Joe Root is expensive, but he gets big wickets. Perfect bowler for this sort of scenario, and it worked again.
16 at county level. 15 at international level. Neither manage to do it. My target for today was to get out one of Marnus/Marsh, and then Green. And then hope for enough time tomorrow to get the last four wickets (and to chase down anything we might need). Half way there.
Didn't realize the light was such, but I'd have bowled him regardless! Runs are fine, so long as those runs come pretty quickly and are accompanied by a couple wickets. Australia isn't winning this test.
Tomorrow looking bleak again but could be another window like today. Would be very interesting if we had to chase something and the quicks aren't allowed on. Aussies only have part time spinners.
They wouldn't be forced to use their part-timers. They could insist on sticking with their quicks - in which case the umpires would take the players off.
Yep. I've always been against the rule change in 2010, where the decision of whether to carry on got taken away from the batters and was given to the umpires. If batters are happy to face quicks, they should be allowed to. And it reduces the incentive for the bowling side to slow things down.
The thing that winds me up about the longer format is the archaic rules that are still in place. Hampshire were victims to it this season where they went off needing hardly any runs. They are short of overs when the sun shines and don't play on to fulfil the overs when lights good yet yesterday they could have played until 7:30. The punishment for not fulfilling overs is wrong. At least in the shorter formats they get punished by runs and bringing fielders in. Taking lunch when the weather is OK is another annoyance as they could be out 20 minutes earlier.
One senses that the weather's given the Aussies what they need. Pity we didn't get going in matches 1 and 2.
Assuming this ends in a draw , I think the last test will be interesting . The Aussies will either retain or win the ashes . How much will England not want the Aussies to win the series ?
