The Ashes 2015

[JTG]

Starc's having a good match

I am unconvinced by Buttler

 

[Lord Camomile]

Lucky to have a lead of 300 at this rate.

Need just over 30 to make 300 - you'd think they could manage that, but the mood Starc seems to be in...

What do we expect from Australia's second innings? They surely can't be as bad as yesterday, will they just dig in and try to hold on for grim death?

 

[Teaboy]

Starc's having a good match

I am unconvinced by Buttler

He looked good against NZ but has been useless thus far in this series, his keeping has been tidy mind.

 

[Lord Camomile]

Need just over 30 to make 300 - you'd think they could manage that, but the mood Starc seems to be in...

28 with two wickets left

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Starc's having a good match

I am unconvinced by Buttler

Yeah same. He's been pretty shit at batting for a while now. Bairstow seems more appropriate for wicket keeper/batsman at this rate.

Another wicket now ffs! Not too worried but we really should be better than this.

 

[Teaboy]

4W4W4W4W

A bit crap from England this morning, they had the chance to put the boot in and they're approaching it like the last couple of overs of a 20/20.

 

[JTG]

Need just over 30 to make 300 - you'd think they could manage that, but the mood Starc seems to be in...

What do we expect from Australia's second innings? They surely can't be as bad as yesterday, will they just dig in and try to hold on for grim death?

I'd imagine they will try and bat normally if they can and aim to make England bat again as a bare minimum

 

[The Octagon]

Looks like we fancy ending this today then

 

[Teaboy]

Yeah same. He's been pretty shit at batting for a while now. Bairstow seems more appropriate for wicket keeper/batsman at this rate.

Another wicket now ffs! Not too worried but we really should be better than this.

There is something very unbalanced about England's 6,7 and 8. It's just death or glory stuff and we really need at least one person in there who is going to try and play an innings. Ali and Stokes are the wrong way round for sure.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

There is something very unbalanced about England's 6,7 and 8. It's just death or glory stuff and we really need at least one person in there who is going to try and play an innings. Ali and Stokes are the wrong way round for sure.

Yeah I think Ali has done pretty well given he generally has to bat with the tail, I'd like to see him higher up where he could play a longer innings. Certainly above Buttler at the moment.

 

[JTG]

Yeah I think Ali has done pretty well given he generally has to bat with the tail, I'd like to see him higher up where he could play a longer innings. Certainly above Buttler at the moment.

Ali's opened the batting before. He's top six material if there's room

 

[Mumbles274]

Ton for broad please

 

[Spymaster]

Ton for broad please

And Moeen.

 

[The Octagon]

Not hanging about now, destructive batting from Broad and Ali.

 

[Spymaster]

I reckon one of them will get a ton.

I wonder if kabbes wants to go double or quits on the score he owes me????

 

[The Octagon]

Might as well declare now tbh, have a nasty little bowl at them before lunch.

 

[Spymaster]

No way. Broad's still got 75 runs to score!

 

[redsquirrel]

Yeah I think Ali has done pretty well given he generally has to bat with the tail, I'd like to see him higher up where he could play a longer innings. Certainly above Buttler at the moment.

Yeah I don't mind him batting in the lower middle order, he's shown he can do it this summer, but I think he should be above Buttler.

Buttler's form is actually a bit of a worry, he really needs to make some runs.

 

[The Octagon]

Summation of Ali's little cameo though-

 

[The Octagon]

Ooh, good declaration.

 

[redsquirrel]

Good move to call them in (though not quite sure what the point was in sending Finn in for five minutes)

 

[JTG]

Oh

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Declared! Quite surprised at that but I can see the logic with the cloud cover and the unexpected nature of it. Ten minutes before lunch too.

 

[Teaboy]

Its an odd one isn't it that Wicket Keepers have to bat at 7? They might occasionally bat at 6 but rarely and never at 8, presumably if they bat at 8 they are not worthy of their position in the team, yet we have a top order batsman batting at 9 in this match.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

Hmmm. Not sure about that declaration. Doesn't matter, I guess, but there was no need for it.

 

[Monkeygrinder's Organ]

Its an odd one isn't it that Wicket Keepers have to bat at 7? They might occasionally bat at 6 but rarely and never at 8, presumably if they bat at 8 they are not worthy of their position in the team, yet we have a top order batsman batting at 9 in this match.

I think there's a lot of status stuff going on there. Moeen is in as primary spin-bowler so it's OK to bat him at 8. Whereas Stokes isn't bowling enough to justify his place as a bowler so you have to keep him higher up - you can't have someone batting 7 or 8 and only bowling a few overs.

 

[littlebabyjesus]

I think there's a lot of status stuff going on there. Moeen is in as primary spin-bowler so it's OK to bat him at 8. Whereas Stokes isn't bowling enough to justify his place as a bowler so you have to keep him higher up - you can't have someone batting 7 or 8 and only bowling a few overs.

Yeah, there is. I have no problem with Stokes at 6 - giving him more responsibility is a good thing for him, I think. But Buttler can't keep coming in above Ali if he isn't scoring, and Ali is rather wasted at 8 tbh - we don't really get to find out quite how good he really is batting down there.

 

[redsquirrel]

I am unconvinced by Buttler

Yeah not quite working is it. Like Eoin Morgan you can see why they want him in the team but if he doesn't start to make some runs soon then you think they might give Bairstow a go behind the stumps

 

[Lord Camomile]

Boycott: "Who's on a pair, Andrew, that's what we want to know!"
Samson: "The openers for a start..."

 

[Doctor Carrot]

Extras is off to a good start again for Australia.