Fourth Investec Ashes Test, England v Australia, Chester le Street 9-13 Aug 2013

[vegster]

We haven't WON the ashes at all, we've RETAINED them so far - there is a difference.

brightonmark1234 is again absolutely spot on - that was woeful by England.

There were no gremlins in that pitch, no jaffa's every over, we got out tickling one off our pads to leg, leaving one on our stumps, lobbing one up to mid on etc. etc. total absolute shite.

Started off negative, 1 run an over for the first 2 hours, completely set the tone and completely kept them in the match. Had we tried to score off the bad ball - and there were plenty, we'd have had them under scoreboard pressure. Even after lunch, we were 140-2 and lose 3 top order wickets for 6 runs - complete garbage. Only Cook's resembled a half decent wicket taking delivery, although playing the f*cking thing might have helped.

No, we haven't won the Ashes, in fact if it hadn't rained we'd be staring 2-2 in the face and possibly losing the Ashes in one of the biggest turn arounds in history. At this rate we're going to draw this series 2-2 and give them all the confidence they need for the winter. Absolute rubbish England.

Very much this, overall we look like a team living on reputation. After a good first test the Aussies are improving with each test now. Swann only had to bowl an over 2 years ago to almost guarantee a wicket. Jimmy Anderson can't keep getting us out of trouble forever as it showed in the last test. Our bowling, at times seems laboured and not very inventive. Our batting engine room is regularly starting to miss-fire Cook, Trott, KP and Prior are not the devastating force they were a couple of years ago.

Boycott tonight said that he applauded the Aussies approach to the series, they are thinking things out and finding ways to stop us scoring and finding previous unknown weaknesses. So consequently, we are sleepwalking our way through this series while the Aussies gain experience and improve. It will be a very difficult job hanging on to the Ashes past this winter.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Very much this, overall we look like a team living on reputation. After a good first test the Aussies are improving with each test now. Swann only had to bowl an over 2 years ago to almost guarantee a wicket. Jimmy Anderson can't keep getting us out of trouble forever as it showed in the last test. Our bowling, at times seems laboured and not very inventive. Our batting engine room is regularly starting to miss-fire Cook, Trott, KP and Prior are not the devastating force they were a couple of years ago.

Boycott tonight said that he applauded the Aussies approach to the series, they are thinking things out and finding ways to stop us scoring and finding previous unknown weaknesses. So consequently, we are sleepwalking our way through this series while the Aussies gain experience and improve. It will be a very difficult job hanging on to the Ashes past this winter.

I agree with Boycott there, Clarke's use of his bowlers has been excellent. Seemed to rotate them at the right time, kept the batsmen always thinking, inventive fields then working simple things out like Root struggles with Watson's full length with the new ball so surprises everyone by not bowling Siddle, but it proves to be spot on. He also took Lyons out of KP's firing line for a few overs, then bought him back. That really worked although it was a shite ball to get out to frankly, had he transferred his weight to his back leg, it was probably a cutable ball for four.

While they have plans for bowlers against particular batsmen, we don't seem to have any plans against them. We didn't really go after any particular bowler, or stop them bowling a particular delivery by trying to score in certain areas. It was just sleepwalking through an innings, the only plan I could see was 'if we bat carefully we'll stay in', well wake up boys, you faced 90 overs, scored just 238 and your 9 down - and you won the toss and batted.

Well done to the Aussies, from where they were this recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. We look rudderless. I know I've been going on about Cook in the last couple of tests, but the captain needs to step up here, not go completely negative with bat and in the field. I think we are genuinely imploding here and are in real danger of losing the Ashes in the winter. We have the talent, but clearly not the mentality at the moment.

 

[littlehampton seagull]

Lets wait and see until the aussies bat before passing judgement. I think root and cook set the tone by just looking to hind out runs puts pressure on trott and co.

 

[Billy the Fish]

I don't know what all the wrist slitting is about, they have a decent bowling attack, too many of our batsman simply played bad shots.

We need a good day with the ball tomorrow that's for sure.

