Cricket

[Buttsy]

The ground is in Rhos-on-Sea rather than actually Colwyn Bay...

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

I wasn't exactly expecting us to bowl England out in a session and a half. It was a sort of stuff I saw in the 2013-14 series.

Shastri directly contradicts a piece Warne wrote after the Cardiff test, to the effect that the ECB dictated to all test groundsmen in this country, whereas in Australia the curators were above being told what type of wicket to produce. I thought 'what a load of garbage' when I read it, and Shastri just confirms this for me.

Last Ashes the ground staff were given no direction:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/9400037/Australia-won-t-direct-ground-staff-over-pitches
In general CA don't go out of thier way to tell the ground staff to prepare a certain pitch. I suspect the Indian series just past however there was a bit of it.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The ground is in Rhos-on-Sea rather than actually Colwyn Bay...

Does that make it a tad nearer to the area of South Wales where Glamorgan are supposed to be based...

 

[Buttsy]

Does that make it a tad nearer to the area of South Wales where Glamorgan are supposed to be based...

A tad further away...

At least it allows Lankies to get to the game easier...

 

[Busaholic]

A tad further away...

At least it allows Lankies to get to the game easier...

It was reckoned there were more Lancs supporters there than Glam's - a bit easier to get to from Liverpool than from Merthyr! A shame that the two record-breaking batsmen both hail from Port Elizabeth in S.A. but such is the way of the world. The report I read of the first day's proceedings said at the end they could have played the bowling 'with a little bit of Colwyn rock' making reference to one of Lancashire's finest. Ashwell Prince's decision not to retire at the end of the 2014 seasons must be one of the best-judged ever, and if/when Lancs gain promotion at the end of the season they will owe him a huge debt of gratitude.

For anyone remotely interested, please note Sam Hain's century at Edgbaston - his sixth in what is only his eighteenth first class game- he is said to model himself on Trott (Jonathan, not Albert).

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Petersen 286 (2 x 6 / 35 x 4) and Prince 261 (7 x 6 / 35 x 4) put together the Lancashire highest ever stand of 501 for any wicket before eventually being parted, but this still allowed Lancashire to declare at 698-5 against Glamorgan.

 

[Busaholic]

Petersen 286 (2 x 6 / 35 x 4) and Prince 261 (7 x 6 / 35 x 4) put together the Lancashire highest ever stand of 501 for any wicket before eventually being parted, but this still allowed Lancashire to declare at 698-5 against Glamorgan.

Lancs had never before put together a 400 stand: I believe the previous highest stand in a match involving Lancs to be the 470 put together by Kallicharan (there was a batsman!) and Humpage against Lancs in Southport back in the seventies. Just looking at latest score, Glamorgan are four down for less than 100 and three of those wickets taken by an ageless Glenn Chapple. Put that man down for a test booking

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Just looking at latest score, Glamorgan are four down for less than 100 and three of those wickets taken by an ageless Glenn Chapple. Put that man down for a test booking

Glamorgan did provide a little more resistance but at 165-6, they still are 533 runs behind Lancashire.

Not many 41 year old opening strike bowlers around these days and mindful of the run-fest of the first day when all the Glamorgan bowlers were metaphorically "put to the sword", Glen Chapple must have wondered what the pitch would offer. For someone of his age, his current bowling return of 13-5-28-3 is remarkable.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/c...uge-lords-defeat/story-fni2usfi-1227450387068
KP has had his say on England.

 

[DarloRich]

I was at Lords. We were awful and simply gave up. Terrible showing.

 

[Busaholic]

The next test is at Edgbaston, very closely followed by Trent Bridge. Given that Jimmy Anderson has such an excellent record at TB and the fact he failed to get a wicket at Lords, for the first time in his last 59 test matches, perhaps he should be rested at Edg, making it quite clear to him it is purely a rotation policy, and Finn brought in. If Mark Wood needs to be rested, a chance for Craig Overton maybe, six wickets in an innings there yesterday and apparently had a lot of batsmen in trouble.
Forget what I said about Hain (oh, you have!) he won't qualify for England until 2017.

 

[DarloRich]

He shouldn't be rested - he was bowling on a track that offered his style of bowling absolutely nothing. England gave wickets away and made the Aussies look good.

We need changes in the top order not the bowling attack. We can not keep turning in 40-4 performances and expect to win on a regular basis.

