Yes, best wishes Cumbrian.
Another rain-affected start. Enough cricket played for Archer to claim Harris’s wicket, and for Broad to beat Watson all ends up without getting the edge.
In fact, rain affected day. Forecast is for rain throughout.
Son#1 just texted me to say “Warner is dead man walking” which is not an unreasonable call, but he’s still walking. Stats say he’s edged or missed 39% of deliveries faced (not faced that many) this series. But he’s still walking. And he’s not edging.
Plenty of time for it to all go pear shaped and he’s not my favourite cricketer but I can see signs that if his luck and nerves hold he might yet keep up his application and play an innings of real merit.
I don’t know about anyone else but this movement seems to have hat-trick written all over it.
course, I’ve jinxed it now.
In other news, India are 25-3 against W.I., and one of those three is Kohli.
I was a bit worried this morning when the Aussies lost a couple of quick wickets, and the ball was moving all over the place. Since then, though, Warner and Labuschagne have looked increasingly comfortable this afternoon, and they’re maintaining a good run rate. The century partnership came up in less than 22 overs.
I was hoping they’d drop Warner for this test, but I’m happy to eat my words.
And ten minutes later, Warner is gone!
And then, 43/8 later, Aus all out for 179, and Archer took 6 of them!
Yeah, that turned into a pretty shitty day for Australia.
It was good to see Warner return to a bit of form. Even when he played and missed, which he did quite a few times, especially early on, he never looked quite as shaky as he did in the first two tests. Labuschagne looked good for much of his innings, and he’ll be kicking himself for getting out to a full toss like that.
Apart from that, though, it was a pretty miserable batting performance. We’ve got two teams here with damn shaky batting lineups, and pretty good bowling attacks. It’s the sort of combination that, if they don’t get too much rain, will probably ensure a whole bunch of results and not many draws.
Archer was great today, and Broad bowled really well too for much of his spell. Neither Woakes nor Stokes looked especially dangerous, and it will be hard for Root to resist the temptation to call on Archer and Broad. It’ll be interesting to see if that wears them down at all by the fourth and fifth tests.
I think that 179 flatters Australia a little. The period after tea was very expensive for no good reason and had there been a solid morning session I think theyd’ve been 5 down at lunch. As it was the ball was legitimately beating the bat time after time, it was almost doing too much.
Still, Archer continues to impress. 11/136 in 3 innings is pretty nifty work.
Anderson will presumably return for the next test, and it’s Woakes who’s currently under the hammer.
Archer was great, but I’m not sure I completely agree about the Aussies.
There was quite a good reason for the expensive period after tea: Woakes and Stokes weren’t really bowling that well, and England exacerbated the situation with some sloppy throwing and backing up. It’s certainly true that the ball beat the bat on numerous occasions, but Warner and Labuschagne also did quite a good job of leaving it alone when they could.
I’m not completely disagreeing with you. The Aussies did get some luck. But when the ball is moving like that, there’s always going to be a bunch of deliveries going past the bat. Sometimes you get the edge, and sometimes you don’t. And if we’re going to talk about fortune, we could also discuss Wade, who got bowled by a ball that went from thigh pad to glove to leg stump.
Yeah, when Anderson comes back, the balance definitely shifts towards the English, although if Smith returns and isn’t too mentally shaken up by his head injury, that might balance it out.
You may well have had a profoundly more decorated career than me, but application, dumb luck and plain just hanging in there can have their own rewards in cricket.
I recall once going out to open against superior opposition because nobody else would.
They were top of the table, we needed to win to make the semis.
Their home pitch had a bit in it, but nothing unplayable. Grand day, ideal for cricket.
Was seeing them well enough, just couldn’t get the information to where it was needed.
The hands weren’t working, the feet weren’t moving. Timing was all over the place. Could barely get the ball off the square.
Could defend anything on the stumps, couldn’t get the middle of the bat to anything off line.
It was mortifyingly embarrassing, the sheer ineptness of my efforts.
Considered going the tonk and holing out to save the battereremains of my ego.
Couldn’t get sufficient bat on ball to achieve that act of wanton cowardice.
Considered feigning injury or illness just to get off the field.
The thought of the scorebook entry reading “Retired, Incompetent Prat” was all that prevented me.
