Cricket

[Mattyblue]

I am keeping the faith, I’ve enjoyed the positive cricket of the past twelve months, this side obviously isn’t a million a miles away.

But I’m also not burying my head in the sand and thinking it is all marvellous, there has been some reckless cricket on display and the Ashes is on the verge of being lost already.

Edited July 2, 2023 by Mattyblue

[JohnD]

1 hour ago, Mattyblue said:

Yes totally serious, unlike your silly hyperbole.

Sensible tactics would have won the first test for starters. 

Sorry Matty I hadn't looked who's post I was answering and wouldn't have bothered had I known it was you. 🤠

[K-Hod]

I don’t think it’s a simple as writing off Bazball in its entirety, despite the last two matches, which were close run things really. I also don’t think it’s as simple as just observing that Australia have a better side. 
I don’t think we are a million miles away, but I don’t think we will win The Ashes, though I don’t think it will be a whitewash.

[Mattyblue]

5 minutes ago, JohnD said:

Sorry Matty I hadn't looked who's post I was answering and wouldn't have bothered had I known it was you. 🤠

Shame you didn’t follow that approach on the ST thread 🤠 

[JohnD]

19 minutes ago, K-Hod said:

I don’t think it’s a simple as writing off Bazball in its entirety, despite the last two matches, which were close run things really. I also don’t think it’s as simple as just observing that Australia have a better side. 
I don’t think we are a million miles away, but I don’t think we will win The Ashes, though I don’t think it will be a whitewash.

I agree with everything except the whitewash, I suspect only the rain can prevent a loss. 🤞

[Mattyblue]

We are not worthy 🙌

[martonrover]

2 hours ago, Gav said:

They have won 11 of 13 Tests since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took over, including a historic win in Pakistan, results have been superb.

They have lost the last three, discounting the Ireland Test (well remembered Chaddy), including the second Test in New Zealand. 

Need to make a decent fist of the remainder of this series.

Edited July 2, 2023 by martonrover

[martonrover]

Excellent attendance at Old Trafford and good to sneak a home quarter final by 0.078 on net run rate.

Edited July 2, 2023 by martonrover

[chaddyrovers]

3 hours ago, Exiled_Rover said:

They can only play the cards they're dealt - they haven't been dealt many top-class Test players.

Only Root would get in the Aussie XI.

2 hours ago, JohnD said:

Ha, ha, are you serious?

This Aussie team are, Root excepted, man for man much better than England.

 I'm amazed we have got close to them twice. It's the worst bowling attack in 50+ years. 

Root, Duckett, Stokes and Broad all get that team easily. Anderson might have done but not based on series performances 

2 hours ago, Ewood Ace said:

And now they have lost 3 in a row.

We lost 3 in a row? We beat Ireland didn't we? 

2 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

"Superb" 🙄 

Bazball is in trial now. The other lot think it's nonsense and their media find it funny. 

At the moment it's losing cricket... and that's what matters

On trial? Let's just ignore everything and only focus on the Ashes series then?

On Bazball? If you listen to Stokes and McCullum post match interviews you would properly understand what Stokes and McCullum are asking the players to do. Clearly you do. They have clarity on backing whatever approach each batsman wants to adapt. 

2 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Not true

The likes of Boycott, Barrington, Barber, Edrich, Graveney, Bailey would have batted right through today and saved the game.

 

The game was there for the Win and under Stokes we will always go for the win. 

Saved the game? What a boring approach to cricket that would have been to today target. About 250 runs to chase on a full day play. Really? 

[Ewood Ace]

33 minutes ago, chaddyrovers said:

We lost 3 in a row? We beat Ireland didn't we? 

If you want to count the Ireland result then carry on. But I don't class that 4 day game as a proper test match. Ireland should be nowhere near test cricket they are a team of county 2XI standard players from a country that does not even have a first class competition.

[chaddyrovers]

4 minutes ago, Ewood Ace said:

If you want to count the Ireland result then carry on. But I don't class that 4 day game as a proper test match. Ireland should be nowhere near test cricket they are a team of county 2XI standard players from a country that does not even have a first class competition.

It was a test match according to the ICC. 

[jim mk2]

1 hour ago, chaddyrovers said:

Saved the game? What a boring approach to cricket that would have been to today target. About 250 runs to chase on a full day play. Really? 

Yes, really. This might blow your brain but battling for and achieving a draw is tense and exciting Some of the best Test matches I've seen in 50 plus years of watching cricket have been draws.

A draw today would have put us only 1-0 behind and the series still winnable. As it stands the Ashes is more than likely over. I hate losing, you obviously don't mind as long as it's exciting. 

Against the convicts, that's incomprehensible

[Gav]

Ben Stokes has just produced one of the best ashes innings of all time:

214 balls

155 run

9 fours

9 sixes

 

[Ianrally]

6 hours ago, Ewood Ace said:

The footballification of crowds at test matches in this country is awful. Booing Smith when getting his well deserved man of the match award just isn't cricket.

Smith should have never been anywhere near a test match since sandpapergate. 

