Cricket - the Ashes 2023

[leedsvaliant]

Absolutely braindead this morning. There's a time and a place to play attacking cricket. This morning was like a village team slogging. Awful.

[hamilboy]

1 hour ago, leedsvaliant said:

Absolutely braindead this morning. There's a time and a place to play attacking cricket. This morning was like a village team slogging. Awful.

Where is the coach and captain sitting on the balcony at lords watching what Australia were doing ,we were already going at 5 runs a over. All that was needed was to see the short ball tactic through there pace bowlers could only bowl about six overs of short stuff before they would tire but no we are this bazball England.It is a five day test match Joe Root No 1 batsman in the world gets away with trying to hook through a no-ball then low and behold gets out trying hook again what is going on do not try and hook when their are 3 fielders on the leg side boundary anyone who can hold a bat must know that we all learned that at a very young age. Harry Brook trying to use a baseball stroke and finds the only fielder on the offside bloody ridiculous let us have some brains out in the middle please from the captain and a very well paid coaching department.

[manc_vale]

6 hours ago, valiant_593 said:

I’m of a different view with ‘Bazball’ to be honest. Yes it’s entertaining, but so are all ashes series, the aggression shown by the openers has been fantastic but then complete and utter stupidity comes in (or ego) and throws away strong positions. We would have won if we didn’t declare and I don’t buy this it feels like a win / we just want to entertain. I’d much prefer us to play traditional and win than lose. Win at all costs otherwise I really don’t see the point. 

I'm regretting my post. 

Yes attack, but do it when the time is right. There will be times when you cannot go for 5 runs+ an over. The class batsmen will see out the tricky periods, value their wicket, and make hay when the considtions suit them. The entire batting lineup does not have to be entertaining... Someone needs to be able to anchor an innings, seems like Pope and Root who should be the most likely to do this role have temporarily losst that abiity. 

Winning is entertaining. The 2005 victory was entertaining, but the batting had some steel in the form of Strauss, Vaughan. 

Its going to be very hard to rescue something from here.

[Shropshire_Valiant]

Agree with the last 3 or 4 posts. 2 sessions or so and that looks like the Ashes and possibly the series gone.  I'm a traditionalist with test cricket generally but had been impressed with Stokes and bazball but this morning inparticular was just braindead batting.  Coupled with the lacklustre bowling 1st day it's slipping away.

It's a shame as I don't think we're being outclassed, and they are they that much better but what the Aussies are doing is playing the key and big moments better than us.  I said at the start they probably had that bit more quality but you never know if we played well in the big moments and showed true grit/baz ball style in the right measures it could be a close series(but sadly it looks like we haven't).

I don't think it's like the teams of the 90s I grew up watching where they were simply a class above and pummeled us into the dirt.  I think we might pinch a win in one of the games but it could easily be 3-1(ish) if this carries on.

[Bycarsbill]

3 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

Interesting stuff this morning.  I thought the Aussies didn't like body line??

And England batters fell hook, line & sinker for the short stuff--brainless batting.  Brilliant TV shot of Geoffrey Bycott with his head in his hands as Harry Brook gifted away his wicket with one of those typically brainless shots!

[Bycarsbill]

34 minutes ago, Shropshire_Valiant said:

Agree with the last 3 or 4 posts. 2 sessions or so and that looks like the Ashes and possibly the series gone.  I'm a traditionalist with test cricket generally but had been impressed with Stokes and bazball but this morning inparticular was just braindead batting.  Coupled with the lacklustre bowling 1st day it's slipping away.

It's a shame as I don't think we're being outclassed, and they are they that much better but what the Aussies are doing is playing the key and big moments better than us.  I said at the start they probably had that bit more quality but you never know if we played well in the big moments and showed true grit/baz ball style in the right measures it could be a close series(but sadly it looks like we haven't).

I don't think it's like the teams of the 90s I grew up watching where they were simply a class above and pummeled us into the dirt.  I think we might pinch a win in one of the games but it could easily be 3-1(ish) if this carries on.

A brilliant assessment.  I agree totally.  We have been looking to get on top on occasions during this Test, but every time that's happened, we've then ceeded to the Australians and let them back in big time.

Summarising events so far: A lacklustre & energy-less first morning's bowling from England, then a small recovery late-on with wickets to Joe Root.  A good morning on the second day, bowling out the Aussies for less than the 450 + it looked at one time they were going to get.  A good solid start to our 1st innings until we threw away 3 wickets after tea yesterday playing 'happy hookers' in a brainless display.  A recovery by Stokes & Brook late on and then abject capitulation on morning of day three, (last 6 wickets falling for a measly 47 runs!!) which gifted the Aussies' a near-100 lead! Evidence of some better bowling at the start of the Aussie's 2nd innings, but once again not penetrative enough and Australia coasting to a massive lead.  Great surprise and disappointment, that Jimmy Anderson in conditions that during both Aussie innings, were totally-suited to his style of swing bowling has taken only one wicket in the match so far!

