Australia v England, 5th Test, Sydney, 4-8 January, 2018

I think one of the things that makes Ashes drubbings so difficult is how long and drawn out they are. If we lose embarrassingly at football or rugby then it's over in less than a couple of hours. This is weeks of prolonged misery.

At this point I'm just thoroughly relieved that by Monday the pain will be over.

Red wrote:

skully wrote:After a steady and untroubled 1 & 50 mins for Aus, Mo removed Tweek with a c&b then Mason Crane did a Tom Curran and had a 1st Test wicket taken away by a no ball. Poms reviewed a Ooze no shot lbw and the replay showed it would've hit the stumps but he'd overstepped.

3-277 at Lunch.

Bet they're are a lot of no balls Skully that go unnoticed throughout the day. They only get checked in wickets situations. In a close match they could be the difference.

Surprised that Smith didn't get his ton on such a flat track. Bradman's record has gone begging unless he gets a second dig.

That is one of the it problems. As umpires are not calling no balls the bowler thinks he is legal and the. When a wicket falls.....

taipan wrote:

beamer wrote:Is he another BABSB WACSY, as per Drunky?

To answer my own earlier question, the only players to score two doubles in a series v England are Bradman (three times, including a triple double!), Richards, Greenidge and Graeme Smith.

are you sure Cook hasn't done it? After all he is the best opener in the last 50 years.

To do so against England would be a challenge... unless you’re talking about the one who opened for SA a year or two back...

Point well made by WW (bottom of previous page)

Still - an amazing Test, that.

Four run outs and two sub catches in the OZ second innings, with Sheahan and Connolly having to hang on grimly for a draw in the end.

It's gonna be a stinker in the Sydknee today.

If I was Tweek I'd allow us to bat until at least mid-arvo to cook the limey Poms then send 'em out to try to survive for a bit over 4 sessions. Aus will still cop the heat of the day in the field but at least it'll only be a session or so.

Aye, bat until at least mid-afternoon if possible ... but none of the bowlers should bat long enough to get cooked.

Hopefully the Darsh bros will bat and bat and bat.

Has anyone here commented on the selector's success in picking them and Paine? It seems to be a universal thing in the press but it's a bit hard to get past the unrelenting stream of hateful negativity posted here.

Mitch Marsh looks like topping the Australian averages for the series. Shaun Marsh has made 50's in each game bar one (Perth) and is on the verge of a second century for the series; his series average is >70 and his Test average now hovers at 40. Paine is getting 'way up there' in terms of victims claimed during a home Ashes series, despite 'missing out' on one innings of keeping. All facts, not opinion.

Bancroft, originally the least contentious of the 'new' players, now looks the least likely to continue to South Africa.

Personally, you won't find any negatives on here from me re: Bog or Paine. My line when they were selected was that they were as good if not better than anyone that was available.

I was an unabashed Puddle hater but said I would happily eat my words if he proved me wrong. I nom-nom-nommed big time in the 3rd Test thread. I am obviously delighted he has succeeded and hope this series is the making of him as our no. 6, though I still have my doubts (similar to Ooze). I'm hoping it's simply a belief thing with Mitch, and now that he has succeeded, his belief issues have been put to rest.

So it's a belated "Well done NSP" from me. Keep up the good work.

I remember both Marsh middies failing when it counted. Bog has partly redeemed himself. He needs to bat well in tough conditions and better bowling than he has faced this series. Marsh jnr still averages mid 20s with bat and low 40s with the ball. He has played 3 tests series on autobahns. I will not be convinced until he takes wickets and makes runs against decent opposition.

Marsh jnr has more convictions than a hardened crim. He needs to get his batting average into the mid 30s to warrant any trust.

These are not unreasonable criteria. Gagf Lardy

We need to be mindful that this is the weakest Pomgolian team to visit.

Paine has missed chances early but has improved as I have noted elsewhere.

Darsh Snr brings up his ton in the 1st over of the day. Played Bog.

horace wrote:I remember both Marsh middies failing when it counted. Bog has partly redeemed himself. He needs to bat well in tough conditions and better bowling than he has faced this series. Marsh jnr still averages mid 20s with bat and low 40s with the ball. He has played 3 tests series on autobahns. I will not be convinced until he takes wickets and makes runs against decent opposition.

Marsh jnr has more convictions than a hardened crim. He needs to get his batting average into the mid 30s to warrant any trust.

These are not unreasonable criteria. Gagf Lardy

We need to be mindful that this is the weakest Pomgolian team to visit.

Paine has missed chances early but has improved as I have noted elsewhere.

as noted before ....horrie yaps at failure

Pissweak effort in the slips by Cook. Jimmeh bowling his heart out and Chef didn't look ready for a fairly regulation catch to his left.

Cook is a terrible slip fielder. The fact that he’s still at first slip is typical of this English team- so many issues, but none of them being addressed, perhaps even ignored.

Aye Trev. That was the first thing I thought when the catch didn't go to hand. Chef has bludged at 1st slip his whole career and has probably dropped or missed more catches than any other long term "specialist" 1st slipper.

Hehehe, Warnie's on fire in the box.

"Still bowling after 168 overs is overrated. Like holding hands, dancing, Sydney weather, lobster, champagne. I can go on."

This has been a pile of shit from England this morning. Truly embarrassing apart from Jimmy. Moeen and Broad are finished. Everyone can see that except for those in and around the England team.

If they are selected for NZ, then the selectors simply aren’t doing the job they’re paid to do, and should be fired. What would someone like Jack Leach think if he STILL can’t get into the England squad despite this absolute filth from Moeen. Where’s his motivation to excel and succeed if he’s not rewarded for his hard work and good performances?

The selectors can be well pleased that Bancroft aside, their punts have worked, however, the opposition has been very poor and the tracks have been flat. On SS form, Marsh sen. did not deserve a gig, but he has been lucky enough to play against this rabble and he has made it count.

Warner and Steve Smith must be sitting in the pavilion wondering how they missed a ton.

Surely this is the worst attack England has sent here, and there were some horror ones in the nineties.

Congrats to Darsh Jnr on his ton.

What odds would you have got about BOTH Shaun and Mitchell scoring 2 TONS in the series???!!!

Red wrote:Surely this is the worst attack England has sent here, and there were some horror ones in the nineties.

Any attack that has two bowlers with over 900 Test wickets between them can NEVER be considered the worst ever. England have not been helped by Broad being below his best for the 1st 3 Tests and Jimmeh has bowled the wrong length but they have been hard to score off.

Crane goes past Warnie's 1st Test figures. England will be hoping that he's even half as good as TGM.

Bog has lifted his Test average above 40 and Puddle has almost made 30 (he needed another 26 runs in this innings to make the mark).

Darsh Jr's cracking 3 Tests have also elevated him (29.37) past Dwayne Bravo (26.61) as the player with the lowest average at no. 6 of players with more than 20 Tests.

Andrew Symond's is Mitch's next target of Aus players with more than 20 Tests at 6. Roy averaged 34.13 in his 24 matches at no. 6.

skully wrote:Bog has lifted his Test average above 40 and Puddle has almost made 30 (he needed another 26 runs in this innings to make the mark).

Sydney tests are always average boosters for the batsmen. As mentioned on many other occasions, when will a Sydney curator leave something in it for the bowlers early in a test? The middle of Sydney tests are usually also the easiest batting anywhere in the world, with road like conditions and almost nothing in it for as Roebuck would say, the leather-flingers.

Hmmm ... I mean I suppose that was a fair enough call by T.Pain and it was an unlucky run out, but it's not as though there is any need for sneaky singles.