Off Topic DEXTER'S ASHES THREAD.

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Remember 2005? England leading the Ashes Series 2-1 as they arrived at The Oval. It was a batting track. On Day Five, the Aussies kept dropping Pietersen and he went on to score 158 and the match was batted out to a draw, winning England the Ashes.

If England needed to win the final Test to win back The Ashes, Cook would have opted to bat. He gambled on another Aussie collapse and it has not happened (yet).

The decision to bowl first is now not looking so clever with everyone except the outgoing Australian captain getting in the runs on a wicket that does not seem to be doing much for the bowlers. Australia had the best of Day One so England need wickets quickly or this will become a two result game and neither of them will be England victory. As the weather forecast for Sunday and Monday is very poor, it is little surprise that England are 10/1 to win, the draw is 7/4 and Australia are 20/19. If England look like getting a decent total when they bat, the draw will be odds-on tomorrow.
 
Yes, this is after-timing. It seems that with the Series already won, the England bowlers have gone demob happy and the captain is doing nothing to inspire any confidence that Australia will be bowled out twice. With Moeen Ali getting two wickets in the over before lunch, he is obviously going to win the Series against Pakistan single-handedly.

Finn finally got his hundredth wicket at the 102nd attempt (Nevill no ball at Trent Bridge, Smith no ball at The Oval) thanks to Mitchell Marsh.
 
Well Australia did have a mini collapse before lunch but the rapid 50 from Starc kicked them on again to a good total.

England have collapsed I'm afraid and we could be in for another three day test match.

Well played Australia.
 
They blend good tea, I know that.............

Oh, well played Australia, I'm not surprised quite honestly.
 
Just watching the test highlights Oddy and Yorkshire will be bolstered soon by the return of Lyth and Bairstow.

A level too far for those two I'm afraid.

Interesting that Butcher,Beefy and Athers referred to our inability to play on "good","proper" and "normal" test pitches.

We are basically unbeatable with a duke ball on farcicle wickets with sideways movement..why we were such a great bet for this series.

As a cricket fan...I don't like it.
 
cityhull said:
Of course the ECB prepare the wickets just like Cricket Australia do down under. Whats the point in having home advantage if you aren't going to use it.

Looking like a silly decision to put them in, Cook obviously felt they were on a crest of a wave after the last 2 tests but the Aussies have had 2 weeks to work on their decision making at the crease
Click to expand...

The ECB deny this City.

As for the Australian pitches,they are the same year in year out..especially the Gabba and the WACA..you know what you are going to get..except for the MCG perhaps which can vary since it is a drop in but is generally a good pitch.

We change venues and wicket conditions to order.

Even Sydney is reasonably predicable.
 
When Geoffrey Boycott described Joe Root as “the Number One batsman in the World”, I knew that Root and England were in trouble. If this Australia side can score 481 on it, The Oval wicket holds no fears except for batsmen playing stupid strokes.

They should be following on soon and their only realistic prospect of salvaging a draw from this fiasco is to hope that most of Sunday and Monday are lost to rain.
 
If the batsmen currently at the crease rack up a partnership of 380 and we go on to win will it be known as a cook and bell story?
 
I don't really see the point in playing a 5th game when one team is already 3-1 infront, you don't see Roger Federer having to play the 4th and 5th set when he's 3-0 up :biggrin:
 
The Aussie lead is less than a hundred now. Can they knock off the two wickets they need to win before the rain arrives?

The weather forecast has most of the afternoon lost on Sunday and virtually no prospect of play on Monday.
 
The rain has arrived at The Oval... will it save England?

Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire
Alex Hales b Wright 189 (28x4, 2x6)

England v Australia
Adam Lyth c Starc b Siddle 19 (4x4)
Adam Lyth c Clarke b Siddle 10 (2x4)

Which one should be opening for England?
 
QuarterMoonII said:
The rain has arrived at The Oval... will it save England?

Nottinghamshire v Warwickshire
Alex Hales b Wright 189 (28x4, 2x6)

England v Australia
Adam Lyth c Starc b Siddle 19 (4x4)
Adam Lyth c Clarke b Siddle 10 (2x4)

Which one should be opening for England?
Click to expand...

Ive been shouting for Hales to be put into the Test side for many a time now, both on here and in my local. He is one of those pwer hitters that all sides seem to have, our last one was KP and we are still searching for the next one. Lyth and Balance before him have struggled at this level even after a few matches behind them. Seems strange to me that Aggers on the BBC website is suggesting that Moeen Ali could open up when we go to play Pakistan soon to make room for a 'proper' spinner. Get Hales in now to bed himself into the Test side so he feels at home when we come up to play SA soon and the next trip back down-under...
 
Professional sports are supposed to be about providing entertainment for the paying public, even if we think that in many cases the participants are overpaid prima donnas.

In that respect, this has been an entertaining Ashes 2015 – certainly for followers of England, having already secured a Series victory.

However, to draw a comparison with another sport, this has not been Chelsea versus Manchester City but more like Walsall versus Port Vale. Both teams have been shocking at times resulting in short Test matches. Fortunately the visitors have been the more profligate from an English point of view.

