Australia v England, 5th Test, Sydney, 3-7 January, 2014

Umm, I wouldn't bowl Watson for too many overs...

Henry wrote:

skully wrote:Nicholarse may get bagged but he does talk some well considered sense.

When he's asked to talk some sense, yes. But he long ago sold his soul in pursuit of Channel Nine $$$$

Aye Trev, He does do the "be the up front arseclown" well for Nein. But he's clearly an educated and clever man. I'd like to hear more of that from him.

C'mon, another half hour blast from Rhino and Midge leading into Lunch.

For a guy on test debut, Ballance looks worryingly tentative.


Poster boy of the English system- Been through all the development squads, Lions tours, and academies. And here he is on test debut scared shitless to play a stroke. Well done England. Well done.

Broad at 9. That is a deep and strong batting line up

Stokes really does look the part. Could have a big Test career in front of him.

Henry wrote:For a guy on test debut, Ballance looks worryingly tentative.


Poster boy of the English system- Been through all the development squads, Lions tours, and academies. And here he is on test debut scared shitless to play a stroke. Well done England. Well done.

Trev, what the fark are you talking about? He's playing on debut at 14-4, he's not even faced 30 balls. The seamers are bowling accurately and extracting lots of movement off the pitch. What did you expect? Shot a minute? Worked well for KP didn't it?

He's not even batted as negatively as Bell, who we've been told by the experts all series had to bat at 3 for his delightful strokeplay.

Inside edge, but Haddin is not sure if he's caught it.

Henry wrote:For a guy on test debut, Ballance looks worryingly tentative.


Poster boy of the English system- Been through all the development squads, Lions tours, and academies. And here he is on test debut scared shitless to play a stroke. Well done England. Well done.

7 off 28 balls is T20 stuff compared to the others!

Coming in at fuq all for 4 isn't a normal situation, never mind what you expect on Test debut. If he can battle it out for 30 or so as Vaughan did all those years ago, it will be a big positive.

Might have just bounced, I think.

Well done to Haddit.

Anthony_Gonzales wrote:Broad at 9. That is a deep and strong batting line up

He's at 10 now, and if you've seen him bat this series that's probably a place too high for him.

Stokes dodges a bullet.

Come on, raise your bat for double figures...

skully wrote:Gawwwn. Pup snaffles Jimmeh off Midge!! 3-14!!

Yes, and Jimmy had half of them.

An hour later, we've only just doubled that score - for the loss of two more, and it seems that our No 11 has outscored our numbers 2,3 and 4 - who have 15K+ runs between them, and equalled his captain, who has 8,000 runs on his own.

words fail me - so my feelings are best summed up thus ......

      
      
     

First time ever that none of England's top 5 have scored more than seven. In the entire history of Test cricket.

Fielding!!

beamer wrote:First time ever that none of England's top 5 have scored more than seven. In the entire history of Test cricket.

Remarkable stat!!

Aust's first hour, England's second hour.

Even session.

agree don't enforce the follow on let the bowlers rest for the next innings against them.

The Aussie commentators are way too blinkered. That definitely didn't carry.

Has a team ever lost 100 wickets in a 5 test series before?

Maybe 20/21?

Growler wrote:

skully wrote:Gawwwn. Pup snaffles Jimmeh off Midge!! 3-14!!

Yes, and Jimmy had half of them.

An hour later, we've only just doubled that score - for the loss of two more, and it seems that our No 11 has outscored our numbers 2,3 and 4 - who have 15K+ runs between them, and equalled his captain, who has 8,000 runs on his own.

words fail me - so my feelings are best summed up thus ......

      
      
     

Growls, you are English cricket's answer to Andy Warhol.

What odds would you have got at the beginning of the series about Stokes and Ballance digging England out of a hole with a 6th wicket partnership?

Probably Bailey is the only one in the Australian XI who has disappointed. Unless he does something nice in his second dig, he may not get other opportunities at this level.

But no one will ever be able to take away from him the fact that he was part of something spectacular.