The Cricket Thread

[Max Power]

The Nathan Lyon 25* is gonna be a dagger to my heart.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I have it on radio and punched the air hard. TV/being at home during it is for chumps. Amazing drama on radio.

[thommo]

TMS in the car is just one of the best things. A decent length journey on my own with the cricket on.... bliss.

[Gray Fox]

They're all over the place here.

[Ben]

They will surely pick out a fielder soon enough. Rascal shots.

[Gray Fox]

They'll want to tee off before Broad comes back in. Keep it tight.

[Gray Fox]

Stuart Broad now licking his lips.

[Ben]

My heart.

[Max Power]

Stokes cricketing instincts are second to none.

[Gray Fox]

Whichever way this goes it has been immense.

Two very even teams, though England did leave a lot on the table in the first Aussie innings.

[Max Power]

Fucking hell this is tense

[igor_balis]

he's hit that

[Gray Fox]

I just dont have the confidence that Robinson is going to get one out.

[Kikó]

We're done.

[Ian]

Bah.

We let them off the hook too many times in their first innings.

[Waffdon]

Proper captains performance.

[Gray Fox]

Yep. Considering we have a half fit Jimmy Anderson and Mo was wounded and the deck was dead, we still should have won that.

Some bad luck to be put in during the horror show 20-30 mins, but thems the breaks.

[niko_cee]

Thought we had that.

I blame Andy Zaltzman and his quiz of the day today.

Pretty epic game and even ended up justifying the declaration given those overs were probably needed [how many were left in the day?]. Swung on the killer mini-session, although we had plenty of chances to put them to the sword in all four innings.

[Ian]

There were still 8 or 9 overs left I think.

I think the only justification for the declaration looking at it now is if you think draws are worse than a loss.

Apparently Stokes talked about getting "a result" so clearly he does.

[niko_cee]

It's within tolerance though, the game going to the final hour means your 'time based' decisions were probably right.

50 runs or two wickets, 10 times out of 11 you win that as the bowling side, unfortunately today was the first time Australia got up in a close game against England for nigh on a hundred years.

The one weird thing I thought he said was about wanting the public to engage with the ashes or whatever it was he said. I mean, I understand the idea that test cricket is probably suffering worldwide, but not in England, and not against Australia, unless he's talking about the Queen dying/winning the [football] world cup levels of public engagement/interest, which, given they're all mad, he probably is.

[Ian]

Counterpoint: get Root's runs while he's in and going and declare later if you need to force things to happen.

If it'd been Robinson downward left then sure, maybe you're leaving dozens of runs but it might be fuck all. Buy cutting off your best batsman to have a go on a pitch that wasn't even doing anything just doesn't feel great to me.

I don't hate the thinking or the mentality, but it's a classic looks bad if you lose / genius if you win affair, and unfortunately we didn't win. No matter how pleased Stokes is with the result.

But look, I've seen plenty of England fucking it out of cowardice, I can live with us fucking it with a captain rolling the dice because he backs his team.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I don't mind the declaration. On the bold side but that's what declarations are for. I think Australia outbowled us and Lyon, who should have been man of the match, was the difference.

[Jimmy Floyd]

It's also probably a good result for the series, as it was in 2005 and indeed 2019. I know Aussies, as WINNERS, don't think like that, but fuck them and fuck their stupid spiders and jellyfish.

[igor_balis]

The Bazball craziness dragged us back into the game and threw it away about 10 times each. It's very after-the-facting, but I can't help but think "yeah, do the mad stuff the times it works, but don't do it when it doesn't...perfect", which I know is fucking stupid. Perfect example being leaving Root on for that one extra over (yes!), and then leaving him on for another one afterwards (no!)

I do think there is some sense in my having my bazball and eating it too bitterness though, insomuch that they can definitely hone it a bit. Maybe it's a bit too Blairite Third Way, and would go completely against the whole point of it, but I kinda feel like they can sorta...urgh, forgive me, optimize it.

