5th Test: Austalia vs England at SCG Jan 3-7 2011

[KeepingTheFaith]

Can someone tell me the last time putting the field back and giving away singles once you get to 8 down has worked? It's the dopiest stupidity any captain can do and they all f**king do it. Johnson has played one good innings in 18 months and as soon as Hilfenhaus comes in they stop doing what has been keeping every batsman in the game struggling for runs and offer him easy singles. I will never understand why they think bowling good line and length with a couple of guys saving one and some catching men is a great idea for the first 8 wickets, but spreading the field and easing the pressure is suddenly a great idea when you've almost got them all out.

I hate the tactic. I remember a few years ago the Windies were out here, Marlon Samuels in one of his earlier tests was 50 odd not out, the Windies were 9 down and behind by a thousand or so runs and yet when Samuels was on strike back the field went.

I found it odd back then as it wasn't as widespread a tactic, but now every team does it and it's really annoying.

 

[madunit]

talk about being saved from another embarrassingly low score.

 

[madunit]

totally agree

there really is no reason to take them out of their comfort zone

that was very Punteresque

i would say it's very British.

 

[Twizzle]

but he's a saffer

 

[Twizzle]

could get to 300 here

 

[madunit]

saffer, pommie, whats the diff?

 

[HevyDevy]

Despite the tailenders, the pitch doesn't look that easy to bat on.

 

[madunit]

if anything, this series has shown that the basic batting skills of the tailenders has proven to be more effective than the complicated techniques most of the top order have.

Further proof that all our batsmen need to go back to batting school and learn batting 101.

 

[madunit]

the pitch is a debacle, the groundsmen should be f**king ashamed of themselves.

The tail is doing what the batsmen up the order should have done, dictated a bit more, played with a bit of freedom, and played each ball on its own merits and not think any further ahead than that

 

[yappy]

Despite the tailenders, the pitch doesn't look that easy to bat on.

It isn't. The Poms were right on top right up until Strauss decided to concede the running to Johnson.

This is a very good total on this deck and we can thank Strauss for about 50-70 of them. If we bowl tight and keep the pressure on with good attacking fields then there's no reason why this won't look a healthy total once the Poms have had their go.

 

[madunit]

91 runs in the last 2 wickets

almost matching the first two wickets (105 runs)

196 between the top 2 wickets and bottom 2. the 6 in the middle were f**king hopeless contributing just 84

 

[Fast Eddie]

How is the pitch a debacle? I think 350 would have been a good score, not 280 but at least they have something to bowl at.

 

[AusKnightRKO]

make it middle 5 cause usman played well

 

[yappy]

if anything, this series has shown that the basic batting skills of the tailenders has proven to be more effective than the complicated techniques most of the top order have.

Further proof that all our batsmen need to go back to batting school and learn batting 101.

Rubbish. Firstly Strauss took the foot off the throat. If he'd kept attacking I very much doubt we would have scored as many for the last two wickets. The ball was hooping and bouncing and he lost his nerve even before Johnson tried to open his shoulders.

Secondly it's pretty damn easy batting in the tail with no batsmen there you're expected to hang around with. Sure it looks great and we all love it when you see tail enders throw the bat and it comes off. If Hughes or Smith or Clarke or any of the other players under pressure had played shots like that and got an edge you'd be leading the lynch mob.

Our batsmen batted pretty damn well on that deck. They all tried to leave a lot of balls and it was hard to score whilst the Poms were bowling very well in helpful conditions.

 

[Panther_Daz]

I could not believe the selection of Beer when they first brought him in
not only did he only start playing first class cricket this season, he only started playing first grade this season and he's 26

Don't know where you get your info from but you are wrong there

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

the pitch is a debacle, the groundsmen should be f**king ashamed of themselves.

The tail is doing what the batsmen up the order should have done, dictated a bit more, played with a bit of freedom, and played each ball on its own merits and not think any further ahead than that

lol what? If Strauss doesn't send everybody back before Johnson and Hilfenhaus were settled we're probably bowled out for under 200 the tailenders had a swing and it paid off for a period of time they didn't dictate the field they had it handed to them by terrible captaincy.

 

[madunit]

make it middle 5 cause usman played well

it was a reference to the partnerships, not the batsmen so to speak.

we were 2 down for 105
lost 6 for 84
Last 2 went for 91

Khawaja held the top to middle order together superbly

 

[madunit]

Rubbish. Firstly Strauss took the foot off the throat. If he'd kept attacking I very much doubt we would have scored as many for the last two wickets. The ball was hooping and bouncing and he lost his nerve even before Johnson tried to open his shoulders.

Secondly it's pretty damn easy batting in the tail with no batsmen there you're expected to hang around with. Sure it looks great and we all love it when you see tail enders throw the bat and it comes off. If Hughes or Smith or Clarke or any of the other players under pressure had played shots like that and got an edge you'd be leading the lynch mob.

Our batsmen batted pretty damn well on that deck. They all tried to leave a lot of balls and it was hard to score whilst the Poms were bowling very well in helpful conditions.

Some of our batsmen batted well.

Watson, Hughes, Clarke and Smith all got out to balls they never should have played at. Too impatient. Good batsmen don't get impatient.

 

[yappy]

Swing - Zing!

 

[yappy]

Some of our batsmen batted well.

Watson, Hughes, Clarke and Smith all got out to balls they never should have played at. Too impatient. Good batsmen don't get impatient.

They all made mistakes every single one of the top order. So what. Most batsmen get themselves out. They shouldn't have played the balls, but most of the balls all did something in the air or off the pitch. It happens to the best of players when it's doing a bit in for the bowlers.