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Johnny Karate said:
Pattinson ‘rested’. I couldn’t disagree more with this decision. Neither one of Starc and Hazlewood have done enough to warrant a call up at this stage.
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Ridiculous call. He got through some work in the first innings but only bowled 8 overs in the second dig and then had a week off. Why does he need to be rested? Only took a couple of poles but didn't bowl badly and he struck a bit of form with the stick in the second dig. How about letting the bloke build some momentum on his return to Test cricket???
 
jhong said:
I am more concerned about our openers and first drop in the batting line up than rotating a quick here or there. I don't think Starc or Hazelwood can be selected on the basis of a rained out tour match against unknown quality ,but the selectors appear to have a plan to make sure the quicks get through the series.
Seems a bit silly to me as a bowler is no guarantee to not break down anyway ,rested or not. i don't understand why Warner batted so far out of his crease in the first test , Bancroft didn't impress , and Khawaja doesn't strike me as really being suited to English conditions . Unfortunately its not like there is anyone demanding selection to replace them. I think the weather might have a bigger say than either team hope for.
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Swings and roundabouts, I think. Smith certainly won't be piling on as many runs this time around, but the opening pair will surely improve. I don't think the top order will fail again like they did. We really should have gone into this game unchanged and backed presumably the country's best XI to do the job again.
 
Cannon82 said:
Swings and roundabouts, I think. Smith certainly won't be piling on as many runs this time around, but the opening pair will surely improve. I don't think the top order will fail again like they did. We really should have gone into this game unchanged and backed presumably the country's best XI to do the job again.
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Not looking like we get a start any time soon sadly .
 

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jhong said:
Not looking like we get a start any time soon sadly .
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Nope. Amusing comments on the Poms finally finding a way to stop Smith from piling runs on. Stops me from being parked up in front of the telly as well.
 
So after an extremely even first day when no one got out of the sheds , all predictions suggest we will get some play today . Could see some early wickets tumble no matter who bats first . I wonder if it changes who of Starc or Hazelwood get the gig or if they go with who they were going to play anyway.
Ch 9 did their best to drive viewers away last nite by not showing more highlights of previous matches , but then i think FTA tv is trying to kill itself anyway . Can't get enough of those Home shopping channels and endless repeats of the same infomercials or the rest of the s**t they serve up .
Anyway bring on the cricket pls.
 
Such craftiness...

10.25am Nasser Hussain and Ian Ward doing the pitch report, saying there's less grass than the Ireland Test. Suggests it's a bat-first deck given the weather.
10.30am Australia win the toss and bowl. Tim Paine says the shortened game and the pitch being covered yesterday were factored into his decision.
 
Roy is not a Test cricketer's a-hole. No need to play at that one. Good start from Hazlewood though. Always rated him as the most likely type to do a job on less "helpful" wickets.

Looks a flat deck, but with only 4 days to play and possibly more rain on the way, bowling first and trying to bowl out the opposition for a lowish total is the best way to try and get a result.
 
Good start. England are brittle (as are we) with the bat so a couple more early wickets would see us well on top.

Also like Hazelwood as a bowler; he's more consistent than Starc and while not as threatening as he can be is much tighter. Started very well here.

Though I am sick of hearing about the slope after every ball.
 
I've found the narrative around this second test a bit odd. I understand that we're favourites and that's fair enough, but the talk of just how diabolical England are, the possibility of series sweeps and the like are making us sound like the team of 20 years ago. Everyone seems to have completely forgotten 8 for 122. We're well capable of a catastrophic collapse and Smith won't be able to bail us out every single time. I think this series is still well alive, we just have the edge. That said, if we win this test, the series could well blow out.
After last night, I'd have us just barely ahead in the contest. Maybe 53-47.
 

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Klyntonius said:
I've found the narrative around this second test a bit odd. I understand that we're favourites and that's fair enough, but the talk of just how diabolical England are, the possibility of series sweeps and the like are making us sound like the team of 20 years ago. Everyone seems to have completely forgotten 8 for 122. We're well capable of a catastrophic collapse and Smith won't be able to bail us out every single time. I think this series is still well alive, we just have the edge. That said, if we win this test, the series could well blow out.
After last night, I'd have us just barely ahead in the contest. Maybe 53-47.
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Yeah the old saying "Can't judge a wicket till both team have a hit " should apply here. For me us being slightly ahead is because the poms have to win 2 tests to take the ashes . That is still possible so at this stage its still 50/50 .
 
jhong said:
Yeah the old saying "Can't judge a wicket till both team have a hit " should apply here. For me us being slightly ahead is because the poms have to win 2 tests to take the ashes . That is still possible so at this stage its still 50/50 .
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Exactly. I have us marginally in front from bowling them out within a day for a meagre total but that could change within two overs.
 
jhong said:
Yeah the old saying "Can't judge a wicket till both team have a hit " should apply here. For me us being slightly ahead is because the poms have to win 2 tests to take the ashes . That is still possible so at this stage its still 50/50 .
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Is this a 3 Test series??
 
jhong said:
haha no , i should of been a bit clearer as to what i meant . I do that often on social media . Just jumped the gun and assumed this test will end up a weather
affected draw .
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Thank Keeryst. Wouldn't be worth the trip for a three match Ashes.
 
Bit of a concern watching Bancroft plod forward and dangle the bat out to balls on his hip with a leg slip and short leg in place. Obviously not comfortable against Archer's pace.
 
Shame that wasn't 10 seconds later. Would have laughed hard if McCartin played on after being given a 50 and the siren went.

And that's about how interesting this game is.
 
Klyntonius said:
Batting seems to have just gotten very difficult.
Khawaja has had a common theme so far - look good and get a start, then get out.
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Yeah , 2 new batsmen at the crease does that. He (Khawaja) reminds me of that old cricket game where you roll a ball down the ramp and the batsmen doesn't move his feet but just has a swat.
 
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