Sport The Ashes - 3rd Test- 26/12/2021 - Melbourne

[Foley]

I think they are average, they haven't exactly taken the test world by storm recently. Don't get me wrong at home their bowlers are decent just as I would expect our bowlers in our conditions to be too.

None of our bowlers would get in a joint side.
Australia have 2 of the top 5 Test bowlers (3 of the top 10) in the world and 2 of the top 3 batsmen.
I think that their attack when fully fit is well balanced and excellent (India's is probably better)
Lyon is in a different class than any of our spinners ( and has arguably been the best off spinner on the World over the past few years)
Hazelwood, starc and Cummins are far better than our seam bowlers.
Their batting isn't great but in Smith and Labuschagne, they have at least two old fashioned proper Test batsmen.
The Test series highlights the massive difference between the 2 sides

 

[Marked Ox]

At least the players will get an extra 2 days off....

 

[MJB]

At least the players will get an extra 2 days off....

Pulling a Kitson, as it’s known in the trade.

 

[tonyw]

I think they are average, they haven't exactly taken the test world by storm recently. Don't get me wrong at home their bowlers are decent just as I would expect our bowlers in our conditions to be too.

They've only played one Test series in the last two years (a 2-1 defeat to India at home - it was a cracking series)! Strict Aussie Covid protocols saw to the rest.

So there's not much to go on to decide if they're actually any good. But my feeling echoes was others have said - they have an excellent first string attack, but the batting is thin.


As for yesterday's play, nothing new to say.....just repeating ourselves at this point. Yes, it was an excellent, skillful spell of Aussie bowling - but you get that in Test cricketing from time-to-time, and once again, we only have one batsman with the ability to withstand it.

 

[Followtheox1]

None of our bowlers would get in a joint side.
Australia have 2 of the top 5 Test bowlers (3 of the top 10) in the world and 2 of the top 3 batsmen.
I think that their attack when fully fit is well balanced and excellent (India's is probably better)
Lyon is in a different class than any of our spinners ( and has arguably been the best off spinner on the World over the past few years)
Hazelwood, starc and Cummins are far better than our seam bowlers.
Their batting isn't great but in Smith and Labuschagne, they have at least two old fashioned proper Test batsmen.
The Test series highlights the massive difference between the 2 sides

India is definitely better given they recently beat them in Australia. The stats on individual players mean little at the moment, due to Covid Australia and lots of other teams haven't played overseas for ages and when Australia have, in the last few years their record has been pretty poor including drawing with Bangladesh. When did they last win a test series abroad? Don't get me wrong, Australia will always be ok at home but the truly great Australian teams would wipe the floor with teams home and away. This isn't a great Australian team. We are poor, no doubt about that and Australia are better than us although in our conditions I think things would be closer. We are unable to get the balance between test and limited overs cricket right. We are either good at one or the other but not both at the same time.

 

[Followtheox1]

They've only played one Test series in the last two years (a 2-1 defeat to India at home - it was a cracking series)! Strict Aussie Covid protocols saw to the rest.

So there's not much to go on to decide if they're actually any good. But my feeling echoes was others have said - they have an excellent first string attack, but the batting is thin.


As for yesterday's play, nothing new to say.....just repeating ourselves at this point. Yes, it was an excellent, skillful spell of Aussie bowling - but you get that in Test cricketing from time-to-time, and once again, we only have one batsman with the ability to withstand it.

Yes, see my reply above.

 

[tonyw]

India is definitely better given they recently beat them in Australia. The stats on individual players mean little at the moment, due to Covid Australia and lots of other teams haven't played overseas for ages and when Australia have, in the last few years their record has been pretty poor including drawing with Bangladesh. When did they last win a test series abroad? Don't get me wrong, Australia will always be ok at home but the truly great Australian teams would wipe the floor with teams home and away. This isn't a great Australian team. We are poor, no doubt about that and Australia are better than us although in our conditions I think things would be closer. We are unable to get the balance between test and limited overs cricket right. We are either good at one or the other but not both at the same time.

This is very true - in the modern game, playing away from home in unfamiliar conditions is the ultimate test of a Test team - and the Aussies' only overseas series in the past three years was the 2019 Ashes. Their last trip to the subcontinent was almost five years ago.

 

[Oufcrealist]

Pathetic is what it is.
They are better than us, simple as that.
But we make things hard for ourselves.
Poor selection
Poor captaincy
Poor shot choice, the list goes on.
Leach was terrible. A left arm off spinner bowling round the wicket to left handers and pitching it on leg stump most of the time. And Root giving him a run saving field, it shows what he thinks of him!!
The pace bowlers were pretty good and got us into a salvageable situation. But then you just know what's coming next.
Bringing Crawley and Bairstow in was never going to change things. I would have stuck with Burns for now. He managed 34 in his last innings and apart from Root is the only player to get a century for us this year.
Our long game needs serious surgery from grass roots up. We have neglected it in favour of limited overs variations. I think there has to be an emphasis on how to play to build an innings and not worry about run rates or trying to smash the cover off the ball. Tom Banton for instance is a really good batter/opener but if they put him in he would be trying to smash it to all parts within a couple of overs because he has been mainly coached to do just that. He would be lost trying to score at three an over!!