One thing that this does appear to guarantee is some good opportunities this winter for sensible unpatriotic punting:

13-17 Oct 15 – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Pakistan to beat England
22-26 Oct 15 – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Pakistan to beat England
1-5 Nov 15 – Sharjah CA Stadium, Sharjah – Pakistan to beat England

26-30 Dec 15 – Kingsmead, Durban – South Africa to beat England
2-6 Jan 16 – Newlands, Capetown – South Africa to beat England
14-18 Jan 16 – New Wanderers, Johannesburg – South Africa to beat England
22-26 Jan 16 – Supersport Park, Centurion – South Africa to beat England

The odds are just going to be really cramped by the end of October...
 
+
Dexter said:
Nice thread Cyc <cheers>.

Overall nowt in it after today...great days action and the layers have England third fav's in the possible result stakes..interesting.

Pietersen said to Warne in 2005 when he dropped him at first slip at a crucial time; "you have just dropped the Ashes".

Did Hadden do the same?...very early days but at 43-4 England was dead and buried without Root.

A wet Summer after we win this...

That was the moment.

Ballance,despite getting a few today is a walking wicket,literally only a matter of time before he stands on his own stumps if he bats any deeper...LBW afore that most likely scenario.

Cook,if he can't cut behind square and clip off his pads is useless..top of off for an over or two and he's gone..too defensive a Captain as well.

Lyth..really?..not even sure if thats his name..completely out of his depth..not too many can steer a leading edge from an on side drive to gully.

Bell is an elegant player but hopelessly out of form and this turgid pitch will have done nothing for his confidence..second innings runs essential to save his spot,at number 3 at least..may see him and Root change places or James Taylor recalled.

Root gave the low/middle order a buffer but one gets the impression that Buttler,Stokes or Ali lack the discipline to hang around and tough it out instead of lifting off like,say,a Hadden.

Perfectly poised test and today belonged to Joe Root who saved England from looking at the weather forecast...great effort from the young Yorkie.
Click to expand...
 
Chris Rodgers will be hard to replace for Oz as will Pup...legends.

My favourite batter of all time (yes all time) retired today as well.

Kumar Sangakkara..check out his stats...pure class...

...On and off the field.
 
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QuarterMoonII said:
Professional sports are supposed to be about providing entertainment for the paying public, even if we think that in many cases the participants are overpaid prima donnas.

In that respect, this has been an entertaining Ashes 2015 – certainly for followers of England, having already secured a Series victory.

However, to draw a comparison with another sport, this has not been Chelsea versus Manchester City but more like Walsall versus Port Vale. Both teams have been shocking at times resulting in short Test matches. Fortunately the visitors have been the more profligate from an English point of view.

One thing that this does appear to guarantee is some good opportunities this winter for sensible unpatriotic
punting:

Entertaining?..disagree totally and so will the sponsors and advertisers.

Pitches a complete joke and a win at all cost ethos diluted the competition.

I made a good few quid but that is not the cricket I like to see...all about opinions one supposes..

13-17 Oct 15 – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Pakistan to beat England
22-26 Oct 15 – Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Pakistan to beat England
1-5 Nov 15 – Sharjah CA Stadium, Sharjah – Pakistan to beat England

26-30 Dec 15 – Kingsmead, Durban – South Africa to beat England
2-6 Jan 16 – Newlands, Capetown – South Africa to beat England
14-18 Jan 16 – New Wanderers, Johannesburg – South Africa to beat England
22-26 Jan 16 – Supersport Park, Centurion – South Africa to beat England

The odds are just going to be really cramped by the end of October...
Click to expand...
 
Dexter said:
My favourite batter of all time (yes all time) retired today as well.
Kumar Sangakkara..check out his stats...pure class......On and off the field.
Click to expand...

Yes, do agree there.
In an interview in 2004 he explained his approach to sledging:
The public perception of sledging is to go out there and abuse someone in obscene language, questioning their parentage or sexual preferences. That kind of abuse does not belong on the field of play. Sledging, as coined and pioneered by the Australians, is a measured comment designed to get a reaction out of a player. It could be any reaction: a bit of anger, a show of arrogance, a comment, a shake of the head, or a slump of the shoulders.
—Kumara Sangakkara in 2004
 
First post of 2016: Let me start with some Humble Pie...

QuarterMoonII said:
26-30 Dec 15 – Kingsmead, Durban – South Africa to beat England
Click to expand...

So I got that completely wrong; it is a funny old game. Who knows, I might get these wrong too:

QuarterMoonII said:
2-6 Jan 16 – Newlands, Capetown – South Africa to beat England
14-18 Jan 16 – New Wanderers, Johannesburg – South Africa to beat England
22-26 Jan 16 – Supersport Park, Centurion – South Africa to beat England
Click to expand...

They may be the No. 1 team in cricket nominally but South Africa are in dreadful form and they were well and truly humbled by England, even with captain cautious Cook batting them completely out of the game in the third innings and risking them saving the game.

The Proteas were rubbish against India, Hashim Amla is hopelessly out of form, Dale Steyn will miss the second Test at Newlands and AB de Villiers cannot carry the team on his own. Are there grounds for thinking that England should now be favourites to win this Series?
 
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