1st Ashes Test: England v Australia at Cardiff on Jul 8-12, 2015

[lockyno1]

Haddin was England's best player. Fair dinkum can we ship him off to the retirement village please and take Mr 'he bowls Ryan Harris spells' Twatson with you!

 

[Twizzle]

I thought Root was England's best player.

 

[Timbo]

It was a bad drop from Hadds, but I'm expecting him to rally. His glovework remains first class.

If we rip through, everything will be fine. Have to get Moeen early though.

 

[lockyno1]

It was a bad drop from Hadds, but I'm expecting him to rally. His glovework remains first class.

If we rip through, everything will be fine. Have to get Moeen early though.

He better do something he is on -134 this test for starters! Even Wade would have probably caught that one, it was regulation for a test keeper.

 

[lockyno1]

I thought Root was England's best player.

After our useless hack keeper dropped him on 0...and it wasn't a hard catch!

 

[Pete Cash]

Hopefully Starc rips through the English tail. If we keep them under 400 we are in an OK position

 

[8Ball]

It wasn't an easy catch..magnified by how costly it was, but Hads needs to take all of them if he isn't contributing with the bat. Will almost certainly be done by the end of this series.

 

[lockyno1]

It wasn't an easy catch..magnified by how costly it was, but Hads needs to take all of them if he isn't contributing with the bat. Will almost certainly be done by the end of this series.

Not easy? What is this under 13's backyard cricket? A decent national keeper catches it, heck Wade probably does!:crazy:

 

[WaznTheGreat]

England are well on top,Anderson and Broad will bowl much better on this pitch than our bowlers.

 

[redvscotty]

Smith will get a 200.

 

[8Ball]

On our fast bowlers. It was a very strange day...Apart from Hazlewood, no one seemed to have a prolonged period of line and length bowling.

Its like they went out there and expected to knock England over, and after Haddin's drop, Starc and Johnson tried to pick up wickets with every ball. It just wasn't the deck to do that.

I think Clarke panicked a bit too, tried a bit too much. Didn't seem like they wanted to stick to a plan to any batsman for more than a couple of overs.

Hopefully we knock them over early. 7/344 is still fairly even, after losing the toss on a smallish ground, fast outfield and lifeless deck. We can't afford to let them get 400-420+

 

[8Ball]

Not easy? What is this under 13's backyard cricket? A decent national keeper catches it, heck Wade probably does!:crazy:

Half volleyed and went quickly, after a lot of them were having trouble carrying. Yeah he still should have caught it. It was one of those "very good catches" when a keeper takes it, and a "poor miss" when they don't. Not really defending him though. He needs to take every single one when he isn't scoring runs.

And no, Wade would have stared blankly as it went between him and Watson. :lol:

 

[Timbo]

Half volleyed and went quickly, after a lot of them were having trouble carrying. Yeah he still should have caught it. It was one of those "very good catches" when a keeper takes it, and a "poor miss" when they don't. Not really defending him though. He needs to take every single one when he isn't scoring runs.

And no, Wade would have stared blankly as it went between him and Watson. :lol:

Stared blankly?

Wade wouldn't have even seen the bloody thing.

 

[Pete Cash]

Haddin wrong footed himself and should have caught it. I love the guy but he got plenty on it in the end and international keepers need to take those catches.

8ball brings up an interesting point. I think Clarke is a very good captain but I felt he was too impatient last night. Starc needs line and length rammed into his tiny pea brain until that is the only two concepts he understands. The guy is tall, fast and can swing the ball. He just needs to bowl tight and the wickets will come. People talk about the different balls in ODI and test cricket and that does play a role but look at how regimented Starcs job is in ODI cricket.

1. Open the bowling and bowl over the wicket and full trying to hit the stumps every ball
2. Come back during the powerplay and bowl around the wicket cutting off the batsman scoring zones and trying to force the ball to swing either conventional or reverse.
3. Come back on at the death and repeat 2.

He is basically playing ikea cricket in ODI doesn't have to think at all just using his absurd talent (and he is crazy talented, even the biggest Starc hater has to see his physical gifts) and do the same thing over and over again. In test cricket he obviously feels pressure to take wickets with every ball. It doesn't work like that....not even Pigeon took wickets every ball.

So with Clarke being a bit hyperactive I think it sends the wrong message to the bowlers.

 

[Eelementary]

Haddin wrong footed himself and should have caught it. I love the guy but he got plenty on it in the end and international keepers need to take those catches.

8ball brings up an interesting point. I think Clarke is a very good captain but I felt he was too impatient last night. Starc needs line and length rammed into his tiny pea brain until that is the only two concepts he understands. The guy is tall, fast and can swing the ball. He just needs to bowl tight and the wickets will come. People talk about the different balls in ODI and test cricket and that does play a role but look at how regimented Starcs job is in ODI cricket.

1. Open the bowling and bowl over the wicket and full trying to hit the stumps every ball
2. Come back during the powerplay and bowl around the wicket cutting off the batsman scoring zones and trying to force the ball to swing either conventional or reverse.
3. Come back on at the death and repeat 2.

He is basically playing ikea cricket in ODI doesn't have to think at all just using his absurd talent (and he is crazy talented, even the biggest Starc hater has to see his physical gifts) and do the same thing over and over again. In test cricket he obviously feels pressure to take wickets with every ball. It doesn't work like that....not even Pigeon took wickets every ball.

So with Clarke being a bit hyperactive I think it sends the wrong message to the bowlers.

But the superior bowler in Warne could

No, but I agree with your sentiments.

 

[Red Bear]

I would say Australia has one of the best away records (alongside South Africa) of any nation during the past ten years.

Confirmation (after one minute of research)

Australia and South Africa are the only two countries to have won more tests away from home than lost.

*Mind you, if you decrease the sample size to five years you get a different answer, but always in statistics it is better to have a larger sample size. And if you increase the sample size to greater than ten years, the result becomes even more greatly skewed in Australia's favour .... so in ending YOU FAILED LeedsRhino. Failed miserably.*

We've been depoloreable in the sub continent. India and Pakistan away anyway, for quite a while. And we haven't won in England since 01. Beaten Sri Lanka, Windies, NZ away comfortably, and haven't played zimbots or Bangladesh in many a year.

Our performance in South Africa has really stood out because that's the only place we have played very well against a good team.

It was a bad drop from Hadds, but I'm expecting him to rally. His glovework remains first class.

If we rip through, everything will be fine. Have to get Moeen early though.

No it doesnt. He's late on stuff. He's 38 years old and he's stuck on for the series, despite being in obvious decline for some time.

Anyway, hopefully rip through this tail quick smart today. There should be some runs in this pitch.

 

[Ibleedblue]

Joe Roots innings yesterday was superb and really made Haddin pay for his dropped catch.

 

[WaznTheGreat]

Watch Australia get bowled out for less than 150 after everyone said how bad this pitch was to bowl on

 

[Pete Cash]

Watch Australia get bowled out for less than 150 after everyone said how bad this pitch was to bowl on

It's the exact type of pitch we will suck on.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Australia will have to follow on. I can feel it.