[Norbert Rassragr]

Smith is a dirty cheat, but you should say hats off to him him when he has one of those amazing games. Credit where credit is due and all that. Laugh at him when he has a stinker and gets out for single figures. 

At least England never lost a war to a bunch of flightless birds.

[47er]

10 hours ago, jim mk2 said:

Yes, really. This might blow your brain but battling for and achieving a draw is tense and exciting Some of the best Test matches I've seen in 50 plus years of watching cricket have been draws.

A draw today would have put us only 1-0 behind and the series still winnable. As it stands the Ashes is more than likely over. I hate losing, you obviously don't mind as long as it's exciting. 

Against the convicts, that's incomprehensible

3 fantastic Test Matches in a row (excluding Ireland for obvious reasons)--last Test in NZ, and first 2 of the Ashes----all absolutely wonderful games of cricket.

The problem? We lost all three.

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Just to clarify my thoughts about the Bairstow incident. It wasn’t cheating any more than Chappel bowling underarm to prevent the batsman hitting a six was cheating. You were allowed to bowl underarm. However both incidents rode roughshod over the ethos of the game of cricket and lowered the standards expected from players. It’s significant that both culprits were Australians whose “ win at all costs “ methods cross the line of sportsmanship. If the roles had have been reversed and Bairstow had have run out Carey I would have been deeply embarrassed.

[Guest]

54 minutes ago, Tyrone Shoelaces said:

Just to clarify my thoughts about the Bairstow incident. It wasn’t cheating any more than Chappel bowling underarm to prevent the batsman hitting a six was cheating. You were allowed to bowl underarm. However both incidents rode roughshod over the ethos of the game of cricket and lowered the standards expected from players. It’s significant that both culprits were Australians whose “ win at all costs “ methods cross the line of sportsmanship. If the roles had have been reversed and Bairstow had have run out Carey I would have been deeply embarrassed.

Bairstow himself tried it in the third innings multiple times, so I don’t buy the whole surprised look he had. Bowlers and keepers try it up and down the country. England have had multiple examples of things against the ‘spirit of the game’, look at de Grandhomme vs New Zealand. Bazball has made us lackadaisical and walking round like it doesn’t apply to us. He walked out of his ground every ball of the over and number one rule taught at grass roots level, don’t leave your ground unless told to. I’ve spoken to lots of people yesterday and today, coming from a family of cricketers who have played in county set ups at youth/development level and every single one said they’d have kept the appeal too. The ball passes his shoulder and he decided that was over and left his ground basically before the ball was even in the keepers hands. 

No complaints from me, and if I were Australia, after the Starc catch decision (he is more than in control of the ball) I’d have kept the appeal too. 

[Guest]

 

[AllRoverAsia]

Australian love fest in full flow. Do they still do cheap boat trips to the colony? I'll wave you off.

Oh and Starc did not catch the ball legally. Check the record books if in doubt.

Meanwhile the superlative innings of Stokes has been a most useful deflection away from the awful showing in the 2nd innings of our top order. 3 of them only managed 10 runs between them and without Stokes and to a lesser extent Duckett it would have been a thrashing.

Without the rain the 1st Test would have been finished and lost much earlier.

We will do well to avoid being whitewashed.

Edited July 3, 2023 by AllRoverAsia

[AllRoverAsia]

17 minutes ago, Mellor Rover said:

 

That example is nothing like the Carey one, a completely different scenario.Try much harder.

[jim mk2]

2 hours ago, 47er said:

3 fantastic Test Matches in a row (excluding Ireland for obvious reasons)--last Test in NZ, and first 2 of the Ashes----all absolutely wonderful games of cricket.

The problem? We lost all three.

Yep, losing cricket - and one person liked your post. Presumably they enjoy losing 

[47er]

The rules are clear. I've always known it and I've seen dismissals like this before. Not often because batters aren't usually so dopey. Tragic because I think it meant we couldn't win but Bairstow has no-one to blame but himself.

[47er]

1 minute ago, jim mk2 said:

Yep, losing cricket - and one person liked your post. Presumably they enjoy losing 

But Jim---you didn't like it! 😅

[jim mk2]

8 minutes ago, AllRoverAsia said:

Australian love fest in full flow. Do they still do cheap boat trips to the colony? I'll wave you off.

Oh and Starc did not catch the ball legally. Check the record books if in doubt.

Meanwhile the superlative innings of Stokes has been a most useful deflection away from the awful showing in the 2nd innings of our top order. 3 of them only managed 10 runs between them and without Stokes and to a lesser extent Duckett it would have been a thrashing.

Without the rain the 1st Test would have been finished and lost much earlier.

We will do well to avoid being whitewashed.

It’s hard to come back from 49-4. Without Stokes my prediction of 150 wouldn’t have been far out

I don’t mind the aggressive approach but giving away wickets is unforgivable. So many batsmen have done it. Shot selection is so important and it’s not necessary to chase after every short of pitched up ball

The Carey incident yesterday left a bad taste but as coach I’d have been furious with Bairstow for the lack of professionalism in what he did. As a club player I always made sure the ball was dead before I went for a “walk”.

england talking today about winning 3-2 but I’m sick of their big talk. We want action not words.