Test The Ashes First Test November 21-25 1300hrs @ Perth Stadium

[Pistol Night]

Isn't it a bit disrespectful to not do the PMs XI game? Not really in the spirit of cricket. Have other teams done it before? I wouldn't have expected their big quicks to play but a few batters at least. Makes too much sense to give them time in the middle against the pink ball.

Is my memory ****ed or didn’t the PM game always used to be before the series started? Jamming between tests seems another weird scheduling idea

 

[Cleavy]

Is my memory ****ed or didn’t the PM game always used to be before the series started? Jamming between tests seems another weird scheduling idea

back in the day, it used to be the Chairman's XI first for the annual game at Lilac Hill. they always jam the PMs XI mid series or so these days (I want to say early Dec, but I'm probably generalising)

EDIT: Wikipedia has a listing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister's_XI

 

[Borisdog]

Funnily enough I reckon I post every 4/5 pages!

It was you I had in mind mate.

 

[Trojan90]

Unpopular opinion - Alistair Cook was a better batsman than Joe root is.

Had to face better bowling attacks across his career than are around at the moment.

Made runs everywhere.

Can't agree with this bit.

Most dismissals vs:
Root - Cummins, Bumrah, Haze, Lyon, Jadeja, Starc, Rabada, Southee, Boult, Philander
Cook - Morkel, Ashwin, Johnson, Boult, Starc, Harris, Zaheer, Siddle, Pattinson, Wahab

 

[PhatBoy]

Can't agree with this bit.

Most dismissals vs:
Root - Cummins, Bumrah, Haze, Lyon, Jadeja, Starc, Rabada, Southee, Boult, Philander
Cook - Morkel, Ashwin, Johnson, Boult, Starc, Harris, Zaheer, Siddle, Pattinson, Wahab

I swear there seems to be this vacuum that just disregards every bit of evidence of what’s going on in world cricket at a given time.

NZ has just fielded over a prolonged period its best ever attack. Not its best ever bowler (Hadlee) but its best ever attack. And Matt Henry has been superb over the last few years.
SA have been outstanding for basically 35 years now so unless you get them during a rare period where they have 3 guns all injured you ALWAYS face a good attack against them but they just don’t let up.
Between Walsh and Ambrose and 2015 the West Indies fielded next to nothing. Then suddenly Roach’s average began to drop, Holder learned how to take wickets, Gabriel went from a high 30s to low 30s bowler and the Josephs and Seales have come along. They’ve actually had middling to good attacks.
Sri Lanka have always had good home attacks spin wise and recently have actually had some of the better quicks not called Vaas or Malinga.
India of late have fielded their best ever pace attacks and always have good spinners.
Bangladesh have had Shakib and now Tajiul and have uncovered some quicks finally.
Australia have a gun attack.
The only side that has regressed would be Pakistan.

 

[Borisdog]

This whole "his average is better than his average" stuff is largely irrelevant.

The better measure is "does he stand out from his peers"

Bradman is the best example of that, he was that far above his peers it just wasn't funny.

Joe Root can hold his head up amongst his peers. But he doesn't stand out from them.

He is certainly in the upper echelon of cricketers of his era though, no doubt at all.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

This whole "his average is better than his average" stuff is largely irrelevant.

The better measure is "does he stand out from his peers"

Bradman is the best example of that, he was that far above his peers it just wasn't funny.

Joe Root can hold his head up amongst his peers. But he doesn't stand out from them.

He is certainly in the upper echelon of cricketers of his era though, no doubt at all.

Some people have tried to undervalue Bradman over the years saying the bowling wasn't as good, etc, but I just say that doesn't account for the fact he doubled the average of every other batsman in that era.

 

[MarcMaverick]

Somewhat related but seeing as how we have a packed schedule between next year September to late July 2027 I wonder if its a good idea to expand squad sizes.

 

[240volt]

Some people have tried to undervalue Bradman over the years saying the bowling wasn't as good, etc, but I just say that doesn't account for the fact he doubled the average of every other batsman in that era.

Yeah and had a tooth pick for a bat playing on uncovered pitches that you could bowl bouncers all day to and have as many on the leg side as you like.

