England v Australia - THE ASHES

[deipnosophist]

England also avoiding slanging/sledging matches with the Aussies. Engaging in such negative distractions only plays into the Aussies hands as they are the masters of it. Again, I think the fabulous series against NZ, played so positively, has put England in very good stead to beat that mob.

 

[Elong]

They were making a good fist of it until they lost Warner, Smith and Clarke for very little which blew the heart out of their middle order and was more down to some excellent England bowling for me than them not having the mentality. There wasn't much they could do after that and scoring 400 in the 4th innings is almost as rare as a Tony Hibbert 30 yard screamer hitting the back of the net. Almost. I'd expect them to bounce back with a bang at Lords where they usually do well.

If Hazelwood plays I expect him to do the most damage at Lords, pitch and slope will give him a lot of assistance.

 

[Frank Gallagher]

good to see the players engaging with the fans at the end of play instead of gluging bottles of beer on the balcony.. first time ive really seem them doing that.

 

[The Equaliser]

If Hazelwood plays I expect him to do the most damage at Lords, pitch and slope will give him a lot of assistance.

He's bound to with Starc a doubt with his injury. Line and length bowling required at Lords of course so he may not be as big a miss as he would on other pitches. As you said at the start of the series Harris is a huge loss. His bowling would have been ideal for the Lords pitch.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

It's always been so mate: wearing pitches, mental pressure, team on the back foot and bowlers sniffing blood, the 4th innings is always the toughest.

True, but the whole dynamic of Test cricket is changing as Pakistan proved last week when they chased down 382 in the fourth innings to win by 7 wickets (having been 13-2). The Aussies had 180 overs available to them to grind it out in singles if they wanted too. I've seen many worse 4th day pitches than that one. Down the years, teams often started their fourth innings at the end of the 4th day or early on the 5th day on dusty cracked tracks with two spinners twirling away or seamers thriving on shooters. The batsmen's mindset was usually pure survival with little attempt at strokeplay making the play seem even more attritional.

One day very soon, a team is going to chase down 420 or whatever to win, mainly because so much more time is available to them to achieve a target.

 

[Elong]

He's bound to with Starc a doubt with his injury. Line and length bowling required at Lords of course so he may not be as big a miss as he would on other pitches. As you said at the start of the series Harris is a huge loss. His bowling would have been ideal for the Lords pitch.

If Harris had been able to play more he'd go down as one of the all time greats in my opinion, 4th best average of all time I believe? (After a certain amount of games or overs bowled). A real shame, actually a decent guy who doesn't engage in the sledging and gets on with the job.

 

[Elong]

True, but the whole dynamic of Test cricket is changing as Pakistan proved last week when they chased down 382 in the fourth innings to win by 7 wickets (having been 13-2). The Aussies had 180 overs available to them to grind it out in singles if they wanted too. I've seen many worse 4th day pitches than that one. Down the years, teams often started their fourth innings at the end of the 4th day or early on the 5th day on dusty cracked tracks with two spinners twirling away or seamers thriving on shooters. The batsmen's mindset was usually pure survival with little attempt at strokeplay making the play seem even more attritional.

One day very soon, a team is going to chase down 420 or whatever to win, mainly because so much more time is available to them to achieve a target.

I'm not so sure, the way the game is moving you'd think so but with no restrictions on field placements and the ability to bowl very wide of the crease you have to be doing something very wrong to lose from that position, even on a road.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

He's bound to with Starc a doubt with his injury. Line and length bowling required at Lords of course so he may not be as big a miss as he would on other pitches. As you said at the start of the series Harris is a huge loss. His bowling would have been ideal for the Lords pitch.

Siddle is steady enough and a tireless worker but not the threat of old and Cummins has very little first class experience. The Aussies are looking rather wobbly.

 

[The Equaliser]

Siddle is steady enough and a tireless worker but not the threat of old and Cummins has very little first class experience. The Aussies are looking rather wobbly.

Their bowling attack was heralded as the difference between the 2 teams, but with Harris retired and Starc doubtful you'd have to say that doesn't apply now which means that England must now be slight favourites.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Their bowling attack was heralded as the difference between the 2 teams, but with Harris retired and Starc doubtful you'd have to say that doesn't apply now which means that England must now be slight favourites.

England are now Evs for the series (Aussies 6/4, and a drawn series 9/2), a big cut from the very tasty 9/2 I got last Tues evening, oh the scorn I suffered.

 

[Elong]

Their bowling attack was heralded as the difference between the 2 teams, but with Harris retired and Starc doubtful you'd have to say that doesn't apply now which means that England must now be slight favourites.

I think England were slightly better bowling wise from the beginning in my opinion, there's something about Wood that I like and he will improve, a lot of Simon Jones about him, Anderson is simply world class and Broad can be, he was this game, hopefully he stays there. For Australia, Johnson is breaking down slowely and offers no movement with the ball and their quality bowlers are now out.

I think Australia's batting is better however and would be very surprised at a repeat performance.

 

[The Equaliser]

England are now Evs for the series (Aussies 6/4, and a drawn series 9/2), a big cut from the very tasty 9/2 I got last Tues evening, oh the scorn I suffered.

Well in, although 9/2 for a drawn series still looks tempting.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Well in, although 9/2 for a drawn series still looks tempting.

Agreed, Test cricket from the past year or so has taught us to take nothing for granted with how games and series unfold. Plenty of twists and turns and pendulum swings to come in the weeks ahead.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

.......I think Australia's batting is better however and would be very surprised at a repeat performance.

Not so sure, England have packed in eight specialist batsmen. It will be the lack of a specialist spinner that will cost them dear at some point in this series. Strangely, another Bell failure in the second innings (with England still winning of course) might have brought the more medium-term benefit of him being dropped for, say, Rashid.

 

[Elong]

Not so sure, England have packed in eight specialist batsmen. It will be the lack of a specialist spinner that will cost them dear at some point in this series. Strangely, another Bell failure in the second innings (with England still winning of course) might have brought the more medium-term benefit of him being dropped for, say, Rashid.

There's room to drop Bell if he doesn't perform, I think we will come into some form though, it's a hell of a luxury having Ali that low in the order and I think it will win England the series keeping him there in the same way that Haddin does a massive job for the Aussies low in the order.