 

[andrew bell]

Bairstow for Ballance is the only change for the 3rd test match. Bell has been confirmed as the no 3, Root 4 and Bairstow 5

 

[ExRes]

How things change in this country

1st Test - Media shock - England invincible - Australia useless

2nd Test - Media shock - England useless - Australia invincible

3rd Test - Young Ballance dropped - Old Bell retained

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

First ODI

Australia Women 238-9 (50 overs)
Perry 78 (12 x 4)
Blackwell 58 (9 x 4)

Brunt 3-48

England Women 240-6 (45.4 overs)
Scriver 66 (9 x 4)
Greenway 53 (6 x 4)

Osborne 3-39


--- old post above --- --- new post below ---



The most remarkable Glamorgan v Lancashire match had its final surprise this afternoon when Glamorgan in their follow-on innings had reached 181-5, but lost their last five wickets for only twelve runs and were all out for 193.

Lancashire won by an innings and 157 runs to stay top, but Glamorgan in third place lost the opportunity to close the gap to Surrey in second place.

 

[Busaholic]

How things change in this country

1st Test - Media shock - England invincible - Australia useless

2nd Test - Media shock - England useless - Australia invincible

3rd Test - Young Ballance dropped - Old Bell retained

Very succinct. Ballance may well come back, though, just as Bairstow has. I've been saying on here for ages that Bell should be dropped, more last chances than the Greek government. In my view, unless he scores so well as to help England win at Edgbaston, that must be his last test. Ken Barrington got dropped the game after scoring a century because he'd scored too slowly to enable an England victory. We're too soft now

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Very succinct. Ballance may well come back, though, just as Bairstow has. I've been saying on here for ages that Bell should be dropped, more last chances than the Greek government. In my view, unless he scores so well as to help England win at Edgbaston, that must be his last test. Ken Barrington got dropped the game after scoring a century because he'd scored too slowly to enable an England victory. We're too soft now

Bell isn't on Shane Watson levels yet. We gave him around 43,751 chances and it's only last test he was dropped!

 

[Busaholic]

History should always be taken into account:-
The last 9 Ashes series have been won by the side that won the second test.
No Warwickshire player has ever scored a century in a test match at Edgbaston!! That's not just England players like RGS Wyatt, Amiss, Bob Barber, Trott and Bell, but also Kanhai, Kallicharan, Lara and Shaun Pollock: I think Allan Donald, Bob Willis and Gladstone Small can be excused.

 

[Buttsy]

History should always be taken into account:-
The last 9 Ashes series have been won by the side that won the second test.
No Warwickshire player has ever scored a century in a test match at Edgbaston!! That's not just England players like RGS Wyatt, Amiss, Bob Barber, Trott and Bell, but also Kanhai, Kallicharan, Lara and Shaun Pollock: I think Allan Donald, Bob Willis and Gladstone Small can be excused.

Andy Lloyd was denied the chance to in 1984 after being crusted through the helmet by Malcolm Marshall and never played for England again. Only test match opening batsman never to have been dismissed.

 

[DownSouth]

Hi everyone, I'm back from my trip to France for the second half of the Tour de France - and a most enjoyable time watching the second Test highlights with the other Aussies in the coach every night!

Well done to the Brits for getting a win in the Tour by the way, but unfortunately I was too busy working the TDU/SATC publicity stand to see much of the racing. Unlike the ECB at Lord's, the Team Sky staff did an excellent job of setting up the tactics to suit the course (pitch) and not getting unbalanced in the third week (un-Ballance-d for the third Test). Both have an Australian head coach with no experience of competing at the highest level, perhaps the ECB could do with Tim Kerrison teaching the players about a few marginal gains?

What about Mitchell Johnson, he had a great second Test to show that what sets apart a true champion is how they bounce back from having a bad game. With only one wicket and one run to go he should have no problems joining the 300/2000 club in what will be his 68th match, but there's a chance that Stuart Broad will get there first if he has a really good first innings with the ball (he has the runs and needs four wickets) or if Australia bat so well that Mitch doesn't get to bat.

i really would like to get the correct information on the preparation of English pitches. Listening to Ravi Shastri the other evening on The Verdict - he talks more sense than anyone, in my opinion - ...

You wouldn't think so if you've heard him commentating on TV. He's right up there in the rarified air with Botham and Chappelli.

... he couldn't understand why England doesn't produce pitches that suit English bowlers, as in the past...

