Only 44 overs til the new ball

These umpires

To be fair they'd done okay up until recently but the last 2 decisions haven't been great.

Poor captain that Root, not attacking enough get right in there faces

5 balls to go, ffs

comment by Dave&Danny (U4428)
posted 1 minute ago
Poor captain that Root, not attacking enough get right in there faces
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Leach on, men around the bat is what we should have been doing for the last couple of Broad overs. They're unlikely to hit out a few overs before lunch at 4 down.

I don't like to jump on Root too often about his captaincy as he doesn't seem like a natural leader. However for all the talk of attacking cricket with the bat, we need to do it with the ball too.

And that is play for the day. Can't really lose from here. Either get early wickets tomorrow and we are on for the win or they bat well and get to 300 and it's most likely a draw.

comment by TCM (U8959)
posted about a minute ago
comment by Dave&Danny (U4428)
posted 1 minute ago
Poor captain that Root, not attacking enough get right in there faces
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Leach on, men around the bat is what we should have been doing for the last couple of Broad overs. They're unlikely to hit out a few overs before lunch at 4 down.

I don't like to jump on Root too often about his captaincy as he doesn't seem like a natural leader. However for all the talk of attacking cricket with the bat, we need to do it with the ball too.
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He let the Aussies of the hook in the 1st test shocking that was, stuck all fielders on boundary let Smith do as he like, end of game and probably series

comment by Dave&Danny (U4428)
posted 2 minutes ago
comment by TCM (U8959)
posted about a minute ago
comment by Dave&Danny (U4428)
posted 1 minute ago
Poor captain that Root, not attacking enough get right in there faces
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Leach on, men around the bat is what we should have been doing for the last couple of Broad overs. They're unlikely to hit out a few overs before lunch at 4 down.

I don't like to jump on Root too often about his captaincy as he doesn't seem like a natural leader. However for all the talk of attacking cricket with the bat, we need to do it with the ball too.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
He let the Aussies of the hook in the 1st test shocking that was, stuck all fielders on boundary let Smith do as he like, end of game and probably series
----------------------------------------------------------------------

That's the spirit

probably it for the day. tomorrow morning we need to rap this up quickly. and get batting

I think the important thing to remember is none of us will still be alive when this ashes finishes in 2156.

English summer strikes again, like someone said eng cant really lose from here

england needed a couple more this morning to stand a chance of winning i feel, including that of smith.

can see england going odi mode and it back firing to try and get a big lead only for Aus to have a slim chance of winning themselves.

comment by United_kaz (U9943)
posted 5 minutes ago
English summer strikes again, like someone said eng cant really lose from here
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Exactly. We’ll run out of time in the universe before a game of cricket finishes.

comment by Phe'ndombele (U20037)
posted 26 seconds ago
england needed a couple more this morning to stand a chance of winning i feel, including that of smith.

can see england going odi mode and it back firing to try and get a big lead only for Aus to have a slim chance of winning themselves.
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if we hadnt facked about in the opening 40 mins we might have had them 5 or 6 down

there's no way archer bowled short by himself that would have been asked of him, eng were like a kid with a new toy with someone who could bowl fast, every wicket fallen by aus I think has been pitched up

I really don't get the short pitched stuff. Teams so often do it when it's unnecessary and let teams off the hook. Seems to be a method at tail enders if you survive more than a couple of overs.

If the pitch is flat and there's no lateral movement then by all means try and rough them up if you're struggling to create anything. However there was definitely opportunity by pitching the ball up as showed by the wickets that were taken.

Agreed TCM. Giving the short stuff seems be a tactic which only rarely works for us as well.

Short pitch stuff is generally used against good batsmen when they are well set, this unsettles batsmen's momentum and induces him to play false stroke

I understand why it's used. I just don't understand why England use it when they do.

It's best used as a shock tactic, and by quick tall bowlers who can direct it well at the batsman's body/head.

The way England put it to use is, generally, having our not-that-quick seamers bowl just back of a leg, not directing it properly at the body or head. Meaning that effectively they just bowl a bunch of long hops or easy leaves.

England are chronically, diabolically bad at bowling at the fυcking stumps, which immediately removes 2 methods of dismissal from the equation for no reason.

Back of a length* obviously

Well it looks like we'll hopefully get 2 full days in over the weekend. So that'll be 206 overs max. Could be enough to force a result if the bowlers can get the ball to move around.

I cant do maths. 196 overs.

Small chance of a bit of play tonight, covers coming off.