Cricket

[Stan]

Mark Wood is perfect on this pacy pitch. Excellent pace.

[Lucas]

On 03/07/2023 at 12:50, Lucas said:

I think we'll see Mark Wood at Headingley. He's obviously not been fit enough but they have tried to save him.

We miss genuine pace. He's the only one that can really provide it bar Archer and that man's sadly a fucked unit.

I think with him charging in with the Headingley crowd behind him, that would give us more a threat in the bowling department. We've not really had that quality start yet where we've got Australia 40-3 or something like that.

Well it's not 40-3 but 50-2 and Wood charging in like a freight train, looks frightening.

No one's got close to his speed from either side in the series to date. Sorely missed.

Keep it up Woody. Could easily have two or three wickets so far let alone the one.

Edited July 6, 2023 by Lucas

[Lucas]

Root's dropped a regulation catch in the slips off Marsh. So frustrating.

Bairstow's dropped two decent chances this morning in all. Honestly, our catching in this series to date has been absolutely woeful.

We should have had the Aussies 6 down here easily. Vitally important we start being more clinical if we're to win this one.

[Stan]

5 hours ago, Lucas said:

Root's dropped a regulation catch in the slips off Marsh. So frustrating.

Bairstow's dropped two decent chances this morning in all. Honestly, our catching in this series to date has been absolutely woeful.

We should have had the Aussies 6 down here easily. Vitally important we start being more clinical if we're to win this one.

What a day of cricket. 

Skittled out Aus for under 300 with one of their players getting a century. 

Then lost 3 wickets in the final session. 

Maybe both teams know there's rain on the horizon for Saturday and potentially Monday. Get the game done tomorrow

 

[Spike]

Scot Boland is the new Mitchell Johnson for the English faithful. I was set next to the Aussie pavilion and the Yorkshire boys were viscous on Boland

[Lucas]

14 minutes ago, Spike said:

Scot Boland is the new Mitchell Johnson for the English faithful. I was set next to the Aussie pavilion and the Yorkshire boys were viscous on Boland

The boos for Smith seemed really loud on the TV.

You saw a great days play, what was the experience like?

Edited July 6, 2023 by Lucas

[Spike]

7 minutes ago, Lucas said:

The boos for Smith seemed really loud on the TV.

You saw a great days play, what was the experience like?

Smudge and Carey took the brunt of the boos but Boland took most of the heckling. The crowd was passive to begin with but very drunk as the day progressed. Had a few silent MCC types around but a lot of characters too. Great march, great day, great time. Full of stories today. 

[Lucas]

4 minutes ago, Spike said:

Smudge and Carey took the brunt of the boos but Boland took most of the heckling. The crowd was passive to begin with but very drunk as the day progressed. Had a few silent MCC types around but a lot of characters too. Great march, great day, great time. Full of stories today. 

Great to hear, knew you wouldn't regret Headingley.

[Stan]

Bairstow is bad. 

[JoshBRFC+]

251 for us to win. 2 days and 20 minutes to do so. Surely we’ve got this 3rd test. 

[Spike]

On 07/07/2023 at 17:05, Stan said:

Bairstow is bad. 

You should see his smug fucken expression on the match day programme

[CaaC (John)+]

14 hours ago, JoshBRFC said:

251 for us to win. 2 days and 20 minutes to do so. Surely we’ve got this 3rd test. 

England rely to much on Stokes and his 'slaughter innings' winning matches, stop him and then England are lame ducks when batting. 

[Stan]

14 hours ago, JoshBRFC said:

251 for us to win. 2 days and 20 minutes to do so. Surely we’ve got this 3rd test. 

If they don't do Bazball, they'll coast it. Literally all they need to do is play sensibly and don't need to be so aggressive. Two days to get a relatively small total. If every player says to themselves they don't need to bat like Stokes (as entertaining as that is), they'll be fine. Especially in a must win game. 

[JoshBRFC+]

Happy days. Come back is on. 

[Stan]

Would love England to win the next one, so there's shit load riding on the Oval test. 

Not too much difference there. 

But the big difference is the fielding, namely Bairstow... 

 

[Lucas]

That win is mainly down to the bowlers and given Robinson got injured and never bowled 2nd innings, to get Australia out cheap was key.

Mark Wood absolutely galvinised us. A real difference maker.

He was frightening on that pitch and the Aussies struggled to live with him. And you have to say, that little cameo after lunch on Friday with the bat injected some momentum back our way into the game.

Chris Woakes was very solid too. Pleased to see him contribute with the bat as well as the ball. Today, he steadied the ship well when there was a sniff of a collpase.

I think the 9 day break is good for us. Stokes is absolutely spent physically. I think mentally, every Test has been so intense and close that a few players need that mental reset. Bairstow especially, he's all over the place.

Big decision whether to stick with him now. I backed him to turn it around at Headingley but he got worse. I don't think we can afford to take another chance with him, Foakes must be gutted he can't get in right now but it seems a straight forward replacement on paper.

Got to do something about Moeen Ali as well. Guys bringing absolutely nothing with the bat and just pointlessly giving his wicket away eachtime. Only reason he is in basically is because they feel he's the only viable option for spin. Not right really is it. Could easily pick a couple others. And for god sake, do not play him at 3 again. 

I'd be dumping Robinson at Old Trafford and bringing in a resurgent Jimmy Anderson after a good couple weeks rest. You've got to back him on his ground and from his end.

Very impressed with Mitch Marsh, he had a great test and offered Australia another level to Cameron Green. Didn't go much on Murphy but they look a bit shagged in that department as much as we are.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Lucas

[Spike]

Perfect conditions for England and they barely took the win.

[Lucas]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Duckworth Lewis is an absolute bullshit way to decided a game.

If you're gonna use it, make it fair for both sides and not just the batting team.

[Stan]

That's some innings from Crawley. Was smoking for majority of that once he got going. 

[JoshBRFC+]

I fear this will end in a draw. 

[Stan]

27 minutes ago, JoshBRFC said:

I fear this will end in a draw. 

Pretty obvious to me given the weather over the weekend.

Not enough time to get all the wickets required even if England declared now. Aus can just bat out and let the rain dictate things. 

[Lucas]

This will be gutting not to win a match we've dominated all three days in previously but I do fear they won't get the overs in.

The competition deserves this Test being played out so it can go forward to the final one. 

It does make you laugh that in this day and age, weather can occasionally play such a huge part in the outcome that they don't have a reserve day as an option. 

[Spike]

11 hours ago, Lucas said:

This will be gutting not to win a match we've dominated all three days in previously but I do fear they won't get the overs in.

The competition deserves this Test being played out so it can go forward to the final one. 

It does make you laugh that in this day and age, weather can occasionally play such a huge part in the outcome that they don't have a reserve day as an option. 

It isn’t occasional, it is inevitable the rain interferes with The Ashes

[JoshBRFC+]

Fortunate for the Aussies. We would have battered them again in the final test if it was 2-2. Gutted. 
 

Hoping for a miracle. 

[Spike]

The Australian media is cannibalising Pat Cummins. A terrible game and Australia cricket has become a crisis, of course England can’t just have a great game as a home side with favourable conditions, Australia has failed, it is 100% Cummins fault, not the fact Lyon is injured and the four best batsmen in the world are nibbling at every edge and LBW.