They bounced the shit out of me. I copped a few on the body. No helmet, no concussion rule back then.
Nobody asked if I was OK. They did suggest digging a hole and burying my still breathing body at short leg.
The notion wasn’t totally out of the question.
They sledged me incessantly, the bowler, the slips, even from fine leg.
The scrawny kid at point told me I was the worst batsman he’d seen in his life. He looked about 15.
The umpire was looking for the slightest excuse to fire me and put this indelible blot on the game out of it’s misery.
The only thing I could do from the self-limited options available was try and work one off my pads or squirt one between slip and gully for a single and the blessed relief of sanctuary at the bowlers end.
But even that behaviour was largely denied me because 1) I couldn’t get off strike that often and 2) anytime I did my batting partner promptly nicked off.
So it was block, play and miss, get bounced and abused, rinse and repeat for 4-5 balls an over and try to get the single.
The only thing redder than the bruises were the edges of my bat.
Over, after over …. …. after over.
Eventually I got an inside edge to a delivery I was aiming an outside edge at and played on.
My first thoughts were of happiness. Thank God. The nightmare was over. Now just to get away. Walked off, wanted to run.
Planned to hide behind the change rooms for the rest of the session, if not the day.
Involuntarily I looked at the scoreboard to confirm the damage. Pre-game 280 was deemed par. We were 9 down for 105 off 65 overs. Sundries weren’t just second top score. Leg byes, wides and then no balls were second, third and fourth.
I had 82 but the number was meaningless. Worst. Inning. In. History. Of. Cricket. Period.
Got to the fence and the teammates just about smothered me.
Guys who I’d played with since juniors (with a fraught relationship begun over who’d pinched the team’s confectionery snakes after an U14s finals win, and who’d dobbed) showed pleasure and delight in humanity I didn’t think they were capable.
Despite the unseemly new age display of male affection around me, still I felt profoundly hollow.
We went out to bowl and rolled them for 40 odd.
Played them again the next week in the finals. But they were shot ducks and we were all over them like a cheap suite.
Rolled them again for well under a tonne and knocked their meagre tally off at a rapid rate, after a couple of early wickets, one being me.
Two weeks later we won the Premiership, the first for the club in a decade.
I again only got a bare handful, but can still recall fondly one off drive smoked through the covers.
Funny game, cricket.
Oh it absolutely is, and yours is a great little tale and I’m certainly familiar with the sentiment.
I’m not having a go at Australia at all (and perhaps “flattered” is not the word I’m looking for), just that the morning period ended up as an unexploded bomb. Had it been an unbroken session, with the ball doing what it was, it could so easily have ended up as carnage and in light of that, 179 could be seen as a bit of an escape.
And of course, England haven’t batted yet, a funny old game indeed.
A great tale well told penultima thule! Such dogged perseverance is seldom seen in these T20-ified days.
I haven’t got much to say about NZ Sri Lanka Cumbrian had a busy couple of weeks myself and so have only caught the odd highlight and press coverage. I hope your work situation isn’t too stressful.
Oh, England.
Isn’t it lucky the grounds men are offering flat tracks, (they aren’t roads).
Gawd knows what the combined batting sides would be like on seaming green tops.
I really wish we could have a few more decks as they have been presented. The batters have had so much in their favour.
As I type England are 38 for four wickets. I’m not sure Lyon will be a force on the fifth day as the match seems unlikely to reach the fifth day.
Intriguing series, but I think both teams have a few imposters in there. When Smith comes back surely Khawaja must go. He has had a terrible series.
And my previous question re Archer seems to have been answered. He is pretty good but I’d like to see how he goes on the sub continent. Woakes must be a bit concerned re Anderson becoming available for the next Test.
And now 45 for 5 wickets. From watching the game it doesn’t seem it is that a bad pitch but just good bowling (And indifferent batting from both sides).
Aus to win by lunch tomorrow.
That hundred partnership yesterday looking huge at the moment,with Eng at 45/6,and looking unlikely to get within 100 of the Aus total.
And that is what I was suggesting could’ve happened yesterday morning given a full session. If anything the ball is doing less today and has ended up nearer the bat and should England fall to a low total soon there’s no reason why their bowlers won’t do exactly the same.
Did we mention it was a funny game?