I was about to say if he doesn’t get Burns in the next few overs I’d be surprised, and there it is.
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D/N ers and against the tail is the only time Starc is really effective in tests.
Burns is all over the place at the moment. His foot movements and triggers to me do absolutely nothing to help him get in a more solid base to defend or leave the ball. Feels like he plays at so many balls that he could let bounce over the stumps.
Not a test match caliber player I’m afraid. He’s near to 32 and if he’s struggling in the true wickets of Australia(where the bounce is consistent) to leave the ball etc…he’s not gonna cut it anywhere else either.
England should go back to their 2013 way of thinking and have Root open. If he gets favourable conditions then he can cash in, if he gets out early then us England fans can save ourselves the time and watch something else.
Well that was a naff shot from Hameed.
There are some guys you know can perform in tests even if their performances in the chances they’ve been given do not warrant it. And then there are guys like Burns who are out of their depth.
Brainfart that from Hameed. He was looking increasingly comfortable at the crease and needed to grit it out for some more time. Nothing shot
I’d actually go the other way and let Bairstow open to play the Warner / Sehwag role. Hit the ball out of shape so that the ball stops swinging/seaming. Root needs to be at #4.
I’m only messing, Root should never move away from 4 again.
If you wanted somebody to perform that kind of role I’d rather it was Buttler. Bairstow’s technique is horrific these days in test matches, all the adjustments he’s made to make himself a world class short format opener have completely ruined his suitably as a test match batsmen. Buttler at least has a pretty solid defensive game and is much better against a swinging ball imo.
Don’t need to have the greatest of technique. Sehwag didn’t have good technique and neither does Warner. Just pick the ball to hit and go full blooded…even if you edge it, chances are it flies over the slips if you get a decent enough chunk of the bat
My middle name is now officially Nostradamus
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That’s that for the day then. What’s the forecast tomorrow ?
I hope we can get back out there. Basically use this 20 mins to refresh and refocus and try to take 1 more wicket.
EDIT: Day 2 done.
Thing is they’ll just bowl at the stumps and Bairstow will inevitably get bowled or lbw because he always has a massive gap between bat and pad. I can’t pretend to have seen huge amounts of Sehwag, but Warner to me is pretty sound technically, in Australia at least. He knows how to trust the bounce and leaves well, and anything on the pads he’s far more capable of scoring in those areas than Bairstow.
England lucky to get the slight reprieve.
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Yes, but he is young and will bowl 20 odd overs w/o keeling over - unlike the slightly age disadvantaged current lot.
Good you said in Australia cause he’s an average player at best outside of Australia and to some extent SA. I’d still get Bairstow a fair chance though. If it doesn’t come off, it’s not gonna be any different from trying any of the other openers England have tried post Cook.
I do think Ian Bell was dropped a bit too early though. Not that he could open but at least at least he’s a capable 3 and England’s problems with the batting order were apparent post Cook.
It’s painful seeing Cook sat in the studio, because I can guarantee he would still be scoring more runs than the blokes we’ve cycled through since he retired.
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You can’t have your openers and #3 averaging 30 odd in tests and expect to get a good start 6 times out of 10. There’s only so much that the likes of Root, Stokes can do to mitigate when having a shambles of a top order.
Another unsurprisingly end to the day.