1st Ashes Test England v Australia June 16-20 1930hrs @ Edgbaston

[FredLeDeux]

I'm surprised at the extent of optimism on here.
To put it in cricket basics, I would rather have 400 runs in the book than be chasing them.
Every single time.

 

[JackOutback]

In other words conventional Test cricket the way the purist likes it. Has this new Pom aggressive approach (refuse any more to call it B******L) changed the pure format forever or is it merely a novelty that will not last.

If they get smashed this series, it’s probably dead.

 

[eddiesmith]

I'm surprised at the extent of optimism on here.
To put it in cricket basics, I would rather have 400 runs in the book than be chasing them.
Every single time.

It’s been the general feel since before the series, Australia is going to smash England 5-0 and they’ve got no answer to Australia’s batsmen.

Then add in they are convinced it’s a road with a par score of 700 and the confidence grows even more.

 

[windyhill]

Competive cricket, how good ?

 

[dogs105]

Competive cricket, how good ?

Be better if it was competitive between bat and ball. Pitch didn't do enough for a test pitch. Aggressive approach to batting may be great, but a wholes series of pitches like this would be killing test cricket.

Hooray for bazball, but at least have a surface with pace or decent bounce or some sideways movement.

 

[dogs105]

Currently raining in Birmingham.

 

[PhatBoy]

I said I wouldn’t be a prolific contributor here at the moment due to some personal stuff and I meant it but still watched last night with great interest and just my thoughts so far:

Bazball seems to have this mythology attached to it that it only works when the conditions are benign and the bowling is not challenging.

This is not always the case.
Two tests before the Ireland match, England were 3-20 in NZ and got cracking. It worked, and in reply NZ’s top order were destroyed.

The second match of that series they were 4-150, declared at 9-325 and had NZ 5-83 before Blundell bailed them out. 2nd innings they rolled up 370 at over 5 an over and knocked NZ over for 120.

At home last summer they were 6-55 in reply to 320 by NZ - which they were lucky to scrape up - before Bairstow clobbered 160 at better than a run a ball to set up the test. Then they chased 300 at nearly a run a ball to win.

Now SA at the moment aren’t exactly a batting benchmark but they were shot out for 140 or so having upset England in the first test. England were 5-down for roughly the same score and made 415 at 4 an over (not freight train speed but still good) and won the test by an innings.

In the deciding test all 3 innings were 160 or less to start the game before they doddled to 130 at a run a ball.

Yes it has worked in flat conditions - Pakistan the best example - but it’s also worked when there is help for the bowlers.

When it fails it will be spectacular failure, that’s the nature of it, but it hasn’t failed on more than a casual basis yet.

The declaration? Well who cares really. You’re 8-down, you’ve done some damage with the bat, and you are playing a good batting side on a good batting pitch so as much as runs matter, so do wickets and every over you face is one less you have to try and get the opposition’s 20 wickets.

I thought Hazlewood bowled well, I thought Cummins and Boland were ok at times but pretty ordinary at others and I think Lyon while he bowled about as well as can be expected on a day one wicket was flattered by his figures a bit. England’s approach to Boland is how teams should be trying to play him: attack him because if you don’t, he WILL get you sooner or later. I was baffled that India let him bowl to them so much as it was inviting disaster.

Cummins’ fields I thought were kind of understandable but the calls of ‘it saved a lot of runs’ can be looked at two ways: if the field is up it forces batsmen to play shots that aren’t on at times. When the field is back it might look like they’re ‘attacking’ the ball to get a single but in reality they’re just easing a drive out to deep point with impunity. I could see his logic but I was surprised he didn’t wait 10 overs or so to start doing it.

Looking forward to tonight

 

[windyhill]

Be better if it was competitive between bat and ball. Pitch didn't do enough for a test pitch. Aggressive approach to batting may be great, but a wholes series of pitches like this would be killing test cricket.

Hooray for bazball, but at least have a surface with pace or decent bounce or some sideways movement.

8 wickets, 393 runs. Great days cricket dogs.

 

[Mr Meow]

I'm surprised at the extent of optimism on here.
To put it in cricket basics, I would rather have 400 runs in the book than be chasing them.
Every single time.

True, but I'd rather have 380 to square up heading into today than be 420 behind with Root strike hogging and belting it around for half an hour this morning.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

The declaration would have been understandable if they were 8 down with Robinson and Broad at the crease.

But 8 down with Root on an unbeaten century and toying with us at times? I shudder at the memory but they could have Stokesed-Leached a heap more runs.

 

[dogs105]

8 wickets, 393 runs. Great days cricket dogs.

Would rather watch a proper day's test cricket with challenge rather than 8 wickets falling because batsmen are playing T20. The ball was regularly bouncing twice before the keeper, including in the first over of the match. Would love to see England batting aggressively, but not on a dead track.

 

[windyhill]

Would rather watch a proper day's test cricket with challenge rather than 8 wickets falling because batsmen are playing T20. The ball was regularly bouncing twice before the keeper, including in the first over of the match. Would love to see England batting aggressively, but not on a dead track.

Fair point, just glad Aus have a target to chase, just make it bloody interesting !!

 

[freo_leo29]

I'm surprised at the extent of optimism on here.
To put it in cricket basics, I would rather have 400 runs in the book than be chasing them.
Every single time.

Yeah and the age old, it aint a road til both teams have batted on it

 

[Big Bryza]

Personally I don’t like Bazball. It takes the piss out of Test cricket. It also leads to them rolling out flat pitches from ball 1 which to me isn’t exciting.

This.

Where's the battle between bat and ball?

There is literally nothing for the bowlers to gain from this test.

Barrel gets made to look like a mug on a heckin road.

 

[Rustin Cohle]

Not sure i can get through 5 tests of Steve O'Keeffe - so full of himself.

On SM-G965F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Only thing worst than SOK is these awful outfits they've got Roz Kelly wearing.

 

[RandB]

Do you seriously think Cummins comes up with the bowling plans for other bowlers?

Do you seriously think captains just let bowlers do their own thing without any regard to setting the right field or giving advice on batter weaknesses?

 

[Hawksboy72]

The Bangers up to 3rd in terms of largest victories by runs in Test Cricket History...a lazy 546 run victory over the Afghanies.

On SM-S918B using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[Around the Wicket]

Test matches in England is good because it's ******* hard to score runs and it's constant entertainment, these flat tracks may take the shine off the series for me

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Test matches in England is good because it's ******* hard to score runs and it's constant entertainment, these flat tracks may take the shine off the series for me

Suits Lab, Smith and Head

Never know Warner may get 20

 

[Around the Wicket]

Suits Lab, Smith and Head

Never know Warner may get 20

Warner loves a road, wouldn't surprise me if he got a big 200

 

[Kappa]

Do you seriously think captains just let bowlers do their own thing without any regard to setting the right field or giving advice on batter weaknesses?

The bowling plans are made by the coaches and bowlers together, it’s the coaches main job…

 

[danstar]

Australia will be 2 down for 425 at stumps, bat till lunch day 4 now

 

[StillAtLarge]

Only thing worst than SOK is these awful outfits they've got Roz Kelly wearing.

Roz Kelly could wear a garbage bin liner and still be of more value than O'Keefe. He's a stain

 

[BLUEALLTHRU]

Love the barmy army ‘you’re just a s**t Moen Ali’ directed at Lyon. Brilliant!

 

[Ohitsthatguy]

We need to bat time which is not usually our strong suit