Photos of my genitals would severely inhibit any chance I ever had.I doubt that Paine would hold his position given his age, injury and lack of match play for seven months.
Former test captain Tim Paine has advised Cricket Australia he will be taking a leave of absence from all forms of cricket “for the foreseeable future”.
Pat Cummins confirmed as Australia Test captain with Steve Smith as deputy
I’m imagining a bunch of people hitting “Delete for Everyone” on messages in WhatsApp, and another bunch of people screenshotting those messages before they can be deleted.
Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel held off Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel for eight overs as New Zealand hang on for a draw.
I wonder if there have been more overlapping names in a batter-bowler pair before.
Also Latham survived three umpire decisions that were overturned by DRS.
It appears all but announced that Alex Carey will replace Tim Paine as wicketkeeper for the Ashes.
Carey is a handy all round sportsman, having been the inaugural GWS (AFL) captain.
He’s served his apprenticeship as heir apparent with distinction and no audible grumbling. Even got to captain AUS ODI team vs WI. As a batsmen he’s proved more successful in white ball rather than red ball but has the technical ability to be on a par with Brad Haddin as a keeper/batsman
It’s interesting that the selection policy maintained by AUS’s wicket keepers is for the best with the gloves rather than best with bat.
There isn’t that much technically between Carey and Inglis with the gloves.
But Inglis is the WA keeper and sees little but pace on his home deck.
Carey is the SA and BBL Strikers keeper on the Adelaide Oval where spin is an integral component, conseqently he has considerably more experience keeping to spin eg Rashid Khan.
Inglis has left the AUS team bubble and is back in WA with other sandgropers from the T20 squad (Marsh and Agar). WA’s Covid isolation regulations mean they probably struggle to get back out. The proposed 5th Test at Perth is now less than a 50:50 bet. WA Health has proposed that cricket balls are vectors of infection and that if a six was hit, or a member of the public touched the ball in some other circumstances that it would need to be replaced for play to continue.???!!!
The theory is that the best keeper to spin is required to get the best out of Nathan Lyon for team balance.
If Lyon isn’t putting sustained pressure on the batting and bowling long spells then the burden falls to the pace bowlers. Lyon’s capability to maintain pressure by keeping the runs down and take top order wickets (primarily from overspin rather than lateral spin) allows AUS to deploy three strike bowlers in Starc, Hazelwood and Cummins. Out of that group the one who’ll probably take most of the hack work is newly appointed captain Cummins,
Possibly Jhye Richardson will be in the discussions for this purpose in the ADE/MEL & SYD Tests.
Something just a little bit special from India Vs New Zealand as Ajaz Patel takes all 10 wickets in India’s first innings. Only the third bowler to do so in tests.
And then they were in such a hurry for him to bowl again!
Selfless!
The other NZ bowlers must be really peeved. Not only did they bowl long and hard for no reward for themselves now the batsmen didn’t even give them time to put their feet up and rest.
Funny, but is there any long-term health risk to having even a spin bowler bowl that many balls in such a short period of time? I was actually surprised that they brought him in the 3rd innings at the end of the very same day.
Different slow bowlers have different loads depending on their actions. Some are extremely efficient and can go on seemingly forever. Others will screw up their shoulders and elbows if they go too long.
I haven’t seen Ajaz bowl, and I don’t have enough knowledge anyway to know if he’s has an extravagant or economical action. Finger spinners generally can go longer than wrist spinners because they aren’t torquing their shoulders as much.
Well, despite the fact that NZ will likely lose, it is a great “feel good” story to have him go back to the city of his birth to accomplish the rare feat.
England win the toss and bat first.
Australia XI: Warner, Harris, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey (wk), Cummins (c), Starc, Lyon, Hazlewood.
England XI: Burns, Hameed, Malan, Root (c), Stokes, Pope, Buttler (wk), Woakes, Robinson, Wood, Leach.
England in particular shouldn’t be forgetting the off field stuff, but right now we’re here to play cricket.
Well.
Right. Match started at midnight UK time. Said I’d stay up for the first 20 mins just to see the series get started, and at 11/2 I feel I’ve done that now.
Heading up before I see anything else interesting
England’s hopes in the hands of the Pope and a P***.
1st Test AUS vs ENG
After 17 overs ENG having won toss and batted are 4-37
Burns 0
Malan 6
Root 0
Stokes 6
Hameed & Pope at the crease.
Old and inviolable cricketing adage … never cast judgement until both sides have batted.
Spoilsport
Good to see Stokes back. One of my favorite players to watch, although he didn’t last long. I think it was earlier in this thread (when Ind beat Aus at the Gabba) that someone mentioned that Aus has a great test record in Brisbane due to it usually being the 1st stop on tours (and the visiting team not used to the conditions). I hadn’t followed England’s prep, but this seems to be holding true.