Test The Ashes Fourth Test December 26-30 1000hrs @ The MCG

[Around the Wicket]

I would like to see McSweeney be protected at no.5 and given a decent stint of 5 tests.

Prior to Australians obsession of finding a all rounder, the new batsmen in the side got the number 6 position, with the bowler friendly conditions world wide at the moment they should be picking there best 6 batsmen. Englands struggled to bat out 50 overs a innings here, absolute no reason to carry a all rounder thats not adding value in either aspect of the game.

 

[Snarls Barkley]

I’m not going to pretend I know how the pitches are made

It does feels weird though that it sounded like the curator was really happy with last years pitch and wanted to recreate that pitch but then left so much more grass on it

 

[western royboy]

I see you as the doyen on this board and cricket on bigfooty. And you are correct, the toothpaste is out of the tube.

However, how prevalent are t20 type strokes at junior level these days? Are they practicing reverse sweeps, ramps et al?

If I take a sport thats close to my heart in basketball, the accurate Steph Curry has transformed the game in the NBA into a 3pt shooting comp with fundamentals such as the mid range J and defensive pride a distant memory.

Is it the tiktok generation? Lack of will to grind it out, short attention span. Adrenaline rushes and dopamine hits. Doom scrolling and neck craning looking at smart devices regularly. Things that is widespread these days

I think you’ve answered your own question. When I was a kid we were more scared of making a mistake and getting out and being scolded…so we didn’t do dumb shit. If I played a silly shit in the nets, if get bagged out and probably kicked out of the net for not taking things seriously. We would never have pumped our own tyres for fear of being put back in our place.

Today’s generation are very different, they love attention and ignore negativity, it’s all one way traffic. As I wander about training I constantly see young kids confusing ambition with abilities, but that doesn’t stop them trying to ramp the next ball.

The Genie is out of the bottke, it’s not going back in.

Good cricket batting was built on a solid defence. That is a lost art. The attitude yesterday was defeatist, “I’m going to get out so I might as well go down swinging”

It’s b great to have positive intent when you are batting, it’s my mantra. What I witnessed yesterday was embarrassing. Not one player Australian was prepared to dig in. It was insipid.

But as I have said previously, this is where we are at. No patience, no preparedness to dig in for a bit.

 

[western royboy]

Beyond disappointed.
Had a ticket for today and was really looking forward to going to the G.

Does anyone know what the process is to get my refund processed?

Should be automatic

 

[Around the Wicket]

I want to see Renshaw get a game over Weatherald, I know its been the sort of series where the whole batting units have sucked bar Head and Carey but he has looked all at sea but for that 70 odd.

146 runs @ 20.75 - 0, 23, 72, 17*, 18, 1, 10, 5

Its a dead rubber, use the game wisely, I'd even give McSweeney a game for Green, bat him at 6.

 

[Around the Wicket]

Should be automatic

 

[Around the Wicket]

In Australia's golden period, Warne / McGrath and co did roll sides often but then Australia would come in and bat for 2 days, you know your got the pitches wrong when Australia can't even bat on them.. problem in India currently in that the Indian batsmen can't even bat on them consistently and we have gone the same direction.

 

[western royboy]

Not sure if already posted.

Here’s the only data you need;

The game lasted 2 days

CA who is already in a financial hole lost Millions

As did your employer the MCC

 

[Westend]

Matthew Page has had a press conference about the pitch and all you can say about his comments is "what a load of absolute balderdash". Grounds keepers have had four years to get this pitch right for the biggest Test Match in Ashes history....which it was! Nobody really cares what the pitch was like last year or the year before or next year for that matter! When you have 90,000plus people attending the first two days of an Ashes Test and all of a sudden it's over with three days to go questions will be on going for sometime! 3 months since the last AFL game, 6 weeks now since AC/DC played, they goofed on this one big time! It's going to be beautiful weather in Melbourne for the next three days and we will have NO cricket!

Also this is not a "one off"....shield wickets for the past few seasons have been juiced up everywhere....the amount of shield captains winning the toss and bowling first is way over the top ....and we are seeing the results batters are struggling and medium quick bowlers are cleaning up

 

[Around the Wicket]

Also this is not a "one off"....shield wickets for the past few seasons have been juiced up everywhere....the amount of shield captains winning the toss and bowling first is way over the top ....and we are seeing the results batters are struggling and medium quick bowlers are cleaning up

100% the best bowlers in Shield for years now are the slow swing bowlers lol, need a complete overview on pitches in Australia.

 

[checkraiseulite]

Its hard to drop players from a side thats 3-1 up but imo they should be.

Renshaw in - Weatherald out
Murphy in - Starc (Rested)
McSweeney in - Green out

I would pick the following.

Head
Renshaw
Labuschagne
Smith
Khawaja (Retirement Game)
McSweeney
Carey
Neser
Richardson
Murphy
Bolland

why expose head up top? do we really see him as a long term opener?

would prefer him and smith in the middle order where your class players should be.

marnus very lucky

 

[Westend]

I’m not going to pretend I know how the pitches are made

It does feels weird though that it sounded like the curator was really happy with last years pitch and wanted to recreate that pitch but then left so much more grass on it

Well the questions should've been asked "Why are you prioritising day 5 when test matches barely go in the 5th day?"

