Ashes series 2015

(21-07-2015 23:44 )lancealot790 Wrote:  Lyth was always going to get another chance due to the lack of decent opening options, Carberry is not good enough, England will not recall Compton and Hales is considered to be a one day player. It makes sense to move Bell up to 3 as he is the best player in the team.

If anything we haven't had a decent opening pair since 2005, IMO.
Lyth to me has been found out pretty quickly and to me he has found the step up to Test level a little daunting. Whether the selectors have the courage to give Jonathon Trott another shot at opening is a another matter.
Not only that it is whole of the top order that has to knuckle down and dig in a bit deeper to make the Aussies work for their wickets. And the way we collapsed at lord's was nothing short of debacle and was amazed that Bayliss said he wouldn't have blasted the team over that performance, I'm sure in private he wasn't happy.
I'm not expecting Edgbaston to be anything but a lively pitch but as long as it has some decent pace for Jimmy that would e a good thing. But I do wonder if the pitch will last five days!!

The last decent opening partnership was Cook and Strauss, everyone since then has gone by the wayside, i personally would have chosen Hales and told him to go out and play his natural giving him all five tests so he would be under less pressure. Trott will never play test cricket again, he has already tried to make a comeback and it went badly, he has a major weakness against the short ball which is constantly exploited by the opposition bowlers. As for those people who keep talking about the new aggressive brand of cricket England want to play, they should take a look at the top order there are no attacking players, Cook, Lyth and Ballance are accumulators and they are hardly likely to take the war to Australia. Ian Bell is a natural stroke player but he is constantly coming in with england in trouble and so has to curb his natural instincts, he then ends up scratching around and getting out. Hales would be a good foil for Cook he is more aggressive and could keep the score moving instead of them getting bogged down and putting no pressure on the aussie bowlers.

I agree.The Aussies gambled with Warner initially and for a while he was hit and miss.Look at him now.Much more of a hit than anything else(especially with Joe Root)

Thanks to Ellie for providing the best moment of the Second Test

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aralMOHw0iU

I have to say that I think the toss tomorrow will be the most crucial one of the whole series as I think it will ultimately decide the destiny of the series ....

I suspect rain may intervene in the Edgbaston test.

You don't expect a women who looks like that to have brains as well. Mr bleeding picky  it was funny. What a babe though.

2 it does seem to be a huge advantage to bat first all things equal. neither match was particularly close. 

3 Aussies murder us in the fourth test in 2009 yet we won the fifth so all is not lost even if the pundits seem to think so

4) as dull as it maybe what ever happens to the art of staying in and not losing your wicket? I don't think Cook is as defensive as has been suggested. There is nothing worse for a bowler especially a fast bowler who keeps bowling wasted deliveries. When the bats men have really good judgement and leave any ball that is not hitting the stumps it is very frustrating for the bowler.
As a result they bowl to straight and stray onto the batsmen pads for an easy boundary. Cook at his best is a master at that. 

5) why don't batsmen play every ball on it merits? And why don't bowlers ball line and length? In the batsmen case play the ball not the bowler
And the in the bowler's case, put the ball in that corridor of uncertainty. It should not matter if batsmen is getting runs. If you put the ball in the right area and the batsmen hits you for four that's just good cricket on his part and law of averaged suggest you will get him out eventually if you bowl line and length.
Some of the England bowlers had less than 6% deliveries hitting the stumps. At least make the batsmen have to play at it even if it is a docile wicket.

Australia batting 1st in the 3rd ashes test and they've already lost a wicket

david warner has gone and Australia are now 8-1

18/2 Fucking GETTT INNNNN!!!!!

Good to see Finn get a wicket in his first over, as this is his first test for over 2 years. With Bairstow already replacing Ballance, Finn for Wood meant 2 changes for England. Australia are unchanged, as Nevill retains his place ahead of Haddin.