Cricket

[96tommy]

Yes, a wicket before the new ball would be massive for us. Not getting up at the crack of dawn in the morning so hoepfully I wake up and find our bowlers have made good use of the new ball. I feel a big big score is going to be needed in the 2nd innings to have any chance of a win

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Score update at 0555 GMT

Australia 353-4
Smith 164 not out
M.Marsh 53 not out

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Score update at 0555 GMT

Australia 353-4
Smith 164 not out
M.Marsh 53 not out

It's now:
AUS: 4/450 off 122 overs.
Smith 195
M.Marsh 116.
Englands bowlers are starting to ton up.

Malan with some decent figures for his best bowling.

 

[DarloRich]

ffs. I said before the first test England would lose the series 4-0. It will be a whitewash. We are lucky Australia can only beat us once per test

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

STUMPS Day 3
AUS: 4/549 LEADS BY: 146
Smith 229 off 390
M.Marsh 181 off 234

Overton 2/102
Ali 1/104
Woakes 1/108
Broad 0/112
Anderson 0/85
Root 0/13
Malan 0/13

 

[DarloRich]

Brutal.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Brutal.

1 for 346 for the day.

 

[DarloRich]

1 for 346 for the day.

Smith looks peerless. He can score as many as he wants.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Also worth mentioning is the unbeaten triple-century stand between Smith and M Marsh.

See the difference between the two teams when they both have built good scores to close of play then how their batting reacts after the night break. England were only four wickets down at the recommencement of the next days play, then lost all their emphasis by losing their remaining six wickets for "peanuts"

Australia built on their good overnight score and only lost one wicket all the following day, to leave themselves with a lead of 146 runs, with still six wickets standing.

 

[Busaholic]

Cook may be undroppable until the bitter end of this series, but a plea to the selectors to drop Broad (probably for good) and give Curran a try, also why not Crane? He can't take fewer wickets than Ali, whose batting seems to have gone to pieces too.

 

[DarloRich]

Cook may be undroppable until the bitter end of this series, but a plea to the selectors to drop Broad (probably for good) and give Curran a try, also why not Crane? He can't take fewer wickets than Ali, whose batting seems to have gone to pieces too.

You cant chuck an untried 12 year old leggy into that team, in those conditions and in that situation. We need pace in the attack. We have none.

 

[Busaholic]

You cant chuck an untried 12 year old leggy into that team, in those conditions and in that situation. We need pace in the attack. We have none.

I know, I really do. I'm not suggesting any palliatives, merely suggesting that they really can't do any worse than the present incumbents. Steve Smith was once an untried leggy, by the way, whose batting was merely thought to be just about enough to keep him in the side.

I thought Mark Wood was now meant to be available if called on, or is it another Tymal Mills situation i.e. a four over blast, with maybe another in the same game if the stars are in alignment? This is worse than last time for England imo. Don't forget we've won all three tosses too.

 

[96tommy]

Could have done with this start yesterday. Smith and Marsh out by Anderson within the first few overs of todays play. New ball coming up shortly

 

[96tommy]

And another, 3 in first 5 overs!

 

[DarloRich]

cant stay awake any longer so at 04:14am: Aus 618/7. A lead of 215 runs with 3 wickets remaining.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

England have been put out of thier misery.
Australia have declared at 9/662.

However they now have to bat with the pitch starting to do stuff!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Anderson took four wickets in the early session play prior to that declaration at 662-9 declared.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

I think you can stick a fork in Alistar Cook. He's done.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

England lose both openers to Hazlewood (Cook for 14 and Stoneman for 3)

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

And Joe Root is heading back to the rooms. Dismissed by the GOAT for 14. 3/60

Vince has had is stumps disarranged with an absolute peach of a ball for 54. 4/100

 

[96tommy]

Stayed up until Cook predictably got out. He's way past it, needs dropping.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

England have been save from inevitable destruction due to a passing shower or two.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

England 132-4 at close of play on day 4 with all their top four batsmen dismissed. Still 127 in arrears with only 6 wickets remaining.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Stayed up until Cook predictably got out. He's way past it, needs dropping.

and replaced by ???

