**Official** 3rd Test @Brisbane (Ewwwww), 14th-18th December

[Burgey]

Surely Webster comes in for Marsh. Been tragic

 

[Spark]

Honestly, so much talk about the top order and Marnus and selection etc but a plainly unfit, underdone Mitch Marsh - who isn't exactly worth making special exceptions for with his record - playing all three games so far is more ridiculous than all of that combined

 

[Darwin Award]

How many chances did Marsh give in that innings of 5?

Garbage knock.

 

[Starfighter]

Still looks to be enough there with the hard ball so India should hope to keep Aus below 370.

So that's why I'd have rathered Smith kept his head for a bit longer to guarantee us 400. The way Marsh batted there he'd have struggled against a 120 over-old ball.

 

[PlayerComparisons]

Green comes in for Marsh for the ashes next year?

 

[Gob]

Shut the door on the opposition. Now we have Marsh facing the new ball. Plus I think it would do Smith mental good to go on and get a really big, 140+ score, so he can prove to himself he can still do it.

When I first checked the score today, he was 18 not out and I was genuinely happy that he lasted that long. So yeah 140 would have been nice but **** me given how he was batting for the last year or so, I would ****ing take this

 

[Spark]

I can see us folding quite quickly here, which would be very annoying. Ball is skidding on which usually destroys lower orders, especially ours

 

[Spark]

When I first checked the score today, he was 18 not out and I was genuinely happy that he lasted that long. So yeah 140 would have been nice but **** me given how he was batting for the last year or so, I would ****ing take this

He looked fortunate to get to 18 not out today as well, believe me. He was batting with a fork until he got to 50

 

[Kraken]

If anything, this just highlights exactly how much India are reliant on Bumrah

 

[Qlder]

And there it is...Marsh's average now back to 29.67. How does a middle order bat get to play 45 tests averaging < 30

(averages 23.08 in 8 tests this year)

 

[Spark]

Yeah this won't last long, and I could see that coming from Head.

 

[Starfighter]

FFS. Just giving them away now.

 

[Spark]

So that's why I'd have rathered Smith kept his head for a bit longer to guarantee us 400. The way Marsh batted there he'd have struggled against a 120 over-old ball.

Tbh I didn't see us lasting long with the new rock full stop (Head's dismissal just now was also very predictable). That's why it was important to maximise that pre-new ball period, which we did.

 

[morgieb]

Ouch. From 3/300 to perhaps falling below 350. Marsh has to go.

 

[Zinzan]

Meanwhile Bumrah continues the freakshow. Figures of 4-60 off 22.2 in a scorecard of 326-5 off 86.

So Australia 266-1 in 64 overs vs. the other bowlers.

 

[Johan]

Am I missing something? if India are just Bumrah or bust, why not just block Bumrah out and target others? that's the classical approach

 

[Starfighter]

. Ball is skidding on which usually destroys lower orders, especially ours

In the same situation we'd be bowling short balls.

 

[Shri]

bumrah 49 wickets in australia at 17.87

 

[morgieb]

Am I missing something? if India are just Bumrah or bust, why not just block Bumrah out and target others? that's the classical approach

They did earlier in the game. Think this is more trying to make hay with the second new ball especially as rain has hurt the amount of time required to win the game.

 

[Spark]

In the same situation we'd be bowling short balls.

This is why (though I have no problem with Haze's selection), Boland really should have played more games in these sorts of conditions; he is one bowler does get the ball to skid through consistently from a good/back of a length