 

[maltaseagull]

Very much this, overall we look like a team living on reputation. After a good first test the Aussies are improving with each test now. Swann only had to bowl an over 2 years ago to almost guarantee a wicket. Jimmy Anderson can't keep getting us out of trouble forever as it showed in the last test. Our bowling, at times seems laboured and not very inventive. Our batting engine room is regularly starting to miss-fire Cook, Trott, KP and Prior are not the devastating force they were a couple of years ago.

Boycott tonight said that he applauded the Aussies approach to the series, they are thinking things out and finding ways to stop us scoring and finding previous unknown weaknesses. So consequently, we are sleepwalking our way through this series while the Aussies gain experience and improve. It will be a very difficult job hanging on to the Ashes past this winter.

All the momentum seems to be moving to the Aussies. Our batting has always looked fragile and even more so in the last 3 innings. I think we will lose the series in the winter.This is not a very good Aussie team compared to previous years but still starting to dominate us!

 

[Albion Dan]

I could have sworn we were two nil up and still have to see what a fragile Aussie batting line up can do tomorrow. You'd never guess reading this though. Bunch of bed wetters.

 

[Lifelong Supporter]

The Test is far from over, and we are on a good run at the moment, not having lost for at least 10 Tests. The county scores at this ground have been modest with many first innings well under 300. If we bowl well, we should stay in the game.

The bookies have England at 6/4 and Australia 11/10, with 28/5 the draw. It looks pretty close to me.

 

[Mackenzie]

The Test is far from over, and we are on a good run at the moment, not having lost for at least 10 Tests. The county scores at this ground have been modest with many first innings well under 300. If we bowl well, we should stay in the game.

The bookies have England at 6/4 and Australia 11/10, with 28/5 the draw. It looks pretty close to me.

Spot on. The first innings average is 256, which suggests that this is far from a batting paradise. Lets see the Aussies have a bat on it before we write England off completely.

 

[BensGrandad]

As I said earlier will we reach 250 I very much doubt it but it is possible only 12 for Bresnan and Anderson to get so shouldnt be too difficult and only 18 for the average first innings score on that ground this season..

 

[Bold Seagull]

What they get is irrelevant. Our batting has been woeful, we've not been able to break 400 in 6 innings so far this series, on good batting tracks. Today we were 106-1, 148-2, this is not indicative of a bad surface. Our wickets weren't the result of the pitch, it was genuinely poor batting.

We may well save ourselves by bowling them out, however as with the first 2 tests, this will only mask how bad our batting has been in this series.

 

[vegster]

What they get is irrelevant. Our batting has been woeful, we've not been able to break 400 in 6 innings so far this series, on good batting tracks. Today we were 106-1, 148-2, this is not indicative of a bad surface. Our wickets weren't the result of the pitch, it was genuinely poor batting.

We may well save ourselves by bowling them out, however as with the first 2 tests, this will only mask how bad our batting has been in this series.

The First Test is a good case in point, in both innings we were effectively outbatted by allegedly, the weakest Aussie squad ever to tour.In both innings they scored more than they should and we only won by the fagpaper thickness of 14 runs. If they really are the worst Aussie tour squad for 100 years, they are certainly not showing it. Unless we are not as good as we think we are.

 

[Simster]

Ian Botham must be feeling a right twt now. If he isn't, he should be.

 

[Albion Dan]

The First Test is a good case in point, in both innings we were effectively outbatted by allegedly, the weakest Aussie squad ever to tour.In both innings they scored more than they should and we only won by the fagpaper thickness of 14 runs. If they really are the worst Aussie tour squad for 100 years, they are certainly not showing it. Unless we are not as good as we think we are.

We were by far the better side in that first test and bar a couple of umpiring howlers would have won by an innings.

 

[Billy the Fish]

What they get is irrelevant. Our batting has been woeful, we've not been able to break 400 in 6 innings so far this series, on good batting tracks. Today we were 106-1, 148-2, this is not indicative of a bad surface. Our wickets weren't the result of the pitch, it was genuinely poor batting.

