It's the bowling that makes the difference. Theirs is vastly superior IMO. My cash is on 3-1 to them, with maybe a rain draw, and us nicking the last one when it doesn't matter. It's not really the attacking approach that's the problem, it's just dull minded batsmen not adapting to the game on the pitch. I would wonder about the practice regimes actually. You can't miss the amount of chances we miss and win tests. The catching has been very poor for ages now, us being one of the worst in test cricket. Unforgiveable really. It cost the first test without a doubt and it hasn't helped here.
WTF happened??? Been on nights and missed the morning season!!! Can't believe the score even I woke up. It looks like the whole team has been over confident going into this series after the previous results. Why else would they be playing golf then sitting around before the first test with the bowlers looking undercooked, batsmen getting out to ****ty shots. Bazball has been exciting but this is the oldest rivalry in test cricket. Yes play your attacking shots but pick and choose the time.
They've just over done it. Probably all the Ashes hype. But before this series, while the attacking intent was always there, there was a more pick and mix approach, being happy to see off a good spell and cash in later. Today, only Stokes of the batsmen got a beauty, the rest, maybe with the exception of Duckett who was playing very well and set, just walked into easy traps, though how Root was given out still baffles me. ( A rule change needed here as it is seemingly subjective now) And when we have a very long tail indeed, with no batsmen after 7, the top and middle order have to do it.
Poor decision making when batting. This Bazball is all well and good, but not every wicket is right for this kind of approach. we need to learn very quick or this series will end up embarrassing
We're 180-1 and their spinners leg goes twang. From that point on we should have walked this Test. Scandalous.
Some decent bowling there and little luck, though you could say the giddy batting earlier meant we didn't deserved any. Nothing from Jimmy though. No zip, no out swing, too slow and no threat at all really. Tidy as ever of course, but this should probably be it for him. He's like a brilliantly created hologram of himself. He's done astonishingly to get this far, (40 man!) but no one can go on forever. I doubt he'd have played the next one anyway, but time to put the boots away I'd say. Need a lot of rain to get out of this.
The wicket has been okay when we were batting. They've just even caught up in the hype IMO. Last summer, Bairstow scored about ten runs in 50 minutes in one spell against South Africa. He seen it off and then went on the attack. The team did this a few times in the year up to the first Ashes Test. Now it's too much, macho, " I'll hit anything" stuff, instead of wearing the bowlers down a bit as they were doing previously. We scored 320 here, and all the batsmen apart from Stokes more or less got themselves out!
I know it’s hard to trust Broad’s judgment but that looked out LBW on first watch. Very unlucky / bad decision on the none-review. Edit: Out, wicket for Anderson Good bowling atm from England. A ****e ball gets Labuschagne though.
The second one of those just looked obviously out mind. Shocker from the Umpire that . Not sure if England have any " system" in place for reviews. It used to be bowler, keeper and captain. But that was when Cook, Strauss or Root were skipper, who all fielded in the slips. Two out-of three had to say yes. But Ben is not in the slips now, so who knows.
the review process is normally pretty good by England. I thought it was sliding down leg at first glance. Umpirevthought the same obviously.
Think they have keeper for judging the the line, then Stokes at square leg for height. Stokes seems more cautious with his reviews, which is probably sensible when you have Broad in the side Broad would burn all 3 reviews in the first half an hour of an innings
2 quick wickets there - the short stuff doing the damage again. A bit of life in the game now. Khawaja c sub (Potts) b Broad 77 (Aus 187-3) Smith c Crawley b Tongue 34 (Aus 190-4) Still a very strong lead for Australia.
