Just seen that Aussie Cricket have got to refund around 100,000 tickets at around £80 a ticket. Serves them right
I fully agree. This experiment to bring one day cricket into test cricket is now failing badly and only excellent batting from Joe Root has prevented this sort of collapse happening before now. We need to get back to the ' get your eye in' philosophy.
I was at the match today and it was a very strange affair. The first session was normal and then it went Starc raving mad again! The collapse all started when Duckett was hit on the arm and then lost concentration, before that there had been a few play and misses, but England were slowly accumulating. The Australians were bowling well and anything that could go wrong did go wrong, whether it was hitting it to the fielder, chopping on, Stokes got an absolute jaffer. The one that really I have to say was the worst of them all was when Smith was given out by the third umpire. Yes there was a little noise, but there was a clear gap between glove/bat and ball. We watched the replay again and again from different angles and there was nothing conclusive to overturn the on-field decision. The Starc catch from earlier I was a little unsure if he got his fingers underneath, but was there anything clear to show an overturn of the umpire's decision- no, hence on balance it should be out. This one however took 5 mins or so to try and make a decision. I work using 3D models most days and I have watched a lot of cricket to know how 3D compresses to 2D. Even the Australians around me/ my mates friends though overjoyed at the decisions said it wasn't out. The barmy army then decided each time the ball went behind decided to ironically appeal. The conditions were obviously easing towards the end fo the England innings, there was still cloud, but the humidity was going and conditions were getting better to bat. I said during the tea break that this is either going to be close or Australia will win by 8 wickets and I favour the latter.... which obviously happened. England bowled two short and the ball was not swinging. The defeat is not the bowlers fault, the batsmen need to stand up and play properly. And for goodness sake Crawley is like the English Shane Watson, whenever he should be dropped he scores 150 and keeps his spot for another series or two. Anyway, sucks to be my friend who had day 3 tickets! Also the first time since 1947 that a member of my family has watched an ashes test in Australia. It was good to go, but the batting leaves a lot to be desired.
Not a great start for England, this morning. Duckett and Pope both out for 0. Root and Brook fighting back to 174 - 3. Crawley out for 76.
181 - 4,difficulty batting now with light fading. http://www.fawanews.sc/Cricket-The-Ashes-Australia-v-England-2.html
When Crawley plays properly, as he did today, he is a much better player than Bazball Crawley. Strangely his 76 today was the fourth time he has been out for that total. He must convert more of his half century's into three figures. So far he has reached 50 on 56 occasion but has only five century's.
What a last wicket stand by Root and Archer. 62 and back tomorrow for more, hopefully. Most excellent.
Yet again Joe Root saves England from a complete collapse but he can't do it for ever and we have to prepare a team ready for the dreaded day that Joe retires. Bazball - or trying to slog the ball out of the ground at the first opportunity as I see it - worked for a while because it took everybody by surprise but the opposition have now worked it out and realised that our batsman have not been coached on how to defend their off stump. Crawley batted properly today and was rewarded with a good innings. We need to get rid of the one day focused coaching staff, replace them with professionals who know how to properly play test cricket, replace Stokes with Brooks as Captain and just let Stokes concentrate on playing.
I watched the last hour or so of it on TV. Australia's over rate was almost as bad as the bias commentary, droning on and on about how England missed a trick and how Starc is amazing (through gritted teeth I will give them that one), but the final couple of overs when Starc was wincing and England had added 50 runs for the last wicket they were rather quiet after they had been saying when Eng were on 270-9 that they should declare and bowl at Australia. Test cricket has to do something about slow over rates they didn't even bowl 75 overs in a day! Maybe up the fine to 50% match fee first time in the series, 100% for the next and give the opposition 20 byes. I am sick of it.
As in football. 2 mins to take a corner, 2mins to take a throw in, 2 mins to take a goal kick , 5 mins to treat a non-existent injury when the Coach wants a team talk and time for a nap if subject to a VAR review!!