I think the problem so far has been that the ECB has been directing the ground staff, but so far they have got their tactics horribly wrong.

The Lord's pitch was clearly an attempt to take Mitchell Starc out of the game, but it came at the unacceptable price of neutering James Anderson. They clearly forgot that England cannot take twenty wickets when Anderson fires blanks, and failed to stop Starc from negating the pitch by bowling full and straight.

There seem to be different tactics at play for Edgbaston, in a desperate attempt to get some grass to grow they are using methods normally associated with a different sort of 'grass'. I'm guessing they were taken from the house of whoever thought selecting Lyth yet again would be a good idea, a person who will no doubt feel a bit dopey if that move doesn't result in a high score

Last Ashes the ground staff were given no direction:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/9400037/Australia-won-t-direct-ground-staff-over-pitches
In general CA don't go out of thier way to tell the ground staff to prepare a certain pitch. I suspect the Indian series just past however there was a bit of it.

In Australia and New Zealand, it is well established that any CA attempt to direct the pitch preparation will result in the ground staff doing exactly the opposite thing. The ICC learned this the hard way a few months ago when the venues of the World Cup knockout stage matches (including the traditional batting paradise of Adelaide and the spinner's pitch of the SCG) all prepared spicy decks for the fast bowlers instead of the flat tracks the ICC's broadcast rights holder wanted for the big hitters. How ironic that Star Sports cost India a World Cup!

My guess is that it was the state associations (who run the grounds and employ the staff) which directed the pitches for the last India series rather than CA, thanks to the chilling effect brought on by the BCCI's refusal to accept a WACA Test despite it being the best time zone for Indian fans to watch on TV. The state associations pull in way too much money from any match involving India (hence why the SA Government spent so much money on securing the India v Pakistan match and India's warmup matches) to afford taking a chance on their ground being blacklisted by the BCCI for future tours.

 

[Busaholic]

I've only just come across the following piece by Michael Holding, published in the Sunday Times prior to the first test. Holding's talk is like his bowling, fast and straight and he's always very calm.

On England's chances:-
''If they go out there with the same negativity and the under-siege mentality that I have seen them play cricket with previously they will have no chance.''
Can Cook inspire?:-
''He will certainly have to change and I see no reason why he can't.''
On the composition of the likely England batting team:-
''The young guys who go out there and be as brash as you like are the ones England will need.People like Root, Buttler and Stokes. You see Ballance, if he plays nobody is going to be scared of Ballance. Nobody is going to be afraid of Adam Lyth, nobody is going to be afraid of Alastair Cook. If I am bowling to those three guys I am not going to lose sleep. I will lose sleep thinking about bowling to Root and Buttler and Stokes because they can embarrass me. I used to worry about Ian Chappell, but not Boycott - Chappell made you feel insignificant.That's what these young England batsmen must do to Australia's bowlers. This is why, though he is such a talented player, Ian Bell is someone the Aussies take the mickey out of. Against them he doesn't have that presence, doesn't get their respect and they come up with nicknames for him. They won't be giving Joe Root any nicknames.''

I fear they were very prescient words - we shall soon see again!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

A hopeful warning to Australia....."For whom the Bell tolls, it tolls for thee".

 

[Whistler40145]

Very poetic Mr Sidorczuk, I do hope so.

 

[Pakenhamtrain]

Australia have won the toss and are batting. In other news England asked for grass and they got it.

My guess is that it was the state associations (who run the grounds and employ the staff) which directed the pitches for the last India series rather than CA, thanks to the chilling effect brought on by the BCCI's refusal to accept a WACA Test despite it being the best time zone for Indian fans to watch on TV. The state associations pull in way too much money from any match involving India (hence why the SA Government spent so much money on securing the India v Pakistan match and India's warmup matches) to afford taking a chance on their ground being blacklisted by the BCCI for future tours.

If I remember correctly CA only make money on two series. England and India.

 

[DarloRich]

The Aussies are 90-6 at Edgebaston!

 

[gswindale]

94/7

Jimmy with five!

 

[ainsworth74]

Steady lads we have to bat on this yet plus they're not all out yet!

Still though

 

[Johnuk123]

119 for 9 not the best of days so far for the visitors.

 

[DarloRich]

119 for 9 not the best of days so far for the visitors.

we haven't batted yet!

 

[Johnuk123]

136 all out.