3rd Test at Melbourne - December 26 - 30

[flibbertyjibber]

Bye bye cheat.

 

[hazsa19]

This spell has been great, keep going up to lunch if he can.

 

[SteveNZ]

Anderson finally bowling the right length. Bloody effective when he does

 

[Shady Slim]

jimmy anderson gets steve smith... it's excellent to see two guys who are clearly past it still playing our great game and producing entertaining duels for us the viewing public

 

[OverratedSanity]

This is the opposite of what I expect an mcg pitch to be. What happened?

 

[Daemon]

Harris outlives Smith :o

 

[Burgey]

This is the opposite of what I expect an mcg pitch to be. What happened?

They left 11mm of live grass on it

 

[Shady Slim]

This is the opposite of what I expect an mcg pitch to be. What happened?

 

[hazsa19]

Anderson finally bowling the right length. Bloody effective when he does

perhaps warmup matches are a good idea

 

[Gnske]

Wagner has ruined Smith and his career is in utter decline.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Good captaincy from Root, eviscerating his bowlers.

 

[SteveNZ]

perhaps warmup matches are a good idea

I'd suggest picking the guy with 630+ wickets for the first Test might've been an idea too. That way when he hits form, it's not day 2 of the third Test and you're not 0-2 down facing a series defeat.

In the defence of warm-ups, didn't it rain on England's?

 

[SteveNZ]

Wagner has ruined Smith and his career is in utter decline.

Even more reason to love the little champion that is Neil Wagner.

 

[morgieb]

Wagner has ruined Smith and his career is in utter decline.

It'll be interesting to see what happens to him in the subcontinent. I think he's still class but needs a circuit breaker. It definitely feels like the bowling goes to 11 when he's in.

 

[tooextracool]

This is a shocking lack of faith in a bowler right at the stroke of lunch with the field spread wide. You really have got to question the point of picking Leach in the match, was it just to check a box?

 

[ashley bach]

as usual it's Marcus Harris holding Australia together here.

 

[Spark]

It'll be interesting to see what happens to him in the subcontinent. I think he's still class but needs a circuit breaker. It definitely feels like the bowling goes to 11 when he's in.

Yeah it's clear that teams have worked out how to block his principal scoring zones. Of course, Smith being Smith could easily radically change his technique on a dime and suddenly score freely again.

 

[Spark]

Having said that, from what I heard on the radio that's not really what happened nor was it any "signs of decline", it sounded more just like really good, accurate bowling on a spicy pitch.

 

[Gnske]

They're literally saving his CAREER.

 

[Spikey]

someone spoon feed harris his lunch so he doesn't miss it