[Cricket] The Ashes- England v Australia- 3rd Test, Headingley, July 06-10, 2023

[The Wizard]

These two muppets again, need one of them out sharpish

 

[The Wizard]

For me Brainless batting definitely exists, obviously batting against top elite bowling like these Aussies isn’t easy but wafting at balls 6 stumps wide against a new ball, is daft.

Brainless is the oppositions spinner getting strung out at 190/1 and ending up losing 120/9 after that point, there is an element of ‘it’s just cricket’ but this series time and time again both teams have been guilty of idiotic batting, just that we’ve wasted a lot more chances and come up just short, I really do think the drops have been the difference, Marsh in this test first innings and Smith first innings last game + others cost us big time.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

This won't be a popular opinion, I'm sure – and one from a slightly removed perspective, but I'm really enjoying the contests, even though England look like they are going to lose three in a row. There's probably been more excitement in these three tests so far than in some previous series – plus the contests have actually (numerically) been pretty close. More so than some of the bedwetting around the coverage of the encounters would have people believe.

Bazball is clearly a work in progress – and looks like it will come up short in the Ashes – but in terms of making Test Cricket exciting again, it's playing a blinder. Think of where England Test Cricket was a couple of years ago to now and it's unrecognisable. Yes, England will probably lose the Ashes, but did anyone really expect them to?

 

[Stumpy Tim]

This won't be a popular opinion, I'm sure – and one from a slightly removed perspective, but I'm really enjoying the contests, even though England look like they are going to lose three in a row. There's probably been more excitement in these three tests so far than in some previous series – plus the contests have actually (numerically) been pretty close. More so than some of the bedwetting around the coverage of the encounters would have people believe.

Bazball is clearly a work in progress – and looks like it will come up short in the Ashes – but in terms of making Test Cricket exciting again, it's playing a blinder. Think of where England Test Cricket was a couple of years ago to now and it's unrecognisable. Yes, England will probably lose the Ashes, but did anyone really expect them to?

Absolutely. England should have won the first test and I think probably would have won the second test without the Bairstow dismissal. It's actually been very close

 

[Bodian]

This won't be a popular opinion, I'm sure – and one from a slightly removed perspective, but I'm really enjoying the contests, even though England look like they are going to lose three in a row. There's probably been more excitement in these three tests so far than in some previous series – plus the contests have actually (numerically) been pretty close. More so than some of the bedwetting around the coverage of the encounters would have people believe.

Bazball is clearly a work in progress – and looks like it will come up short in the Ashes – but in terms of making Test Cricket exciting again, it's playing a blinder. Think of where England Test Cricket was a couple of years ago to now and it's unrecognisable. Yes, England will probably lose the Ashes, but did anyone really expect them to?

Absolutely. England should have won the first test and I think probably would have won the second test without the Bairstow dismissal. It's actually been very close

A couple of catches, especially in the first test - and we'd be 2-0 up.

 

[DJ NOBO]

This won't be a popular opinion, I'm sure – and one from a slightly removed perspective, but I'm really enjoying the contests, even though England look like they are going to lose three in a row. There's probably been more excitement in these three tests so far than in some previous series – plus the contests have actually (numerically) been pretty close. More so than some of the bedwetting around the coverage of the encounters would have people believe.

Bazball is clearly a work in progress – and looks like it will come up short in the Ashes – but in terms of making Test Cricket exciting again, it's playing a blinder. Think of where England Test Cricket was a couple of years ago to now and it's unrecognisable. Yes, England will probably lose the Ashes, but did anyone really expect them to?

Yes.
We have blown it.
If you are implying that we have exceeded expectations that’s not the case at all.

 

[The Fits]

It's just crap. Bazball, new dawn, whatever. It's shit cricket.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Yes.
We have blown it.
If you are implying that we have exceeded expectations that’s not the case at all.

No, I'm not. I think people got carried away with previous tests, but Australia are no mugs, so it was bound to be tough.

