*Official* First Test (Edgbaston, Birmingham) 16–20 June

[CartyDurham]

how many matches has this guy kept?
he's not a test standard wicketkeeper. india also had Dravid- who was a part time keeper, but great batter. But they always had a specialist wicketkeeper in the past e.g. Mongia or Dhoni, Saha etc

this is what happens when u put a no.3 batsman into a wicketkeeping role.

The problem with Bairstow is his lack of game time prior to this test. He’s played twice or so in the last year and none at this level of the game

this is Englands problem as the test squad don’t play many games of red ball domestically and some are playing ipl or sitting on a bench

England in modern times, though at home , play like an overseas team arriving with little practice pre a series

it happens every summer, England start extremely slowly . Australia have to take this test to really punish them

 

[halba]

Ball tampering - moeen ali. controversy already


The incident occurred in the 89th over of Australia’s innings, when Ali sprayed a drying agent on his bowling hand at the boundary line before coming on to bowl the next over, thus defying the umpires’ pre-series instructions about not using anything on their hands without prior approval.


Ali admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.

 

[ashley bach]

Anyone else envisaged Jimbo Anderson retiring at the end of the Ashes stranded on 699 scalps for all time? It's really not that unlikely a scenario.

 

[Starfighter]

When did this ball changing thing even start? Used to be you had to get on with what you had. England are effectively being rewarded for bad bowling, perhaps hence why they seem to exploit it more than every other team put together.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

I hope Uzzie gets that double that the (Sydney?) rain denied him against SA.

 

[Spark]

Ban him for a year etc etc etc

 

[CartyDurham]

Mooen done for ball tampering then. Cheating Poms.

Spraying thing on a hand to harden skin is not ball tampering. I’ll bite on that one

no comparison whatsoever

 

[halba]

although Foakes would've scored less than Bairstow, one dropped chance at this level is 75-100 runs or so.

 

[Spikey]

Ok now investigate Stokes for opening with Moeen this morning

 

[_Ed_]

When did this ball changing thing even start? Used to be you had to get on with what you had. England are effectively being rewarded for bad bowling, perhaps hence why they seem to exploit it more than every other team put together.

McCullum did it all the time when he was NZ captain, tbf.

 

[Starfighter]

England really are experts at wasting time.

 

[halba]

Spraying thing on a hand to harden skin is not ball tampering. I’ll bite on that one

no comparison whatsoever

It is a form of ball tampering- a very low grade one, a low grade offense and he's been fined appropriately. They've been warned prior to the Series.

 

[CartyDurham]

.

ball tampering? Give me strength. The only wrong doing was not asking the umpire. Did Warner smith etc ask the umpire that sandpaper was ok?

it’s nowhere near comparable

 

[Burgey]

Bairstow has kept loads in his career and has generally been fine.

Yeah sometimes you just have an average match.

I’d back him to be mostly pretty decent but he’s a bit of a lunger on his footwork, which makes you susceptible to spilling them on the dive because you move late. @JBMAC may have some thoughts on that aspect of his keeping.

I’m probably more interested in whether having to keep over a lot of tests will affect his batting tbh.

 

[Spark]

I mean it's against the rules. I'd agree it's not a big deal, but it's very much against the rules.

 

[CartyDurham]

It is a form of ball tampering- a very low grade one, a low grade offense and he's been fined appropriately. They've been warned prior to the Series.

I know that but I can’t agree it’s “ball” tampering Its to harden skin on a bowling finger . Nowhere near the sandpaper incident

 

[Burgey]

.

ball tampering? Give me strength. The only wrong doing was not asking the umpire. Did Warner smith etc ask the umpire that sandpaper was ok?

it’s nowhere near comparable

No they didn’t. Because like Moeen yesterday, they knew it isn’t

 

[Gnske]

This whole Bazball approach would be a lot more impressive if their bowling attack wasn't full of trundlers

 

[GIMH]

Aussie lead starting to look likely

 

[TheJediBrah]

Anderson gone for 43 runs, due for his first wicket to maintain the Ashes average

edit: what did I do