We may well save ourselves by bowling them out, however as with the first 2 tests, this will only mask how bad our batting has been in this series.

The First Test is a good case in point, in both innings we were effectively outbatted by allegedly, the weakest Aussie squad ever to tour.In both innings they scored more than they should and we only won by the fagpaper thickness of 14 runs. If they really are the worst Aussie tour squad for 100 years, they are certainly not showing it. Unless we are not as good as we think we are.

If someone tried to describe you two as "glass half empty" people I'd say they were wrong - you're more like "glass totally empty, break the glass and use it to self harm"!!

This is test cricket FFS, the game is all about swings one way or another. This aussie team has some very good players, it was never going to be a walkover and we were never going to have it all our own way.

 

[topbanana36]

Not a great start and having watched all through the night rather disappointing, but come on the Aussies haven't batted yet and remember their second innings at old Trafford was 172-7 so not really in good nick themselves. Let's stop all the rain cloud mentality.

 

[Bold Seagull]

If someone tried to describe you two as "glass half empty" people I'd say they were wrong - you're more like "glass totally empty, break the glass and use it to self harm"!!

This is test cricket FFS, the game is all about swings one way or another. This aussie team has some very good players, it was never going to be a walkover and we were never going to have it all our own way.

No, actually weirdly, you've got it completely the wrong way round.

I actually think this team has the potential to be the most consistent and complete in depth England team in 25 years. I'm actually completely glass full.

Anyone settling for that today from the talent in this team is the 'glass half empty people', because you clearly don't believe we should be achieving much greater things. That struggling through a test series against inferior opposition that you're 2 nil up in, on our home pitches is just par for the course, another 200 odd for 9 is just to be expected - it's test cricket.

Well no actually, if you want to be no.1 which this team says it does, then it's not good enough.

Australia from 1989 onward never once accepted anything but trying to whitewash us. There was never any spirit of a good close test, they wanted to smash us, and did time after time. This is our chance for revenge, right now in back to back series, and we're blowing it. We don't seem to be showing that ruthless killer instinct they always showed against us. They rarely ever gave us the upper hand, and we're giving it to them.

We were never going to have it all our own way? Why? Why not? They did for 15 years. Series after series. Why is your glass so empty that you don't believe that's possible for us?

My glass is too full I reckon, it's the team that's playing half empty at the moment...

 

[Billy the Fish]

We were never going to have it all our own way? Why? Why not? They did for 15 years. Series after series. Why is your glass so empty that you don't believe that's possible for us?

Because for those 15 years they produced a side that featured some of the best players of all time, and we were in disarray. This is probably the best ever england side, the stats prove that, but we're not head and shoulders ahead like they were. World cricket is actually pretty even at the moment, remove one or two key players from any team and they are back in the pack, at the moment our key batsmen aren't performing and they are good enough to take advantage. That's just the way it is, there's no point in panicing when we have a couple of bad days.

I don't think you're being realistic with your expectations.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Because for those 15 years they produced a side that featured some of the best players of all time, and we were in disarray. This is probably the best ever england side, the stats prove that, but we're not head and shoulders ahead like they were. World cricket is actually pretty even at the moment, remove one or two key players from any team and they are back in the pack, at the moment our key batsmen aren't performing and they are good enough to take advantage. That's just the way it is, there's no point in panicing when we have a couple of bad days.

I don't think you're being realistic with your expectations.

My glass is half full then!

My expectations weren't up there with Botham who predicted 10-0, so perhaps I am more realistic than him, or many other commentators/ex-players who felt England would win comfortably.

In terms of a couple of bad days, this is our 5th bad day in a row. It would have been 6 in a row had it not rained in Manchester...

Anyway who is panicking? I've merely commented on the woeful batting display today. That is surely just fact, not panic!

 

[seagurn]

i thought durhams wicket would be tough to get runs it is normually. Fwiw id have 250 as a par score.

 

[Pevenseagull]

game on