Starfighter
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Losing Marnus just before the end is irritating. England are confident chasers, there's no Lyon and if the pitch plays the way it usually has recently, it will be easiest last. Shoot for 450 at least IMO.
Steve Smith’s 32nd test hundred didn’t impress you, eh?Ah I will probably do a long post about this when we lose the series, but in the end I was an huge fan of Bazball, because I thought it was more than mindless aggression, but about putting the best players in and keeping faith with them because they are clearly the best at their skills, best spinner, best keeper.
Yet immediately Bairstow came in for Foakes, then Leach got injured, and they chose a guy who hadn't played red ball for donkeys, Stokes can't bowl, so they leave him floating about as a nothing bat rather than replace a batsmen with him allowing you to pick Foakes or Dawson, every bit of the team just seems weakened, hey look I'm pretty magnanimous when we've lost a series and willing to say well-played, but it's hard to think of anyone apart from Khawaja that's impressed me from your lot, but no-one has impressed me from our lot.
I was wrong bazball is just mindless machismo as it stands and as it's been played in these 2 Tests so far.
Oh ye of little faithSorry JB but you’re wrong
Green is 6’7” with a 7 foot wingspan
Most of those guys wouldn’t lay a finger on the stuff he snaffles as they’re just too small
this has to be the most emasculating thing for a 'quick'
Or Pat Cummins last matchSteve Smith’s 32nd test hundred didn’t impress you, eh?
The video someone posted yesterday about Starc in England was instructive. The more I think about it, the more I agree with its conclusions. He should not get the new ball in England and should come on after about 10 overs when the lacquer is off and it's more likely to swing. If it doesn't swing he should revert to the type of bowling he hit this morning and which you're advocating. He was good first up today.I actually agree but he honestly just doesn't do this a lot. He looks so much better when he's hitting the deck hard and throwing the odd one up rather than trying to get the magic ball every ball.
They will never declare with 320 ahead. Has to be over 420. They will keep batting as much as possible until then. No Nathan Lyon.Given Aus is a bowler down and it's their spinner, if I was in the shed i'd be wanting the two at the crease batting pretty normally to hopefully get the lead to 320 or so, then assess how the deck is playing under the sunshine before deciding how hard to push things along before a declaration.
Unless it shows signs of variable bounce, tbh i'd be tempted to bat til almost half way through the last session if there's wickets still in hand and pile on a 450-500 chase. I just don't know that the England line up is able to bat time even if they want to, and that many runs would be too many even without a front line spinner on day 5. We're 1-0 up. Give them nothing. The Ashes are over here, lads. Come chase them.
Yeah, you want them in a position where they have to question their approach. If it's 400+ (preferably 450+) in 3 and a half sessions, do they Bazball it or do they hang on for a draw? If it's the latter, are they capable of doing so having not played that way for more than 12 months? I guess it depends on how the deck plays too.Given Aus is a bowler down and it's their spinner, if I was in the shed i'd be wanting the two at the crease batting pretty normally to hopefully get the lead to 320 or so, then assess how the deck is playing under the sunshine before deciding how hard to push things along before a declaration.
Unless it shows signs of variable bounce, tbh i'd be tempted to bat til almost half way through the last session if there's wickets still in hand and pile on a 450-500 chase. I just don't know that the England line up is able to bat time even if they want to, and that many runs would be too many even without a front line spinner on day 5. We're 1-0 up. Give them nothing. The Ashes are over here, lads. Come chase them.
I don't recall suggesting they would tbhThey will never declare with 320 ahead. Has to be over 420. They will keep batting as much as possible until then. No Nathan Lyon.
Better off drawing this game and going into Headingley with Todd Murphy.
Probably be bowled out, no risk of batting on and on, this isnt exactly an ATG batting lineup once u get past Smith, u got green at no.6 and carey at 7. the tail starts at no.6 Green. Very long tail. carey is handy with the bat at times, but hes no ATG batter, he's more of an old school pinch hitter than comes off at times and looks fairly ordinary at others.It might one of those cases where after the lead is decent enough, it might be better for Austalia to be bowled out.
Yeah it’s almost enough to make you want to see England win by doing something deeply stupid like Harry Brook taking the ball in the morning and picking up a hatrick or England reversing the batting both in terms of the tailenders batting first and all the right handers batting left handed.I see yesterday was the final straw for journalists to declare Bazball as a failure