The Ashes, Third Test Australia v England @ The MCG 26-30 December

[PhatBoy]

The big difference between them and everyone else at the moment - in my opinion - is that they will go into a tour with a specific strategy for batting. When they went to England, they specifically put away their cut shots, instead leaving the ball or playing the square drive if the ball was full enough; this meant that the bowlers gave them plenty of what they wanted (the ball on their pads, as they adjusted to not getting wickets in the cordon) and forced England to roll out some fast bouncy decks to try and win. They came here with the specific intent to have our bowlers bowl lots of overs; it worked when Pujara did it by himself, and it worked their next tour, allowing Pant/Jadeja/Ashwin/Sundar to make hay against an exhausted attack.

We go to England or India: 'It's just how they play, can't be expected to win away against pitches like that!' or 'Got to play your natural game' and England are no better.

Outstanding post and dead right. I can 100 per cent get the lack of likability about India - they’re caustic, abrasive, like the unlikeable Aussies used to be. There is an arrogance about their cricket and their approach that in some players at least isn’t particularly endearing.

But you have to respect the professionalism with which they play. They force other teams to be good to beat them.

For three innings in the just completed test match I thought given the conditions SA probably shaded them. It was incredibly difficult to bat. But on day one SA were off with their planning and execution and that’s all it took to decide the game. There is a fearlessness about their cricket that only SA and Australia have ever had in the past 25 years.

I guess you could maybe throw a couple of England’s teams in there when Pietersen and flintoff were talismanic for them but even those sides had weak links that were mentally suspect

 

[PhatBoy]

Probably no coincidence that the last team to flog them was New Zealand who themselves have a lot of attention to detail about their cricket

 

[murphster]

With Head confirmed out of the Sydney test and considering we are already 3-0 up and have the ashes in our keeping how about the selectors instead of putting in an aging Usman why don’t they give a young guy a go someone that is hitting the ball well and that has a first class century this year in Jason Sangha would love to see that happen, he has a great technique and huge wraps on him so let’s take a shot.

 

[sherb]

He did a Bob Massie and took 8 in both innings.

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The remarkable thing about those two performances was that they were only one run off each other.

Massie took 8-84 and 8-53: total 16-137
Hirwani took 8-61 and 8-75: total 16-136

 

[Mick F]

With Head confirmed out of the Sydney test and considering we are already 3-0 up and have the ashes in our keeping how about the selectors instead of putting in an aging Usman why don’t they give a young guy a go someone that is hitting the ball well and that has a first class century this year in Jason Sangha would love to see that happen, he has a great technique and huge wraps on him so let’s take a shot.

Sangha’s FC average is 24. Reiffel’s was 26.

 

[DaRick]

Probably no coincidence that the last team to flog them was New Zealand who themselves have a lot of attention to detail about their cricket

This generation of Indian batsmen are most vulnerable not against express pace, but against relatively accurate bowlers who can either swing the ball (Southee, Boult, Wagner) or make it rear up off a length (Jamieson). Add to that the cloud cover you get in NZ and ENG, and NZ are the team they'd least like to face.

This is partially because they rely partially on attrition (mostly via Pujara, but the others can also soak up deliveries to varying degrees) to wear the opposition attack down and slowly get on top of the game. It's much harder to rely on attrition when the opposing bowler puts the ball on the spot relatively consistently and lets the conditions or his own attributes do the work for him. Additionally, the conditions in India quite often don't enable prodigious bounce or conventional swing. On the other hand, the likes of Bumrah, Yadav and Ishant were or are quite sharp, so express pace bowling doesn't necessarily trouble them.

Not coincidentally, Cummins has an excellent record against IND, and Hazlewood has his days due to being able to extract bounce, but Starc often struggles despite being the fastest of the three. Starc can swing the ball, but he offers up too many loose deliveries, which a disciplined batting lineup can feast on, especially if the other bowlers are worn down or otherwise not contributing (Lyon doesn't always, due to often facing right-handers and bowling too straight).

 

[Around the Wicket]

Sangha’s FC average is 24. Reiffel’s was 26.

Its funny because he was a out and out gun coming through the ranks.

 

[FredLeDeux]

Its funny because he was a out and out gun coming through the ranks.

That's why they call him Pistol.

 

[troybe]

Fair enough, Khawaja is 35.

Peter Lalor just saying Ussie looking more than likely to play in Sydney


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[RickSanchez]

speak priest!

 

[western royboy]

Sangha’s FC average is 24. Reiffel’s was 26.

- this is ”Test” cricket- the highest form, where each Test Cap awarded has a number and is revered you don’t just hand them out wily Molly to blokes averaging 24 in shield

 

[Rich]

May as well cap Jack Edwards FFS

 

[Around the Wicket]

- this is ”Test” cricket- the highest form, where each Test Cap awarded has a number and is revered you don’t just hand them out wily Molly to blokes averaging 24 in shield

His 21 games in and 38 innings as well so he'll have to go on hell of a run to even get it above 35. Even if he averaged 50 for the next 20 innings it'd only go to 33.

 

[Grand Uncle Horace]

- this is ”Test” cricket- the highest form, where each Test Cap awarded has a number and is revered you don’t just hand them out wily Molly to blokes averaging 24 in shield

He and Edwards both started so well, the baggies were already in the brown paper bags.

Both have galloped backwards for reasons that mystify me. Still the young fella is till just 22 so has plenty of time.

Personally I think Sangha and Fraser-McGurk should not play the Babel if they want their first class careers to develop. To their undying credit both Puck and Green said no to the Babel.

