1st ASHES TEST: @ Edgbaston, Birmingham June 16-20, 2023

[King-Gutho94]

Will go deep (hope so) after tea

Expect rain to ruin a lot/most of session 1 today

3 things in life you can count on

Death, Taxes and the Miserable English weather.

 

[bazza]

That's easier to say then do.

well I don't have to do - just watch

 

[bazza]

You have no idea what level of cricket I played at, or coached at. Maybe you can wait for me to make a mistake like Greta and the boys??

correct though you have Justin Langer levels of seriousness in your analysis

Is GRETA some sort of acronym to describe the Australian bowling line up?

Generally
Really
Excellent
Tireless
Attack

 

[AlwaysGreen]

3 things in life you can count on

Death, Taxes and the Miserable English weather.

And baldness

 

[King-Gutho94]

correct though you have Justin Langer levels of seriousness in your analysis

would you say its Elite Honesty

 

[bazza]

An unrushed young man from our town’s cosmopolitan French Quarter has lamented the absence of stress and anxiety in his life, so in order to find some, he plans to have an 8 p.m. coffee this evening and watch the Ashes action.

The final passages of play are proving to be extremely nerve-racking for all involved, and by his own admission, Gilby Clarke’s nerves haven’t been rattled for years.

Local Man Who Wants Some Extreme Stress And Anxiety In His Life Will Be Tuning Into The Ashes This Evening

More to come.

www.betootaadvocate.com

 

[Twizzle]

Day one, bowling fifth stump, we had a deep mid-wicket and a deep square for Patty at one point. Why? What's the strategy?

I've noticed they hit across the line of the ball outside off stump, maybe its Bazball or just because the pitch is flat and easy thought to play these shots, although I'm not sure the fielders should have been deep as it's just giving them easy runs

 

[Mr. Shaman]

3 things in life you can count on

Death, Taxes and the Miserable English weather.

f**k the poms and their country, but where I am 2 hours from Birmingham we’ve had probably 45 mins of rain in the past month, with lows of around 8-12 and highs of 24-28 everyday. Big up to you, climate change. Get rekt Greta.

 

[Bazal]

I've noticed they hit across the line of the ball outside off stump, maybe its Bazball or just because the pitch is flat and easy thought to play these shots, although I'm not sure the fielders should have been deep as it's just giving them easy runs

Yeah that's exactly what I was getting at next paragraph. With no catching fielders legside really you can work the ball around and if it pops up, so what it's one run.

If the strategy is to tempt them go across the line then IMO you probably need a regulation square, a catching mid and maybe a sweeper back forward of square if you want some protection. You could pull mid on out to try and encourage them to close the face on a good line and have catching cover for the leading edge too.

Depends on the rest of the field obvs but we really just took the risk away. Pointless captaincy for mine.

 

[Twizzle]

Yeah that's exactly what I was getting at next paragraph. With no catching fielders legside really you can work the ball around and if it pops up, so what it's one run.

If the strategy is to tempt them go across the line then IMO you probably need a regulation square, a catching mid and maybe a sweeper back forward of square if you want some protection. You could pull mid on out to try and encourage them to close the face on a good line and have catching cover for the leading edge too.

Depends on the rest of the field obvs but we really just took the risk away. Pointless captaincy for mine.

that's one thing that I like about Bazball where we fail miserably

if we go after one of their spinners, they don't change the field cuz they want up to hit in the air, where as Greta will react by placing defensive fielders deep or even on the boundary, which is run saving, not wicket taking fielding positions

we seem to like having a dollar each way

 

[Bazal]

That's not even Bazball tbh that's just sticking to the plan

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Bazball can’t be defined in our inferior plebiscite language

 

[Bazal]

Bazball is whatever Kevin Pietersen wants it to be

 

[mozza91]

Bazball is the poor man’s Gazball imo:

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Australia lost this on the first ball of the test. There’s no way in hell Australia chase this down.

 

[King-Gutho94]

Bazball is whatever Kevin Pietersen wants it to be

so its FIGJAM

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Bazball is everything baz loved: roads, small grounds, slogging, strutting around like a little rooster.

 

[Mr. Shaman]

Bazball is the poor man’s Gazball imo:
View attachment 75784

 

[Bazal]

Bazball is the poor man’s Gazball imo:
View attachment 75784

That's a cue ball

 

[Sphagnum]

England are crap, Australia are worse. Rain will be the real winner here.