Ashes 2023

[Pat_Bee]

Always like to see England get beaten lol.

On an individual level I’m pleased for Mo and his knock yesterday.

Bazball is overhyped, KP played that way 10 - 15 years ago and now everyone does.

[cricket_22001]

I’m an Aussie & find irony that under Bazball the poms declare towards the end of the first day of the first test & lose narrowly, yet in this test, when rain is forecast, they batted as long as possible. At the time of writing, no play has been possible on the last day. Play maybe unlikely but it isn’t over till the fat lady sings.

[Pat_Bee]

For all the bazball bluster, looking increasingly likely you boys will be taking the urn home with you.

[cricket_22001]

Here’s another irony- Australia retain the Ashes but Cummins resigns from captaincy due to the pressures placed upon Australia by Bazball.

[eugene]

Australia have the rain to thank for retaining the urn. Hopefully England smash them in the last test to make the victory feel particularly hollow.

[cricket_22001]

Hi Eugene,
While the rain saved Oz from defeat in the fourth test & the momentum of the series is England’s way, there is more to ponder than just the rain.
Oz was two up after 2 tests. How did that happen?
In the first innings of the first test, England blew away the last four Oz wickets for 14 runs. Then in the second innings, they had an in/out field for the Cummins-Lyon partnership, allowing valuable runs & didn’t attack them as they had in the first innings.
England played Bairstow as keeper. We’ll never know but would Foakes have caught Khawaja before he had settled into his innings of 141.
In fact, Bairstow’s keeping has been average at best, despite one pearler he took this test. How much has this cost the poms? We’ll never know.
In the second test, England were 2-208 in the first innings, then conceded a 91 run deficit.
In the second innings, Stokes unquestionably changed the momentum of the series. But the rest of his team ( Duckett & Broad excluded) barely contributed to the innings.
England recall Moeen Ali whose greatest contribution in the first test was getting fined & injuring the callous on his spinning finger. He misses the second test.
Lyon gets injured in the second test disrupting the balance of the Aussie attack. But injuries are part & parcel of test cricket. Like the weather.

[Pat_Bee]

21 runs in the first hour. Shackle draggers bossing this with anti-bazball

[eugene]

Australia are playing anti-cricket, they should be ashamed of themselves. Never thought I would see an Australian team with such a negative mindset!

[Pat_Bee]

Well, well. A nice little first innings lead the fact it is so anti bazball is what makes it so amusing.

[eugene]

England still in the box seat I think. If they can get a decent score Australia will struggle to chase it down.