4th Ashes Test: Australia v England @ SCG Jan 5-9, 2022

[hineyrulz]

Harris has gotten the all clear to travel to Sydney, Covid really is a horrible disease.

 

[JJ]

No John Snow but a helluva good yarn by Chappelli.

Ashes 40 for 40: Ian Chappell talks about his favourite Ashes moments of the past 40 years

'I have to see this through to the end': Ian Chappell reveals his favourite five Ashes moments of the past 40 years

Ian Chappell has been the voice of countless great Ashes moments over the past 40 years, but one of his favourites happened while sitting on his couch in Sydney — and, if not for some advice from his dad, he may have missed the whole thing.

www.abc.net.au

"My father and I, when I was a kid, 11 or 12 or something like that, we went to Memorial Drive [tennis centre in Adelaide] and we watched Pancho Gonzales play Ken Rosewall."

The great Pancho Gonzalez, now there was a man who could skoll a beer and wear a horse blanket.

Pancho was my old man’s favourite, he never mentioned horse blankets though…

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Looks like Khawaja will take Head's spot but maybe MMARSH might sneak in being a good young kid with a good bloke as a dad and from Western Australia.........

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Ashes carnage as England ravaged by Covid

Covid has struck the Ashes once again as it emerged England coach Chris Silverwood has tested positive to the virus.

www.news.com.au

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Aussie cricket legend Glenn McGrath’s heartbreaking Covid blow

Australia’s greatest ever fast bowler Glenn McGrath has contracted Covid-19 on the eve of the Test match set up in the memory of his late wife Jane.

www.news.com.au

 

[mozza91]

That sucks for McGrath. Hope he’s ok for day 3.

 

[Mr Spock!]

Looks like Khawaja will take Head's spot but maybe MMARSH might sneak in being a good young kid with a good bloke as a dad and from Western Australia.........

If khwaja doesn't get a game then it's truly farked....

 

[Mr Spock!]

Ashes carnage as England ravaged by Covid

Covid has struck the Ashes once again as it emerged England coach Chris Silverwood has tested positive to the virus.

www.news.com.au

I thought you had to be with someone for 4 hours to be a close contact?

 

[Mr Spock!]

What's with the stupid talk about picking 2 spinners, 2 all rounders and 2 pacemen?

Trying to give the poms a chance are we?

 

[TheParraboy]

Weather might help the poms this test

Not looking great throughout

You would imagine this alone rules out two spinners talk

Draw coming

 

[JJ]

https://i.stuff.co.nz/sport/cricket/300489873/englands-joe-root-to-make-captaincy-call-after-ashes

have to feel for Root here.. What else could the f**ker do??? He’s carried the bums…


Stokes is the only alternative but he’s been absent forever for a range of reasons…

 

[simmo1]

Too much is made of captaincy at times. Put any captain in charge of England and the result is the same.

Whoever is making the team selection decisions should be shouldering the bulk of the blame.

 

[Twizzle]

Root is the only one that has been showing up.

 

[TheParraboy]

I think Roots demise , rightly or wrongly is when he called out his bowlers puplically for not bowling good lines (after adelaide test). Creates unnecessary friction. I think it was jimmy (?) who returned serve and said batsmen (sorry batters) could be making more runs. High school stuff played out in the media

Is he part of the selection group? If so then that will also lead to his culling as captain

Winning the next two tests may save his captaincy..

 

[The Mad Hatter]

The selections and performances have been diabolical.

Root is the only one you’d keep.

Maybe Malan.
And Mark Wood.

It is hilarious but Mark Waugh was slating the English team mid year, saying Burns and others were hacks and would be useless in Australia. Slated their bowling as second rate and heavily reliant on the dinosaurs. Ollie Robinson has been an embarrassment. I’d keep Wood but that’s it. The tactics have been laughable, the skill level of some questionable.

Plus the in out in out of their selections is detrimental. How often has Buttler, Bairstow, Woakes come and gone. Either they’re good enough at test level or f**k em off.

There’s also the issue of England focussing on white ball cricket. There are systemic issues with their set up in county cricket. Worse still, there’s all the off field racial issues that not only affects the current squad but many involved off field in cricket including their media, who are also lifeless this tour.

Of course, there’s also Covid.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Only Stokes could replace Root. And I think he's cunning enough not to want the captaincy.

Huge leadership vacuum in England cricket atm, long may it continue.

 

[Twizzle]

Cummins confirms one change, Boland holds his spot​

Usman Khawaja's Test return is confirmed as Australia announce their side for the SCG Test against England
Louis Cameron in Sydney
4 January 2022, 09:42 AM AEST
@LouisDBCameron
Scott Boland has held off challengers for his spot in Australia's XI while Usman Khawaja has been confirmed as Travis Head's replacement for the fourth Vodafone Ashes Test in Sydney.
Josh Hazlewood's lingering side injury will see him miss a third straight match while Jhye Richardson finds himself unable to break back into the bowing attack after Boland's MCG heroics.

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Australia XI: Marcus Harris, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

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Mitchell Swepson's wait for a Test debut will go on despite calls for the leg-spinner to play alongside Nathan Lyon at the SCG, with wet weather and a less spin-friendly surface that yesteryear counting against him.

Cummins confirms one change, Boland holds his spot | cricket.com.au

Usman Khawaja's Test return is confirmed as Australia announce their side for the SCG Test against…

www.cricket.com.au

 

[Fangs]

Was keen to see Swepson over Lyon but at least Boland gets another shot.

 

[Bazal]

Too much is made of captaincy at times. Put any captain in charge of England and the result is the same.

Whoever is making the team selection decisions should be shouldering the bulk of the blame.

The result might be the same but I think the attitude is likely to be better with Stokes as captain.

You can lose a hell of a lot more competitively than they have. I think Root looks fried as a leader, he has no answers and has started playing public blame games, right or wrong in his assessment. The side picks up on that easily.

 

[simmo1]

The result might be the same but I think the attitude is likely to be better with Stokes as captain.

You can lose a hell of a lot more competitively than they have. I think Root looks fried as a leader, he has no answers and has started playing public blame games, right or wrong in his assessment. The side picks up on that easily.

I wouldn't be giving the added burden captaincy to a guy who just spent 6 months out of the game to work on his mental health. Sure, they might have been more competitive this series, but how long before they burn him out again?