chrisjpainter Posted December 7, 2021 Report Share Posted December 7, 2021 Clearly this is going to be 5-0 to England. We'll sweep the Aussies aside and come home to glorious celebrations in Trafalgar Square. Meanwhile, all the Aussies will be forced to retire and retreat from public life to spare their families the shame. So that's my take. Anyone got anything sensible to say? Anderson's missing the first test - I think the plan is to manage his workload to get him fully firing for the two day-night tests where there will be more swing. No news on who bowls, but Pope will bat instead of Bairstow. My bet is they'll go Stokes, three quicks and Leach. Which three quicks is the question. I'd go with Broad, Woakes and either Robinson or Wood. Oh and some batters to make up the eleven. Not that they'll actually be able to bat for long, but I guess we should play a full XI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billytheghillie Posted December 7, 2021 Report Share Posted December 7, 2021 As Supertramp sang, Dreamer, nothing but a dreamer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchers Posted December 7, 2021 Report Share Posted December 7, 2021 Lets hope it doesn't go well for Australia and they get the sandpaper out, send litigious texts and all get banned, then perhaps England will stand a chance🙄 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weihrauch17 Posted December 7, 2021 Report Share Posted December 7, 2021 Jimmy is a big loss even at his age, he is injured not being rested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 7, 2021 Report Share Posted December 7, 2021 36 minutes ago, Weihrauch17 said: Jimmy is a big loss even at his age, he is injured not being rested. Do you think that or know that? I’ve just signed up for the BT one month deal … Early alarm tomorrow! It’s just too difficult to see where the runs are going to come from in the current lineup. So I’m unfortunately expecting the worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 2 hours ago, Smokersmith said: Do you think that or know that? I’ve just signed up for the BT one month deal … Early alarm tomorrow! It’s just too difficult to see where the runs are going to come from in the current lineup. So I’m unfortunately expecting the worst. We don't have long to find out...England bat first. No Broad or Anderson. This I feel is a mistake. Even they don't take wickets, they are so economical. They can dry up an end for long spells. Oh what an English start. First ball and Burns is bowled. Going for a walk to offside, falls over the shot and is bowled on leg. Good grief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 59-4 at lunch. Utterly shambolic start to the series. Here are the details of the morning so far. It's overcast, it's humid and it's a green pitch. Good English conditions to bowl first. This is a new kookaburra ball that retains its hardness and swings more and for longer, a good ball for the most potent opening attack in the world in Broad and Anderson. England have had no warm up to speak of and none of the batters are really in form. Batters could be gone with one mistake. At least if you bowl first, bowlers can work into the innings even if they're a bit rusty. Broad's completely got Warner's number. Everyone's looking to see if he's found any way of dealing with Broad and it'd be a perfect start if Broad could get into the Aussie opener and knock him off early. England win the toss. They leave out both Broad and Anderson. And bat. Burns gets a Christmas present from Starc first up: a juicy leg stump half volley that should be battered to the fence...except Burns is out of nick and has had no warm up, so he's walked to the off side for...no apparent reason...and is bowled behind his legs. This is Australia, of course so TRUST.THE.BOUNCE. Leave means leave...unless you're called Dawid Malan, then you're allowed to waft at nothing balls above the waist that have got 'leave' written all over them. Why did he do this? Well probably because he's out of nick and out of practice. That leaves Joe Root, but he got a fabulous ball. He couldn't leave it, he couldn't play it. That's the way it goes. Stokes' was pretty good too, he just got squared up. The one bright note is Hameed, who's looked confident in his came, has left well and has picked up some boundaries. For all this business of taking a wicket with the first ball of the match, Starc's looked bang average. His line and length's all over the place; he's there for the taking...if England can stop having brain freezes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 Ta dah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yates Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 We’re back on form then. Thank god for the rain. Darren Gough said a month ago that we had selected the wrong players in this squad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ratchers Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 Same old story, but without Broad and Anderson, what!! win the toss and bat,what!!. Oh Glen McGrath 5-0 your right!