Incredible luck and effort by the ground staff. TKC’s catch to win the game was a gem.
Incredible luck and effort by the ground staff. TKC’s catch to win the game was a gem.
It absolutely hammered down on Friday and Saturday, so no game for me this weekend. Somehow, the 1s managed to get a game in so I went down to watch. They were at home against the team directly above them (they're in the bottom 2) so really wanted to get the game on in an attempt to jump out of the relegation zone. But it pretty much backfired immediately - they lost the toss and were put in and got skittled for 55, Nye Donald's brother picked up a couple of wickets. Winds were gusting across the pitch, it was swinging and seaming all over the shop, but somehow the rain stayed away. They managed to take 4 wickets in the chase, but continually bowled wides - 19 in a chase of 56 is appalling.
Gap is up to over 20 points now I believe. Really need to string some wins together if they don't want to be relegated.
It's always the younger players.
I did another game yesterday in which a batsman with glasses came to the wicket, and immediately someone said 'He'll need two pairs of fucking glasses to see it'. I pulled this up with the captain and said I don't care about cricket related banter, but you do not comment on anyone's appearance and if there's a repeat it will be a Level 2 and five penalty runs. The captain didn't understand at all and kept moaning about how it was unfair to single it out and how they'd had worse things said to them in other games.
I don't know if it's cricketers who are weird or just everyone in society now.
The grief always tends to be from the older folk in our league. The kids are confident bastards but have absolutely no chirp when their feet are put to the flame.
That Australian side + weather indicates a draw as favourite this week which would be a bit of an anti-climax.
God I hope we've some how sneaked an absolute bunsen under their noses and Moeen runs through them.
Picking a load of all rounders to add batting depth is exactly the sort of shit bad old England always got up to.
Looking at the weather though I was thinking it wasn't that bad, but then my forecast hadn't got to the weekend. 3 day game? Wonder if the toss will just be a case of stick the other side in, almost regardless of perceived conditions. England probably need Australia batting first to have a chance at winning.
We won't allow a draw to happen, so you can forget that.
Australia desperate to slow the over rate down even more, which is why they've picked as they have.
I never thought I'd see an Australian team so blatantly set up to play for the draw. "Bazball" has got them shitting themselves, no Australian team of the past would do this.
Cummins set his stall out with the Bairstow dismissal. He has to go home with the ashes now, especially from having been 2-0 up.
It's entered the classic cricket TV commentary hall of fame I think. Confectionery stall and out again, these little Sri Lankans, Jones... Bowden, remember the name, whyyy did he do that, you cannot do that Ben Stokes (I hate that one, sorry Nas), barest of margins.
What a grab
Get in there Joel my son.
Every Ashes ever is England letting an Aussie middle order batsman get to 50+ I swear
What a grab from Bairstow.
Followed by a successful LBW review?
A pretty good day there considering they're brought all of their batting.
However they've got what they wanted in batting for the full day.
It's all on the England first innings here. If we get on top of them and start to tire out their good bowlers, we can go full Bazball and win it. If we are a load of wispy twats again we'll probably lose trying to force a result.
Hazelwood fifty coming right up.
Chris Woakes once went fucking ages, like years, without bowling a no ball. I just can't imagine Stokes or McCullum giving a fuck about such things.
I reckon there's something behind the line on that. Still, no reason to be flirting with the line that dangerously at his pace.
Well that could have been worse but does feel like one we could / should have had them under 300.
It's acceptable and OK. Our batting is now what matters. Desperately need someone to grasp the moment and make a big hundred.
We deserve to win this purely because of Australia's team selection. Todd Murphy not getting a go at Old Trafford is spineless from them. He should be telling the selectors to fuck off and getting the next plane home. Gets a couple of token overs at the spinners graveyard Headingley, then bulleted at what is a lovely place to bowl spin.
Sky love to fly in 'DK' for random commentary stints these days.
Joe L. Wilson looking great once again.
This has been one of the shittest fifties of all time from Crawley, but if he turns the luck into something big and match-defining it'll be in all-is-forgiven territory.
I look forward to us declaring on 350-4 to move the game along.
Fully expect a declaration before 400 if we are in a position to.
I reckon they'll be thinking about declaring tonight, maybe even before the close, maybe even at parity or (whisper it) behind.
Crawley
He's gone at literally everything. Fair fucks.
Disastrously poor selection from Australia. So negative and they're paying the price. Hope the weather allows us to stamp the boot fully.
That's Crawley's place in the team secured for another epoch or two.
I genuinely think he'd have been an England fan in this series. The tragedy that keeps on taking away.
Btw, 25 overs bowled in that session, six of them by Travis Head. Be in no doubt about why they've picked five seamers / five blokes with extended run-ups. They're trying to hold the ball in the corner for three days. Embarrassing cricket.
If the Gods can give us enough time to force a win here there is no way we don’t win this 3-2. They are absolutely RATTLED.
My only worry is that it might get so bad that some of these will fly home / get injured and force them to bring in Michael Neser, who will bowl us out twice with ease.
If this pace keeps up and they can sneak 50 or so ahead by say 5:30 to 6, you could well see a full on Bazball declaration and the scumbags back into bat at the end.
Root knew instantly he didnt hit that. He was just waiting for them to dig their own grave with an out decision
Yeah, assuming it does rain this weekend then England really need to be thinking about going full slog mode and declaring within the hour