2019 Cricket - World Cup, Ashes, Pakistan ODI series etc

[toyahw]

What is it with Aus and balls? Surely a bit of sandpaper would have got the old one through the hoop.

[For Us All]

Congratulations to Rory Burns on his maiden test century.Let's hope he can stay at the crease until close of play and help us to get a decent lead.

[RailwayRowdy]

A boring day at the test. I thought that test cricket had moved on from this.

Yes, it’s The Ashes and we want to beat the old enemy. But this sort of   attritional approach is what empties stadia all over the world at test level.

People really caught on to cricket in the 2005 Ashes series because not only was it an historic rivalry, but because it made the game exciting with batsmen taking the game to the bowler.

If this series continues in the same manner as the opening two days, it will knock international cricket back 30 years. At the end of the day, it is entertainment. People want to be entertained.

Traditionalists poo poo the 20/20 format, but the reason test cricket has become more popular in recent years, is that it has encompassed the test attitude with exhilarating one day style play.

Go back to the old days of Boycott etc. and any advances in test cricket popularity achieved in recent years will be lost.

And if that were to happen, it would be a shame. 

 

[TheSage]

A bit harsh RR. Yesterday was a cracker of a day. Today was a bit more like old fashioned test cricket, I agree, but it's a 5 day game and we are not yet at the half way point. Ground the opposition down if you can. I would agree it was a day for the purist but not without its moments ie. Root's strange escape and Burns' splendid century. I like to see the Aussies struggle.

[CAVALIER]

I’d tend to agree that it was a bit boring in so much as we ground them down. Everyone wants instant action nowadays but yesterday was real test cricket. The ball change was strange as the Aussies rarely threatened until that moment. 

Ironically I had my sandpaper confiscated by the stewards as the Aussies claim it as offensive!

[Jacko51]

I agree, Cav, yesterday was real test cricket with the balance of power equal between bat and ball. So much one day stuff is a load of blokes with big heavy bats using the poor bowlers as cannon fodder. Exciting yes but not a true “test”. I thought Burns did superbly well considering the pressure he was under and much as I hate them with a will, both Lyons and Siddle bowled really well. 

[For Us All]

14 hours ago, RailwayRowdy said:

A boring day at the test. I thought that test cricket had moved on from this.

Yes, it’s The Ashes and we want to beat the old enemy. But this sort of   attritional approach is what empties stadia all over the world at test level.

People really caught on to cricket in the 2005 Ashes series because not only was it an historic rivalry, but because it made the game exciting with batsmen taking the game to the bowler.

If this series continues in the same manner as the opening two days, it will knock international cricket back 30 years. At the end of the day, it is entertainment. People want to be entertained.

Traditionalists poo poo the 20/20 format, but the reason test cricket has become more popular in recent years, is that it has encompassed the test attitude with exhilarating one day style play.

Go back to the old days of Boycott etc. and any advances in test cricket popularity achieved in recent years will be lost.

And if that were to happen, it would be a shame. 

 

Different game though Test cricket RR.Jason Roy for example will never be a opening batsman if he doesn't change his white-ball approach.Same goes for Josh Buttler.It's a five day game and people need to stay at the crease.

The only batsmen who seem to have adapted to both games are Stokes  and Bairstow?

Patience and desire are required at this level of cricket.

[For Us All]

This Smith bloke is becoming a bit of a pain?

[sandyford_valiant]

I would never have said at 3.00pm thursday that we would be batting on day 5 needing to salvage a draw and bat all day. I think Lyon will spin us out tomorrow no problem.

[CAVALIER]

Alcohol infused, when we left on Friday we reckoned get a couple of hundred lead , it was due to rain heavy yesterday and they’d be really struggling 

Coral had us 2/5, them 5-1. 

Bugger

[TheSage]

Missing Anderson has obviously been a huge loss, but sometimes you do wonder what we are doing tactically and I don't like to see games drifting away from us when we sometimes appear to accept easy singles and go through the motions. That said, they batted very well, Smith again rock-like and despite his character failings you have to acknowledge two great innings for them, otherwise we'd have won the game.

It's always hard playing out a draw but I'm hopeful if the weather is sunny that we can do it. We've shown our best and worst in this game.

Next time around, recalls for Curran, Archer and Leach?

Oh, why didn't Woakes bowl much? Just Root's decision or was he injured?

[cheshirevaliant]

I think I read that Woakes didn't bowl much because they wanted to "share the workload". Although it's arguable how much they are sharing the workload if one of the 2 blokes who was excellent in the first innings only bowls 13 out of 112 overs and none before lunch when the game is in the balance. 

[For Us All]

We usually do so well at Edgbaston? 

 

[Aguar61]

Anyone else fed up of hearing Glenn McGrath smugging it up on TMS. Australians-no class.

[toyahw]

Really really inept that. Embarassing. Everything was wrong, team selection. tactics, attitude. Really bad stuff.