West Australian XI vs England

[theegyptian]

I mean, it's a no-win situation, really. You play well: congrats, you tonked a grade side. You don't play well: wtf are you doing not tonking a grade team?

Not completely pointless, but uncomfortably close to it.

It's certainly not pointless as preparation, but that is what it is - preparation. It's not about results generally (especially a 2 day game to open the tour), it's about getting ready for the first test.

There isn't the competitve edge there. They are going out there to try and get some time at the crease, and give everyone a bowl having not played for 40-60 days.- not to try and win as convincingly as they can.

People read too much into what happens in tour games. They are just friendlies.

 

[S.Kennedy]

It's certainly not pointless as preparation, but that is what it is - preparation. It's not about results generally (especially a 2 day game to open the tour), it's about getting ready for the first test.

There isn't the competitve edge there. They are going out there to try and get some time at the crease, and give everyone a bowl having not played for 40-60 days.- not to try and win as convincingly as they can.

People read too much into what happens in tour games. They are just friendlies.

Yes but you still have the exact same process - maybe not the aggression and passion - in the sense that you have your bowlers here who are all trying to take wickets and keep economy rates down. It isn't as if Broad says to himself, ''this is just some warm-up so I'll bowl some rubbish''.

Good for Mason Crane by the way.

 

[Tangles]

According to Dobell the bowling was tripe, Vince was flaky outside off stump and was dropped 3 times in his 80odd.

I'd almost rather have ****ing Bopara bat at 3 than Vince. Absolutely frightening prospect.

I'm quite looking forward to it. As I'm sure the Aussie bowlers are.

 

[Burgey]

Don’t understand the idea of a flogging in this series. Both sides have questionable batting line ups and both have decent bowling sides. England’s lower order is a lot stronger than ours. Can see Australia winning but I don’t get the idea of it being a pizzling.

 

[FBU]

The England bowlers haven't bowled for two months. I would expect them to be rusty.

 

[OverratedSanity]

Ballance scoring runs in the warm up is the best thing from an Aus perspective.

He's going to get more runs this series than Root. Because he's better.

 

[Cabinet96]

All jokes aside reckon Ballance would/will probably do better than Vince and Malan.

 

[Justo]

Don’t understand the idea of a flogging in this series. Both sides have questionable batting line ups and both have decent bowling sides. England’s lower order is a lot stronger than ours. Can see Australia winning but I don’t get the idea of it being a pizzling.

Yep it should end up being an interesting series. The Gabba might not be as favourable for batting as usual with all the rain that's been around, Adelaide is a day-nighter (I assume) and hasn't been as much of a road since it's switched to D/N so our batting could be heavily exposed early on in the series. IMO England will prefer a lower scoring series where their lower order can be the difference so the less roads the better for them.

I think Starc will be the key for us in dealing with the lower order.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah Starc seems to be in pretty decent form in these two Shield games, particularly bowling to the tail.

 

[harsh.ag]

The degree of Woakes' awfulness will be key.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Why do you say that? Good player Woakes.

 

[vcs]

Why do you say that? Good player Woakes.

Yes, I like him and his immaculate hair. Hope he does well.

 

[Furball]

I mean, it's a no-win situation, really. You play well: congrats, you tonked a grade side. You don't play well: wtf are you doing not tonking a grade team?

Not completely pointless, but uncomfortably close to it.

Don't agree; what should have been ominous from an Australian point of view in 2010 was how comfortably England dealt with the warmups compared to virtually every tour of the last 30 years.

 

[S.Kennedy]

I wish they'd bring back the old tour matches. It was a great way for fans to watch travelling international sides on the cheap and more competitive than ad hoc 'XIs', but then the days of the touring side playing multiple states and counties would remove room where pointless bilateral one-dayers can be placed.

 

[Gob]

Don’t understand the idea of a flogging in this series. Both sides have questionable batting line ups and both have decent bowling sides. England’s lower order is a lot stronger than ours. Can see Australia winning but I don’t get the idea of it being a pizzling.

Aus batting and bowling are far superior in Aust. It's the home advantage really

 

[Prince EWS]

Don't agree; what should have been ominous from an Australian point of view in 2010 was how comfortably England dealt with the warmups compared to virtually every tour of the last 30 years.

Those warmups were against proper Shield sides though. I think Spark's point is that these specific warmups against Second XI type sides are meaningless, not that warmups are meaningless in a broader sense.

 

[Spark]

Yeah that's my point. Real FC matches that are proper warmups are worthwhile, glorified grade matches are not.

 

[vcs]

Didn't England do well in the warmup games in 2013 also?

 

[Starfighter]

Their first match did't go all that well, but was against a significantly stronger XI than this one.