I'm not fully convinced by the way we managed the end of our first innings. I'm not saying we should have batted on, but the run rate was actually pretty turgid for a good 10 overs or so before the last over - I think they'd have been better off just having a proper slog a bit earlier. Root and Robinson added 22 from 7 overs after Broad got out, with Robinson facing THREE TIMES as many balls as Root, a couple of times blocking out an over and then taking a single off the last ball. I'm sure someone who understands cricket better than me (@Jimmy Floyd or literally anyone who posts in this thread) will explain why doing that then smashing 20 off the last over was a better plan than Root trying to bash it about and keeping the strike for the last 7 overs but whatever, lol. Splitting hairs, I know.

[Jimmy Floyd]

I think with the declaration they just weren't bothered about runs at all and simply wanted to bowl at Australia for exactly that period of time before the close, thus getting two cracks with the new and then nearly new ball. It's all out attack and is hard to get your head around because it's neither following received wisdom about how the game should be played, nor is it calculated from data and analytics. It's just as aggressive as possible for the sake of being so. Australia had to play some top notch boring cricket to scrape by us by two wickets. Our execution was ordinary throughout and we still nearly won. I'm with them personally.

Weirdly, having a slog at the end of the first innings and scoring another 50 quickly to finish on 430-450 would have been less aggressive because it would have put Australia more in survival mode. That's something which is key to understand the dynamics of time based cricket and is something which (certainly at club level) modern day players brought up on limited overs with a max-out-your-runs mindset really struggle to comprehend. It's not only about doing your own bit but also about goading your opposition into taking more risks.

[Clunge]

I think there's some industrial grade over-analysis going on by way of a post-mortem. We failed to take 4/5 clear-cut chances, and had Broad not overstepped when he cleaned up Khawaja, we would have won. Fine margins, bazball or no bazball.

[Jimmy Floyd]

No ball wickets are a red herring too, most of them wouldn't be 'out' without the overstepping advantage.

[thommo]

I can't quite understand the outrage I'm seeing regarding Robinson giving a few verbals. The send-off in the 1st innings seems a bit ill-timed considering Khawaja hit 140-odd, but I can completely relate to the feeling of "fucking finally" that he must have at that moment.

But his little chirp on day 5 is now hitting the Aussie news and they all seem to be losing their minds over it. Their obsession with pace shines through too - lots of digs at Robinson bowling at '120', completely missing the fact he has an average of 21.1, better than Cummins, McGrath, Lillee to name a few. It's not even like he played poorly; match figures of 5/98 is pretty impressive on that pitch.

[Max Power]

If you give it out you have to expect backlash but there is a lot of pearl clutching going on from those you wouldn’t expect it of.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Australians have a weird psychological issue when it comes to the English getting in their faces. They properly can't handle it. They genuinely believe that they have the right to do it but the English don't. Even the Scots and Welsh aren't as bad for it.

They are insular as fuck and very rule-bound except when that bubble of comfortable insularity is threatened.

[Dave.]

Jimmy hit the nail on the head with his comments on Nathan Lyon. He is the difference maker as the only class spinner on either side. If he and Moeen (as much as I love him) swap teams, the result would be very different. I also believe that if Jack Leach were fit and played instead of Moeen, the difference would be negligible as his record against Australia is equally as poor.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Yeah, we should abandon the experiment at this point and pick Liam Dawson. We won't though because we're a little high on the smell of our own farts when it comes to selection (not when it comes to the gameplan).

[Max Power]

They’ll go after any spinner we can pick and tbh I’m not sure Dawson gets the dismissals of Green and Head. So I can see the logic - although maybe it could have been anticipated his finger would fall off having only bowled max 4 over spells with a white ball for the last 2 years.

Definitely need Wood involved as a point of difference in the right arm medium-fast battery we have.

[thommo]

Anyway, now the Ashes Test is over, we can go back to talking about the important matters - my club cricket escapades.

Ended up nabbing 3 wickets for the thirds at the past weekend but I did have the true village experience. We only fielded 9 for the first 20 overs of the match (2 of which had never played before) and our 10th man turned up to bowl 4 wicketless overs and get bowled for a duck.