With Lyons injured (possibly for the rest of the series?) England should really have capitalised and built a commanding first inning's lead, but instead, we're now well & truly on the back foot.  Unless we're reprieved by some long spells of rain, there's no way that England can avoid defeat in this Test and at 0-2 down that's the Ashes gone once again. Credit to the Aussies' who have held their nerve and used their brain cells.

[Warren]

4 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

Do you think Stokes was aware at the time that Johnny Bairstow was going to have an absolute mare behind the stumps and cost us about 200 runs?

A key difference between the teams seems to be intelligence. England are dunce. Australia post graduate. 

[valiant_593]

4 hours ago, Jacko51 said:

Do you think Stokes was aware at the time that Johnny Bairstow was going to have an absolute mare behind the stumps and cost us about 200 runs?

Regardless of that you shouldn’t be declaring on day 1 of the ashes, whilst on top and with joe root still in and the opposition having 3 of the best players in the world waiting to come. Just stunk of thinking we / this awful brand is better than it actually is. Get 450 and bairstow having a mare has no impact

[Bycarsbill]

5 hours ago, robf said:

Absolutely terrible tactics.

You have a team without their holding bowler, Lyon and their only tactic is the short ball. If you just show any sort of patience, then the pace bowlers will eventually tire themselves out and (as they've shown) there is no effective Plan B and (of course) no holding bowler to give them a rest.

If you're idiots, you attack every ball like it's 20/20 and gift the opposition wickets.

Bazball? Brainless-ball more like it.  You're spot-on Rob, with the loss of Lyon and Cameron Green struggling with a back problem, England's batters only had to use a bit of common sense and bat long enough to wear down Aussie's 3 front-line quickies.  Bowling the short stuff over a long period is difficult work for any bowler and if England had shown any degree of patience, Cummins,  Hazlewood & Starc would have soon become weary and blunted not only in the short term for this match, but also giving potential problems for all their bodies in a Test series crammed into a truncated timeframe.  Instead, we played straight into their hands (literally) and having shown such vulnerability, people like Pope & Brook are now certain to be targeted with periods of the short stuff in all their forthcoming innings.  I just hope they'll sensible and less gung-ho!

[Paul6754]

Ben Stokes showed the way with the "Disciplined Innings" when he came in on Thursday and was not out at the close of play, I hoped England would build on that and at least post  some sort of 1st innings lead but deary, deary me.

It was absolutely fascinating to listen to Michael Vaughn and Alistair Cooke on TMS at the close of play on Thursday give their opinions of Bazball. In particular Cooke, who admits he was a compulsive hooker, on how he dealt with the short pitched stuff/men on the leg side tactic.

Need to get the Aussies out relatively cheaply ad quickly tomorrow and leave England with a realistic run chase but pigs might fly.  The Aussies never seem to get a nick on the ball or England drop a crucial catch.

 

[Bycarsbill]

13 hours ago, Paul6754 said:

Ben Stokes showed the way with the "Disciplined Innings" when he came in on Thursday and was not out at the close of play, I hoped England would build on that and at least post  some sort of 1st innings lead but deary, deary me.

It was absolutely fascinating to listen to Michael Vaughn and Alistair Cooke on TMS at the close of play on Thursday give their opinions of Bazball. In particular Cooke, who admits he was a compulsive hooker, on how he dealt with the short pitched stuff/men on the leg side tactic.

Need to get the Aussies out relatively cheaply ad quickly tomorrow and leave England with a realistic run chase but pigs might fly.  The Aussies never seem to get a nick on the ball or England drop a crucial catch.

 

Unless there's lots of rain, this Test and the Ashes are lost. So much for Bazball!

[Guppys left peg]

The Aussies have succumbed to the same short ball tactic today. 360 ahead with one wicket remaining so still behind in the game but not out of it. Seeing Lyon literally hobble out to bat I think by not declaring they risk doing some serious further damage to this injury. He certainly is out of the series after this.

I do hope the constant short ball barrage isn’t going to be a theme in the rest of the series though, it doesn’t make for very interesting cricket apart from as a short change up.

[Andy Proctor]

You only have to look at the averages of the England and Australia players to see that Australia are a much better team. Unless rain saves us in a test then I can see us losing 5 nil.

[darren1810]

15 minutes ago, Andy Proctor said:

You only have to look at the averages of the England and Australia players to see that Australia are a much better team. Unless rain saves us in a test then I can see us losing 5 nil.

Crawley average of under 30 for an opener is embarrassing. 

[Guppys left peg]

Starc and Cummins just been too good with the ball in this innings.