Ashes 2015 Series in-game thread

[Bull Shark]

Sloppy, erratic start from our quick bowlers imo, with basically a handful of good balls thrown in - three of which happened to take wickets.

Starc & Hazlewood struggling to control the duke ball and Johnson's gradual decline is continuing.

 

[1910]

It's very up and down Test and pitch!

No one has really taken control; few soft dismissals for Australia and really needed to adapt better to the pace of the pitch. Four guys spooning balls in front of the wicket isn't great control.

Need to get this 166 down and then bowl with better control; 2 bad bowls an over isn't good enough.

 

[gordjw]

We've got them right where we want them. Haddin and Mitch to make enough runs to ensure an innings victory for the Australians!

 

[Bull Shark]

^ Need some prolonged heavy rain or a classic Aussie tail wag + a classic England collapse ... We've been sub-par in this test imo with bat and ball pretty much from the end of the first morning ... just look like a very under-done team coming off a very very VERY soft lead-up in the west indies...

England, despite their dramas, had a much more optimal lead-in with that tough slog against New Zealand ...

 

[Ari Gold]

I reckon England should try and take out an insurance policy on Shane Watson's legs.

 

[gordjw]

Haha!

You're absolutely right Bull Shark, we gave away 170 runs by dropping Root and not appealing for Ali on 33. I can forgive Haddin, it happens, but not appealing?!? Come on!

 

[ivanhungryjak]

8/304

 

[Bull Shark]

and that's pretty much it ... England will go 1-0 up sometime in the next couple of days.

better wake up to ourselves fast or this series will be a repeat of 2013

Our bowlers would want to come out pretty fucking hard in this second innings and dish up something a lot more potent than the wayward fruit they served up on wednesday

 

[gordjw]

Nah, we're still in it, but we'd definitely want to pick up our game.

 

[Browny]

412 to win.

Do able but need to see off the new ball

 

[1910]

412 to win.

Do able but need to see off the new ball

Will be a record if we pull it off; currently 404 is the highest Ashes' run chase by Australia in 1948.

Chasing 404 helps when Bradman gets 173* and Morris gets 182.

4/404 and lead the Ashes 3-0.

 

[Sproj]

Boy this is the key right now. Both openers look like dead men walking. If they get through this next ten overs, we are in with an outside chance. Massive IF.

 

[Bull Shark]

Warner goes right on lunch .. right when we didn't need to lose one .. only the first test but this has such a similar feel to 2013 when the ascendency always seemed just out of reach and we always seemed to lose the big moments in matches ...

Rogers going for 95 the other day, Watson fourth ball of the third morning and now Warner right on the stroke of lunch .. these are the sort of body blows that teams on the losing end of things tend to cop..

 

[Sproj]

The problem is the loss of Harris. He just balanced this team so well. The selectors also need to bite the bullet and look to the future by tapping Watson on the shoulder and sticking with MMarsh.

 

[gordjw]

That was very disappointing. Not too surprising though, even in Australia the batting has been fragile.

 

[Unbreakable]

Unrelated to the Ashes, but the Big Bash schedule has been released and all games will be broadcast live all over Australia, no more delayed games for Brisbane, yay.

 

[Sproj]

This would be my team for the second test:

1. Warner
2. Rogers
3. Smith
4. Voges
5. Clarke
6. MMarsh
7. Haddin
8. Johnson
9. Hazlewood
10. Starc/Cummins
11. Lyon


no wholesale changes needed. Just get rid of that waste of space at six for the talented future star and stick with him, regardless of how he goes to give him confidence.

The other change is Clarke back to five as that is where for whatever reason, he excels.

 

[Unbreakable]

I'm not sure I'm cool with Smith at 3 either honestly, he feels like a 4 to me, I'd go with Voges at 3, but apart from that my team would be the same.