England v Australia, 1st Test, Edgbaston, 1-5 August, 2019

Maybe it is time to have totally different selection and coaching regimes for red and white ball cricket. We could still have some multi-format players, if they are good enough, but otherwise treat them as completely separate.

PeterCS wrote:So I think it's right England do concentrate on how to get Smith out. Not in a stupid, headless-chicken-flapping-around, useless way, but coolly, intelligently - exactly as they should have done before Edgbaston. (I tried to suggest better, purposive strategies & tactics in a post above.)

Also, a focus on Smith's batting should not be obsessive in the other sense - excluding all other thought, all other preparation, all other work. Such as: how to hold a bat; who appears capable and who appears not capable of Test batting - in some cases, on present low form, or in a couple of cases probably for the conceivable future; and then, how to go about batting against these particular Aussie bowlers.

Again, all of which is the very least the whole England set-up, Selector, coaches and skipper should have addressed long enough before the First Test. Rather than now. With a couple of cartons of eggs (some rotten) on their faces. Which they are highly likely to deny, as the thick layer of egg continues to droop and drip off their chops, and runs into their eyes, making them blink. But they are not blinking, really. It's a positive situation, full of opportunity.

Well I said I was being simplistic about the Smith equation and segued it into a dig at our selectors but I liked your tactics vis a vis his neutralisation. Though you don't have the necessary weaponry. Any bowling lineup capable of firing for two innings, rather than a quarter of it having a note from mummy would be a start though. Someone capable of strategic thought beyond not tiring out bowlers by having fine leg play deep mid on every second over might be nice for you too.

Regardless of the fact that Archer should have played instead of the injured Anderson and (insert any county spinner almost) for Ali, Australia are much the better team, simple as that. They have destroyed England at the host's fortress ground despite being 122-8 and despite their openers making diddly squat runs between them in the entire match.
I've not seen a less dig-in when needed top 6 for England for a very long time. Pathetic effort other than a couple of individual offerings. Those who got out fending meekly at short stuff, do the coaches never tell them that when batting out time is your only hope, you LEAVE anything too short to hit the stumps? FGS our Sunday team understand that much. Prodding forward gently at the turning ball was also batting suicide. KP would have been getting out there to Lyon and smashing a few for 6 to put him off his line and length. How we played the spinner was spineless and doomed to failure. If you're going to struggle on day 5 against spin play it like you would a one day game, there's nothing to lose and maybe something to gain.

I think I'm coming round to the idea that Moeen needs to be dropped. The aussies seem to have opened up some mental scarring from the last ashes series. I suppose at would mean Leach playing instead. Pardon me if I am not wildly enthusiastic about that prospect, but you don't have to be Derek Underwood to take wickets at Taunton.

Basil wrote:I think I'm coming round to the idea that Moeen needs to be dropped. The aussies seem to have opened up some mental scarring from the last ashes series. I suppose at would mean Leach playing instead. Pardon me if I am not wildly enthusiastic about that prospect, but you don't have to be Derek Underwood to take wickets at Taunton.

Yes, I don't see anything in Leech that promises a great future. I was surprised how little turn he got even in Sri Lanka. Not a lot of action on the ball.

Depressingly, the two most interesting young spinners around (off spinner Amar Virdi and leggie Matt Parkinson) have only played one FC game apiece so far this season - and both took 10 wickets in that one game! Virdi had match figures of 14-139 and Parkinson 10-165.

Our system doesn't appear to be helping them out much.

Dom Bess is another who has a bit of quality about him, but is probably flattered by Taunton's wickets in the same way Leech is. And Leech is always preferred to Bess when Somerset pick just one tweaker.

Dello wrote:

Basil wrote:I think I'm coming round to the idea that Moeen needs to be dropped. The aussies seem to have opened up some mental scarring from the last ashes series. I suppose at would mean Leach playing instead. Pardon me if I am not wildly enthusiastic about that prospect, but you don't have to be Derek Underwood to take wickets at Taunton.

Yes, I don't see anything in Leech that promises a great future. I was surprised how little turn he got even in Sri Lanka. Not a lot of action on the ball.

Depressingly, the two most interesting young spinners around (off spinner Amar Virdi and leggie Matt Parkinson) have only played one FC game apiece so far this season - and both took 10 wickets in that one game! Virdi had match figures of 14-139 and Parkinson 10-165.

