You wouldn’t credit it. Not even a rookie first timer should be playing that shot at that time of the game.
It's about taking your chances and when we had Australia at 207-7, we didn't take hours. England struggling at 25-2.
Questionable bowling selection at times by the captain. Broad and Anderson not used after tea despite having a new ball and them being by far the best bowlers. Ali finally gets us a wicket and is then taken off. We didn't really create a lot of chances after 207-7 other than the wickets. Steve Smith has probably won them this match with that innings. England don't have enough quality to win the series on the evidence of this match. Woakes and Ball not good enough back up to Anderson and Broad. Lyon far better than Ali. Not sure anyone is that reliable in the batting line up. Have to remember this pitch is far more favourable to England than it would normally be and how some of the other pitches will be. Talk of Anderson carrying an injury. Only chance we have is to find a way getting Smith out in the next four matches and good luck with that.
And yet, if we can set the Aussies a total of 200+ we are in with a chance. The first session tomorrow will, again, be important. We need one batter to score a century or thereabouts. That would be huge at this stage.
Back to tbh e TV thing no ****ing highlights but I've got the pleasure of watching India v Sri Lanka live on sky sports 1....****ing joke. I'm neither Indian or Sri Lanka ffs
Blame the dumbass Australians for this, they did a package for home matches with BT broadcasting them, they didn't take into consideration this Ashes series which they could have excluded and sold separate rights to, Sky have the rights to the Ashes in England still and on the evidence having seen some of the BT coverage there is no way I would pay for BT ever.
So far, so predictable. Both sides have fragile batting line-ups which lack strength in depth, and good but declining bowlers. Every match should end without draws, with one or two big innings dictating who will win. Unless Root knocks 200 Australia have bagged the first test. Everyone expects England to win the pink ball second test, but it'll again be decided by whoever has a century plus innings, not by the "swing" people are assuming will happen.
Finely poised. Looks like it won't be the walkover series many were predicting. The problem is though if we do get rolled, or particularly if we get bounced out, tomorrow, I could see their very average batsmen gaining confidence from it and this series getting ugly. Poor shot by Cook but the bigger worry for me was the way some dealt with the barrage of bouncers from round the wicket yesterday. They looked scared. Root got hit hard too. We need him to rock up and play a captains innings. We need everyone to get the pulls and hooks out, play them with confidence like Smith did. He calmly got out the way of the good short balls and punished the others. We soon stopped bowling them. We also need Overton instead of Ball until Stokes gets out there. We need aggression and Ball looks meek and out of his depth. I'm still hopeful but we look fragile. I wouldn't care, this is the worst Aussie team in years.
5-0 whitewash. Don't think Australia are all that good but the England team has nowt about them and with Aussie conditions and home crowds they will wipe the floor with our lot. Send Stokes out immediately and maybe he can even things up. Some of our guys have the little boy lost look about them. Look of fear in their eyes again, and that's experienced lads like Alastair Cook. He needs to grow a pair and find a little bag to put them in and quick.
Totally agree, General. We are meekly handing the little urn back to the convicts. Typical decision by our old blazered farts to not send Stokes out. Would the Aussies have done the same? I don't think so.
Its not looking good is it? That was a tight test. In all test matches there are one or two sessions which are massive. When we went from 240-4 to 302 all out was one. When we let them get from 76-4 to 175-5 with poor bowling. Those two sessions transferred the pressure from them to ourselves. It will have a big impact on the series unless we bounce straight back in Adelaide. I can't see it we just look too fragile. I don't think Ali has fully recovered from his side strain. He got no energy through the crease at all and this meant no turn. He was easy to play. They should have just played him as a batter and played Crane instead of Ball if he wasn't fit to bowl. Ball offers nothing and I had concerns about him prior to the series. Very inexperienced and not ready for this. Throw in that he wasn't fit and it was just a poor decision. Overton is the more aggressive type. Personally though I'd have thought about taking Plunkett out there for the sheer pace and ability to make people uncomfortable at the crease. 90mph plus. You could have just used him in 4-5 over spells when the wicket was dead and nothing was happening. Throw him the ball and say full tilt for 4 overs, get the ****er in their armpits, get them hopping.
Would Stokes have got in the country with a case pending? The Aussies are fairly strict on the issue of VISA's. Certainly if you've been convicted it can be a problem, not sure when the cops haven't made a decision? I know Richard Towers couldn't get a VISA for his boxing fight with Lucas Browne although that was after serving half a 13 yr sentence for kidnapping earlier in life.