 

[Borisdog]

Some people have tried to undervalue Bradman over the years saying the bowling wasn't as good, etc, but I just say that doesn't account for the fact he doubled the average of every other batsman in that era.

Yep.

When you're nearly twice as good, on pretty much every measure, as your peers you're a pretty special performer.

Indians rattling on about Kohli, Tendulkar. Yeah, right.

There are very, very few sporting people in history who are that far above their peers it was ridiculous.

Bradman is certainly the cricket version of that criterion.

 

[MarcMaverick]

You see England. Do you see what you have done?

 

[Sonny Hayes]

I think it is ‘a’ hole but is exaggerated somewhat because of this mythical status that the Ashes holds within cricket: for a lot of Root’s career it’s been South Africa and India who have been the best team in the world, and as Ashes goes, he still has 4 hundreds.

right now against the nominal best team in the world (I think SA are quietly emerging as a real contender, pending what happens when they host Australia next year) I don’t doubt that 1-2 big scores would really round things off nicely away from home but he’s done basically everything else he can possibly do

I think a lot of it comes down to (especially among Aussie fans) his record compared to a guy like Smith who doesn’t have a glaring hole like that on his resume.

Most of the root criticism became more vocal when some started putting him ahead of a guy like Smith.

Root is clearly one of the best of all time, I can overlook his record In Australia. But compared to a guy like Smith (same era) I think he has to show something in this series to have any argument.

 

[Juddy88]

Can't agree with this bit.

Most dismissals vs:
Root - Cummins, Bumrah, Haze, Lyon, Jadeja, Starc, Rabada, Southee, Boult, Philander
Cook - Morkel, Ashwin, Johnson, Boult, Starc, Harris, Zaheer, Siddle, Pattinson, Wahab

Everyone defaults to that argument when comparing bats across eras - hilariously even Bradman. Recency bias and whataboutism at it's finest.

 

[240volt]

When you talk about players that have a good test record like Root has the difference between being in the zone or looking all at sea is very much a mental thing.
Right now Joe looks like he’d struggle against my Grandmother on a Aussie wicket.
Needs to get his mind right quick smart.

 

[Scotland]

Root is ahead of Smith. He's 3,000 runs and 3 centuries ahead.

But I'm still not picking Root over Smith in a GOAT XI. Not until he walks out at 2/17 to a hostile reception after 18 months out of the game and rattles off 144, then walks out in the second innings at 2/27 and chalks up 142. Then after 92 and a match missed due to concussion peels off a double century. Ashes folklore right there.

 

[JackOutback]

Root is ahead of Smith. He's 3,000 runs and 3 centuries ahead.

And Tests played, by 40.

 

[MarcMaverick]

Root is ahead of Smith. He's 3,000 runs and 3 centuries ahead.

But I'm still not picking Root over Smith in a GOAT XI. Not until he walks out at 2/17 to a hostile reception after 18 months out of the game and rattles off 144, then walks out in the second innings at 2/27 and chalks up 142. Then after 92 and a match missed due to concussion peels off a double century. Ashes folklore right there.

TBF, Root didn't start his career as an spinner.

 

[Scotland]

TBF, Root didn't start his career as an spinner.

No, he started on a sitcom about a book store.

 

[Gough]

No, he started on a sitcom about a book store.

I've always considered Bernard Black a role model.

 

[MarcMaverick]

No, he started on a sitcom about a book store.

I thought it was a radio station.

 

[Scotland]

I've always considered Bernard Black a role model.

'Hi Ben, what do you have to say about a performance like that?'
'Go away, the store's closed'

 

[Gough]

'Hi Ben, what do you have to say about a performance like that?'
'Go away, the store's closed'

I wondered if England had been on the breakfast wines.

 

[Pistol Night]

I wondered if England had been on the breakfast wines.

I felt like some Sunday when the flogs had denied me a session on the couch all day

 

[jannissary]

apparently hazlewood is bowling again? saw a tweet on my feed (but it refreshed and i lost it).

mightn't be in for brissy, but alleging sydney?

 

[240volt]

apparently hazlewood is bowling again? saw a tweet on my feed (but it refreshed and i lost it).

mightn't be in for brissy, but alleging sydney?

He’s 34 now and gets injured very easily, not a lot of time left for him unfortunately,when fit I reckon he’s our best bowler.