The Ashes Thread - Cricket

[DavidM]

2 minutes ago, GUBRATS said:

With Smith in the opposition they need 400+

He’ll fail completely in the last innings , mark my word . They’ve lost all intensity 

[GeordieSaint]

Watching via BBC Live Text. Interesting debate on the team for NZ. Suggesting something like this:

1. Burns 2. Sibley 3. Denly 4. Root 5. Stokes 6. Pope 7. Foakes/Buttler 8. Curran 9. Archer 10. Leach 11. Broad/Anderson/Wood

Thoughts?

[GeordieSaint]

Lead of 346... with 5 wickets still in hand.

Nosebleed territory.

[DavidM]

1 hour ago, GeordieSaint said:

Watching via BBC Live Text. Interesting debate on the team for NZ. Suggesting something like this:

1. Burns 2. Sibley 3. Denly 4. Root 5. Stokes 6. Pope 7. Foakes/Buttler 8. Curran 9. Archer 10. Leach 11. Broad/Anderson/Wood

Thoughts?

I like that 4,5,6 . I can see that happening . I can see Buttler keeping at 7 , with Foakes as understudy , and I can see Bairstow being told he’s had enough chances and out the team but in the squad as he’s flayed runs in NZ . I hope Jimmy and Wood go to NZ , there’s a bit of silly talk about picking n choosing tours as this isn’t in the test championship 

[17 stone giant]

1 hour ago, GUBRATS said:

With Smith in the opposition they need 400+

You're right. We got to 300 ahead and I didn't feel entirely happy. I've amended my happiness target to 400 minimum.

[Stan Doffarf]

2 hours ago, DavidM said:

I like that 4,5,6 . I can see that happening . I can see Buttler keeping at 7 , with Foakes as understudy , and I can see Bairstow being told he’s had enough chances and out the team but in the squad as he’s flayed runs in NZ . I hope Jimmy and Wood go to NZ , there’s a bit of silly talk about picking n choosing tours as this isn’t in the test championship 

You could check Bairstow's Test figures compared to Buttler's. Bairstow is significantly better.

[DavidM]

43 minutes ago, Stan Doffarf said:

You could check Bairstow's Test figures compared to Buttler's. Bairstow is significantly better.

I don’t think they’re significantly better , and his returns are diminishing . In fact he’s had one good year in 2016 . And he’s had a lot more chances , I don’t think he can have any complaints if he was left out . It seems a bit of a luxury to have basically two keeper batsmen . Neither has nailed their position down , but I can see a change  there for the winter . I’ve said I like Foakes , but I can see Buttler as a keeper batsman at 7 in aggressive mode , . He’s looked a bit confused how to play just plonked in as a batsman down the order , almost like a spare part 

[Just Browny]

16 hours ago, Stan Doffarf said:

You could check Bairstow's Test figures compared to Buttler's. Bairstow is significantly better.

Could you show me where? In all tests, Bairstow averages 35 to Buttler's 33. In this series, Bairstow averages 23.7 to Buttler's 25.7. I am struggling to see a 'significant' difference anywhere there.

Anyway, good position at lunch and you feel it could end quite quickly if we get Smith out in the afternoon session. As long as he is still there, hard to relax.

[Futtocks]

Smith out for 23, and Labuschagne out for 14.

Tragically, we let Warner reach double figures, and that sort of thing shouldn't be encouraged.

[DavidM]

Wickets of no balls , the ultimate frustration . But then umpires aren’t on the case anyway warning the bowlers before hand . Still , criminal really in cricket terms but sort of sums up Woakes since Edgbaston . Don’t just beat these , smash them by a lot 

[Stan Doffarf]

Bairstow has over 4000 test runs with six centuries, Buttler has one. I think Bairstow's poor form this series is largely down to the World Cup (where he was asked to open, a role he is unsuited to IMO) and sheer overwork. Keeping wicket in Test cricket is bloody hard work, and I feel he could do with a break. 

I'm not a fan of batting your WK in the top six, for the above reason. England's big problem is their failure to find another partner for Burns, and a couple of reliable middle order batsmen. I find it odd that Ballance, Sibley and Northeast are continually overlooked, despite consistently piling up the runs in Division 1. Ballance in particular has a pretty handy Test record, including four centuries, but seems to have been totally discarded.

[Futtocks]

3 minutes ago, Stan Doffarf said:

Bairstow has over 4000 test runs with six centuries, Buttler has one. I think Bairstow's poor form this series is largely down to the World Cup (where he was asked to open, a role he is unsuited to IMO) and sheer overwork. Keeping wicket in Test cricket is bloody hard work, and I feel he could do with a break. 

I'm not a fan of batting your WK in the top six, for the above reason. England's big problem is their failure to find another partner for Burns, and a couple of reliable middle order batsmen. I find it odd that Ballance, Sibley and Northeast are continually overlooked, despite consistently piling up the runs in Division 1. Ballance in particular has a pretty handy Test record, including four centuries, but seems to have been totally discarded.

Agreed. I don't think it did Alec Stewart any favours, back when he was also an opening bat. He kept himself in great physical condition, but it can't have helped either side of his game, especially as England were so ordinary back then. To go from keeping wicket for hours and hours, then almost immediately coming to the crease is tough on mind and body.

[DavidM]

We talk about paine’s reviews , but root has just totally given two away

[DavidM]

Surprisingly Paines series ends with a failed review ...

[Old Frightful]

By 'eck, the Aussies didn't hang around long after Wade left did they?

[Futtocks]

Job done, finished with a cracking catch. They may have clung on to the Urn, but they didn't win the series. And what a series it was! The full-fat, red-blooded roller-coaster that limited-overs Cricket rarely delivers (World Cup Final aside).

[DavidM]

Very enjoyable series . We’d probably take the draw on the balance of play , but ooh if Roy had took that catch at Lords ! Still , engrossing viewing and you just can’t beat test cricket it’s the pinnacle

[Futtocks]

One hell of a Summer, overall.

Can't wait to see Archer versus the Kiwis and South Africans.

[gingerjon]

Proper cricket that we got thrashed 2-2.

[gingerjon]

Just time for the traditional Somerset somehow not winning the Championship now.

[ivans82]

Serves them right for winning the toss and putting us in , why couldn`t they make stupid mistakes like that in the earlier tests .

[Futtocks]

36 minutes ago, ivans82 said:

Serves them right for winning the toss and putting us in , why couldn`t they make stupid mistakes like that in the earlier tests .

That was a real Ponting of a decision, that was.

[phiggins]

On 15/09/2019 at 15:57, Stan Doffarf said:

Bairstow has over 4000 test runs with six centuries, Buttler has one. I think Bairstow's poor form this series is largely down to the World Cup (where he was asked to open, a role he is unsuited to IMO) and sheer overwork. Keeping wicket in Test cricket is bloody hard work, and I feel he could do with a break. 

I'm not a fan of batting your WK in the top six, for the above reason. England's big problem is their failure to find another partner for Burns, and a couple of reliable middle order batsmen. I find it odd that Ballance, Sibley and Northeast are continually overlooked, despite consistently piling up the runs in Division 1. Ballance in particular has a pretty handy Test record, including four centuries, but seems to have been totally discarded.

Bairstow's form has been poor for 2 years. He can't get bat on a straight ball, it's always been a problem for him.

Him and Roy are an exceptional opening partnership in ODIs. Don't want to be messing with their techniques and putting that at risk. 

 

[JonM]

On 15/09/2019 at 18:41, gingerjon said:

Just time for the traditional Somerset somehow not winning the Championship now.

Can just see the Somerset v Essex decider in a few days being rained off in Taunton.