5th Test: Sydney : 23:30 Start.

[big nuts]

Our decline appears to have co-incided with split coaches for test & one-dayers, I like Flower and his done a great job and deserves a crack at turning it round. But I'm not sure if having two coaches in different forms of the game is necessarily a good thing. Hopefully Downton can sort this issue in February so we can move on.

One last thing was the use of the night-watchman. I'm not against night watchman per se, but it was quite a negative move. Anderson done his job well but looking forward to tomorrow where do England go first thing? The best we can realistically hope for is for Anderson to hang around for 30 minutes but the scoreboard won't go anywhere and we immediately lift the crowd and Aussie bowlers by surrendering a wicket early doors.

Why not use Broad who was going to bat at 9 anyway. I'm sure he could have lasted the ten balls Anderson faced and at least he can put some pressure on the Aussie's by going at them tomorrow. A surprise fifty partnership could have put them on the back foot, and whilst his not shown too much form with the bat so far he has a lot of talent and has a big test match hundred.

What happens now is that everyone bats a place lower down which means Bairstow, Borthwick and Broad in at 8,9 & 10 which is a real waste in my view.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Wont pay for Sky so watching the score card on BBC whilst reading other threads on here, but it looks like Haddin is getting set in

Same here:

Try this http://cricfree.tv/sky-sports-2-live-stream-cricfree.php

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Dont you have a Wireless ?

Don't even need that as BBC Five-Live sports extra is broadcast over t'internet

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/5livesportsextra/on-air

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Poor decision making from the selectors, captain & coach we really need a sixth batsman at present and the pitch was sporting enough to play just the four bowlers. Hopefully the six wicket haul from Stokes will convince them that when required he can fill the 3rd seamer role.

Always a big risk going into a 5 day game with only four bowlers - if one breaks down, you can't manage with just 3. I'm hearing there were doubts about Rankin's fitness an hour before the start [listen to Michael Vaughan's views] and with another new-boy in Borthwick, the bowling attack was already questionable. Finn or Bresnan would have been a safer bet, but I think playing safe hasn't worked, so we've gambled on the unknown - and that looks to have backfired too.

Still when Gary Ballance hits a daddy hundred and we declare on 600, we can all rejoice.

Yeah, right !

 

[knocky1]

One last thing was the use of the night-watchman. I'm not against night watchman per se, but it was quite a negative move. Anderson done his job well but looking forward to tomorrow where do England go first thing? The best we can realistically hope for is for Anderson to hang around for 30 minutes but the scoreboard won't go anywhere and we immediately lift the crowd and Aussie bowlers by surrendering a wicket early doors.

Why not use Broad who was going to bat at 9 anyway. I'm sure he could have lasted the ten balls Anderson faced and at least he can put some pressure on the Aussie's by going at them tomorrow. A surprise fifty partnership could have put them on the back foot, and whilst his not shown too much form with the bat so far he has a lot of talent and has a big test match hundred.

What happens now is that everyone bats a place lower down which means Bairstow, Borthwick and Broad in at 8,9 & 10 which is a real waste in my view.

Unfortunately, Broad is stuck in the headlights when Johnson runs in to bowl. His big hundred was 169 but a tainted big hundred. I was at Lords that day. The Pakistani slips and keeper Kamran Akmal were laughing every time they dropped catches in a Test famous for the match fixing 'no ball' controversy. His only decent score was in his debut summer at Lords 2008 scoring 69 agaist South Africa. I was there as well and he looked very classy. Since then he has only had a few decent slogs now and then. If his batting average of 24 was his bowling average and his bowling average of 30 was his batting average he would be closer to being an all rounder.

Now I have said that I better put a bet on him being top scorer this innings as I have got nothing right this tour.............................

 

[Barrel of Fun]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cr...th-Test-day-one-at-Sydney-Cricket-Ground.html

Root sidelined

Joe Root was told on Wednesday he would not be playing at the SCG and the decision may not have been made totally on the grounds of form. He has the lowest average of the top six and the poorest strike rate so the statistics were not on his side but with England’s selection for this Test very much geared towards the future it would have been in keeping for Root to play and 33 year-old Michael Carberry to miss out.

