Australia v England, 2nd Test, Adelaide, 2-6 December, 2017

A team enforcing the follow on has only lost 3 times in tests.

It was the same team on all 3 occasions.

Smith can comfort himself that (whatever happens) he will not join that list tomorrow.

He'll be on the other list.

Aus still favourites. England have about the same chance I gave them when Aus started their fourth innings at Brisbane. One in five maybe. Depends on Root converting. He really needs to start turning these fifties in to hundreds.

skully wrote:Wow!! Very finely balanced.

Early wickets tomorrow and Aus will win, but if Root holds firm (and he has batted brilliantly) then England could pull off a bit of a miracle and make it 1-1.

This is why Test Cricket is great!!

Enjoy it while you can, buddy. By the time of the next Ashes, this kind of scenario may be history, as the bean counters and other assorted dickheads running the game push for 4-day Tests.

I'm not a betting man, but I'd wager that Steve Smith would give up 50 runs of your lead to still have a review left now - if we were to win, it wouldn't be the declaration, or batting again that will cost you - it will be the utter waste of two reviews in hope rather than expectation. They were both used in desperation as Australia were feeling the heat being turned up.

For us to win, I think - we must have two of Root, Bairstow and Ali batting through. If you get rid of any pair, the one left will run out of partners. All I'm sure of is that, if there's no rain there will be a winner. I don't know who though - we could be gone in an hour, or pass the target at the end of the middle session ......

Bring It On ! ! !

Red wrote:It is that Kolkata experience which has made subsequent Aussie captains gun-shy re. the whole following on business.

It’s out of fashion everywhere these days, unless you bowl a side out for under 100 perhaps, or are really short of time.

Conventional wisdom now seems to state that the bowlers are generally too tired to run through a side again, and the follow-on offers the struggling side more chance of getting back into the match. I can see the point if you’ve been in the field for a day and a session to bowl a side out for 380 in response to your 600, but otherwise you’ve got a demoralised batting line-up who the last thing they want is to have to pad up again and face more of the same. Plus if you bat again, assuming you don’t get rolled over like Australia did here, you have the tough decision of when to declare in most cases.

Someone on the Graun comments just suggested the one thing that would take the heat off Steve Smith if we should win ......

9 down, 2 to win, and a repeat of TB 2013. Broad not walking then crashing the winning runs - Douglas Jardine would be a saint in comparison.

Australia were comprehensively outplayed over the last four sessions. That has not happened for a while. Even on the Bannie tour we lost just a session here and there. This been abject.

Too much panic, starting with the skipper.

Kudos to the opposition

Growler wrote:Someone on the Graun comments just suggested the one thing that would take the heat off Steve Smith if we should win ......

9 down, 2 to win, and a repeat of TB 2013. Broad not walking then crashing the winning runs - Douglas Jardine would be a saint in comparison.

Would be totally Smith’s fault for using up his two reviews in the space of three balls.

Aye beams that's true - but who'd be Satan on the back pages of the SMH ?

Doubt it'd be Steve Smith, that was my point mate

And declaring the first innings at 8 down, when a casual glance at the weather forecast would have told him it was about to bucket.. Yes Oz picked up the Stoner but the ball got damp.

Marsh was still in and batting at the peak of the Boggian cycle (equivalent of Jimmeh's).

Seasick Steve sacrificed additional runs, even 20 or 30 could have been decisive.

I really hope Boof reminded Seasick of the need to keep his cool at stumps. Hopefully Boof also had a word with Haze and Koo


Doubt Haddit would have reminded Putrid of the need to move his feet and go for keeper's chances. Height of hypocrisy had he done so.

A curious feature of Oz's effort in the field yesterday was who stood up and showed game sense and leadership and who did not.

Cummins and Lyon remained upbeat and bowled accordingly. Oddly enough I rated gcspoc in the field, who whenever the camera was on him looked cheerful and encouraging of others. The other one was the Sneak who remained impassive and chirpy and took on the bats at one stage after Root had pointed his bat at Putrid.

The Sneak is out of form but fights hard. He will be axed after this Test despite having the best Test average after Seasick Steve. Twice he survived the night session only to fail the next morning. With the absurd Bigly Bashly about to start he has only local cricket to find form. I expect him to be dropped.

Perhaps mercifully for my jangling nerves, I will be attending a funeral with my dear old cheese today. I'll record play and hope remotely that things are going well for Aus.

Whatever the outcome, it's been a remarkable Test match.

Viva la Test Cricket!!

Take care S. have a funeral to attend myself on Friday.

You too h.

So,,,three sessions to get 177 runs with only four down. England will win shortly after tea in my view.

Well they've never chased a score this big in the entire history of test cricket. I'd be shocked if this was the batting line up to chase such a big score.

Yeah, can't see England, with this batting, winning it. Fwiw, think this toss decision was worse than the one Nass gets a lot of heat for.

Done and dusted

Uber...get a bag

That's a peach first up with the new rock from Mitch.

Must commend the English strategists to keep Bairstow buried beneath batting prodigies such as Malan and Vince etc.

Australia could'nt have tried any harder to get England back in the game. Bad call re follow on, poor batting in second dig, dropped catches but England still capitulated. Starting to think my 3-1 series call might have been a tad conservative.

Never in doubt.

No Show for Wank for the next test?

JGK wrote:Never  in doubt.

No Show for Wank for the next test?

They won't change a winning side.