Cricket

[JohnD]

Just now, AllRoverAsia said:

I think they are adapting already

Oh yes! That's how they won the first test. They will keep winning because they are an infinitely superior team and England will struggle to bowl them out on any wicket.

Earlier I read that the English attack will be invited to play at next year's Glastonbury. 😂

 

[AllRoverAsia]

1 minute ago, JohnD said:

Oh yes! That's how they won the first test. They will keep winning because they are an infinitely superior team and England will struggle to bowl them out on any wicket.

Earlier I read that the English attack will be invited to play at next year's Glastonbury. 😂

 

I admit you've lost me there

[den]

7 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

There is a difference between attacking cricket and brainless cricket. Take Joe Root he is a high quality batsman who has always played positively and scored at a decent rate he does not need to be throwing his wicket as he has done in his last two innings.

If this England team lose this series they won't be remembered for playing attacking cricket but as the first England team to lose at home to Australia since 2001.

Winning 11 tests out of 13 before the Ashes plus their performances so far in the Ashes (bar a naieve spell this afternoon) suggests this isn’t brainless cricket.

[JohnD]

Sorry, in the first test I thought the Aussies essentially ignored bazball and played their usual way.

Irrespective of bazball the Aussies won't lose a test in this series.

If and when they win the series it would be interesting to see them adopt bazball in a match

[Ewood Ace]

2 minutes ago, den said:

Winning 11 tests out of 13 before the Ashes plus their performances so far in the Ashes (bar a naieve spell this afternoon) suggests this isn’t brainless cricket.

Three men out hooking when the trap is set is brainless & it could have been worse Root had one let off with the no ball & Brook was dropped at square leg.

[jim mk2]

1 minute ago, den said:

Winning 11 tests out of 13 before the Ashes plus their performances so far in the Ashes (bar a naieve spell this afternoon) suggests this isn’t brainless cricket.

 The first innings declaration in the first Test  didn't make sense at the time (and still doesn't) and contributed to costing us the match. Root's dismissal and a few others at Edgbaston could definitely be classed as "brainless".  At least 3 of the 4 dismissals today were totally unnecessary. This is the Ashes - you beat this lot by not giving them a sniff and grinding them into the dirt, not offering them a way back into the game all the time. 

[oldjamfan1]

1 minute ago, JohnD said:

Irrespective of bazball the Aussies won't lose a test in this series.

 

That’s a bold statement. Is that you Glenn?

[JohnD]

5 minutes ago, den said:

Winning 11 tests out of 13 before the Ashes plus their performances so far in the Ashes (bar a naive spell this afternoon) suggests this isn’t brainless cricket.

Yesterday I read an article describing how the English victory against NZ was calculated mathematically. I've looked for it at length today but can't find it again.

[JohnD]

1 minute ago, jim mk2 said:

 The first innings declaration in the first Test  didn't make sense at the time (and still doesn't) and contributed to costing us the match. Root's dismissal and a few others at Edgbaston could definitely be classed as "brainless".  At least 3 of the 4 dismissals today were totally unnecessary. This is the Ashes - you beat this lot by not giving them a sniff and grinding them into the dirt, not offering them a way back into the game all the time. 

This English team have absolutely no chance of beating Australia in the conventional way.

[JohnD]

19 minutes ago, oldjamfan1 said:

That’s a bold statement. Is that you Glenn?

😄 I guess I've been called worse, not sure.

[chaddyrovers]

very good day for England. Bowled better today and batting very well. Its down to us to set the game up for a England win with Brook, Stokes and Bairstow now. 

I won't blame anyone for getting out for playing attacking cricket shots. Duckett was on 98 and played that shot but he played that shot a number of times for singles and it was run scorer for him. Crawley was out done by the spin by Lyon. Pope and Root could have either upper cut the shot or left it but that the way this team plays. The team comes first not their own player score. 

Lyon getting injured and seems like one that will keep him out a couple of test matches now. Plus Green's no balls problem which is a huge problem for them. No bowler should ball no balls like Ian Botham used to say

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

Vaughan is a dinosaur 

I’m not a fan either.

[JohnD]

Thanks for today, as they say it's good to talk.

I'll miss the bazball tomorrow as.i volunteered us to help with a community project for the day.

Physical work outside in the pissing rain at our ages is madness but someone has to do it and younger folk CBA

There are some really good interviews and articles on both sides of the bazball discussion on the BBC website. Interesting times for test cricket, who'd a thunk?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

This English team have absolutely no chance of beating Australia in the conventional way.

It’s a matter of attitude, Smith makes 110 and he was livid when he got out. 

[chaddyrovers]

2 hours ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

It’s a matter of attitude, Smith makes 110 and he was livid when he got out. 

Yes playing at a ball he didn't need to if you are playing that old fashion way

[AllRoverAsia]

The exact Aussie run rate in the first innings was 4.13 per over

England's, so far, is 4.55

So Bazzball is scoring at 0.42 more runs per over than the 'old fashion way'

What's the fuss about apart from media hype.

Smith anchored their innings together and allowed Head to score at a run a ball whilst getting a ton himself. If that's old fashioned the bring it on!

