Balls to the Aussies the cricket thread (Read 360997 times)

andy_e · July 11, 2015, 06:08:41 pm

No idea where that "yawn" came from. Probably from me being a fat-handed twat.

DaveC · July 11, 2015, 10:31:46 pm

Here's a tip for the next couple of ashes series, the home side will win. England are better than their recent test form had suggested and Australia may have passed their peak of 2013-14 now. The rise of Joe Root and a return to form for Broad has obviously been the key to this result.

butters · July 12, 2015, 01:48:28 am

Being English I will hold off believing that until it's firmly in the bag Dave.

Bit more to it than just Root and Broad though I think though both are important in the overall picture. Wood has been a factor in that he has broken the stock medium fast English bowler model and Stokes is getting back to the form he hinted at before getting injured/dropped. Add catches actually being taken and this new "positive" way of playing and you start to get close. I will hold off judgement of the new coach for now but Farbrace did what looks like a sterling job against the kiwis (one day especially) and given that he has close ties with the current coach it's looking promising.

One thing that I'm hoping to be proven wrong about is the rumour that slow wickets are being asked for. Glamorgan's ground is always noted for that but I would rather see pitches playing to their usual standards. We won the ashes over here last time by doing that and while the home team gets the advantage it just smacks of being a bit wrong to me.

Richie Crouch · July 12, 2015, 09:16:22 am

What a great start to what should be a hard fought series. I'm mildly worried about our 1-4 batsmen still being a bit dodgy and if Root doesn't make a score in any of the games, we could struggle to keep posting competitive totals.

Good to see Wood doing well, bowling with pace and nice to see Broad back to his menacing wicket blitzing ashes mode!

tomtom · July 12, 2015, 09:34:48 am

Ali's shaping up nicely too...

butters · July 12, 2015, 11:42:34 am

The top order hasn't fired properly yet that's for sure. Cook I'm not overly concerned about but of all the players in the squad he is the one who really doesn't need to sign up to the new style of play. He has looked in decent nick in both innings up until the spinner was brought on and then he went completely against his natural style and looked to attack with the end result of getting out both times. Of all the England players he is the one least suited to the new positive style of play and he doesn't need to sign up for it imo, he is a good enough player of spin anyway and he can anchor the top order. The rest have promised a bit and have all made runs but it doesn't fill you with confidence when a wicket falls, you a expect another to go soon.

Ali is a tricky one, made important runs and took important wickets in the game but he is a batter who bowls spin first and foremost. The issue will be when England are behind in a match and he (and the captain) don't have the luxury of runs to play with and an end needs blocking up. Can he do it? Still he seems to have upped his game in the first test so long may it continue.

Jaspersharpe · July 12, 2015, 12:53:18 pm

Agree re Cook. He got back into form by playing his natural game and he needs to stick to it as that's what he's the best in the world at. Concentrate, leave and grind the bowlers down until they bowl where he wants it. No need to do anything else.

On a side note, there was a jounalist from the Grauniad at Collegiate on Friday night (getting the Joe Root angle) who spoke to the Mrs and the sprog. This is the result.....

http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jul/12/yorkshire-pride-renewed-as-countys-boys-of-summer-lead-cricket-revival

tomtom · July 12, 2015, 12:57:10 pm

That's excellent! You must be dead chuffed!

lagerstarfish · July 12, 2015, 07:04:46 pm

excellent stuff!

captures the nature of Daywalker Jr perfectly

"Rafy, irritated at missing some of the play to talk to the Observer"

remus · July 17, 2015, 12:20:25 pm

It seems a rather ominous silence has befallen this thread since the start of the second test...

andy_e · July 17, 2015, 12:53:06 pm

What test? There's no test on now.

butters · July 17, 2015, 01:17:11 pm

There is what appears to a war of attrition going on at Lords but that's about it.

remus · July 17, 2015, 05:02:07 pm

Cricket feels so embarrassing sometimes.

tomtom · July 17, 2015, 05:09:51 pm

Jesus wept.

butters · July 17, 2015, 05:27:16 pm

As if my day at work couldn't get any worse....

andy_e · July 17, 2015, 06:51:20 pm

I wouldn't worry about it, this is just a mid-series friendly that doesn't count....

...isn't it?

andy_e · July 19, 2015, 05:11:58 pm

Well, that was a lot of fun wasn't it.

tomtom · July 19, 2015, 07:31:31 pm

Cockbiscuits..

butters · July 19, 2015, 10:50:20 pm

Oooh, I feel like I have gone back in time 20 years.

DaveC · July 20, 2015, 03:49:21 am

Blimey, I'll admit I was not expecting to get up this morning to that scoreline...and wtf was Stokes doing jumping over the ball? That was just dumb!

andy_e · July 29, 2015, 11:59:08 am

34/3...

remus · July 29, 2015, 02:40:23 pm

90/6! I had to double check who was batting!

rich d · July 29, 2015, 02:45:43 pm

94/7.....what the?

andy_e · July 29, 2015, 02:53:33 pm

Meetings, missed the first three wickets. Another meeting this afternoon, another three wickets. I go to the bog, one more wicket...

Richie Crouch · July 29, 2015, 03:07:30 pm

Watching it on sky whilst shovelling sandwiches and dognuts in, great stuff!