 

[DarloRich]

I have worked out the England plan. It is as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University.

We have lulled Australia into a false sense of security by playing like flaming galahs, letting Smith score 967 runs per session and making average Aussie bowlers look like world beaters while making our actual world class bowlers play like club trundlers. The skill needed to make average balls look good through what looks like poor shot selection and bowling at the wrong length or with the wrong pace is absolutely superb. Now we will show them.

Sadly it looks like rain will prevent us from embarrassing the Aussies in this test but there are still 2 tests left for us to implement the second phase of our plan.

and replaced by ???

Me? You? A chap out of the crowd? My mates 3 day old son. Anyone. He needs a break and a bit of time away i think.

 

[Busaholic]

I have worked out the England plan. It is as cunning as a fox who's just been appointed Professor of Cunning at Oxford University.

We have lulled Australia into a false sense of security by playing like flaming galahs, letting Smith score 967 runs per session and making average Aussie bowlers look like world beaters while making our actual world class bowlers play like club trundlers. The skill needed to make average balls look good through what looks like poor shot selection and bowling at the wrong length or with the wrong pace is absolutely superb. Now we will show them.

Sadly it looks like rain will prevent us from embarrassing the Aussies in this test but there are still 2 tests left for us to implement the second phase of our plan.


Me? You? A chap out of the crowd? My mates 3 day old son. Anyone. He needs a break and a bit of time away i think.

I think the fox you refer to must be Liam, 'Doctor Delusional'
That Australian total is the highest by Australia at home in the history of the Ashes: Broad's 0-142 his worst-ever figures and the joint second worst by an England bowler against Australia. As you say, the rain may save Australia from defeat, at least according to Botham.

 

[Busaholic]

and replaced by ???

We'll have to get special dispensation to play just one opener, to bat at both ends. The 12th man will have to do running duties - wonder whether Usain could become an Englishman for cricketing purposes?

 

[Harbouring]

Cook and Anderson along with Broad to a slightly lesser degree carried England for a long time but it’s getting to time when age catches up to cricketers and has done for a long time, certainly there are signs from Broad and Cook that they are on the decline. Anderson seems a little more resilient. I still think they have more to give the team (especially in NZ) but for how long? Certainly no one is banging down the door. Hence the revolving door at no.3.

Vince played well today until he got an unplayable one, I know how frustrating he can be but he is beautiful to watch, doing well under pressure though.

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Me? You? A chap out of the crowd? My mates 3 day old son. Anyone. He needs a break and a bit of time away i think.

Haha! Not me, gave up playing about 20 years ago! Cook has had time off before the tour started, unless you mean that he just needs to miss a series, but I'm not sure that would help. When Cook goes, given the service he has given (as a batsman, not necessarily as captain) I hope he goes at a time of his choosing.
Apparently the Twitterati, or whatever they are called, are incandescent about England's failings. I can't blame the players, but I would like to know what has happened to the squillions that the ECB have had from TV rights and what they have been doing in Loughborough. OK, the one day and T20 squad has improved if you like that sort of thing, but I have always felt that the state of English cricket can generally be measured by how well we do against Australia in the Ashes, as it appears most commentators (in its widest sense) do. For example, the development of fast bowling has stalled it seems or gone into reverse, fiddling around with Steven Finn has just seen him become a couple of yards slower (and remember that Anderson had a couple of wilderness years when they changed his action). Last time we won in Australia it was Finn and Tremlett (backed up by Anderson) who damaged Australia. Did we learn nothing?

 

[DarloRich]

I am incandescent about England's utter failure in Australia. It is disgustingly shameful how poor we are. I blame the players. I blame the coaches. I blame the selectors. I blame the ECB.