Our system doesn't appear to be helping them out much.

Dom Bess is another who has a bit of quality about him, but is probably flattered by Taunton's wickets in the same way Leech is. And Leech is always preferred to Bess when Somerset pick just one tweaker.

I think Bess is on loan at Yorkshire.

Leach turns the ball enough to find the edge............So long as he is bowling at Taunton. He's vin ordinaire everywhere else. He's a slightly geeky version of Kerrigan.

Root has the tactical acumen of a jellyfish

How good is test cricket? At 8/122 I was fearing an innings defeat for Australia.

Don't look now but Nylon is about to pass Lillee on the test wicket charts.

Well, it is has been a while since I went to sleep with a smile on my dial and woke with the same.

A jockey's brekky and the sepia of reality is seeping in.

Admittedly this was a fine win. Decades on and when we are all dust, this will still be known as Smith's Test.

Still for all the English hand wringing and wide eyed, pinch yourself Oz amazement, there is much to learn but much that was plain to see before the toss.

There is not much between the teams. Oz has the better attack, the Poms the better and deeper batting. Jimmeh's injury was a key factor, almost as much as Smith's gross out.

While the Oz bowlers did incredibly well on a pitch that did not really suit them (bring on the green tops boys!), the Oz batting performance was distorted by Smith,, Head, Wade and the tail.

Bancroft is a stoic and skilled short leg. He can do that as 12th man. He cannot open a can of spam. He looked completely lame in both innings.

Warner makes a great old fashioned pantomime villain. He is as thick as multilayered greasepaint left to dry in the sun. He also should have his passport revoked. He simply cannot play Test cricket overseas.

Usman just does not look fit enough to sustain a long innings. Hope I am wrong.

If Langer got the bowling right, he totally screwed the top order. For me, Harris must play and possibly the alphabet guy (who is in good form). This of course won't happen. Plus if cbnlg dropped Bancroft, he would insist on finding a place for the Great Fail of 21stC Test Cricket.

A great result for Australia , given they had been outplayed for the best part of 3 Days. Even though the Pitch didn't offer much assistance to the Bowlers in the Aus second innings , with a couple of exceptions they managed to put their heads down and grind out a innings to put Aus in the box seat.
I said before the final day the result will come down to Lyon , and he delivered with support from Cummings.
Now onto Lords , where Australia has enjoyed more success than it had at Edgbaston.
Can't see any changes at the top of the order for Australia , expect the selectors to persist with Bancroft. As for the Bowling attack , does Starc come into the side at the expense of Siddle?

Blackadder wrote:A great result for Australia , given they had been outplayed for the best part of 3 Days. Even though the Pitch didn't offer much assistance to the Bowlers in the Aus second innings , with a couple of exceptions they managed to put their heads down and grind out a innings to put Aus in the box seat.
I said before the final day the result will come down to Lyon , and he delivered with support from Cummings.
Now onto Lords , where Australia has enjoyed more success than it had at Edgbaston.
Can't see any changes at the top of the order for Australia , expect the selectors to persist with Bancroft. As for the Bowling attack , does Starc come into the side at the expense of Siddle?

I reckon their plan was to play Starc at Lords. The bounce and slope of the pitch should suit him at one end. The nine day break and low work load in the 2nd Pom innings should help the three quicks who played.

Cummins bowled very well and got the deserved figures. Both OP and Siddle had good matches. Both were stiff not to get more wickets. OP was one of the few bowlers to get swing in unhelpful conditions, while Siddle showed he is an English wicket specialist. Maybe because Lords is an atypical English wicket, I would include Starc at the expense of Siddle.

I hope they played Bangers to show that the Sandpaper Three had been forgiven ....and allow the opposition fans to get rid of most of their scorn

NLWL2 played well enough in Oz to keep his spot ...but as for technique he is a left handed version of Bangers ...(and our Burns is no better)

GCS is GCS .... will look shit and then blast a run a ball ton ...

Koaja ...a Pakistan born Shaun Marsh ...looks a million dollars if he gets to 10 ....gets out to dumb shots ...pulls a hammy if he runs into a shadow

Smudge ...can play a bit

Head ....developing ...but has been for a while

Sharapova ....has grit ....likes scoring runs ....play him while it lasts ....

