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Cricket Discussion - Part 3

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In his post-match interview with Isa Guha, Stokes was like Tom Hanks on the beach in Saving Private Ryan, watching that bloke trying to stick his arm back on.

Absolutely shellshocked.
 

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tribey said:
Sidebar: given his record and left-arm, is Starc in the all-time Australian Test XI?
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Lillee and McGrath are definitely in.

Lindwall, Dizzy, Cummins and Fred Spofforth from the 1880's who was the first real pace bowler in test cricket, 90 odd test wickets at about 18, would be the only ones who would keep him out.
 
Head was brilliant. It should have been a red inker at the end and added a couple of extra runs to his average, but that's not how Trav plays.

His 100 in a session - was better than Doug Walters' last ball hit for 6 - 100 in the last session of day 2 at the WACA v poms in 1974-75.

I've mention it a couple of times before but Head reminds me of Dougie - bat late in the order, can just carve up an attack when he decides to go after the bowling, and changes the whole momentum of the game and can pick up a handy wicket when asked to bowl like Dougie used to.

Given how much the game has changed re off field antics being toned down to professionalism, Head is as big a larrikin in today's Aussie team relative to what Dougie was in the Aussie teams of the 70's.
 
I know I was pretty pissed off and pessimistic about Oz's chances of winning the series after we got smashed by almost 300 runs last year by Indians in the Perth test, but then Australia bounced back and put the foot on India's throat for the other 4 tests to win 3 of them relatively easily.

Part of the Aussies problem last year was they went into the first test somewhat under done and a big boot up the date shook them out of their complacency after the loss in Perth. This year a whole lot of players have played 3 or 4 shield games, ODI and T20I games in the lead up month.

But I just can't see the poms bouncing back from that loss unless they get ex captain and psychoanalyst and psychotherapist Mike Brearley to fix up the whole teams heads in the next few days. They just capitulated after being in front at the end of day 1.

I think this might be another 4-0 / 5-0 series given Cummins and Hazlewood will come back into the team, Khawaja might actually contribute to the team, Lyon hasn't bowled a ball, Archer and Wood will probably only play 1 or 2 more tests each and Bashir wont be much chop at AO, MCG and Sydney.
 

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Ford Fairlane said:
This is insane. The poms have dropped their bundle completely
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Agreed, Archer was one player whose body language was absolutely atrocious, he was clearly miffed about something and when Stokes eventually brought him on to bowl he didn't put in at all.

Michael Vaughan gave the impression he wanted to call him out for the lack of effort but he held back, but if true to form the pommy tabloids won't be as gentle and could go in boots and all, and not only on Archer!

I suspect any Aussie bowler who exhibited the it's all too hard so why bother trying stuff in the Ian Chappell, Alan Border or Steve Waugh eras would have copped an on field spray, and also the threat of being put on the next plane back home!
 
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Watching Trav's highlights again this morning and he reminded me of Ian Botham in the 1981 series ripping the Ashes out of our hands. Fitting that Lord Ian is here commentating.

Trav Bothamed them.
 
RussellEbertHandball said:
I know I was pretty pissed off and pessimistic about Oz's chances of winning the series after we got smashed by almost 300 runs last year by Indians in the Perth test, but then Australia bounced back and put the foot on India's throat for the other 4 tests to win 3 of them relatively easily.

Part of the Aussies problem last year was they went into the first test somewhat under done and a big boot up the date shook them out of their complacency after the loss in Perth. This year a whole lot of players have played 3 or 4 shield games, ODI and T20I games in the lead up month.

But I just can't see the poms bouncing back from that loss unless they get ex captain and psychoanalyst and psychotherapist Mike Brearley to fix up the whole teams heads in the next few days. They just capitulated after being in front at the end of day 1.

I think this might be another 4-0 / 5-0 series given Cummins and Hazlewood will come back into the team, Khawaja might actually contribute to the team, Lyon hasn't bowled a ball, Archer and Wood will probably only play 1 or 2 more tests each and Bashir wont be much chop at AO, MCG and Sydney.
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England weren't that much worse than Australia. Just Travis Head played a blinder and made it look like an easy win for Australia.