 

[philreich]

He and Edwards both started so well, the baggies were already in the brown paper bags.

Both have galloped backwards for reasons that mystify me. Still the young fella is till just 22 so has plenty of time.

Personally I think Sangha and Fraser-McGurk should not play the Babel if they want their first class careers to develop. To their undying credit both Puck and Green said no to the Babel.

The BBL is too long IMHO. Cut it back from 14 games per team to around 8-10, giving Shield players more of a chance to impress the national selectors.

 

[BStaff17]

We don't have to wait long to see if we are on the up or not, three away tours in less than a year, honestly SL seems our best shot at a win as pakistan and india are both playing well right now and are simply better sides than us in those conditions.

Australia hasn't won a test series away from home since Feb 2016 against New Zealand.

Quite remarkable when you consider the bowling attack we have. And had once of the best batsman in the world for a period there

Pat Cummins has never played in a winning test series away from home.

 

[Around the Wicket]

Australia hasn't won a test series away from home since Feb 2016 against New Zealand.

Quite remarkable when you consider the bowling attack we have. And had once of the best batsman in the world for a period there

Pat Cummins has never played in a winning test series away from home.

Our bowling attack is good in suitable conditions, its useless in India, UAE and Sri Lanka for example. England we were a bad umpire call away from winning 3-1 in England when Stokes was out with a few runs to go and Paine had wasted the review. We will beat both South Africa and England away next time around.

 

[BStaff17]

Our bowling attack is good in suitable conditions, its useless in India, UAE and Sri Lanka for example. England we were a bad umpire call away from winning 3-1 in England when Stokes was out with a few runs to go and Paine had wasted the review. We will beat both South Africa and England away next time around.

We always seem to have south africa's measure over there while its in reverse when they come to Australia. They perform better against us here then at home.

Other then our self inflicted implosion in 2018 our recent record there is we won in 2006,2009,2014 and drew in 2011.

2009 and 2011 we certainly weren't favourites either i think even 2014 was considered a 50/50 bet.

 

[madmug]

The BBL is too long IMHO. Cut it back from 14 games per team to around 8-10, giving Shield players more of a chance to impress the national selectors.

I think most of us would agree.

However!

$, TV, $$, TV, $$$, TV, $$$$, TV, $$$$$, TV, $$$$$$, TV, $$$$$$$, TV, $$$$$$$$, Etc etc etc.

 

[Voice of the G]

Australia hasn't won a test series away from home since Feb 2016 against New Zealand.

Quite remarkable when you consider the bowling attack we have. And had once of the best batsman in the world for a period there

Pat Cummins has never played in a winning test series away from home.

Would I be correct in saying that we will have a team in Pakistan while at the same team another Aust.team playing in NZ, T20 games?

 

[BStaff17]

Would I be correct in saying that we will have a team in Pakistan while at the same team another Aust.team playing in NZ, T20 games?

Yep same thing happened last year if we had gone to south africa for tests. T20 squad was in NZ at same time.

Also happened previously when we toured India in 2017. We had 3 t20s against sri lanka within 5 days before the 1st test while the test squad in India.

Fo some reason we like to jam in T20I matches when the squad test squad is away so we effectively have 2 Australian teams at once.

I am not of fan of that it i feel it devalues the Australian team.

 

[Around the Wicket]

Yep same thing happened last year if we had gone to south africa for tests. T20 squad was in NZ at same time.

Also happened previously when we toured India in 2017. We had 3 t20s against sri lanka within 5 days before the 1st test while the test squad in India.

Fo some reason we like to jam in T20I matches when the squad test squad is away so we effectively have 2 Australian teams at once.

I am not of fan of that it i feel it devalues the Australian team.

Half the reason we have never been good at T20I's, we field the best out of the Big Bash.. first time we field our best bowlers we win the T20 WC.

 

[philreich]

I think most of us would agree.

However!

$, TV, $$, TV, $$$, TV, $$$$, TV, $$$$$, TV, $$$$$$, TV, $$$$$$$, TV, $$$$$$$$, Etc etc etc.

I don't know what others on here think, but for mine, the novelty has well and truly worn off. Once this damn virus eventually dies (if it ever does!!!), it'll be interesting to see what sort of crowds are attracted to future BBL's.

 

[Around the Wicket]

I don't know what others on here think, but for mine, the novelty has well and truly worn off. Once this damn virus eventually dies (if it ever does!!!), it'll be interesting to see what sort of crowds are attracted to future BBL's.

I hate T20's now, watching grown men high 5 and celebrate chasing down 105 8 wickets down does nothing for me, you'd think they had just won the World Cup. It's the same s**t on repeat and its pretty much killed the 50 over game.

What T20 has done is make a good living for those 2nd and 3rd string players that would have been working a side job and playing shield/domestic 50 overs cricket pre T20.

 

[Voice of the G]

Yep same thing happened last year if we had gone to south africa for tests. T20 squad was in NZ at same time.

Also happened previously when we toured India in 2017. We had 3 t20s against sri lanka within 5 days before the 1st test while the test squad in India.

Fo some reason we like to jam in T20I matches when the squad test squad is away so we effectively have 2 Australian teams at once.

I am not of fan of that it i feel it devalues the Australian team.

A bit of a insult to NZ cricket.They will be fielding a full strength side and half our T20 team will be in Pakistan.So that means no red ball cricket yet again for guys like Maxwell,Finch,M.Marsh etc again.