Let's see Stokes do similar.

Edited June 30, 2023 by AllRoverAsia

[Gav]

For all the critics of bazball, here is the scorecard from the last England test innings before the Bazball revolution.

West Indies won by 10wkts

I can’t wait to go back to this halcyon days, can you…..

Edited June 30, 2023 by Gav

[Dreams of 1995]

The attacking cricket is definitely playing in our favour.

White ball cricket has taken over in England. We don't have the big pool of players to pick from like Australia do. In part because most lads here play football or rugby; cricket is seen as a pursuit for the rich kids. So we have to play to the strengths of our already limited pool of players. I am going to assume Stokes and our Baz recognise that, hence the quick change. As posters have said, it is Bazball that has put us in the positions we have been in. It is also the relentless pursuit of attack that has put us back in precarious positions.

I just think we could balance it a little better, which will come with time I hope. Stokes should not have declared with Root at the wicket. Yet, if he did get Warner or Khawaja out in that evening, it would have been a stroke of genius. We should have ducked it out yesterday, but as KP said, if a couple of them had gone for 4 or 6 we would have cut the short bowling out instantly

Ultimately I think it is why the posters in here love test cricket. The variance, the ever changing conditions and the speed on which a match can turn...despite it lasting 5 days! We are in for another great day of cricket today (if the weather holds...it's raining in Brum) and for that I am thankful to both England's Bazball and Australia's skill in dealing with it. Only India have come close to matching it so far.

[jim mk2]

The proof of the cricket pudding will be in the eating

England haven't lost an Ashes series at home for 20 years. If we lose this one Bazball will be rightly discredited and should be binned along with McCullum

Sir Geoffrey, playing with a straight bat as always, summed it up when he wrote in his column for the Torygraph that "England have got carried away with Bazball and seem to think entertaining is more important than winning." 

Thank you. 

[K-Hod]

I’m not necessarily against Bazball, I like the front foot approach in many ways.

Only thing is, I think over this series so far, we seem to have given a few wickets away cheaply, dropped too many catches and there seems to have been a lot more no balls than usual. Fix those little tweaks (which can be done with practice fundamentally) and I think things can look a lot better moving forward.

[Gav]

29 minutes ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

The attacking cricket is definitely playing in our favour.

White ball cricket has taken over in England. We don't have the big pool of players to pick from like Australia do. In part because most lads here play football or rugby; cricket is seen as a pursuit for the rich kids. So we have to play to the strengths of our already limited pool of players. I am going to assume Stokes and our Baz recognise that, hence the quick change. As posters have said, it is Bazball that has put us in the positions we have been in. It is also the relentless pursuit of attack that has put us back in precarious positions.

I just think we could balance it a little better, which will come with time I hope. Stokes should not have declared with Root at the wicket. Yet, if he did get Warner or Khawaja out in that evening, it would have been a stroke of genius. We should have ducked it out yesterday, but as KP said, if a couple of them had gone for 4 or 6 we would have cut the short bowling out instantly

Ultimately I think it is why the posters in here love test cricket. The variance, the ever changing conditions and the speed on which a match can turn...despite it lasting 5 days! We are in for another great day of cricket today (if the weather holds...it's raining in Brum) and for that I am thankful to both England's Bazball and Australia's skill in dealing with it. Only India have come close to matching it so far.

Nail on head Dreams, couldn't agree more, ironically Stokes did just that when he came to the crease.

This is now setup beautifully and I for one can't wait to see how the next 3 days pan out.

 

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

In my opinion, and it’s only an opinion, we play Baz ball because McCullum took one look at the players and decided that was the only way we can play. Especially the batsmen. They are so used to the “ hit out or get out “ white ball cricket that traditional Test Match cricket is no longer their natural game. So in a way we are playing to our strengths.

[Gav]

23 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

In my opinion, and it’s only an opinion, we play Baz ball because McCullum took one look at the players and decided that was the only way we can play. Especially the batsmen. They are so used to the “ hit out or get out “ white ball cricket that traditional Test Match cricket is no longer their natural game. So in a way we are playing to our strengths.

Spot on Tyrone, like we want every manager of Blackburn Rovers to do week in week out.

[Mattyblue]

1 hour ago, Dreams of 1995 said:

 

White ball cricket has taken over in England. We don't have the big pool of players to pick from like Australia do. In part because most lads here play football or rugby; cricket is seen as a pursuit for the rich kids.

Bit of midland bias there, Dreams. Rugby Union is not particularly popular around these parts and is deemed a ‘rich kid’ sport, cricket is anything but a ‘posh’ sport in Lancs and Yorks.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Mattyblue

[chaddyrovers]

43 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

In my opinion, and it’s only an opinion, we play Baz ball because McCullum took one look at the players and decided that was the only way we can play. Especially the batsmen. They are so used to the “ hit out or get out “ white ball cricket that traditional Test Match cricket is no longer their natural game. So in a way we are playing to our strengths.

I think you will find it is Stokes who wanted to play this way and we appointed McCullum as he had a similar mindset to our captain