Last Ashes England were able to get their way back in and weather permitting would have won the series.

Australia's batting still had a lot to prove.
 
1954 said:
Agreed, Archer was one player whose body language was absolutely atrocious, he was clearly miffed about something and when Stokes eventually brought him on to bowl he didn't put in at all.
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Their second innings speed gun readings weren’t flash.

By the third or fourth test when Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood/Boland are still humming like the Tabernacle Choir, the English attack will be in tatters.
 

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Sunshine81 said:
England weren't that much worse than Australia. Just Travis Head played a blinder and made it look like an easy win for Australia.

Last Ashes England were able to get their way back in and weather permitting would have won the series.

Australia's batting still had a lot to prove.
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England lost the first test of their 2023 home ashes series after arrogantly declaring near the end of the first day when they were 8/393 and Root was 118 not out and was batting brilliantly. Yes Cummins batted well late on day 5 with a 40 odd not out and he and Lyons put on 50 odd to win by 2 wickets, but England should never have lost that test at Edgbaston.

2nd test at Lord's where Oz has an unbelievable record since Bradman's days, was a tight contest all the way and could have gone either way, which Oz won by 45 runs.

Here its completely different. They were cruising at 1 down for a lead of 100+ and learnt nothing from the first day and played dumb shots to get out. The bowling was solid rather than great by the Aussies.

And it wasn't just Head, Lasbuschagne batted well in his natural #3 slot after being forced to open in the first innings, which builds his confidence for the rest of the series.

I know the modern world is all about adopting Tony Robbins positive, positive, positive thinking only, but Stokes refusing to talk about their batting at the presser last night means they are shell-shocked and in denial.

As Michael Vaughan said - You cannot be competitive without brains. You cannot just play one way.

Look at India last year in Perth - out for 150 odd, struggling with the bounce and a few poor shots and then used their brains in their second innings and played proper test cricket shots and declared at about 6/480 odd. They spent 8 days in Perth and played a practice match at the WACA behind closed doors to prepare for the bounce of Perth and the Gabba tests. The poms played a practice match at Lilac Hill.

England have been preparing for this series for 2 years and with no Cummins and no Hazlewood, a new Oz untried test opener, they had their best chance to win a test match in Oz since 2011. They picked their best fast bowling unit who worked well in the first innings and then couldn't think their way thru Oz's 2nd innings.

And their pace bowling battery doesn't have a great record of longevity to bounce back and play all 5 tests.

Crash Craddock 3 weeks ago in a Code Sports podcast said Archer had played only 46 first class games in 10 years. Mark Wood had only played 2 first class matches in 2025 and has a history of breaking down. Gus Atkinson is 27 and has only played 34 first class matches. Hardly the battle hardened foundation to blast Oz out over 5 tests in 7 weeks. That's why they had to strike in Perth.

Poms are great in their home conditions. It was cool in Perth for the test. What happens when they are in the field for 2 days of 35-40 degree weather and the Kookaburra ball is in crap shape after 40 overs?

They go to the Gabba for a pink ball test and face Starc, the best pink ball test bowler since these playing conditions were invented a decade ago. They play a 2 day game in Canberra, hardly replicating the heat and humidity of Brisbane and the bounce of the Gabba.

I was hoping for the first super competitive ashes series in Oz since 1982-83 with the result of the series and ashes still being on the line during the middle of the 5th test at the SCG. I fear it will basically all be over after the Gabba test in a couple of weeks time, unless there is a massive mind shift by the poms.
 
240volt said:
Renshaw should play in Brisbane.
Drop Ussie off at KFC and leave him there.
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Yeah, agree 1000%, at 38 years of age Ussie needed to be looking after himself and 3 days of golf immediately before a Test match was not the way to do that.

Well done to the bowlers and well done to Travis Head. Mitchell Starc has to be Man of the Match

Game over in less than two days, amazing stuff.

So, the game is over inside of two days and Cricket Australia stand to loose millions. What was wrong with staging a couple of T20s in the time remaining? It would have given the Poms some extra time in the middle, kept faith with cricketing public and recouped some cash for the cricket authorities.
 

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Cricket Discussion - Part 3

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