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*Official* 1st Test at the SWALEC Stadium

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Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
That is why "I am very very interested" to see what control he displays with fielders on the on side waiting for the flick from seam deliveries on middle and leg. It is also why I said "possibly" twice in my post.

Did you watch the first innings against Moeen? You see the two ugly onside flicks, especially the one before the dismissal?
If England bowl straight lines at Smith, he'll score truck loads
 

Hurricane

Hall of Fame Member
Not straight. Leg stump, with an onside field.
I agree with this 110% - even if it doesn't come off - give it a decent try. Test cricket is supposed to be a thorough examination of someone's technique. If he passes the test so be it. Let's see how he fares.
 

TheJediBrah

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I know i have just said its an important innings for Voges, but I think it is the absolute last chance for Watto. Before this Test started I was definitely expecting we'd go with the bowling lineup we did and Rogers was going to come back, but the one I got wrong was that I thought Boof would go down the aggressive route and play Mitch Marsh over Watson. Watto's 13 overs 0/47 is really not that important and I think that those overs across 2 innings is not a big workload at all.

So.. I'm wondering should we just play Shaun Marsh at 6 for the extra batting or go for Mitch Marsh? I'm actually thinking Shaun more so now as I don't think it is that difficult to split Watson's overs. Just had a look and he has averaged 14.3 overs per Test over the past 10. They are handy overs, but I feel as though Lyon can take some of them and there is nothing wrong with Smith, Clarke, Voges or Warner bowling one or two (Voges/Clarke are more likely to keep it tight, the other two to jag a wicket). It is a shame that none of them bowl a bit of seam up, even if it was at a Quiney-like level.
But Mitch Marsh is better than Shaun now at batting alone.
 

TheJediBrah

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He possibly has a propensity to flick aerially onside balls on leg stump.

Now his first innings dismissal was pretty ugly with his onside flick, and it was even uglier a few balls before that too. But, that was Ali. I'm talking Wood and Broad firing it into him on a middle and leg line, both full pitch and back of a length.

Now I understand that Smith has scored huge against South Africa and India and is the next big thing of Australian cricket. But, there is a possible weakness here that the English are very keen to test this Ashes series. From silly mid on right round to square leg and maybe leg gully or leg slip, look for the onside fielders against him this summer and the line of the bowling.
India tried exactly that 6 months ago. Worked once cause Smith was being stupid but didn't work again.
 
India tried exactly that 6 months ago. Worked once cause Smith was being stupid but didn't work again.
India bowled rubbish to him and not to a field plan.

Wood, Broad and Anderson is a far different proposition to the Indian seam attack, especially at home.

It also goes further than a mere "leg slip" like you would or should for Ian Bell. Did you see where Cook was fielding to Ali? Silly Mid On. There is more to fielding on side than leg slip or leg gully. Close square leg, closer mid wicket, silly mid on, etc.

S Smith may get through it with another Bradmanesque series. He may not. All I'm saying is that I expect the examination to occur during the series. When it does, Smith had better start glancing the ball along the ground, or shut up shop from the flick and wait for balls on off stump or wider to put away.

But if he cannot flick the ball away without it going aerially (which it has been previously, just no fielders there to take catches), and its length/ back of a length on leg stump, and he has moved across to off, going to be quite hard to defend that ball with control. Even where he doesn't move across to off, can het put away the aerial fluck when fielders are waiting for it.
 
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Howe_zat

Audio File
If you want to put a batsman in at 6 you don't really want a rocks or diamonds player like Shaun Marsh anyway. If he's down the order and falls cheaply he's part of a collapse. If he's down the order and comes off he's likely to be wasted.
 
If you want to put a batsman in at 6 you don't really want a rocks or diamonds player like Shaun Marsh anyway. If he's down the order and falls cheaply he's part of a collapse. If he's down the order and comes off he's likely to be wasted.
If he's down the order against an older ball and more tired bowlers, he may have the time of his life.
 

NUFAN

Y no Afghanistan flag
Shaun is still better than Mitch on batting alone. Not a massive deal but breaking up the RH bats from 3 to 7 isn't the worst thing either.

Oh also, anyone else think its weird that you can put a bet on this:

Total Ashes tweets during series
Applies to the total number of tweets about the Ashes, sent during the Ashes series, according to @twitterdata or the twitter blog. Bets void if the data is not released

Like what is stopping me and a couple of others from betting as much as the betting site allows on the $11 for the 6 miilion or more Ashes tweets
 

Howe_zat

Audio File
I reckon if I gave it an effort I could manage 300 tweets per day. The Ashes lasts another 6 weeks. So you'd probably need upward of 100 people in on it to really force the issue.
 

fredfertang

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Shaun is still better than Mitch on batting alone. Not a massive deal but breaking up the RH bats from 3 to 7 isn't the worst thing either.

Oh also, anyone else think its weird that you can put a bet on this:

Total Ashes tweets during series
Applies to the total number of tweets about the Ashes, sent during the Ashes series, according to @twitterdata or the twitter blog. Bets void if the data is not released

Like what is stopping me and a couple of others from betting as much as the betting site allows on the $11 for the 6 miilion or more Ashes tweets
Spot fixer
 

ajdude

International Coach
people in australia: i've been watching at times on Cricket Australia's stream of ch9's coverage. is that also free on tablets/phones?
 

Spark

Global Moderator
The reason Smith hit the ball in the air against Ali was because he was beaten completely in the flight and desperately tried to get bat on ball lest he get stumped down the legside. Has absolutely nothing to do with any supposed propensity to flick in the air on the legside - not least because this "weakness" would appear against pace, not spin.
 

social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Not straight. Leg stump, with an onside field.
They'll get slaughtered

Smith is massively talented with incredibly fast hands & feet and makes it look as if he is playing across the line when he is actually using a full face

It sounds boring but there is no real secret to Smith (or most players for that matter)

On or about off stump (slightly wider in Smith's case) on a fullish length and look for edges to the cordon as he hangs back a bit
 

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