Sadly, the absolute minimum requirement for England today has been survival and that’s all they are achieving. They really needed to also tick the scoreboard over to give themselves a chance to get Australia out batting in the twilight period. Which was the only slim chance they had. But that opportunity has now passed.
Really good captaincy from Smith - and yes it helps when you can rotate through 5 quality fast bowlers which is a luxury we have -but he has planned to completely eliminate run scoring opportunities so that the only way Stokes and Jacks can score is by taking a few risks which rightly so, they don’t want to take with a few small demons showing up in this pitch.
Some Aussies might be upset about not getting wickets but we are doing everything correct here to make a win a sure thing. We are winning the war of attrition comfortably right now.
I was watching paint dry in preparation for the “Soccer” World Cup.
Fair play. Well done Aussies. The best team won the match and will win the series.
England’s refusal to learn any lessons is both baffling and frustrating.
I only support two sports teams and they’re both falling apart before my eyes. Depressing days
In my opinion the Aussie are not more talented. But they have something more than us mentally. That’s the leadership. Sorry. Stokes has to retire. Let’s move on.
The difference in fielding was “Stark”…sorry for that one.
But those dropped catches from England was poor whereas the Aussies were sharp. Villain of Lords Carey was exceptional. Sandpaper villain Smith likewise.
You know where you go into a high school exam with nothing but bluster and vibes - no revision - believing your higher intelligence to the people around you will be enough, then you get in and you are like “oh shit, I would have definitely been able to answer that had I read that chapter in the text book”? No? Nobody?
Well that’s exactly how Aussies see the English cricket team: absolutely no pre-series revision. Instead of building up the team vibes, perhaps that time could have been better spent preparing in Aus conditions, doing more fielding practice etc etc.
The poms might see Punter as a bit of a cunt, but he’s got one of the best minds in the business, and he’s bang on about England’s batting, and playing at the correct balls. Getting out playing cover drivers, or pull shots, on bouncing, wide deliveries is criminal, and shows the lack of preparation for the conditions. As he says, give a poor ball what it deserves, but leave the good ones.
It should be considered cricket basics but clearly it isn’t. And judging by that McCullum interview, nothing will change until he goes.
They’re all style and no substance. I could see what they were trying to do at the start of this regime, i.e. free the players’ minds to let them play without fear, adopt a positive approach etc, but they’ve become like a boxer who goes in swinging and if they land a few good blows they have a chance, but any sensible opponent can just pick them off with ease.
Unless they change their approach and adopt some basic cricketing intelligence, this could get very messy for them.
This is crazy. Of all the Aussie players to try to psyche out, (and even leaving aside he’s our most clutch player) trying that on “on-the-spectrum” Smith is stupid. He’ll hold a grudge and focus on these words for the rest of the series.
Archer doesn’t come across as very bright. I’ve been loathe to criticise his attitude, because it’s a racist trope about black players which is obviously false when you look at the history of the game, but his lack of game intelligence is not hard to see. His opening spell in the first Australia innings in Brisbane set the tone. It was wild, indisciplined, and took the pressure right off the openers. He’s clearly talented, but his lack of application is symptomatic for the team as a whole.
Mind you, he’s certainly not the only one. Brook is suffering from similar shortcomings. Talent minus brain equals not much.
