Ashes in England 2023

(18-06-2023 20:17 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Moeen bowled 26 overs in 2 months of IPL, 28 on day 2 of this Test. With regular bowling in 4 day cricket your skin gets hardened, this is not helped by our Dukes ball with a pronounced seam. Compared to Australia this England team has been just thrown together.

The keeper issue has gone on for years. Stewart playing instead of Russell, Prior instead o Foster. If you go back further some great keepers at county level & country would be almost rabbits with the bat & come in at 9 or lower. This is just no longer acceptable.
I have a theory that the reason behind the very best keepers not being quite the standard of batsman they are looking for, is down to the practice required to become an elite keeper doesn't allow time to work on another discipline & also reach the same elite level with the bat. Only so many hours in the day.
When Sanga was batting 3 for Sri Lanka in Tests it just became too much, he's a very intelligent man & he realized that one skill was compromising the other, he couldn't give his best to 2 disciplines. He gave up the gloves & his batting average went through the roof, from a very good 40+ to 60-70.

Self explanatory!! I think that it is not just theory, but evidence based fact! Personally, I have never quite bought into the batsman/keeper philosophy, particularly as the keeper role is such a specialist one! Not just in terms of practice that can be devoted to each discipline, but the fitness/mental fatigue issues that it raises. Every nation - but particularly England, instead of going with their specific strengths, tried to find an Adam Gilchrist!

(18-06-2023 20:17 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  Moeen bowled 26 overs in 2 months of IPL, 28 on day 2 of this Test. With regular bowling in 4 day cricket your skin gets hardened, this is not helped by our Dukes ball with a pronounced seam. Compared to Australia this England team has been just thrown together.

The keeper issue has gone on for years. Stewart playing instead of Russell, Prior instead o Foster. If you go back further some great keepers at county level & country would be almost rabbits with the bat & come in at 9 or lower. This is just no longer acceptable.
I have a theory that the reason behind the very best keepers not being quite the standard of batsman they are looking for, is down to the practice required to become an elite keeper doesn't allow time to work on another discipline & also reach the same elite level with the bat. Only so many hours in the day.
When Sanga was batting 3 for Sri Lanka in Tests it just became too much, he's a very intelligent man & he realized that one skill was compromising the other, he couldn't give his best to 2 disciplines. He gave up the gloves & his batting average went through the roof, from a very good 40+ to 60-70.

That is a prime example of showing that the dual role is not the panacea some make it seem!

England have the edge going in to tomorrow! Still too close to call, but Australia would have hoped , I reckon, to still have at least one of Smith/Labuschagne there!

NB Somebody needs to find a bin for Winviz before I lose the will to go on!! What a useless piece of ?*@!

(19-06-2023 13:36 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  

(18-06-2023 13:04 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  

(17-06-2023 18:51 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  

(17-06-2023 07:45 )Boomerangutangangbang Wrote:  England v Australia 1st Test Edgbaston Day 4 Close
Toss England
England 393-8 dec (78 overs) Root 118 no Bairstow 78 Crawley 61 Brook 32 Lyon 4-149 Hazlewood 2-61
Australia 386 (116.1 overs) Khawaja 141 Carey 66 Head 50 Cummins 38 Green 38 Robinson 3-55 Broad 3-68 Ali 2-147
England 272 (66.2 overs) Root 46 Brook 46 Stokes 43 Cummins 4-63 Lyon 4-80
Australia 282-8 (92.3 overs) Khawaja 65 Cummins 44 no Warner 36 Broad 3-64 Robinson 2-43
Australia won by 2 wickets (T 281)

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England v Australia 1st Test Edgbaston Day 4 Close
Toss England
England 393-8 dec (78 overs) Root 118 no Bairstow 78 Crawley 61 Brook 32 Lyon 4-149 Hazlewood 2-61
Australia 386 (116.1 overs) Khawaja 141 Carey 66 Head 50 Cummins 38 Green 38 Robinson 3-55 Broad 3-68 Ali 2-147
England 272 (66.2 overs) Root 46 Brook 46 Stokes 43 Cummins 4-63 Lyon 4-80
Australia 282-8 (92.3 overs) Khawaja 65 Cummins 44 no Warner 36 Broad 3-64 Robinson 2-43
Australia won by 2 wickets (T 281)


That is some way to start the series!! Kudos Pat Cummins in particular for the way he marshalled his troops to see the Aussies over the line! Only this - the greatest sport on earth - can provide such sporting drama!

I was gratified to hear the response to the obvious questions posed after defeat, from Stokes around the declaration! He is of course right, and there is no way that anyone can point to that as being the pivotal decision, given how close the finish was! No doubt though, he will face fearful hammer from some - not least those who apparently see the Ashes as a win at all cost! Principle won out, and I can only applaud that as I was sceptical, and thought that - just because it is the Ashes - Stokes/McCullum/England would sacrifice it!

At least this bazball cricket produced and exciting match with a result.
I have to ask if we'd played the more defensive way would we have scored as many runs and the answer is probably no.
Bairstow is a good keeper but had a bad few days behind the stumps. He just looked under prepared. You have to ask if he's played enough county cricket this year.

(20-06-2023 20:30 )Charlemagne Wrote:  At least this bazball cricket produced and exciting match with a result.
I have to ask if we'd played the more defensive way would we have scored as many runs and the answer is probably no.
Bairstow is a good keeper but had a bad few days behind the stumps. He just looked under prepared. You have to ask if he's played enough county cricket this year.

None of them play enough county cricket, and not just to prep for England duty either, but as a matter of principle!

Rehan Ahmed has been added to the squad for the Lords Test as cover for Moeen Ali, who struggled with a blistered finger.

Josh Tongue comes into the side, replacing Moeen Ali, with a green pitch at Lords expected to favour the seamers, which is good news for Jimmy Anderson, who looked ineffective at Edgbaston.

What an opportunity for Tongue.
His pace may well be useful at Lord's with the slope factored in too.
Could be interesting.