England v Australia - 1st Test Trent Bridge

[Billy the Fish]

There's got to be some serious doubts over hotspot. I've long thought that its not 100% accurate in picking up every nick.

 

[spring hall convert]

This has been a fascinating test match so far, it just looked like the pitch is dying a bit to me, making it quite difficult to predict how many England need. Pietersen & Cook need to come out with the same attitude tomorrow and make sure they occupy the crease, once they are in runs will come. The Australian seamers look decent though.

 

[Beach Hut]

We need an all day bat tomorrow to say the least

 

[spring hall convert]

Dhoni has to be just about the most overrated cricketer to have ever walked the planet.

I think you need to insert "test" before cricketer here. Granted, his record in test match cricket is merely good. His ODI and 20/20 records are phenomenal. He's also won pretty much everything there is to win as captain.

 

[Basil Fawlty]

Agreed, it is fascinating. The problem is it shouldn't be. England should be wiping the floor with such a mediocre team, but we're not because we can't concentrate. I think Australia's bowling is not much different to New Zealand's, and their batting is a farce. This should be 5-0, but it won't be because England will let us down.

It has a similar type feeling to the 88/89 Ashes series, when we underestimated them and lost the Ashes that year.

 

[spring hall convert]

Agreed, it is fascinating. The problem is it shouldn't be. England should be wiping the floor with such a mediocre team, but we're not because we can't concentrate. I think Australia's bowling is not much different to New Zealand's, and their batting is a farce. This should be 5-0, but it won't be because England will let us down.

As usual you go to the extremes but I can't disagree with the sentiment. England's top order has serious problems, since the last Ashes series they have been fragile and ultra reliant on Cook and struggle to handle pressure situations, it's so frustrating because you know the talent is there. What annoys me is that Australia have 3 very inexperienced bowlers playing in this test (2 of which I happen to rate.) Grind away, make the bowler make mistakes, don't give your wicket away and it will get easier and they will lose heart.

I still think we will win this one with a bit to spare though.

 

[Zebedee]

I find it somewhat amusing that by far and away the best batsman so far (and by this I mean technically gifted) has been a rookie No 11 bowler who is only 19.

 

[vegster]

A brief summary as I see it.

England mostly got themselves out when they batted. we should have posted 300 ish at least.

We bowled 9/10 ths of Australia out but we did not know enough about the new kid on the block and let them get 140 runs more than they should have got.

Although 2 down for cheap we battled back and should NOT bat as badly again this innings. One or two of our order should get big runs leaving the Aussies to chase 300 ish on a ever spin friendly pitch.

We have had our feathers ruffled but I'm confident that normal service will resume.

 

[vegster]

Totally agree. In terms of talent England are so far ahead of Australia it's untrue. The problem is some of our batsmen regularly fail to apply themselves to the task mentally. We should be taking Australia's bowling apart. They have the plodder in Siddle and three young kids, who may or may not go on to be good players, but right now they are not. I don't see how suggesting this should be 5-0 is going to extremes. India just thrashed them 4-0, and we are better than India. It should be an annihilation. It should be revenge for 06/07. But you just know a batting meltdown is only ever just around the corner with England. We are so, so lucky we have two bowlers who will go down as legends of English cricket to bail out the likes of Pietersen and Bell time and time again.

As for this game, I can see England ending up with a lead of about 240. Then it probably just comes down to whether the ball swings, because if it does we'll win.

They both owe the team an innings tomorrow.

 

[spring hall convert]

Totally agree. In terms of talent England are so far ahead of Australia it's untrue. The problem is some of our batsmen regularly fail to apply themselves to the task mentally. We should be taking Australia's bowling apart. They have the plodder in Siddle and three young kids, who may or may not go on to be good players, but right now they are not. I don't see how suggesting this should be 5-0 is going to extremes. India just thrashed them 4-0, and we are better than India. It should be an annihilation. It should be revenge for 06/07. But you just know a batting meltdown is only ever just around the corner with England. We are so, so lucky we have two bowlers who will go down as legends of English cricket to bail out the likes of Pietersen and Bell time and time again.

As for this game, I can see England ending up with a lead of about 240. Then it probably just comes down to whether the ball swings, because if it does we'll win.

I actually wasn't counting 5-0 as an extreme. I was counting "batting is a farce."

I also in my earlier assessment of England post the last Ashes do appear to have forgotten we beat India in India. It actually makes the recent batting malaise all the more baffling.

 

[spring hall convert]

How do you assess their batting then? I'm genuinely interested.

With the exception of Clarke, all I see is a bunch of old men, no-hopers and misfits. Firstly, if I was Australian (thank god I'm not) I would be seriously concerned about calling up a 35-year-old. There is a reason he's only ever played one Test before. Secondly, Steve Smith has to have the worst technique of any player I have ever seen bat as high as number six. Watson is nothing but a hitter who will occasionally get lucky. Haddin is okay but inferior to Prior in every way. Hughes did well today but isn't going to cope with Anderson over the course of the series. And Cowan is the one I don't really know much about, but they may as well have sent an actual rabbit out in the first innings and shone some headlights at it.

Not much differently from you by the looks of it. Heavily reliant on Clarke, you're a little harsh on Watson, unless you are saying the same thing about Sewag & Gayle (which you may be.) Cowan will bat to his average in the series, he's about 2 spots too high at 3. Hughes will do pretty well at 5 I think. They do bat deep, they need to, but it's not what i would describe as a farce.

You may well be right though, Clarke's record in England is far from great & Anderson could well give him a miserable time.

 

[simmo]

It looked out in real time but the replays showed what looked to be an inside edge.

Personally I thinks it's a disgraceful decision bearing in mind the same umpire gave the benefit of the doubt to the batsman earlier in the game when it looked like an obvious stumping. In this case there was doubt and he gives the batsman out. WTF is that about

I've been watching in the garden all day so haven't read this thread, did everyone else think Agar was an obvious stumping or is it just me?

The Agar non stumping was a shocker. The third umpire kept on flicking it between frames when Prior took off the bails and Agar foot looked on the line (which is out as it is, no part of it was over the line)....but Erasmus had to go on about another four/five frames and then you actually saw Agar put his foot down behind the line, but Erasmus never done that he kept on flicking back and forward between the frames when Prior took off the bails (Erasmus assumed Agar foot was grounded then which it was not). Hey ho Ray that only cost us 150 runs!

Haven't seen the Trott one yet, but by all accounts that sounds worse and as others point out there seems to be no consistency in Erasmus giving Agar all the benefit of any doubt and overturning Trott's original not out one.

On TMS yesterday evening they were as good as saying the TV umpire got both decisions wrong.

 

[Bold Seagull]

A thoroughly boring, completely uneventful days play today please...

 

[Mellotron]

You're right that they bat deep.

Do they? Siddle - their number 8 - has an average of 15. That's very poor for a number 8.