 

[tonyw]

Our long game needs serious surgery from grass roots up. We have neglected it in favour of limited overs variations. I think there has to be an emphasis on how to play to build an innings and not worry about run rates or trying to smash the cover off the ball. Tom Banton for instance is a really good batter/opener but if they put him in he would be trying to smash it to all parts within a couple of overs because he has been mainly coached to do just that. He would be lost trying to score at three an over!!

Agree 100% with this.

It's an old argument.....but I wonder if what the Test team really needs is to restructure first class cricket in England in the same way that they restructured t20 for the Hundred?

Not eighteen counties playing a varied, but generally pretty moderate standard of first class cricket - but condensing the talent into eight regional teams that are playing to a much more competitive level. As, for example, the Aussies do in the Sheffield Shield, which is a much better proving ground for Test cricket than anything that's ever played in England.

As well as raising the standard, this would also help develop specialization as well. It's very likely that it would not be the same 150 players (or so) that would compete in both the Hundred and the First Class tournament - some of the most talented would, but others would focus on developing a skill set for either quick scoring and slogging, or developing the technique to be able to survive a spell of searching bowling, depending on what their talents and/or mentality suited.

Right now, the counties train their players up to play all forms of the game.....but when all the crowds and money at county level are focused on the shorter forms of the game, is it really a surprise - or is it even really wrong - that they focus their coaching on slap-and-dash cricket?

 

[SteMerritt]

Agree 100% with this.

It's an old argument.....but I wonder if what the Test team really needs is to restructure first class cricket in England in the same way that they restructured t20 for the Hundred?

Not eighteen counties playing a varied, but generally pretty moderate standard of first class cricket - but condensing the talent into eight regional teams that are playing to a much more competitive level. As, for example, the Aussies do in the Sheffield Shield, which is a much better proving ground for Test cricket than anything that's ever played in England.

As well as raising the standard, this would also help develop specialization as well. It's very likely that it would not be the same 150 players (or so) that would compete in both the Hundred and the First Class tournament - some of the most talented would, but others would focus on developing a skill set for either quick scoring and slogging, or developing the technique to be able to survive a spell of searching bowling, depending on what their talents and/or mentality suited.

Right now, the counties train their players up to play all forms of the game.....but when all the crowds and money at county level are focused on the shorter forms of the game, is it really a surprise - or is it even really wrong - that they focus their coaching on slap-and-dash cricket?

As much as it pains me to agree, I've said before I'd be in favour of a franchise red ball competition, the County Championship just isn't producing the goods. I'd even go as far as a four team competition above the existing Championship (South West, South East, Midlands, North) and select the best England-qualified players. Get it on terrestrial TV.

 

[Malc]

I'm sure we could beat the Ozzies at Aunt Sally. Or maybe not.

 

[unification]

As much as it pains me to agree, I've said before I'd be in favour of a franchise red ball competition, the County Championship just isn't producing the goods. I'd even go as far as a four team competition above the existing Championship (South West, South East, Midlands, North) and select the best England-qualified players. Get it on terrestrial TV.

Give over with your whacky ideas. You’ll be saying it should be played in the summer next and not shunted to March-April and September-October.

Such sensible thinking will never get considered by the ECB.

 

[Leysboy]

England 60/5

Bairstow and Root at the crease.

23 runs behind Australia.

 

[Leysboy]

Bairstow is gone after a review. Two umpires calls so he’s got to go.

This will be all over before lunch.

60/6

 

[Leysboy]

61/7 Root is gone.

For the first time in a bloody long time. I’m turning it off. Normally I watch all the matches through home and away, but this is bloody awful.

Only Joe Root is able to score runs.

 

[Oufcrealist]

For the first time in a bloody long time. I’m turning it off. Normally I watch all the matches through home and away, but this is bloody awful.

Only Joe Root is able to score runs.

Well he's gone as well!!
Pack up and come home.

 

[Leysboy]

Well he's gone as well!!
Pack up and come home.

65/8 Wood goes for a duck

 

[tonto]

embarrasing

 

[Leysboy]

65/9 Robinson goes for a duck

 

[Leysboy]

We are going to lose by an innings and this isn’t the best bowling attack. Cummins yes great bowler, but some players of the England players have just given there wickets away.