I’m prepared to persist with him. Every opener findsit hard to break into test cricket. I expect he’ll be demoted at some point soon and Matt Renshaw will be brought back in.
Both teams have to deal with it? It’s the responsibility of Cricket Australia (as hosts) to prepare a wicket that is fit for test cricket. For the third time in four tests they’ve failed to do that. In Brisbane we had Moeen Ali given out at a crucial juncture on Day 4 because some fuckwit couldn’t paint a straight line. In Perth with England manfully still battling going into Day 5 to save the test, they had to go out and bat on a paddy field because it had rained for about the first time in a decade in Western Australia and the ground staff seemingly didn’t know how to put on the covers. Now this latest debacle in Melbourne. England have shown remarkable restraint and dignity in not making any issue of all these Australian fuck ups and just getting on with it. It’s bad enough having to play in Australia with that kookaburra thing instead of a proper cricket ball, the least you’d expect is a pitch that is fit for purpose.
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Still think England will win the ashes mate?
They will.
Eventually.
What do you make of the umpiring in this series in general?
I still can’t quite get past the dismissal of bairstow at what really was a crucial juncture.
The aussies are well worth the series, though it’s hard to judge how good they’ve been vs how bad and timid England have been.
They’ll have reasonable prospects next time in England in 2019. England’s win in Australia in 2010/11 is the only one of nine Ashes series this century which hasn’t been won by the home side. English prospects in 18 months time will be considerably enhanced if their best player Ben Stokes is available.
I’d agree with all of that.
England have been on the receiving end of a few very bad calls and have got the worst of the umpiring. Don’t think it’s affected the outcome of the series though. Australia are well worth their series win. They’ve been better than England in all departments.
Looks like England are going with two spinners tonight
Moeen doesn’t count as a spinner. Not on this tour anyway.
One of them is Moeen Ali though.
Woakes out injured helped make decision I’d say. Moeen’s nominal all round skills needed for balance.
I attended the first two days of the 5th test in Sydney 15 years ago. Richard Dawson was the spin king for England on that occasion. Think it was his last test at the age of 22. England won.
Toss delayed due to rain
Nor as a batsman.
He’s an all rounder alright. Can’t bowl, bat or field
When Joe Root failed to convert yet again and fell on 83 in the penultimate over of the day, it was hardly rocket science to send in a nightwatchman to face the new ball (which was less than two overs old) instead of Jonny Bairstow who predictably enough was out to the last delivery of the day. Big difference between 228/3 and 233/5 in the space of a few minutes.
Dumb indeed. they’ll be all out for 290.
Equally dumb was Bairstow running a single on the final delivery of the penultimate over to put himself on strike for the last over. A well set Malan should have been seeing off the last over. Those last few minutes of play encapsulate this whole tour for England. England have played well for good stretches in all five tests but have undone all their good work with stupidity and sloppiness. Australia, despite the limitations in their team have been disciplined throughout and street smart too.
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The senior players do what they like.,
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Said it a few weeks back but it’s the senior players en masse who have let England down. Stoneman and Malan have done well throughout and Overton and Woakes before getting injured battled manfully as well.