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 I’m much less worried about our bowling than our batting. The class of the old guard is undeniable, but we’ve seen the others step up numerous times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 Other than root, the top 5 are no where near test quality. If the middle order had not contributed some runs the score would have been much worse. Going to be a painful series Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 4 hours ago, TRINITY said: Other than root, the top 5 are no where near test quality. If the middle order had not contributed some runs the score would have been much worse. Going to be a painful series Stokes is. But it seems we're structuring the entire team around him and he's not played any form of international cricket for months. I wish they'd make the decision that Stokes' bowling is a luxury and just let him concentrate on batting. Then they could pick a side that looks like it can bowl a whole test match and take the 20 wickets needed to win. Four seamers plus Leach. I know it loses a batter, but in recent history, Woakes has shown that his runs combine match anything any of the plethora of middle order batters we've tried. They are boxing themselves into a corner and it's all because they want Stokes to be all things against all teams in all conditions. Everything stems from the phrase 'If Stokes...' The team should have been: Hameed, Burns, Malan, Root, Stokes (batter) Pope FOAKES Woakes/Robinson, Broad, Anderson Leach The extra runs that Foakes and Woakes give make up for the extra bowler needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 It is going to be a painful few weeks. Choosing to bat on that pitch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted December 8, 2021 Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 1 hour ago, chrisjpainter said: Stokes is. But it seems we're structuring the entire team around him and he's not played any form of international cricket for months. I wish they'd make the decision that Stokes' bowling is a luxury and just let him concentrate on batting. Then they could pick a side that looks like it can bowl a whole test match and take the 20 wickets needed to win. Four seamers plus Leach. I know it loses a batter, but in recent history, Woakes has shown that his runs combine match anything any of the plethora of middle order batters we've tried. They are boxing themselves into a corner and it's all because they want Stokes to be all things against all teams in all conditions. Everything stems from the phrase 'If Stokes...' The team should have been: Hameed, Burns, Malan, Root, Stokes (batter) Pope FOAKES Woakes/Robinson, Broad, Anderson Leach The extra runs that Foakes and Woakes give make up for the extra bowler needed. I get your point. However I have no faith whatsoever in Burns, Hameed and Malan. If those three continue to contribute little whatever you do with the rest is irrelevent. I will also add, Pope is a lucky lad. He keeps getting a place and as yet I am still unconvinced . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 8, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 8, 2021 21 minutes ago, TRINITY said: I get your point. However I have no faith whatsoever in Burns, Hameed and Malan. If those three continue to contribute little whatever you do with the rest is irrelevent. I will also add, Pope is a lucky lad. He keeps getting a place and as yet I am still unconvinced . He's a Surrey lad, so gets more free passes than your average cricketer. Come to think of it, so is Burns...I don't know what Foakes has done to get blackballed! My selection was really based on who was in the squad - plus Foakes who absolutely should be, but can't buy a game for some reason. I agree on Burns and Hameed. The trouble is I'm not sure who deserves a place above them! Every option just seems to be a place filler because we do actually need to pick eleven so someone has to fill the space! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 9, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 Stokes is limping. We have three pace bowlers, Stokes and Leach. Leach has been taken to the cleaners, Stokes is limping and Wood we know can't bowl long spells. So it's over to you, Woakes and Robinson... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 Buffet bowling now ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted December 9, 2021 Report Share Posted December 9, 2021 If this test was a boxing match , the towell would be in the ring. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted December 10, 2021 Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 Bit better second innings, but openers poor again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 10, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 4 minutes ago, TRINITY said: Bit better second innings, but openers poor again. Yeah. Burns got a bit of a flyer. but I don't really know what he was trying to do anyway and what ever it was, he certainly didn't need to do it! Hameed got out to a ball he should have left. It really wasn't very good. Really impressive from Root and Malan. They've knuckled down and are finally showing that Star isn't that great. Plenty of work tomorrow, but if we bat out the day, we can at least take a respectable loss with us and some form of confidence to Adelaide Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 10, 2021 Report Share Posted December 10, 2021 All out by tea … Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjpainter Posted December 11, 2021 Author Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 2 hours ago, Smokersmith said: All out by tea … Disgraceful optimism. If we make it to lunch at this rate, that'd be a miracle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokersmith Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 My BT Monthly Pass has now been cancelled and refunded. Technical problems at their end meant I couldn’t access the service for the first 2 days so a legitimate case … but let’s call it no bad thing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRINITY Posted December 11, 2021 Report Share Posted December 11, 2021 Ollie pope fails yet again. Has he got some dodgy pictures of the selectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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