4th Ashes Test: Australia v England at the MCG, Dec 26-30 2017

[AlwaysGreen]

If Grassy Bill was still in charge we'd have decent pitches at da G.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Geez there's a lot of anti Root sentiment amongst the Poms I was with today.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Geez there's a lot of anti Root sentiment amongst the Poms I was with today.

Virgins?

 

[jargan83]

Geez there's a lot of anti Root sentiment amongst the Poms I was with today.

Captain courageous who immediately put someone at deep square leg after Bancroft played one pull shot with a 150 lead up his sleeve.

He seems to me to be a very defensive captain.

 

[Pete Cash]

This pitch doesnt promote positive cricket from the fielding team. If the ball doesnt move off the pitch at all what is the point of more than one or two slips.

I cant blame captains when they are given just an absolute turd like this.

That said he did have 150 runs up his sleeve so could have attacked longer but a pitch like this forces a captains hand

 

[mave]

This pitch doesnt promote positive cricket from the fielding team. If the ball doesnt move off the pitch at all what is the point of more than one or two slips.

I cant blame captains when they are given just an absolute turd like this.

That said he did have 150 runs up his sleeve so could have attacked longer but a pitch like this forces a captains hand

I sort of agree, but there are plenty captains can do to change the course of the game.

You can't blame the pitch with a guy like Haze being instructed to bowl short sht at a no 10 batsmen for an hour before anyone decided a fuller length every now and then may actually get a no 10 batsmen out....after he was on 30 odd and had the momentum behind him.

You also can't blame the pitch for Smith standing in between 1st and 2nd slip all day yesterday, and then watching nicks fly through the gap left.

Captains have been winkling wickets out of dead pitches for years, at times.
Any chance we could bowl 4 or 5 consecutive maidens and build some pressure for a while ?

I mean, fk, he brought himself on for the last over and gifted Cook a century to finish day 2, instead of keeping stuff right and making him sweat all night.

I am off Smith as a captain. Really off.

 

[TheParraboy]

Should be a draw unless we crumble like a deck of cards
Apparently 98 overs tomorrow, weather looks ok

At the rate we are batting, we need to be still batting well after tea to secure a draw
otherwise poms might have a chance if we get bowled out before tea

 

[hineyrulz]

I sort of agree, but there are plenty captains can do to change the course of the game.

You can't blame the pitch with a guy like Haze being instructed to bowl short sht at a no 10 batsmen for an hour before anyone decided a fuller length every now and then may actually get a no 10 batsmen out....after he was on 30 odd and had the momentum behind him.

You also can't blame the pitch for Smith standing in between 1st and 2nd slip all day yesterday, and then watching nicks fly through the gap left.

Captains have been winkling wickets out of dead pitches for years, at times.
Any chance we could bowl 4 or 5 consecutive maidens and build some pressure for a while ?

I mean, fk, he brought himself on for the last over and gifted Cook a century to finish day 2, instead of keeping stuff right and making him sweat all night.

I am off Smith as a captain. Really off.

This x a lot.

 

[TheParraboy]

I sort of agree, but there are plenty captains can do to change the course of the game.

You can't blame the pitch with a guy like Haze being instructed to bowl short sht at a no 10 batsmen for an hour before anyone decided a fuller length every now and then may actually get a no 10 batsmen out....after he was on 30 odd and had the momentum behind him.

You also can't blame the pitch for Smith standing in between 1st and 2nd slip all day yesterday, and then watching nicks fly through the gap left.

Captains have been winkling wickets out of dead pitches for years, at times.
Any chance we could bowl 4 or 5 consecutive maidens and build some pressure for a while ?

I mean, fk, he brought himself on for the last over and gifted Cook a century to finish day 2, instead of keeping stuff right and making him sweat all night.

I am off Smith as a captain. Really off.

the main thing for me is catches win matches. Smith dropped Cook on 66
we have taken some brilliant catches to dismiss him in the earlier tests but not this time.

I think Root got dropped about half way through his innings

We really could have had them by the balls, instead we are fighting not to lose the test

No one to blame but us

hopefully Smithy redeems himself with another ton

 

[Pete Cash]

I sort of agree, but there are plenty captains can do to change the course of the game.

You can't blame the pitch with a guy like Haze being instructed to bowl short sht at a no 10 batsmen for an hour before anyone decided a fuller length every now and then may actually get a no 10 batsmen out....after he was on 30 odd and had the momentum behind him.

You also can't blame the pitch for Smith standing in between 1st and 2nd slip all day yesterday, and then watching nicks fly through the gap left.

Captains have been winkling wickets out of dead pitches for years, at times.
Any chance we could bowl 4 or 5 consecutive maidens and build some pressure for a while ?

I mean, fk, he brought himself on for the last over and gifted Cook a century to finish day 2, instead of keeping stuff right and making him sweat all night.

