Actually Geoffrey, I was on holidays last week and spent it studiously trying to avoid computers and the internet.
562/7 at tea.
Not bad Engerland, not bad at all.
I think we’ll bat our way to a draw, mate. I’d like to give them a nibble by being forced to follow on and then Starc or someone will get injured due to being over bowled as England rack up 575/6 declared in the second innings.
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566/8 declared. A bit pointless to bat for a token 5 minutes after tea.
Lyth gone in the first over.
Bowled Starc, Caught Nevill.
Where’s popular for holidays in Australia in mid winter?
England in deep shit 30-3. Bell and Ballance both gone. What’s KP doing these days?
This is a ploy by Cook, just wait and see.
I said that we would know more about the Aussies after two days. Make that 30-4 Root gone for 1
England in total disarray - no talk of tame pitches now.
Not much in this pitch 
Agreed. That’s what makes it so disappointing from an English perspective. Giving away wickets to some ill advised strokes. Bell and Root’s dismissals in particular were just horrible shots which you would not expect from such experienced batsmen.
And the deficit is below 500. 
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Five day tests, if the weather holds, are a relic of the past.
England 85/4 at close of play. Captain Cook is digging in with 21 from 80+ deliveries. An unbroken 55 partnership between Cook and Stokes, the latter on 38 from 50 balls.
A battling unbroken 55 partnership between Captain Cook and Ben Stokes to get to stumps at 85/4. We’re under pressure in the match now but its still a good batting wicket and we can bat all the way down to 10. Need to keep Australia out in the field and edge up towards the follow on total.
Its never ideal to be relying on bad weather but there is a good bit of it forecasted for Sunday and Monday.
Just looking at scorecard for England’s last test at Lord’s against New Zealand. Co-incidentally they were the exact same score in New Zealand test when the 4th wicket fell in the 1st innings 30-4 as they were today when the 4th wicket fell. They went onto post 389 in the first innings and produced a sensational comeback from 134 runs behind after the first innings to win by 124 runs. A draw would suffice here.
Top order batting is a serious problem for England. In their last 9 innings, there’s been 8 failures at the top of the order, the only exception been the first innings at Headingley when there was an opening partnership of 177. They’ve variously been:
Barbados - 1st innings 38-3
Barbados - 2nd innings 39/5
Lord’s (NZ) - 1st innings 30/4
Lord’s (NZ) - 2nd innings 25/2
Headingley (NZ) - 1st innings - 177/0
Hedingley (NZ) - 2nd innings - 62/4
Cardiff - 1st innings - 73/3
Cardiff - 2nd innings - 43/3
Lords’s (Aus) - 1st innings - 30/4
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I haven’t been following cricket as closely as I used to over the past 3 or 4 years and I’ve basically jumped on the Ashes bandwagon. But I’ve been really unimpressed with Lyth in all 3 innings so far, even the 35/40 odd he scored second time round at Cardiff. Ballance is a bit meh for me too. What other options do England have at the top of the order?
I presume they’ll just take the top Irish batsman like they usually do when they’re stuck.