5th Test Australia vs England @ SCG 3rd - 7th January 2014

[Kyptastic]

Australia unchanged.

England have dropped Root, Panesar and Bresnan and picked three debutants - Borthwick, Ballance and Rankin

 

[alfy!]

England bowling. Bring it on.

 

[Julius Seizure]

Bowling first at sydney is a big call.

 

[Mister B]

3/360 at stumps would be fantastic.

 

[Julius Seizure]

Unchanged team is a bit of a surprise for us tbh.

 

[KissKiss]

It looked a little green from what I saw earlier but when was the last time some chose to bowl first at the SCG

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Poms finally move Bell to 3, yet they drop Root altogether.

 

[King Elvis]

Poms are taking the piss.

 

[KAYNE]

Yeah strange call to bowl first. I haven't seen the wicket though. It's usually quite difficult to chase on.

Big morning for Anderson, has under performed on the tour so far. Conditions must suit him for them to bowl and I think he owes his team.

 

[Andrew Mc]

Well, the Pommy side will be stronger - less Poms in it.

 

[Dan Cooper]

Cook finally wins a toss - and bowls.

Rankin for Bresnan.

Borthwick in for the injured Panesar.

Balance in for Root.


Root hard done by. Not sure why he was made the scapegoat?

 

[Tyberious Funk]

Can't believe they dropped Root. Ok, his record hasn't been great... but neither has most of the squad. And his part-time tweakers might have been useful.

 

[Joffaboy]

Inserted by Cook.

Will need to bowl the Aussies out for 200 in the first innings.

Chasing anything more than 150+ in the fourth innings and its game on

 

[Plugger35]

Hard to believe Root got dropped, thought he's done a reasonable job in this series but he wasn't suited to no.3.

Yeah strange call to bowl first. I haven't seen the wicket though. It's usually quite difficult to chase on.

Big morning for Anderson, has under performed on the tour so far. Conditions must suit him for them to bowl and I think he owes his team.

Grassy pitch and overcast so the bowlers should get plenty of movement, still a big gamble bowling first though.

 

[KAYNE]

Can't believe they dropped Root. Ok, his record hasn't been great... but neither has most of the squad. And his part-time tweakers might have been useful.

Yeah should of just swapped him and Bell. I guess we don't know a lot of behind the scenes and he may have been struggling mentally. But he also seems like a natural opener and seems like they are backing Carberry in for now.

 

[Dan Cooper]

Yeah strange call to bowl first. I haven't seen the wicket though. It's usually quite difficult to chase on.

Big morning for Anderson, has under performed on the tour so far. Conditions must suit him for them to bowl and I think he owes his team.

Looks like a non-traditional Sydney wicket. It used to be the last wicket in Australia you'd want to be batting last on.

 

[Stig O'Hara]

Hard to believe Root got dropped, thought he's done a reasonable job in this series but he wasn't suited to no.3.



Grassy pitch and overcast so the bowlers should get plenty of movement, still a big gamble bowling first though.

Seen it deck around plenty of times day one at the SCG, still it's a wicket you bat first on, always dicey batting 4th.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Looking forward to this. Hopefully our Openers can have a big partnership;.

 

[King Elvis]

Root very stiff.

Sacked up and batted 3 after Trott bitched out, and one of their few players who didn't s**t their pants and try and run away from MJ.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

England are bowling first because they really don't want to face Johnson on a wicket that "may" be a little juicy early on, and they would be very worried about their makeshift batting line up. Better to get the Aussies in and hopefully grab a few early.

 

[Lawrence420]

Root very stiff.

Sacked up and batted 3 after Trott bitched out, and one of their few players who didn't s**t their pants and try and run away from MJ.

So if you suffer depression and anxiety you are a bitch out

Nice to know ignorance about mental health is still alive and well

 

[Dan Cooper]

Looking forward to this. Hopefully our Openers can have a big partnership;.

If we get a good start it will be interesting to see how soon English heads start dropping again.

Also Cook's captaincy. Surely here he can at least fake it that he has a plan. How long before those desperate mid pitch conferences start happening, where he is basically asking if anyone else has any idea what they should do?

 

[JP Sauce]

Cook finally wins a toss - and bowls.

Rankin for Bresnan.

Borthwick in for the injured Panesar.

Balance in for Root.

Root hard done by. Not sure why he was made the scapegoat?

Hurt confidence, mostly.

 

[JP Sauce]

Also Bailey very lucky.

 

[Dan Cooper]

Hurt confidence, mostly.

Plenty of that in the English camp.