Cricket fred

[Banquo]

good comeback from a v poor middle period from us. Think we used Ali far too much with consequences.

[Banquo]

unfortunately his spinning finger be fckd

Calling back someone who has played no long form cricket in 18 months has no downsides, no, none at all.

When the other option was Dawson though...

Thankfully, he can hopefully have a nice, long rest and ice on it while England bat. Great result to get Australia out for under our first innings, especially while having to rest the spinner. If Ali can be got fit-esque for the second innings, then we're in a great position in this test. If we can put 250+ on the board, then this pitch is only going to get worse.

Puja

They should have been out for way less tho, with less strain on Ali....cough yjb

[Banquo]

TMS quipping that Carey finished on 66-4.

Moeen's getting quite a bit of turn already. Quite glad we'd bowling last.

Puja

unfortunately his spinning finger be fckd

Calling back someone who has played no long form cricket in 18 months has no downsides, no, none at all.

wasnt a fan of it, until I thought.....what are the other options.....


it says much about our current spin resources that he is even rated as a test spinner tbh- in fairness his test stats are way better than overall.

[Banquo]

bad time to bat - could all turn here

[Puja]

bad time to bat - could all turn here

Thankfully rained off before too much damage. Hopefully that's that for the day - we can bat at our usual pace morning and afternoon and then have the last session and whatever overs are possible on Tuesday to try and get 10 wickets.

Puja

[Banquo]

umps doing their best to make england go out for 10 minutes again!

[Banquo]

..covers coming off. I fear the worst here

[Banquo]

bit farcical, but its better than days of yore when play was abandoned mad early

[Puja]

Feels like Australia have had all of the luck so far - no ball wicket, Bairstow being out of touch behind the stumps, Moeen injury, getting to bowl during the one horrible dark and cloudy period. We've done very well to be in the decent position we are with so little rub of the green, and you'd have to assume that it'll even out across the course of the series.

Feeling a lot more optimistic about our chances than I was before the series started.

Puja

[Puja]

Fucking hell Joe Root. Tries to ramp the first ball of the day and very nearly gets bowled as he misses it entirely.

Undeterred, he's just done it twice more in the next over for a 6 and a 4. Bazball. Fucking hell. 16 off the first full over.

Puja

[Puja]

31 off 18 balls this morning. Fucking ridiculous.

Australia's early attacking field has been utterly dismantled and Root/Pope are now free to unleash classical cover drives and score singles at will.

ETA. Boland's first two overs have gone for 16 and 14. Feels like the treatment you'd give a spinner to hit him out of the attack.

Puja

[Banquo]

31 off 18 balls this morning. Fucking ridiculous.

Australia's early attacking field has been utterly dismantled and Root/Pope are now free to unleash classical cover drives and score singles at will.

ETA. Boland's first two overs have gone for 16 and 14. Feels like the treatment you'd give a spinner to hit him out of the attack.

Puja

Root class. Aussie attack bites back again.

[Puja]

31 off 18 balls this morning. Fucking ridiculous.

Australia's early attacking field has been utterly dismantled and Root/Pope are now free to unleash classical cover drives and score singles at will.

ETA. Boland's first two overs have gone for 16 and 14. Feels like the treatment you'd give a spinner to hit him out of the attack.

Puja

Root class. Aussie attack bites back again.

That was a glorious delivery from Cummins. Mind, he's a terrific bowler, so it's validating the argument that it's better to score 14 quick runs rather than nurdling about for 3 before you get the unplayable yorker as your 16th ball.

I think the plan has to be about discomfiting his support bowlers though. Cummins is going to do that, but if we can break the other end, it makes life so much easier because he can't bowl all day. Boland was supposed to be one of the big dangermen for Australia this series and someone who was supposed to be putting pressure on us with interminable line and length - this morning we've hit him out of the attack after just 3 overs.

Brook now going after Lyon - onto 20 from 14 balls with 12 runs off Lyon's last four balls.

Puja

[Banquo]

nice knock from Root.....but....

[Puja]

nice knock from Root.....but....

Feels like a waste to have destroyed the Australian attacking field and then not be taking 6 an over from easy singles. But, then you take the rough with the smooth, I guess - we wouldn't be in this position if Root hadn't taken risks.

Stokes is being circumspect starting off. Unusual.

Puja

[Banquo]

nice knock from Root.....but....

Feels like a waste to have destroyed the Australian attacking field and then not be taking 6 an over from easy singles. But, then you take the rough with the smooth, I guess - we wouldn't be in this position if Root hadn't taken risks.

Stokes is being circumspect starting off. Unusual.

Puja

yeah, but they aren't learning...three stumped off Lyon identically. Easy enough to milk him from the crease. Stokes knows he owes some runs I guess- he averages about 28 as skip/bazball, vs 35 as a normal player.

[Puja]

Better from England - had a few overs where things slowed down and it felt like pressure was really coming onto the batsmen trying to survive till lunch, but then Brooks decided to go for Lyon again and it's sped things up again. We don't want to lose a wicket through recklessness before lunch, but we also don't want to go into our shells and lose one through giving Australia confidence.

Puja

[Puja]

Balls. That changes things quite a bit.

Puja

[Banquo]

Balls. That changes things quite a bit.

Puja

Yup, in bother

[Puja]

Massive DRS there. Bairstow overturning LBW by an absolute whisker - he clearly reviewed just out of absolute hope and was so lucky.

That would've entirely turned the match. C'mon England, just get through to lunch.

Puja

[Banquo]

Yjb an inch away from two of the worst days in his career

[Banquo]

One fascinating thing is that England always go very hard at the start of a session. No playing yourself in again. Great, yet very nervy stuff to watch!

[Banquo]

Massive DRS there. Bairstow overturning LBW by an absolute whisker - he clearly reviewed just out of absolute hope and was so lucky.

That would've entirely turned the match. C'mon England, just get through to lunch.

Puja

Ponting, Taylor and Smith all seething on a couple of DRS decisions. They were banging on about the Stokes overturned LBW v Lyon....because the wiggly line 'isnt like the normal spike when it hits the bat'...well to me, it looked like it scraped along the bottom of the bat, which would make sense; but its besides the point as it hit him outside the line and was missing! And on YJB's LBW, that ball was shorter than the one which got Smith, and from a much taller bowler.

[Puja]

Fast scoring has changed the mood of the game, but another wicket changes it back. Bairstow has not paid back the runs he cost us from behind the stumps.

Moeen now. He'll not be sitting blocking (and he shouldn't, because it doesn't suit him), but he's a very competent batsman even if a risky one. If he gets his eye in/a bit of luck, it could be a quick 30-40 and the game dragged away from Australia. If he gets out early, then we 're likely setting far too low a target.

Puja

[Puja]

Can Stokes be the first player to break the magic mark of 46 this innings? Both Root and Brook have given away their wicket when well set at 46... and as I type now Stokes is given out LBW. Reviewing...

ETA. Piss. Tee off Moeen - our best chance is going to be battering a quick score with a counter-attack.

Puja