Australia v Sri Lanka; 2nd Test @ Manuka Oval Feb 1-5.

[Jimthegreat]

You reckon starc has sold his pie shop now? Or maybe gone into shared ownership with Ben cutting? Reckon I saw less pies from him this test??

Once he got his length right, especially for the conditions, he looked a much better bowler. Plus he bowled at much greater speed.

 

[Park cricketer]

Strong mate.

Head has done well this summer overall. Initially I was sceptical of him as you say, with his footwork and playing across the line and not through it. But I guess there’s been plenty of unconventional techniques that have succeeded.

England will be a different beast. Even more so over there. Starc I see as being a destroyer. I’d like him to be used as an intimidator. Blokes that bowl 150 and can put it around the grill are pretty handy. This could almost be a Johnson type renaissance for him.

Richardson gets in over Hazelwood for me. Hazelwood just doesn’t convince me. I haven’t been thrilled with him for a while. His action falls away and once the new ball wears away he just bowls to full. I’d really like to see Worrall get a go over there, but that’s only if Richardson is struggling. Then if course Pattinson if fit. So many players to fit in, so hard. Would love to see us start with Starc, Pattinson and Cummins if Pattinson can get fit and hit the second half of the shield season properly.

I know I'm probably harsh about Head given his returns in this summer, but I just feel he sometimes goes too hard at deliveries. Batting in England against the dukes is completely different to batting anywhere else. Kohli reeled off 4 majestic tons in the 2014 Australian tour with comfortable ease but couldn't buy a run over in England a few months prior. In England, you need to cover for swing and play touch shots with soft hands as late as possible rather than going hard at the ball early into the timing. Soft hands helps the nicks not carry to the slip fielders. Kohli scored 600 runs in the last tour to England, and he did nick quite a few times but a lot of those didn't carry to the slips because he played with soft hands as opposed to someone driving at the ball with hard hands. Also playing across the line is a strict no-no in England, so cover drive and the flick towards the midwicket are shots that should be shelved for late in the innings and the scoring shots should be straight and behind square on both sides. Anyway all this is a pure conjecture and Head might easily end up having a hugely successful Ashes, so let's wait. He deserves a place in the starting XI on the basis of runs scored anyway.

As for Starc, intimidatory bowling generally is hardly fruitful in England. Intimidating body line bowling works on hard bouncy wickets like the Perth or the Wanderers. On those soft greenish wickets with seam and swing movement in England, you need pacers who genuinely swing the ball and accurate seam bowlers who hit the 6-8m length (just fuller to good length). In fact, short bowling can actually be detrimental to producing swing movement because the ball tends to lose shine quicker when you keep banging it short and a short ball is much more easier to duck under than face a full delivery swinging in to the batsman or an outswinger in the 5th stump channel that makes him play.

Express pacers have never been consistently successful in England. Lee and Akhtar weren't, Mitchell Johnson entered the last Ashes in the best form of his life and as the most intimidating bowler in the game, but averaged 34 with the ball in that series in England. Look at bowlers who are successful in England - floaty swing bowlers like Anderson and Woakes who bowl 130kph full deliveries are near unplayable when the conditions suit them. Their deliveries tend to kiss the surface on a fuller length rather than hitting the deck on a hard length, which won't get an edge. I do think Starc can still have a role if he regains his accuracy and bowls full attacking the pads with a great seam presentation, the English batsmen are very vulnerable against the incoming delivery. Joe Root tends to get lbw a lot and was in all sorts of trouble against Ishant last year and Bairstow has the highest number of bowled dismissals for a batsman in this decade. But using Starc to bowl bodyline in England would be a wasted strategy imo.

 

[frenchcutforsix]

I think some of the posting here has been borderline abusive towards the Sri Lankans but I suppose I can understand people want to see a contest out in the middle so I won't pass judgement. Could they organise A tours like we do overseas? Can they appoint an independent authority to run them administratively right now? I'm trying to think of ways to help them get competitive.any suggestions? What we have seen this tour from them is not of an international standard and probably gives us a false sense of accomplishment tbh. Do the players get paid enough not to be enticed by corruption? Do they get coached properly? I have honestly seen better 3rd grade sides and it makes me sad when I think of some of their great teams from the past

 

[philreich]

This Sri Lankan team was barely Sheffield Shield standard. It was nice to get a couple of easy wins, but the series result should in no way serve as an indication of how we'll go in the Ashes. Mind you, the way the Poms have batted against the Windies in the last 2 Tests, one wonders how well they'll fare with the bat against our pace attack. They're missing Alastair Cook terribly: the stability he provided at the top of the order is sadly lacking.

 

[The Casey Cat]

Good to see Starc and Khawaja get something on the board. I'd been hammering but credit where due they finally did something. Agree with the above though. Considering India were about to give us one of the biggest hidings in a home test we've ever received before rain and we've then annihilated Sri Lanka you have to worry about their level. They were absolutely diabolical.

 

[Len Nicodemo]

I know I'm probably harsh about Head given his returns in this summer, but I just feel he sometimes goes too hard at deliveries. Batting in England against the dukes is completely different to batting anywhere else. Kohli reeled off 4 majestic tons in the 2014 Australian tour with comfortable ease but couldn't buy a run over in England a few months prior. In England, you need to cover for swing and play touch shots with soft hands as late as possible rather than going hard at the ball early into the timing. Soft hands helps the nicks not carry to the slip fielders. Kohli scored 600 runs in the last tour to England, and he did nick quite a few times but a lot of those didn't carry to the slips because he played with soft hands as opposed to someone driving at the ball with hard hands. Also playing across the line is a strict no-no in England, so cover drive and the flick towards the midwicket are shots that should be shelved for late in the innings and the scoring shots should be straight and behind square on both sides. Anyway all this is a pure conjecture and Head might easily end up having a hugely successful Ashes, so let's wait. He deserves a place in the starting XI on the basis of runs scored anyway.

