[Cricket] The Ashes- England v Australia- 1st Test, Birmingham, June 16 - 20, 2023

[Pevenseagull]

Wowza.

If Broad, or indeed anyone, get Warner out cheaply tonight I might need a cold shower.

 

[The Wizard]

Potentially, England may have handed them 50 runs.

They need to make inroads here, because as it stands that decision makes no sense at all.

Of course it does.

Sacrificing another few runs for a half hour at potentially tired batsman rather than letting them bat early tomorrow morning when they are refreshed, there is more value in this than the extra few runs IMO

 

[Machiavelli]

Zalz has just divulged that, at 78 overs, this is the earliest a team has declared in a first innings.

 

[pasty]

Warner desperately trying to get a single first ball

 

[HangletonGull]

Warner doing everything he can here

 

[Questions]

It's a reasonable gamble, they would only have managed maybe another 20-30 runs if they batted on til all wickets were down.. two wickets tonight would be worth considerably more as the convicts are a tad light in batting depth.

I hope you’re right on their batting. Smith could bat for all 5 days on this strip if he’s in nick.

 

[zefarelly]

It's like a dust bowl on day one . . .it'll be like Man City FC's summer holiday camp by Sunday.

 

[Pevenseagull]

Boo

 

[Eeyore]

Of course it does.

Sacrificing another few runs for a half hour at potentially tired batsman rather than letting them bat early tomorrow morning when they are refreshed, there is more value in this than the extra few runs IMO

Game of opinions, agreed.

My view was that it's a beautiful batting track on possibly one of, if not the, best day to bat in series. Tomorrow it should be as good. I'd rather try and squeeze another 50 out of it and put them in early tomorrow.

The net result of a declaration for the sake of four overs is handing them possibly as many as 50 runs.

Anyway, it's all good fun and jolly good that bat n' ball is back.

 

[doogie004]

Silly declaration on day one of a test series . New style or you are playing the number one team in the world . Rule 1 get as many runs as you can so you can’t lose . Time will tell but 393 no where near enough

 

[jcdenton08]

Love the declaration. Hot blood and big balls.

 

[vegster]

I hope you’re right on their batting. Smith could bat for all 5 days on this strip if he’s in nick.

We didn't get the two wickets so the pendulum swings South...yes, Smith could utterly destroy us on this strip.

 

[A1X]

Joe Root today scored his first Ashes hundred when Roberto Martinez isn’t simultaneously manager of Everton FC

 

[doogie004]

Silly declaration on day one of a test series . New style or not you are playing the number one team in the world . Rule 1 get as many runs as you can so you can’t lose . Time will tell but 393 no where near enough

 

[CHAPPERS]

Surely it’s not annoying to keep batting, go again for ten minutes in the morning then declare with 20/30 more runs on the board. The openers then have to go out to field, then back in quickly after to get ready to bat. There’s aggressive and then there’s aggressive for the sake of it.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Surely it’s not annoying to keep batting, go again for ten minutes in the morning then declare with 20/30 more runs on the board. The openers then have to go out to field, then back in quickly after to get ready to bat. There’s aggressive and then there’s aggressive for the sake of it.

Root was scoring quickly as well and there at 4 days left, seems mad to declare.

 

[Bodian]

Surely it’s not annoying to keep batting, go again for ten minutes in the morning then declare with 20/30 more runs on the board. The openers then have to go out to field, then back in quickly after to get ready to bat. There’s aggressive and then there’s aggressive for the sake of it.

I think I tend to agree.

But then if we'd got a couple of quick wickets, I wouldn't be!

Does seem rather reckless more than aggressive. Root could have added 20+ tonight alone.

 

[Questions]

I can see this test match still be talked about in a hundred years.

That declaration

 

[banjo]

We could have batted sensibly today and until lunch tomorrow and scored less. Love the way we play now shit or bust. Makes test cricket worth watching again.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Game of opinions, agreed.

My view was that it's a beautiful batting track on possibly one of, if not the, best day to bat in series. Tomorrow it should be as good. I'd rather try and squeeze another 50 out of it and put them in early tomorrow.

The net result of a declaration for the sake of four overs is handing them possibly as many as 50 runs.

Anyway, it's all good fun and jolly good that bat n' ball is back.

Even with hindsight, knowing that we didn't get a wicket, I'd argue that the possible value of a wicket (and then Labushane having to effectively open tomorrow morning) significantly outweighs any runs we could have put on this evening and the first few overs tomorrow.
If we were only 5 down and had a reasonable potential to score a hundred plus more, then it's different.
After the first day of the Edgbaston test in 2005 Boycott said we'd left at least 100 runs out on the field after scoring 400 in about 80 overs. He was probably right as well, but nobody cared about that in the end.
If you buy the overall approach, there's not much point mithering about individual shots or decisions. Nobody scores 5 an over on the first day of a test match without cocking up sometimes.