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

[wpdavid]

Anderson must be the oldest player to execute a reverse sweep shot ..Unless Sir Hobbs knew a trick or two back in the day

I gather than WG used to regularly play it, but it went out of fashion in the early 1900s.

 

[Spikey]

Cumdog just wants to leave the 5fer for Lyon

 

[chunksafc]

Declaration at tea then?

 

[Burgey]

Beautifully controlled to leg for 2

James showing how to bat for the Aussies

270 lead

Is there a reason you put the score in every second post mate? We’re all watching the game

 

[Nintendo]

Are we expecting him to smear it through mid-on? Get a slip and a gully in

I don't get why boland is bowling, in the channel, with no slips. Get a slip or two in and target the stumps, slip a full one in, FFS. Was crazy they didn't have a fielder finer first ball for him either on that reverse sweep, it's his signature shot.

 

[mackembhoy]

Declaration at tea then?

What time is tea?

 

[Howe_zat]

Hope Broad does the sensible thing and bats for Jimmy's century

 

[Croadymeister]

Beautifully controlled to leg for 2

James showing how to bat for the Aussies

270 lead

12 runs and then just hope by some utter miracle they get affected by ghosts of 2005

 

[slowfinger]

why has Australia win viz 55% when it would be the 2nd highest chase at Edgbaston in test history??

 

[Socerer 01]

Is there a reason you put the score in every second post mate? We’re all watching the game

clearly a fan of the great man GS himself

 

[Croadymeister]

why has Australia win viz 55% when it would be the 2nd highest chase at Edgbaston in test history??

Have you seen their batting line up

 

[Howe_zat]

why has Australia win viz 55% when it would be the 2nd highest chase at Edgbaston in test history??

Because record chase stats are generally not worth anything

 

[chunksafc]

What time is tea?

Shouldn't be long now, there was a timing thing up earlier that showed it was a bit later than usual

 

[Burgey]

why has Australia win viz 55% when it would be the 2nd highest chase at Edgbaston in test history??

It’s probably the second flattest pitch at Edgbaston in test history.

 

[Bijed]

If they add another 50 odd they don't get 2 shots to bowl at the top 3 with a new rock and don't get as many overs under cloud at the start of day 2. England got Australia 20-2, and 60-3 on a road, who knows if they do that if they don't declare. Australia should have been rolled for 300 and Australia facing a 350+ chase here.

Could feasibly have added another 20 very quickly or so without affecting all that though (although I'll admit that if they'd just declared on 415-8 or something instead I'd still have moaned at the time). Bairstow's misses behind the stumps are a bigger issue, though

 

[wpdavid]

There's turn to be found out there if Moeen can actually hold a ball.

 

[Nintendo]

why has Australia win viz 55% when it would be the 2nd highest chase at Edgbaston in test history??

This deck is way flatter than it traditionally is, and on a similiar deck england chased 380 vs India last time a test was played here. Plus AUS have a really good batting lineup.

 

[sledger]

Getting anxious that they haven't declared yet tbh

 

[Burgey]

clearly a fan of the great man GS himself

One is more than enough tbh

 

[CartyDurham]

I think moeen has spent the last two days using his spray can to toughen his spinning finger and as it’s now turning square , root maybe in on the spinning act as well

271 the lead. Come on 9 more boys