Listening to Broad on Sky this morning and said (along the lines) that there are a few hundreds out there and we have 16 wickets. I think what he meant to say is that we have 16 wickets left in the match and we might get a couple of hundred more . Must say Smiths double ton was immense but Rogers is simply an unassuming beast of an open batsman, he really set that innings up - i like him alot. Well done Australia so far
Stokes is digging in though! It's there to be played this wicket! Cook and stokes need to see out the first two sessions today if possible... Although, knowing my jinx, one of the will have got himself out whilst I've been typing this!!
About an hour early with the jinx there, but to be skittled for 312 chasing down 550 odd is pathetic from England's top order (Cook and Stokes excepted). Expect Australia to thrash our bowlers around the park for a couple of sessions and declare some time after lunch tomorrow giving themselves four and a bit sessions to bowl us out. Really can't see past an Australian win sometime around lunch on Monday
I didn't manage to see any cricket today as I was busy But I had commentary on the radio & that was depressing enough. Lord have mercy, what the **** do we do with Bell?
Drop him mate. But they wont...we could bring Morgan in at 5 and move Root up the order by one or 2. Tbf though the ball that knocked his stumps over was an unplayable one.
I'd move root up to 3. Your best batsmen has to play their. Bowling has been quite poor too considering all the wickets we've been able to take. Who's chopping at the bits in county billy?
We need to try and get Morgan in the side imo. Either at.the expense of Bell or Ballance. I'd also drop Lyth for Hales. Straight swap as an opener..
Send him back to Warwickshire again to get his head straight. Move Moeen up the order to 5 and bring Rashid in at 8. Gives us another (very attacking) bowling option and doesn't weaken the batting. No idea what to do about Lyth. He should have been given the three tests in the West Indies to bed in but that was never going to happen under the "old order". He is now paying the price, a couple of tests against the Kiwis then straight into the firing line against Australia.
Outplayed in all areas. Well and truly battered. The top 3 needs changed around, we cant keep getting ourselves in a position of being 50-3 as regular as we do. I don't agree with anybody taking the number 5 position when Root bats so well there.
Lyth is out of his depth & Ballance is a walking wicket. We've been battered this test and it doesn't look like changing now.