10ml of grass is just negligent.....remember the start of the test and everyone was discussing the spinner ??

If we keep going down this path spinners will become redundant....smudge said so in the presser

 

[Bedi]

I think you’ve answered your own question. When I was a kid we were more scared of making a mistake and getting out and being scolded…so we didn’t do dumb shit. If I played a silly shit in the nets, if get bagged out and probably kicked out of the net for not taking things seriously. We would never have pumped our own tyres for fear of being put back in our place.

Today’s generation are very different, they love attention and ignore negativity, it’s all one way traffic. As I wander about training I constantly see young kids confusing ambition with abilities, but that doesn’t stop them trying to ramp the next ball.

The Genie is out of the bottke, it’s not going back in.

Good cricket batting was built on a solid defence. That is a lost art. The attitude yesterday was defeatist, “I’m going to get out so I might as well go down swinging”

It’s b great to have positive intent when you are batting, it’s my mantra. What I witnessed yesterday was embarrassing. Not one player Australian was prepared to dig in. It was insipid.

But as I have said previously, this is where we are at. No patience, no preparedness to dig in for a bit.

Khawaja's dismissal really pissed me off. And being a senior player it made it even more of a pathetic display

 

[western royboy]

Khawaja's dismissal really pissed me off. And being a senior player it made it even more of a pathetic display

He’s finished, it was a soft dismissal. He’s had his farewell, move forward.

 

[BGman]

I think we will struggle to win it next ashes given we will be rebuilding and I dont see the batting quality unless smith and Carey go big.

You referring to next England Ashes or here in four yrs, if in England we will still have our skipper and hopefully Steven Smith as being greats they are irreplaceable. But before we start with all the doom and gloom as we peek into the future, the Aussie U19s hammered England U19s twice in '23 in a three game Youth Test series or the Junior Ashes as I call it, once on our shores and later on theirs. The best of our boys from those series have or are about to break into first class cricket, such as Joel Davies, Sam Konstas, Hugh Weibgen,Harjas Singh, Harry Dixon (bat), Charlie Anderson, Callum Vidler, Mahli Beardman, Raf MacMillan (ball). Ryan Hicks/Lachlan Aitken (w/k). I expect a majority of these guys to be wearing the baggy green in four yrs when the Poms next tour here, likely with some from the Junior Ashes class of '23. So we need to remind them that we bashed you guys back in '23, twice!

 

[Around the Wicket]

why expose head up top? do we really see him as a long term opener?

would prefer him and smith in the middle order where your class players should be.

marnus very lucky

He wants to open and he is good at it.. 2x 100's in a series where none of the batsmen have scored runs.

 

[Bedi]

Not sure if already posted.

Around the 2.30 min mark onwards it looks legitimately like some cricket fans have turned up. Surely not...

 

[Black Diamond]

He wants to open and he is good at it.. 2x 100's in a series where none of the batsmen have scored runs.

England’s bowling and fielding has been shit house.

We need to be realistic.

 

[Stax on the mill]

Should there be a rule if a test only goes two days,an exhibition match will be played on day three?
Would save the fans and money.

Lock it in.

Setting a dodgy pitch to one side, most batsmen showed scant regard for their wickets in the test match. I’m pretty certain that they aren’t going to take a meaningless exhibition match at all seriously either. Would just be another worthless hit and giggle affair.

I’m afraid you’re just going to have to get out and mow the lawn, a job you’ve put off for too long already.

 

[Bedi]

Setting a dodgy pitch to one side, most batsmen showed scant regard for their wickets in the test match. I’m pretty certain that they aren’t going to take a meaningless exhibition match at all seriously either. Would just be another worthless hit and giggle affair.

I’m afraid you’re just going to have to get out and mow the lawn, a job you’ve put off for too long already.

is that a message for the curator?

 

[Around the Wicket]

Rich Melbourne businessman tried to rally a game for today, even offered 1 million prize money to the winning side and CA didn't want a bar of it.

 

[SportsCentre]

nor would the players I suspect.

 

[cats_09]

You may be right there. But the fact remains that Labuschagne averaged 20.84 in 2025 - the lowest average for an Australian top 6 batsman since John Dyson in 1981. It's even worse for a number 3. How long do we continue with him if his form doesn't improve?

This isn't great reading for Marnus




I know he went back to Shield cricket and made some good runs, but maybe that's a better indication of the level he's now at in his career and that the step up to international test cricket is maybe just a step to far

 

[cats_09]

The irony now will probably be Sydney being a belter of a deck but it'll piss down and we wont get to use it

 

[cats_09]

And congrats Mitch - like a fine wine he keeps getting better with age... And maybe he's enjoyed the added responsibility of leading the attack this summer in the absence of Hazlewood and Cummins (bar one test)