But sources have indicated Root’s dropping may well have been designed as a kick up the backside for a player the management feel can be a little too cheeky without the runs to back up the attitude. There is no doubt Root will be back, probably for the first Test of next summer against Sri Lanka at Lord’s in June. His talent is undeniable and the spiky attitude a good trait when things are going well. It is all about timing.

 

[vegster]

So you would dump the youngest ever batsmen to 8000 test runs and potentially our best batsman ever? Don't think Clarke has scored many this series either has he?
The major difference between the teams has been Brad Haddin - had we skittled him out cheaply every innings, it would have been a lot closer.

Clarke averaged 47 in England last series, any grief he received over his captaincy did not seem to affect his batting. Cook averaged 27.

Current series IN Australia, Clarke averages 49, Cook 29. I'm only including the completed 4 Test matches in that but I think the difference is fairly easy to see. There was a little bit of symbolism I think in the third Test, both played their 100th Test match yet their run difference was negligible. I think we are going to see that change quite quickly at this rate.

It's pretty obvious that the captaincy is affecting Cook quite badly, simples. The old rule was that you had to be able to be in the team on merit with either bat or ball before you could be considered for the captaincy.

 

[Pavilionaire]

For the fifth time in 5 tests we've bowled well at the start and then let them off the hook. This is down to a combination of Haddin being in the form of his life and our inability to bowl with the Kookaburra ball once it gets more than 40 overs old.

If I was the Bowling Coach I'd fear for my job. Our bowlers haven't been able to come up with any pace or movement, but worst of all we haven't bowled the right line. Then, when we've taken the 2nd new ball, we've been dispirited.

If Boyd Rankin was looking the best in the nets as compared with Finn and Tremlett then those two must have been bowling absolute shite. Last night Rankin looked out of his depth, and if it transpires he started with a niggling injury then heads will have to roll.

As for Gooch, I can see the argument for a change. As a player and captain he always led by example - the captaincy didn't burden his batting, but he wasn't especially inspirational either. Our batsmen need help with the mental side of things. Before this series Andy Flower had a great record, and I'd like to see him reinvigorated with a new coaching staff, i.e. something like Michael Vaughan as Batting Coach and Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock or Wasim Akram as Bowling Coach.

 

[vegster]

I'm going to give it a go tonight, at least up until lunch, if we last that long.

 

[BensGrandad]

What I find annoying and also frustrating is the fact that if we do start off bowling well somebody, usually Haddin, steps up to the mark to bail them out but that doesnt happen with our players.

 

[vegster]

Ok , firing up TMS.....

 

[vegster]

No rain there, perfect conditions....Aggers on form already.

 

[Buffalo Seagull]

I'm sure Johnson will win it, but if I was giving out the player of the series award, I'd give it to Haddin. He's come in time after time with Australia five down for not very many, and has turned it around. He has first innings scores of 94, 118, 55, 65 and 75.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Make no mistake, it's got to be Johnson for Man Of The Series. He's been so good he's helped end careers of at least three great players.

 

[The Wizard]

England all out for 180-200'ish at 2 per over me thinks, Cook to edge a ball by Harris to slip, heard it here first.

 

[JCL - the new kid in town]

Make no mistake, it's got to be Johnson for Man Of The Series. He's been so good he's helped end careers of at least three great players.

You could argue that Haddin is more responsible for ending Swanns career unless he isn't in your 3

 

[vegster]

England all out for 180-200'ish at 2 per over me thinks, Cook to edge a ball by Harris to slip, heard it here first.

Aux contraire, Cook LBW Johnson ( playing around an inswinging yorker )

 

[brakespear]

Aux contraire, Cook LBW Johnson ( playing around an inswinging yorker )

No, I agree with The Wizard, Cook almost definitely going to a catch of some sort. I see a feeble, tentative prod possibly.

 

[vegster]

No, I agree with The Wizard, Cook almost definitely going to a catch of some sort. I see a feeble, tentative prod possibly.

This could be the future way forward with Ashes Tests, we could have a Predict-the-Collapse thread naming methods of dismissal for the whole card.
Anderson, caught at short leg fending off a throat ball from Johnson ?

 

[vegster]

" Some familiar answers there.... " Aggers in response to the bluster put up by Stokes about "everything still to play for...."