As for Starc, intimidatory bowling generally is hardly fruitful in England. Intimidating body line bowling works on hard bouncy wickets like the Perth or the Wanderers. On those soft greenish wickets with seam and swing movement in England, you need pacers who genuinely swing the ball and accurate seam bowlers who hit the 6-8m length (just fuller to good length). In fact, short bowling can actually be detrimental to producing swing movement because the ball tends to lose shine quicker when you keep banging it short and a short ball is much more easier to duck under than face a full delivery swinging in to the batsman or an outswinger in the 5th stump channel that makes him play.

Express pacers have never been consistently successful in England. Lee and Akhtar weren't, Mitchell Johnson entered the last Ashes in the best form of his life and as the most intimidating bowler in the game, but averaged 34 with the ball in that series in England. Look at bowlers who are successful in England - floaty swing bowlers like Anderson and Woakes who bowl 130kph full deliveries are near unplayable when the conditions suit them. Their deliveries tend to kiss the surface on a fuller length rather than hitting the deck on a hard length, which won't get an edge. I do think Starc can still have a role if he regains his accuracy and bowls full attacking the pads with a great seam presentation, the English batsmen are very vulnerable against the incoming delivery. Joe Root tends to get lbw a lot and was in all sorts of trouble against Ishant last year and Bairstow has the highest number of bowled dismissals for a batsman in this decade. But using Starc to bowl bodyline in England would be a wasted strategy imo.

Yeah fair point on Starc. If that’s the case and he can’t swing or seam the ball after the first test then in comes Pattinson or Worrall. I honestly still feel there is a place for him bowling at that speed, I’ve seen Flintoff bowl some seriously quick spells and be effective, as has Harmison. He just has to get it on the money.

 

[Sproj]

I feel like the one thing that makes Starc relevant for the Ashes is his point of difference.

Lower order runs will win and lose the Ashes because both batting line ups have huge question marks and are brittle.

His left-arm express pace is something England are not used to facing and if it all goes wrong, he can lose a tight test. If it goes right, he can quickly clean up England’s tail, they bat to 10. England’s tail is what will win or lose the Ashes with Ali, Foakes, Curran, Broad, Woakes (depending on who plays) all capable of pulling more than decent cameos out of their backsides.

 

[The Convert]

I know I'm probably harsh about Head given his returns in this summer, but I just feel he sometimes goes too hard at deliveries. Batting in England against the dukes is completely different to batting anywhere else. Kohli reeled off 4 majestic tons in the 2014 Australian tour with comfortable ease but couldn't buy a run over in England a few months prior. In England, you need to cover for swing and play touch shots with soft hands as late as possible rather than going hard at the ball early into the timing. Soft hands helps the nicks not carry to the slip fielders. Kohli scored 600 runs in the last tour to England, and he did nick quite a few times but a lot of those didn't carry to the slips because he played with soft hands as opposed to someone driving at the ball with hard hands. Also playing across the line is a strict no-no in England, so cover drive and the flick towards the midwicket are shots that should be shelved for late in the innings and the scoring shots should be straight and behind square on both sides. Anyway all this is a pure conjecture and Head might easily end up having a hugely successful Ashes, so let's wait. He deserves a place in the starting XI on the basis of runs scored anyway.

As for Starc, intimidatory bowling generally is hardly fruitful in England. Intimidating body line bowling works on hard bouncy wickets like the Perth or the Wanderers. On those soft greenish wickets with seam and swing movement in England, you need pacers who genuinely swing the ball and accurate seam bowlers who hit the 6-8m length (just fuller to good length). In fact, short bowling can actually be detrimental to producing swing movement because the ball tends to lose shine quicker when you keep banging it short and a short ball is much more easier to duck under than face a full delivery swinging in to the batsman or an outswinger in the 5th stump channel that makes him play.

Express pacers have never been consistently successful in England. Lee and Akhtar weren't, Mitchell Johnson entered the last Ashes in the best form of his life and as the most intimidating bowler in the game, but averaged 34 with the ball in that series in England. Look at bowlers who are successful in England - floaty swing bowlers like Anderson and Woakes who bowl 130kph full deliveries are near unplayable when the conditions suit them. Their deliveries tend to kiss the surface on a fuller length rather than hitting the deck on a hard length, which won't get an edge. I do think Starc can still have a role if he regains his accuracy and bowls full attacking the pads with a great seam presentation, the English batsmen are very vulnerable against the incoming delivery. Joe Root tends to get lbw a lot and was in all sorts of trouble against Ishant last year and Bairstow has the highest number of bowled dismissals for a batsman in this decade. But using Starc to bowl bodyline in England would be a wasted strategy imo.

The greatest aussie intimidator of all, Thommo, had the same results.

 

[worbod]

Did you know, you can't spell LABUSCHAGNE without LASAGNE.

This means something.

So, have you discovered what it means yet?

 

[Sproj]

So, have you discovered what it means yet?

I’m guessing maybe something to do with sandpaper, the Italian mafia and that being connected to the guys continued test selection. Only way to explain it.