We lost heavily but it was honestly very enjoyable, in roasting conditions again. Good team spirit throughout and one of the youngsters, a 12 year old, bowled a full 8 overs and got his first senior wicket. We even managed to pick up 3 bowling points; a lot better than the 20 points deduction and fine we would have received had we conceded.

[Dave.]

I would go with the 4 seamers (plus Stokes and the part timers) for the next test. We don't have any spinners that are good enough and the Aussies are fantastic players of spin. Even if Australia end up batting for 130 overs in the first innings next time around, we have enough bowlers that workload shouldn't be too much of an issue.

[niko_cee]

70/5 turning into 286/8 for Ireland, bit disappointing for the Scotch, thought they had them on the run there for a bit.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Oman steaming through the UAE as well. If they somehow accidentally manage to qualify I will seethe. Fortunately think two of SL, WI and Zimbo will be too strong. Slightly fear for WI.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Jocks won off the last ball

[igor_balis]

stokes being unable to bowl more than a few overs doesn't help the balance of the side does it? if he could be a legitimate 4th bowler, and Bairstow wasn't such a fanny about insisting on having the gloves I'd just bring foakes in for mo, and have root as the spinner.

[hfswjyr]

The over rate would be horrendous. Does anyone other than the ICC care? Where does the money from all the match fee fines go anyway?

[Jimmy Floyd]

38% of it goes to the BCCI presumably.

Over rate is important not only for the 'paying public' but because if you bowl your overs slowly it gives you an advantage in being able to use your strongest bowlers more. In my view there should be penalty runs by the dozen.

[Ben]

Whilst policing of over rates at Test level is generally non-existent, in my local league it's at Gestapo levels (I wish they were for wides as well but hey-ho). Every game at drinks I'm lectured, scolded and beheaded about how we are behind for time, mainly due to our opening bowler running in from the car park. Luckily I've got a few spinners who rattle through the 25-40 portion in no time.

[Jimmy Floyd]

In Surrey we're expected to chivvy them along at 17 per hour which is pretty fast and results in a lot of spin being bowled. What I would say in defence of the regs is that it's incredible how much pissing about there is on a modern cricket field. The rhythm of the game is:

--- bowl (hits wicketkeeper's gloves) Yes Dave, that's you Dave (ball passed to slip) This is it then boys, when's the shot coming eh boys (ball thrown to cover) Great lengths here Dave, blow that front pad off now (ball thrown back to bowler) (bowler takes a big breath) (bowler looks at field) OI RAJ FINER MATE, YEAH FINER, ON THE BENCH, NO THE OTHER BENCH (pause) (batter still not ready) Here we are then boys, here we go eh? ----

and only then does the bowler come in again. All of the above is a fucking pointless waste of time and just men trying to feel or sound important.

[Pleb]

The ladies test match could be rain affected if the men's match was anything to go by.

Shame it's only one test.

[thommo]

Only got 10 available today and we're on an artificial wicket. Considering we're going to playing in 90% humidity throughout, it's going to be tough in the field.

[Kikó]

Can't stand the current commentary duo on the washes.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Absolute scenes yesterday in Zim v WI at the WC qualifier. Probably the best home crowd I have ever seen at a cricket match and almost certainly swung the outcome.

[Jimmy Floyd]

This WI v Holland game is mental. The dope smokers needed 200 off the last 20 overs and got it down to 1 off 1 ball, only to get out on the last ball and tie. Now there's a super over and Jason Holder (who took a stunning catch to secure that tie) has shipped 4-6-4 against number nine Logan van Beek on the first three balls of it.

EDIT: 30 scored off the super over fuck me.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Van Beek hit 30 off the super over, then grabbed the ball and took 2-8 to win it by 22 runs. Doesn't get any more alpha than that. RIP West Indies.

[Danny]

Bess has gone on load to Warks for two weeks and Yorks have loaned Dan Moriarty for 4 weeks.

I was figuring Bess was trying to hunt some D1 cricket to make England remember he exists but apparently its cover for Briggs.

Jim, talk to me about Moriarty. He has three against Gloucestershire on his debut.