Captain ....very good at letting the bloke who cant be a captain set the fields ....kept better than the pom keeper

Bowlers ...all pretty even and the guys who dont play are unlucky

Puddle ...FFS dont play him even with 15 injuries

Labber ...more grit than technique ...but that seems to work so next non opener in

One bloke I was happy to see get some touch back after a bit of an underwhelming World Cup, was Pat Cummins.

Agree with Embee's summation. One thing I'd add about Bancroft was his work at short leg was outstanding.

... and yes agree with Fred's comments about Cummins.

And while he isn't my favourite player, I thought Siddle's first spell yesterday was brilliant.

Agreed. He was very stiff not to get some poles.

Our Steve Smith,
who art in Edgebaston,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom tonne;
thy will be done on England as it is in Australia.
Give us this day our day four-Test Century;
and forgive his sandpaper gate
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us the Second Test

With that action he would more likely to have made a pact with the devil. Of course the devil must have been out getting laid that day in yarpietown.

Big Dog wrote:

Our Steve Smith,
who art in Edgebaston,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom tonne;
thy will be done on England as it is in Australia.
Give us this day our day four-Test Century;
and forgive his sandpaper gate
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us the Second Test

He's not that much of a bighead!

And the revenge of the sandpaper is always a threat, scratching away at his crease in the background ...

Dello wrote:

Basil wrote:I think I'm coming round to the idea that Moeen needs to be dropped. The aussies seem to have opened up some mental scarring from the last ashes series. I suppose at would mean Leach playing instead. Pardon me if I am not wildly enthusiastic about that prospect, but you don't have to be Derek Underwood to take wickets at Taunton.

Yes, I don't see anything in Leech that promises a great future. I was surprised how little turn he got even in Sri Lanka. Not a lot of action on the ball.

Depressingly, the two most interesting young spinners around (off spinner Amar Virdi and leggie Matt Parkinson) have only played one FC game apiece so far this season - and both took 10 wickets in that one game! Virdi had match figures of 14-139 and Parkinson 10-165.

Our system doesn't appear to be helping them out much.

Dom Bess is another who has a bit of quality about him, but is probably flattered by Taunton's wickets in the same way Leech is. And Leech is always preferred to Bess when Somerset pick just one tweaker.

But he is a persistent bugger, and if he has any luck, can suck the lifeblood out of any opposition batsman that puts a foot wrong.

PeterCS wrote:

Dello wrote:

Basil wrote:I think I'm coming round to the idea that Moeen needs to be dropped. The aussies seem to have opened up some mental scarring from the last ashes series. I suppose at would mean Leach playing instead. Pardon me if I am not wildly enthusiastic about that prospect, but you don't have to be Derek Underwood to take wickets at Taunton.

Yes, I don't see anything in Leech that promises a great future. I was surprised how little turn he got even in Sri Lanka. Not a lot of action on the ball.

Depressingly, the two most interesting young spinners around (off spinner Amar Virdi and leggie Matt Parkinson) have only played one FC game apiece so far this season - and both took 10 wickets in that one game! Virdi had match figures of 14-139 and Parkinson 10-165.

Our system doesn't appear to be helping them out much.

Dom Bess is another who has a bit of quality about him, but is probably flattered by Taunton's wickets in the same way Leech is. And Leech is always preferred to Bess when Somerset pick just one tweaker.

But he is a persistent bugger, and if he has any luck, can suck the lifeblood out of any opposition batsman that puts a foot wrong.

He's not great when the heat is on though. Or when the language gets a bit salty.

Aye. The worm can turn.

Big Dog wrote:

Our Steve Smith,
who art in Edgebaston,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom tonne;
thy will be done on England as it is in Australia.
Give us this day our day four-Test Century;
and forgive his sandpaper gate
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us the Second Test

That looks like a Dello Advent Calendar entry.

"That looks like a Dello Advent Calendar entry."

It sure does......hint, hint, hint. Soon it will be time to nick Danny from fatherhood for a bit of proper work.

This Ashes series and the WC provide fertile ground for Dello and Brass Monkey.

horace wrote:Soon it will be time to nick Danny from fatherhood for a bit of proper work.

How good would that be!!