I am off Smith as a captain. Really off.

1. Bouncing the tail has been successful this entire summer and if the pitch offered something the bowler would pitch it up more. People get stupid angry about it but it has clearly worked. The English tail was statistically the best in the world coming into this series and its wagged twice and only once while the series was alive.

2. Smith (and Root) have one slip because there is literally no movement off the seam or swing. It makes more sense to put catches in front of the pitch and try and get the ball to hold up in the pitch then to get guys into slips. Having a ton (and by ton i mean more than two) of slips is a waste of fielders.

3. Smith has actually got Cook out when Cook was on 85 in the last ashes. Mitch Marsh also got Cook out in that series for 96. The plan was fine the execution was lacking. Cook is not invulnerable to a mistake against a part timer as he approaches 100.

Yes we could have bowled tighter but that has been an issue with Australian bowling forever. Michael Clarkes last series we were awful at maintaining pressure when we were losing during that away ashes. This has transcended captains. The English bowlers are just better than ours at "bowling dry". Possibly because they bowl a bit slower

 

[mave]

1. Bouncing the tail has been successful this entire summer and if the pitch offered something the bowler would pitch it up more. People get stupid angry about it but it has clearly worked. The English tail was statistically the best in the world coming into this series and its wagged twice and only once while the series was alive.

2. Smith (and Root) have one slip because there is literally no movement off the seam or swing. It makes more sense to put catches in front of the pitch and try and get the ball to hold up in the pitch then to get guys into slips. Having a ton (and by ton i mean more than two) of slips is a waste of fielders.

3. Smith has actually got Cook out when Cook was on 85 in the last ashes. Mitch Marsh also got Cook out in that series for 96. The plan was fine the execution was lacking. Cook is not invulnerable to a mistake against a part timer as he approaches 100.

Yes we could have bowled tighter but that has been an issue with Australian bowling forever. Michael Clarkes last series we were awful at maintaining pressure when we were losing during that away ashes. This has transcended captains. The English bowlers are just better than ours at "bowling dry". Possibly because they bowl a bit slower

1. I'm not stupid angry about bouncing the tail.
I'm stupid angry about wasting Haze bouncing the tail.
And I do think Cummins will break down again if he is asked to do this too much. He has proven history of being made of glass.

2. I can cop having 1 slip. I can't cop having 1 slip not standing at first slip, but floating somewhere in the cordon. As someone previously said, this has been tried forever and rarely works. 2 catches went between Smith and Paine on day 3 if I recall correctly.
I also can't cop taking the new ball and starting with 1 slip. Give it a chance to do something ffs.

3. Get it right, or expect criticism. Welcome to the Test team. 11 off the last over of the day to gift a ton to a previously out of sorts batsmen is unacceptable. Every batsmen is susceptible to nerves in the 90's, especially at that late stage of play. Make him sweat for the night.

4. Don't care about Clarke. I liked him less as a captain than I do Smith.
Hazelwood, Bird and Lyon are more than capable of bowling tight spells.
Starc not so much.

 

[hineyrulz]

1 slip against a number 8 batsman who was continually nicking it down there derpy derp Derp.


And as Kerry O’Keefe said about Cummins on day 3 surely he is a better bowler than some bash and barge henchman needed to rough someone up???

They did the same thing early doors with Brett Lee and I don’t think it was the best thing for him either.

 

[Tommy Smith]

I think Smith's rather peculiarly shaped cranium may lend to his batting genius. Unfortunately it probably also lends to his extremely average captaincy.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Also, off on a tangent but if I read another story of someone suggesting that 4-day Test matches are a good idea I'm going to hunt them down and deliver some Sweet Chin Music followed by a 5 Star Frog Splash.

Are so called experts trying to finish Test cricket off with these ideas?

The only good idea I've heard recently was Punter's idea (I think) to let the touring captain choose whether to bat or bowl which would force the local authorities and curator to deliver some spice in the wicket.

 

[Twizzle]

The only good idea I've heard recently was Punter's idea (I think) to let the touring captain choose whether to bat or bowl which would force the local authorities and curator to deliver some spice in the wicket.

yeh, I think Punter's onto something there, it will force us to produce proper pitches and assist in managing our bowlers so they dont have to bowl for days on end on concrete roads

 

[hineyrulz]

If every time someone was out when Bill screams out got him we would be already in the 2019 Ashes series.

 

[2 weeks]

Warnie keeping Phanto's chocolate starfish spick & span.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Easily 65,000 crammed in today.

 

[hineyrulz]

That’s a good 50 from Davey.


JJ loved it as well.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

If every time someone was out when Bill screams out got him we would be already in the 2019 Ashes series.

Bill is near the end.

They've got to get as much of him recorded as possible so they can have him commentate for the next 25 Christmases after he's carked it.

Wendy...Wendy...