*Official* Fifth Test (The Oval, London) 27-31 July

[the big bambino]

Anyone else think Andy19 sounds exactly like Halba?

If it is then I'm impressed with halba's foresight to create a multi as insurance against his own inevitable banning. Or maybe halba was the sacrificial account all along.

The blokes an absolute genius.

 

[Adorable Asshole]

the real ashes were the morals that we learnt along the way

Yeah England has turned morals into ashes.

 

[the big bambino]

Gee it deteriorated rapidly.

Right at the moment the ball was changed.

 

[Spofforth]

Ain’t it funny how the spirit of the game stuff works when it goes against your team. Englands media was hounding about the bairstow stumping, Aus media hounding about the ball change. I’m fine with the change Aus had more than enough opportunities to win that test. They had like 7 wickets in the bed to get like 120, dropped catches, poor bowling the 3rd innings, absolute poor batting the 1st innings being like 1-100 to 8-200

Yeah, I think some very good bowling was what did for the Aussies in the end. There's no shame in getting beaten that way. They fought for longer and got closer than I was expecting.

 

[GIMH]

2 completely different things though. Absolutely nothing wrong with the Bairstow stumping, that was a nothing turned into a controversy. The ball change however was a blatant, and decisive, error.

No comment on Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett being made to bat in pitch black at Edgbaston but Stokes being forced to bowl spinners when it was much lighter at OT? No, didn't think so. Outrage!

 

[Gremlin]

FMD here's another one......who are these "Poms" that are **** a hoop??? Don't tell me.....Piers Morgan?

Can you see any English poster here carrying on over drawing the series? Get in the bin.

I think we are more pleased with the turnaround.

Lord's was a low point - England's batting was horrid, walking into the most obvious trap with abandon. It was good to see they learnt from that.

Momentum is a word used frequently and it has been with England since then.

For me it has been a great series to watch (or listen to more often than not, work huh) and the talking points throughout only add to the interest because of the passion from both sides.

 

[Burgey]

M8 if you’d like to go back in time and swap the respective conditions when the sides were batting through the series I’d be happy to accommodate it.

It’s not englands fault the umps picked them a new rock in the 30th over but it was an odd decision tstl.

 

[GIMH]

It’s not englands fault the umps picked them a new rock in the 30th over but it was an odd decision tstl.

Did you see Ponting having words with the ref about it? FMD miss him in a 'thank **** he's not out there' kind of way

 

[loterry1994]

M8 if you’d like to go back in time and swap the respective conditions when the sides were batting through the series I’d be happy to accommodate it.

It’s not englands fault the umps picked them a new rock in the 30th over but it was an odd decision tstl.

they had most the tosses, conditions and form in the end. Thought Australia was a bit flat the last three tests. Surely they’ll both be kicking themselves not to win the series. You can’t say who’s the better team though until they come to Aus and put on a competitive series it’s not like they haven’t had some form before and got smoked after with a few retirements and test careers cut short

 

[loterry1994]

Did you see Ponting having words with the ref about it? FMD miss him in a 'thank **** he's not out there' kind of way

honestly if it was the other around your media and ex players would of been all over it as well look at how they went after the Bairstow stumping. Still don’t think it was the deciding factor though as Aus were poor in periods that test

 

[the big bambino]

honestly if it was the other around your media and ex players would of been all over it as well look at how they went after the Bairstow stumping. Still don’t think it was the deciding factor though as Aus were poor in periods that test

Eventually the dropped catches in their first innings and our really poor first innings cost us here.

 

[Molehill]

honestly if it was the other around your media and ex players would of been all over it as well look at how they went after the Bairstow stumping. Still don’t think it was the deciding factor though as Aus were poor in periods that test

I think the point is that England have been accused of having a moan after the Bairstow incident by the righteous Aussies who would never do such a thing.

Ponting has had a great series and been one of the best commentators, but he's ruining his reputation with this charade.

 

[Spark]

Did you see Ponting having words with the ref about it? FMD miss him in a 'thank **** he's not out there' kind of way

Yeah very much the captain Ponting coming out there for the first time in a long time.

 

[quincywagstaff]

This result means Cummins has still only played in a winning away Test series once (Pakistan last year).

 

[Ashes81]

Are you all there? You weren't without Archer for the series. He hasn't played test or even fc cricket for two years. Neither is he likely to play either format going into a third year. His injury problems seem less tractable to adjustment to his action than say Wood. It may be Archer becomes a white ball bowler or go full Tymal Mills and stick to T20.

You never have Wood for a series. In fact you got the best out of him. Target a few games where he bowls like the wind and hope he doesn't break.

Enjoying the adoption of Woakes like a favoured child. Lets all forget how we were writing him off before the series. (But mea culpa for me regarding Mitch Marsh who now deserves a run in the side as a m/o batsmen). Getting Woakes into the team benefitted England from where they started.

Losing Leach and getting Moeen actually worked for England and Stokes is getting to an age where ARs bowling generally start to fall away. Nothing that England wouldn't have known before the series and couldn't have planned.

I'm very much all there - thanks for asking mate

Just because Archer has been injured for a good while doesn't mean we should discount his absence. The same with Wood.

As for Leach - he was a really big miss. He's comfortably our best spinner.

Stokes is only 32, the same age as Hazlewood and younger than Mitch Starc, so he's hardly old for a bowler.

Injuries are part and parcel of the game. But my post was in response to the idea that Aus didn't win the series because Lyon was injured but our injuries were completely ignored.

On reflection I shouldn't have responded to the original post as it was obviously a wind up by a new poster.

 

[Shri]

Did you see Ponting having words with the ref about it? FMD miss him in a 'thank **** he's not out there' kind of way

 

[Ashes81]

@Andy19 Your whinging and moaning is un-Australian. I say that as a Pom with Australian citizenship.

Mate don't be trying to pass @Andy19 on to us - he's yours and you can keep him.

 

[loterry1994]

This result means Cummins has still only played in a winning away Test series once (Pakistan last year).

thats Why I think for the World test championship they should give more percentage or points for teams that win away tests or series maybe even when they draw an away series. Think Australia and India will be in plenty of finals just because how strong they are at home

 

[Burgey]

 

[GIMH]

View attachment 36791

Haha. And the silly **** still lacks the self awareness to realise he legitimately played a huge part in KP’s downfall. Couldn’t understand how him sitting there tweeting how Alastair Cook was a spineless weasel and then KP having a drink with him would go down like a bag of sick. Silly ****