Reynard Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Absolutely spot on. When I saw the line up yesterday it was a case of sheer disbelief. I have no idea the rational behind it and it's proved to be bloody disastrous. It's meant to be the team getting pumped 3-0 that makes desperate changes. Woakes has never improved on what we was a couple of years ago and Kerrigan is nowhere near ready - he made Peter Such look like Derek Underwood. Tremlett took all five wickets that fell today and I can't believe they didn't let him or Finn loose in this test. So much for building up momentum ahead of the winter. The selectors deserve a boot in the balls for this shambles. Absolutely spot on. When I saw the line up yesterday it was a case of sheer disbelief. I have no idea the rational behind it and it's proved to be bloody disastrous. It's meant to be the team getting pumped 3-0 that makes desperate changes. Woakes has never improved on what we was a couple of years ago and Kerrigan is nowhere near ready - he made Peter Such look like Derek Underwood. Tremlett took all five wickets that fell today and I can't believe they didn't let him or Finn loose in this test. So much for building up momentum ahead of the winter. The selectors deserve a boot in the balls for this shambles. It would have been almost understandable, if those two newbies had been sniffing around the squad for a while or even been close to knocking on the door. Woakes had played one day crap but its not the same as test cricket. Kerrigan seems to be some sort of mass panic reaction to Monty taking a slash on a bouncer the other week. It is so completely out of character for the England set up to do this which is why it's so weird. As for this game. Good century from Smith, he batted nicely and has deserved a century this series. He looks like a test player more and more, and considering he wasnt expected to be playing much, thats good for the Aussies. A score of around 500 is good on that wicket and is about what youd expect for a decent side to get. Looking at Englands efforts late on it seems that the wicket is still OK to bat on, they were getting a bit of conventional swing going but only if they pitched right up and that SHOULDN'T bother test batsmen too much. It will be a big batting day tomorrow, England can pretty much do the go slow thing again if they want to, there is no pressure on them to do anything in this game really, the batsmen need to concentrate on getting big scores and killing the game. Siddle looked the best of the Australian bowlers tonight, Harris was wayward compared to his usual self and Starc was bowling utter filth although there was always the random chance he would pluck a good ball from nowhere. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuctifano Posted August 22, 2013 Share Posted August 22, 2013 Woakes only really looks as if he's worth a shot if he's good enough to be picked as a #6 batsman alone and then can, as mentioned above, be the 5th bowler- but his record doesn't suggest that. Rain forecast for most / all of Saturday so if England can get past the follow on tomorrow then this is pretty much a nailed on draw. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Cook goes for 25, 68-1. Another low score for the captain. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuctifano Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Why did it take Swann so long to get in the England team? He got capped in an odi when he was about 20/21 but Duncan fletcher didn't rate his ability and / or attitude so he didn't really get a crack until Moores took over. Even then he was 2nd choice behind monty until the West indies tour of 2009 when he out bowled him. Also I think his game improved when he moved to Notts from Northamptonshire. England's run rate in this game is disgusting again, part of me hopes the Australians roll them for less than the follow on so there's some interest on Sunday. It's all well and good doing a Boycott impression but if you lose a couple of quick ones then the scoreboard doesn't look impressive. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booitsme7 Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 119-2 Joe Root out for 68. Chris Tremlett who I thought would be playing in this test has bowling figures of 96-8 for Surrey against Durham. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WullieBroonIsGod Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 First delivery with the new ball and Trott goes lbw 173-3 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuctifano Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 England are of course entitled to do what they like but this has been atrocious to watch- ball doing nothing, pitch as slow as shit, batsmen only looking not to get out, rattling along at 2 runs an over. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Jazz Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 (edited) Well that was flat out hideous to watch. I would far rather England won the series 3-1 going for it than 3-0 boring everyone to eye gouging levels. Nasser Hussain and the sunshine and lollipop brigade can dress it up how they like, it's been a fantastic advert for Twenty20. Edited August 23, 2013 by Jupiter Jazz 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjw Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 I'm glad i was night shift last night and stayed in bed listening to TMS as i would have switched off tv coverage of todays play.On a better note,Aggers talking to Stephen Fry at the lunch break was a cracking listen. The weather for tomorrow isn't looking to clever so it may be another weather affected result. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jupiter Jazz Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 35 days of sell outs, great advert for tests more like. Can't say I know for sure what you're getting at with this but I was talking about that nonsense today, nothing else. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WullieBroonIsGod Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 It was a disgrace today. The ECB are raking it in from test match sell outs. Would going at 3 an over be too much to ask? Or bowling more than 11 overs an hour yesterday? I'd have been fuming if I'd bought tickets for days 2 or 3. Rain tomorrow by all accounts so it's a disappointing end to an enjoyable series 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WullieBroonIsGod Posted August 23, 2013 Share Posted August 23, 2013 Really? Maybe if it's a second innings trying to save a test. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reynard Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 It was a disgrace today. The ECB are raking it in from test match sell outs. Would going at 3 an over be too much to ask? Or bowling more than 11 overs an hour yesterday? I'd have been fuming if I'd bought tickets for days 2 or 3. Rain tomorrow by all accounts so it's a disappointing end to an enjoyable series It was all sort of inevitable really. Sometimes the last test can be the crucial one, or like this one, it doesn't matter. I think when the Aussies won the toss and batted on that thing and made the big score then it was almost inevitable that England were going to bat time if they could. The forecast was known to be poor for the weekend anyway. It was fairly gruesome stuff yesterday, allied to the way the Aussies bowl it hasn't made for great viewing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 Really? Maybe if it's a second innings trying to save a test. I'm sure Broad really contributed to the fight by sitting on his arse in the dressing room all day. Disappointed England didn't at least try and up the run rate a bit, with the weather forecast a draw looked fairly certain anyway. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wulliemc Posted August 24, 2013 Share Posted August 24, 2013 why all on a downer about england professionally plugging away when there is no onus on them but to give aus nothing in advance ofbthe away leg. they are in the main looking for form having already won the series despite not being at their best and shouldnt be doing anything that gives aus a sniff. if they needed something yoj wojld see a different approach but they didnt. had to laugh at faulkner the debutant suggesting the crowd get their money back for yesterday. it was old fashioned test cricket and he is playing in a side that has been second best. fanny. he is hardly in a position to throw stones. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AberdeenBud Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 England pass follow on target, will they declare? allowing the Aussies to declare and set England a target of 200? Doubt it Ted. Imagine they will bat for as long as possible. 'making a game of it', shouldn't come into it. Especially after Hanse Cronje. Things nicely set up for the return trip though. A nice bit of niggle developing, according to Vaughan on TMS, England are not speaking to Lehman after his radio appearance. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Aussie wickets tumbling - don't think there's time for a result though, is there? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WullieBroonIsGod Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Fair play to the Aussies here, at least trying to force a result. England might have 45 overs or so to chase down 200/220 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MB Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 Fair play to the Aussies here, at least trying to force a result. England might have 45 overs or so to chase down 200/220 I'll be very surprised if England attempt to chase anything. Clarke can try to tempt England into a run chase but they just won't be interested. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pandarilla Posted August 25, 2013 Share Posted August 25, 2013 (edited) For the first time really I actually thought Warne came across as a bit of a knob there (on Sky commentary). He was pushing Atherton to agree with him about what England should do, and he just seemed to push it a bit too far. It got a wee bit awkward I thought. I agree with Warne in the sense that England should make a game of it and go on and try and win this - but Atherton (and probably most English cricket fans) doesn't really share that view and don't want to risk losing the Test. Edited August 25, 2013 by pandarilla 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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