Ashes 2023

[pillowprocter]

What a match! Setting the tone for rest of the series?

[Jemisi]

Yeah very exciting and enabled by England's aggression even if it just failed to get them the win. Some of their second innings seemed suicidal when slightly more conventional attack may have given them a target over 300

[eugene]

Australia to win 5-0?

[jaybro]

England certainly took it to Australia in that first test, but that declaration on day-1 only 8-down was stupid and cost them the match IMO.

It’s very interesting to see the ‘trash talk’ coming from England this time around when usually it’s the Aussies doing all the talking in the media.

I think England are trying to deflect the pressure, but no matter what they say the pressure is all on them going into the 2nd Test. Will England play with the same ‘high risk - high reward’ style with the series very much on the line?

If Australia win the 2nd Test I’d say that’ll be curtains for them this series and the Aussies would be in track for their first series win in England for over 20 years.

[Jemisi]

They'll brush off the first loss and stick with the bazball assault but if they lose the second the pressure is likely to impact their decision making and they may well be caught betwixt and between

[eugene]

Thoughts on the Bairstow dismissal?

Personally I think it is pretty poor. I don't have a problem with the mankad as the non-striker is trying to gain an unfair advantage but it Bairstow's case he wasn't gaining anything by walking down the wicket. He was careless and should have known better, but it is a cheap way for Australia to get him out.

[jaybro]

Thoughts on the Bairstow dismissal?

Personally I think it is pretty poor. I don't have a problem with the mankad as the non-striker is trying to gain an unfair advantage but it Bairstow's case he wasn't gaining anything by walking down the wicket. He was careless and should have known better, but it is a cheap way for Australia to get him out.

Mate, this is professional sport not backyard cricket. The first rule in cricket is to know where the ball is and stay in your crease, Bairstow should know better.

Also, Bairstow tried to stump Marnus in the same fashion just two days earlier, so I'm not sure how the English are trying to take the high road on this occasion.

Broad telling Carey that "that was the worst thing he's ever seen on the cricket field" was laughable as well, again Broad has zero right to take the high-road after his exploits in the 2013 Ashes where he nicked off to fist slip and didn't walk. Now I'm not sure how Broad can say what Carey did was against the spirit of the game, yet not walking once you've hit the ball is within the spirit of the game?

B-Mac who is actually a favourite player of mine has also embarrassed himself, trying to say the Aussies again breached the spirit of the game, yet he was famous for not once but twice running out tail end batsman after they had left their crease to celebrate a team mate's milestone. One of those occasions of course was when Chris Mpofu left his crease to congratulate Blessing Mahwire for scoring his one and only test fifty in 2005.

Also, if the Poms are so hell-bent on upholding the spirit of the game, then Duckett should have walked when he was caught by Starc. Starc clearly caught him fair and square and didn't gain an advantage from the ball touching the turf. But they are the rules of the game, and the rules are there to be followed.

In no other sport do they have this 'spirit of the game' but of the Poms want to carryon about it, and Bmac, then maybe they need to look at themselves in the mirror first.

[andrewn9]

Thoughts on the Bairstow dismissal?

Personally I think it is pretty poor. I don't have a problem with the mankad as the non-striker is trying to gain an unfair advantage but it Bairstow's case he wasn't gaining anything by walking down the wicket. He was careless and should have known better, but it is a cheap way for Australia to get him out.

Mate, this is professional sport not backyard cricket. The first rule in cricket is to know where the ball is and stay in your crease, Bairstow should know better.

Also, Bairstow tried to stump Marnus in the same fashion just two days earlier, so I'm not sure how the English are trying to take the high road on this occasion.

Broad telling Carey that "that was the worst thing he's ever seen on the cricket field" was laughable as well, again Broad has zero right to take the high-road after his exploits in the 2013 Ashes where he nicked off to fist slip and didn't walk. Now I'm not sure how Broad can say what Carey did was against the spirit of the game, yet not walking once you've hit the ball is within the spirit of the game?

B-Mac who is actually a favourite player of mine has also embarrassed himself, trying to say the Aussies again breached the spirit of the game, yet he was famous for not once but twice running out tail end batsman after they had left their crease to celebrate a team mate's milestone. One of those occasions of course was when Chris Mpofu left his crease to congratulate Blessing Mahwire for scoring his one and only test fifty in 2005.

Also, if the Poms are so hell-bent on upholding the spirit of the game, then Duckett should have walked when he was caught by Starc. Starc clearly caught him fair and square and didn't gain an advantage from the ball touching the turf. But they are the rules of the game, and the rules are there to be followed.

In no other sport do they have this 'spirit of the game' but of the Poms want to carryon about it, and Bmac, then maybe they need to look at themselves in the mirror first.

I'm not going to even get into the Bairstow dismissal but I cannot believe all these Aussies comıng out saying the Starc catch was fair. He literally pushed the ball along the ground. Fingers not under the ball, ball pushed along the ground. How can it possibly be a fair catch? The ball is not supposed to touch the ground. That is what makes a catch a catch. I feel like I'm living in a cuckoo clock where people are saying black is white and white is black. And you say he didn't gain an advantage from the ball touching the ground. He was sliding on his knees and literally had to use the ball to balance himself. If that's not gaining an advantage I don't know what is. McGrath coming out saying it was a disgrace and the umpires are biased in favour of England. I see he hasn't changed much. Once a cunt, always a cunt.

[eugene]

I cannot think of a less likable sporting side than the Australian cricket team. It was so awesome when Zimbabwe pumped them in Townsville.

[jaybro]

I'm not going to even get into the Bairstow dismissal but I cannot believe all these Aussies comıng out saying the Starc catch was fair. He literally pushed the ball along the ground. Fingers not under the ball, ball pushed along the ground. How can it possibly be a fair catch? The ball is not supposed to touch the ground. That is what makes a catch a catch. I feel like I'm living in a cuckoo clock where people are saying black is white and white is black. And you say he didn't gain an advantage from the ball touching the ground. He was sliding on his knees and literally had to use the ball to balance himself. If that's not gaining an advantage I don't know what is. McGrath coming out saying it was a disgrace and the umpires are biased in favour of England. I see he hasn't changed much. Once a cunt, always a cunt.

I’m not arguing that the Starc catch should have been awarded, the rules are clear so it’s out. My point was he already had caught the ball, he didn’t use the ground to catch it.

Sure he used the ball to brace his his fall/ slide which is why the catch was disallowed and I have no problem with that because that’s the rules.

It seems as though the English like to pull the rule book out when it suits them, but when it doesn’t they cry foul for ‘the spirit of the game’. It really is laughable that a certain section of d blush fans & media are getting so upset about the Aussies not letting poor little Jonny off the hook.

Aussies live rent free in their heads