Depends on how much time is left and what score is gettable batting last. Your last two wickets are your worst batsmen and shouldn’t score much. But they might waste time. If you have a decent lead better to declare and have enough time to get ten wickets. How much is gettable batting last depends on the pitch.
176/5, night watchman Chris Woakes departs to the second delivery of the day.
Root gone. 177/6. All over. Second wicket of the day for Hazelwood.
All over.starcc cleaned them up.
Can only see Handscomb under any pressure for Australia, they might make a change there and bring in some additional bowling cover for Perth.
England? Where do you start?
They need to get Mark Wood in for a bit of pace. I’d be inclined to drop Broad because Overton and Woakes can bat a bit. I’d resurrect Gary Ballance’s career again and drop Vince. If England had kept the Aussies to 300 and made any effort batting jn first innings they could have won. But they didn’t.
Comprehensive hiding. No other way to put it
Definitely. Fair to say that the absence of Stokes has a big impact on the series. But the English batting is woeful.
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sweep sweep
I’m calling it as it is mate. Best team won.
If Ballance is the answer, you’re asking the wrong question. Foakes for Vince, Bairstow up to 3 as a specialist batsman. Stranded with the tail again today. Hint of shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic about it though.
I know. But at least Ballance will dig in.
He’s revising his predictions again
A competent spinner wouldn’t go amiss either. Moeen isn’t contributing much with the bat either.
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England are in a lull at present. Not sure what’s coming through. I suspect Ali is quite isolated within the team, given what I’ve heard, and must be doubly so in Australia.
They need a fast bowler who is actually fast, a spin bowler who can actually spin the ball, and stokes back as an all rounder.
It’s been a loss to the series that he’s been out, as he has the stones for an Ashes tour.
I think part of the problem is that they are not half as good as they think they are.
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It’s the old only three problems with England line.
The Australian County boards must be crying into their beer at the gate receipts England’s incompetence is costing them.
Might be a cunning plan actually.
England currently are a long way removed from where they were for most of the time span between 2004-15, when they won 5 of 7 Ashes series, were ranked number 1 for periods of time and won overseas series in Australia, South Africa, West Indies and India for the first time in almost 25 years in each case.
I don’t think there’s too many who think England are particularly good. They’ve a Number 3 averaging just under 21, a number 5 averaging under 25, no top class spinner and a seam attack with no outright pace. England have now lost 11 of their last 20 test matches. Any English optimism before this series was predicated on the current Australia side being a long way removed from the status of greatness of a lot of their predecessors. Notwithstanding the flaws in the current Australian side, they’ve been far too good for England so far.
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The aussies are decent, but are indeed far removed from their predecessors.
The next Ashes series should be better.