If the AUS tail folds like a cheap suit, Stokes might not need to bat.
If AUS win the Ashes due to the final day being washed out, nowt would be surprised.
‘Tis a part of cricket even Bazball can’t fix.
But giving ENG 20 overs in the last hour to chase 200?
That’s a script written for Bazball.
251 to win. Head doing what Stokes does, giving them a chance. Overhead conditions should be better tomorrow, but this session has been brutal for Australia.
What a match, end of day 3 which was almost completely washed out and we’re already 25 runs into the 4th innings.
England very probably winning this, while making it as hard as possible for themselves. (20 needed, 7 down)
Very brave post there, I wouldn’t say “very probably”.
Brook did very well, coming in further down again. I hope they don’t try and bring him in at 3 in the next test.
Commentator just said of the England scorecard, “lots of players getting a start then getting out - it was that sort of pitch”. Was it the pitch though?
Lots of Australian players getting starts and getting out, to be fair.
First innings, Marsh got a ton but next was Head with 39. Then England - Stokes got 80, Crawley next with 33. Then Aus again, Head got 77, then Khawaja next with 43. Then Brook’s 75 and Crawley’s 44 in the last. It was very much a pattern.
How does a pitch get better over the course of 4 days? What are the mechanics involved? Is the improvement due to natural causes, the work of the grounds staff, or both?
Pitches can’t be watered during games. They are rolled every day and between innings.
If prepared “properly” ** the Australian way any green on the pitch on Day1 is from grass clippings, not growing grass. So, unless or until the pitch gets too dry and starts to crack or footmarks develop then pitches get lower and slower, and there is less lateral movement. So they get easier to bat on. Because of the rain delay the best batting conditions were similarly delayed.
** what constitutes properly varies regionally, not any aspersion.
This was highly accurate (though I haven’t checked the exact score when Brook got out), well played. Kudos to Woakes for keeping calm and Wood for making good contact with the ball (yes he was lucky with at least one of them). Can’t say I’ll be feeling too sorry for Carey if it turns out he had a “you just dropped the Ashes” moment there (to be honest I think it’s unlikely Aussies will lose the next 2, we can but hope though. If the weather here remains unsettled, even Bazball may not speed games up enough to avoid a draw at some point).
Having not had the radio on/checked the score since lunch, I avoided this thread and social media in the hope of watching the highlights unspoiled. In the event I was rather glad this was scuppered by a WhatsApp message, otherwise it would indeed have been a nervy last few balls.
I presume England will rest Broad for the next test, bringing back Tongue, and otherwise no other changes (unless they finally bring in Foakes for Bairstow).
Hard to tell, Robinson has also bowled in all 3 tests so they might bring Jimmy back in for him. Having said thet they could decide not to tinker with a winning team.
Bairstow needs to be dropped. His poor wicket keeping is a liability and he’s not exactly making amends with the bat.
You know it, I know it, the dogs in the street know it. But England don’t know it - squad for Old Trafford is:
Stokes, Ali, Anderson, Bairstow, Broad, Brook, Crawley, Duckett, Lawrence, Robinson, Root, Tongue, Woakes, Wood.
I don’t see any way they don’t play Anderson at Old Trafford, even if his performance this series - the “what have you done for me lately?” metric - doesn’t really merit it. Broad probably gets a rest. Don’t see Lawrence making his way in. Still not sure who goes at 3 - could be Ali again but for all the “he saved Brook from coming in too early” chat last week the truth is he only faced 15 balls, so pretty negligible. Otherwise Brook has to step up. Root should but won’t. Hard to drop Wood and Woakes. Probably Robinson over Tongue?
A line up that could easily be 2 down quite quickly; a poor keeper; an attack that needs Anderson to find his form.
Meanwhile Australia need to work out if Marsh still has a place in the team now Green’s fit, and if so does he replace Green or someone else. On the WHYDFML metric, you’d have a good hard look at Warner and Labuschagne. The other option is Murphy? But all pace is quite bold.
The Finch factor comes into play.
AUS limited overs captain Aaron Finch, was at the tail end of a storied career and was given the option to go out at a time of his chosing and thereby went way too late.
Warner has tried that gambit by announcing pre-tour that his final Test would be Sydney next January. The only thing in his favour are the conventional alternatives (Harris & Renshaw)
I’m of the mind, given most of these guys open in limited overs cricket that it’s pick the best 6 bats, don’t care in which order. So Head to open, leave Marsh at 5.
Boland was disappointing, which is disappointing. So Hazlewood comes back.
The curious thing about the AUS bowling was the lack of faith Cummins has shown in Murphy. He should have come on earlier and allowed to “earn his spurs”. As it was Cummins thought he and Starc could get the wickets and by the end they were overbowled and blown.
Almost a curious factiod. So far this series Khawaja has faced almost as many deliveries (908) as Brook has in his career (1090).
I wasn’t saying what I think they should do i was saying what I think they would do. I agree with you but Bairstow is the only keeper in the squad for the 4th test so unless he gets injured beforehand he is going to play.
I wasn’t really replying to your comment but rather making a general observation about the topic in hand. I’m also not surprised they decided not to mix things up after winning that test. I disagree with them though!
Realistically, they are not going to drop Bairstow after only 3 tests.
Apparently so, but clearly there is some level of performance below which that would happen (e.g. 6 golden ducks in row, drops multiple easy catches, and gives away byes every time the ball doesn’t go straight into his gloves). So it’s just a matter of degree. Most of us are arguing Bairstow’s performance has already fallen below an acceptable threshold. The selectors disagree, presumably based on either some sort of intangible team dynamic factor, or perhaps Bairstow has photos of them engaged in sexual congress with animals.