The Ashes 2017/18

[PITA]

This is embarrassing. England have one player on the leg side so Smith just moves to the off side and leaves his stumps exposed but Anderson refuses to go for them. Not test cricket. Commentators too busy talking about breast cancer to even notice, Finally Jimmy tries for a yorker and nearly gets Smith.

 

[Azzurri]

Commentators too busy talking about breast cancer to even notice, Finally Jimmy tries for a yorker and nearly gets Smith.

To be fair, they were talking to the best friend of a woman who died and inspired the day’s campaign to raise millions.

 

[PITA]

To be fair, they were talking to the best friend of a woman who died and inspired the day’s campaign to raise millions.

I know and I didn't mean to sound insensitive. My complaint is more to do with the England bowling. Bowl at the stumps. Smith isn't Superman.

 

[cronullasharks]

Poor mason crane. Criminal to bowl a no ball as a spinner though

 

[flibbyflob]

Smith is human not a machine.

Crane is a prat.

 

[deipnosophist]

I reckon all the batsmen who face Moheen Ali should have an asterisk against their batting average.
(at the top level), he is the most useless cricketer plying a trade

 

[Azzurri]

I reckon all the batsmen who face Moheen Ali should have an asterisk against their batting average.
(at the top level), he is the most useless cricketer plying a trade

He’s a good laugh in the dressing room, though. Swann keeps saying that as if it justifies a place in an Ashes squad.

 

[cronullasharks]

Crane despite not taking a wicket yet looks a good prospect though.

 

[summerisle]

So this'll be 10 matches in Australia without a win. Yet, after the end of today Bairstow comes out with :
"There's been loads of questions asked but there has never been any doubts in our set up about Moeen.
Batting average - 20.75
Bowling average - 132.50
Well, obviously everything in the garden is rosy.
Came out also with this gem :
"It's quite laughable sometimes when people question players in our side."
Yes, 3-0 down, probably lose this game, everything is still rosy in the garden.

 

[toffeejack]

moeen is clearly not fit, he's been utterly brilliant up until this series for england though, dug us out of many holes. He was only brought in as a part time spinner, and more of a batsman and his averages have been up there with front line spinners until this series. With him and stokes we had two of the best all rounders in test cricket, sadly one was an idiot and the other dislocated his finger. No point in him being a scapegoat, literally none of them have played well. Possibly malan exceeded expectation, but that's it.

The whole series has been ameuteur from england, they've had a couple of wickets off no balls - failed to overturn LBW's when the batsmen have hit the bloody ball! No idea what's going on, but back to the drawing board after this, because this is an utterly average australia team, a one man team tbh.

 

[deipnosophist]

I would not call Aussie a one man team. With Starc, Hazlewood, Cummings and Lyons, they have a very good bowling attack. And in Warner and Smith they have top notch batsmen (the latter is the best batsman in the world by a country mile).
Great team? No... but a very good one nonetheless.
England? yard dogs. I think they’ll look better in NZ because they won’t have to deal with the pace Aussie have. So one or two of their journeymen players might get a century and the English press will go bonkers in lauding them world class.
They’re not.

 

[Frang]

He’s a good laugh in the dressing room, though. Swann keeps saying that as if it justifies a place in an Ashes squad.

the England team is just like kenwright boys pen.

 

[Elong]

Ali is fit, he just bowls pies. He bowls with too much side spin on wickets that are bouncier than back home. You need to get plenty of revolutions and over spin, like Warne did and Lyon does. He's also terrified of the short ball as seen countless times.

Horses for courses, not his course.

 

[arch stanton]

Crane despite not taking a wicket yet looks a good prospect though.

I agree, for a kid playing in his first test, in an Ashes test on a pretty flat track against batsmen who are well set, he did well. A few loose deliveries that he'll hopefully reduce over time. A good start and its a shame he probably wont get chance to have a bowl on the 5th day. England's batsmen all got a good start (apart from one) and no one went on to make a big matchwinning score. The aussies did which is why they have won at a canter.

 

[summerisle]

Same old, same old, third new ball - 504-4.