 

[Bodian]

It's just crap. Bazball, new dawn, whatever. It's shit cricket.

Pretty exciting and gripping cricket if you ask me.

 

[Machiavelli]

It's just crap. Bazball, new dawn, whatever. It's shit cricket.

It's the opposite of crap and shit cricket. Broadly I agree with @Greg Bobkin. But where I'm closer to you is that there have been multiple wickets thrown away. If that's Bazball, then it is awful. They have to be bright enough to work out how to play 'winning cricket' without gifting the Aussies multiple wickets.

 

[dazzer6666]

This won't be a popular opinion, I'm sure – and one from a slightly removed perspective, but I'm really enjoying the contests, even though England look like they are going to lose three in a row. There's probably been more excitement in these three tests so far than in some previous series – plus the contests have actually (numerically) been pretty close. More so than some of the bedwetting around the coverage of the encounters would have people believe.

Bazball is clearly a work in progress – and looks like it will come up short in the Ashes – but in terms of making Test Cricket exciting again, it's playing a blinder. Think of where England Test Cricket was a couple of years ago to now and it's unrecognisable. Yes, England will probably lose the Ashes, but did anyone really expect them to?

Spot on, although I can’t understand why our fielding has been so shit. It’s the key difference between the teams

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Spot on, although I can’t understand why our fielding has been so shit. It’s the key difference between the teams

I don't think many of the players in this side are very good catchers or ever have been.
Certainly in the slips, I've only ever thought of Root as a good catcher in comparison to the flappy clappy goons he's invariably had stood next to him over the last 5years or so.
I'm pretty sure half of last season I wanted to drop Crawley because he was annoying me so much in the slips.
The other half of the season we were batting so I wanted to drop him because of his propensity to be out cheaply.
Edit: considering the pitches, our catching and how flaky the batting has been over the series, our bowling's held up remarkably well against a genuinely strong Australian line up.

 

[DJ NOBO]

Spot on, although I can’t understand why our fielding has been so shit. It’s the key difference between the teams

That’s it though isn’t it. That’s the frustration.
We have made many more mistakes than them, including elementary ones and self-inflicted ones.
Take these out, or at least reduce them, and we win both tests.
So essentially we will lose the ashes because we have been sloppy.
There’s nothing admirable about that at all, even if the manner of the defeats has been dramatic.
It’s just dumb.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Spot on, although I can’t understand why our fielding has been so shit. It’s the key difference between the teams

It is what it is

 

[dazzer6666]

It is what it is

We’re in a difficult moment, the guys gave everything….etc

 

[um bongo molongo]

This won't be a popular opinion, I'm sure – and one from a slightly removed perspective, but I'm really enjoying the contests, even though England look like they are going to lose three in a row. There's probably been more excitement in these three tests so far than in some previous series – plus the contests have actually (numerically) been pretty close. More so than some of the bedwetting around the coverage of the encounters would have people believe.

Bazball is clearly a work in progress – and looks like it will come up short in the Ashes – but in terms of making Test Cricket exciting again, it's playing a blinder. Think of where England Test Cricket was a couple of years ago to now and it's unrecognisable. Yes, England will probably lose the Ashes, but did anyone really expect them to?

I broadly agree with you, while also being infuriated that we could have been in a much better position results wise. Only Root and Stokes would get in their first XI so think they are firmly the better side and so we are doing ok. But yet some better catching, more disciplined batting and picking a proper keeper (who’s also a very good bat) and we could be at least 1-1 and well up in this one

 

[PeterT]

Really enjoyed today, still feels like we have a chance.

 

[dangull]

Bookies have it about evens who wins this test match.

 

[Eeyore]

Bookies have it about evens who wins this test match.

The first two hours could be series defining...

 

[The Fits]

Gotta hand it to Stokes. Probably won't go down as a legend but there's very few counter attacking batsman that have come close. A one man wrecking machine.