lyon.

Better off drawing this game and going into Headingley with Todd Murphy.

I don't recall suggesting they would tbh

 

[honestbharani]

It might one of those cases where after the lead is decent enough, it might be better for Austalia to be bowled out.

 

[Gnske]

I see yesterday was the final straw for journalists to declare Bazball as a failure

 

[halba]

It might one of those cases where after the lead is decent enough, it might be better for Austalia to be bowled out.

Probably be bowled out, no risk of batting on and on, this isnt exactly an ATG batting lineup once u get past Smith, u got green at no.6 and carey at 7. the tail starts at no.6 Green. Very long tail. carey is handy with the bat at times, but hes no ATG batter, he's more of an old school pinch hitter than comes off at times and looks fairly ordinary at others.

Imho, i would say aus will get bungled out for around 250-260 max, so thats 340-350 REQ by eng which is difficult to chase in the 4th innings but doable because of no Nathan lyon.

 

[Bahnz]

I see yesterday was the final straw for journalists to declare Bazball as a failure

Yeah it’s almost enough to make you want to see England win by doing something deeply stupid like Harry Brook taking the ball in the morning and picking up a hatrick or England reversing the batting both in terms of the tailenders batting first and all the right handers batting left handed.

 

[Victor Ian]

This is bull****. England are gambhiring like they are India. We need more pessimism in the Aussie camp or they are likely to sway fortunes.

Smith is not hanging around as it's not the 1st innings. So it's just get Khawaja out and then it's a quick collapse to set England a chase that is what bazball is all about. Then all these English fans will love Baz and his balls again, and I'll be pissed.