*Official* Fourth Test (Old Trafford, Manchester) 19-23 July

[CarlsbergXpress]

You can bet the ground staff will be giving absolutely everything to ensure we get enough play over the next couple of days to force an England win here. ****, it’s my birthday tomorrow and I’m considering going and helping out!

 

[Gob]

If it happens and I feel England are looking unstoppable then a win at the oval is on and that would leave the Aussies with no win in england since 2001

so the careers of most of this lot will never see an ashes win in England

I can live with that completely satisfied

It would not do them much good that them playing the perfect game imaginable and not winning. Not there fault obviously

None of this would matter when it's 10 am tomorrow and not a cloud in the sky

 

[Burgey]

Have there been two players who have brought such an impact to a team as woakes and wood have?
These two completely changed the course of the England Team.

Loads

Johnson and Harris 2014
Bresnan and Tremlett 2010/11
Lillee and Thomson 74/75

are three off the top of my dial in Ashes alone.

 

[loterry1994]

It would not do them much good that them playing the perfect game imaginable and not winning. Not there fault obviously

None of this would matter when it's 10 am tomorrow and not a cloud in the sky

it’s definitely lot of their fault if they don’t win this and need like 1-2 wickets on days 5 left. Stokes batted slow last night plus I feel they batted too long today so guys could get milestones. A 150-200 lead was definitely enough. With the way australia batted they could of been bowled out today if they had been put in before lunch

 

[Burgey]

has the bloke ever given a series prediction that wasn’t 5-0 lol

Certainly not when he was playing, because as he said (and I don’t know why people who pretend they understand any competitive sport don’t get it) he expected to win every match he played. And so he (and pretty much everyone at any sort of upper level) should.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

All eyes skyward now. Fingers crossed we get 2 sessions as that will be enough to win.

 

[loterry1994]

If England don’t win this the media will absolutely hound stokes about the declaration kind of like the first test

 

[Burgey]

If England don’t win this the media will absolutely hound stokes about the declaration kind of like the first test

Nah, they’ll gobble his knob like they have ever since the last Ashes over there

 

[CartyDurham]

Let’s be fair we are three days in and Australia are desperate for rain to save this game

England have all the momentum now and even if this is rained off, I can’t see anything but an England win at the oval

Cummins , Starc look spent forces in this game with the quick turnover and the Aussies are relying on Mitch marsh here to guard the tail

Come the Oval what attack will Australia deploy ?

Boland has been hit out of the side , Green is steady but he won’t be bowling a team out

Starc and Cummins look shattered , Murphy is too raw to throw in

they are desperate for this to be a draw

 

[Ali TT]

Looks pretty safe to congratulate Australia on retaining the Ashes.

I don't know when the Ashes return to OT, but presumably not until 2031 at the earliest by which point it'll be 50 years and counting since England last beat Australia there.

 

[loterry1994]

Nah, they’ll gobble his knob like they have ever since the last Ashes over there

Win Or lose this England team is scary stokes and rest of them didn’t look fazed or worried at all after going 2-0 down

 

[Burgey]

Win Or lose this England team is scary stokes and rest of them didn’t look fazed or worried at all after going 2-0 down

Oh they outwardly gave that impression but I don’t think they would have been overly thrilled. Who would be?

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Huh. Poor show.

Must be a while since we've had 5 bowlers with 100 test wickets in the XI too.

You've got 6 (although Stokes hasn't bowled in this test).

 

[loterry1994]

Honest question for you guys what’s been the bigger issue this series for Australia their batters or the bowlers?

 

[loterry1994]

Oh they outwardly gave that impression but I don’t think they would have been overly thrilled

they doubled down on their style though didn’t wander off back to their old way

 

[CartyDurham]

Looks pretty safe to congratulate Australia on retaining the Ashes.

I don't know when the Ashes return to OT, but presumably not until 2031 at the earliest by which point it'll be 50 years and counting since England last beat Australia there.

This may comeback to haunt you

forecasting in the uk is not the greatest

this is a long way from over

 

[Adorable Asshole]

Honest question for you guys what’s been the bigger issue this series for Australia their batters or the bowlers?

Fielding actually

 

[Burgey]

they doubled down on their style though didn’t wander off back to their old way

Yeah I don’t think they were ever going to tbf to them. A lot of their guys only know one way and it works for them more than going conservative, which the state of the series militated against anyway

 

[WICFan]

Let’s be fair we are three days in and Australia are desperate for rain to save this game

England have all the momentum now and even if this is rained off, I can’t see anything but an England win at the oval

Cummins , Starc look spent forces in this game with the quick turnover and the Aussies are relying on Mitch marsh here to guard the tail

Come the Oval what attack will Australia deploy ?

Boland has been hit out of the side , Green is steady but he won’t be bowling a team out

Starc and Cummins look shattered , Murphy is too raw to throw in

they are desperate for this to be a draw

The only respite for the Aussie attack is they'll not be bowling again for close to a week, minimum.

 

[loterry1994]

This may comeback to haunt you

forecasting in the uk is not the greatest

this is a long way from over

forecasting everywhere ain’t the greatest when it comes to rain. Unless your superman you’re not 100% sure. Like I told you before my main predictor is betting odds and the draw and England win are quite even so I take that this match is going down to the wire