The Cricket Thread

[dvdhopeful]

It's been done to death a little now, but England did have an answer to the short stuff. They should have done as Stokes did that evening and just ride it out. However they chose to go after everything and IIRC none of the top order got out because they couldn't avoid the bouncer - it was the opposite; they went chasing the bouncers for runs and kept holing out in the deep.

Exactly, let's not get bogged down in, 'our players aren't good enough', they are plenty good enough.

I think it was in the excellent article just linked, the Aussies went to bumpers because they had nothing else left, we were 180 for 1, this was them doing something different before shruggling and then going back to what didn't work.

For whatever reason, stupidity, hubris, complete lack of awareness etc England didn't see that and a couple of sessions later we are all out and the Aussies are laughing all the way back to the pavillion.

Not having the 'We aren't good enough', it's lazy, 'We aren't clever enough'? Yea sadly I'd concede that.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Kind of - but it was more they tried to belt every bit of the short stuff with sometimes 4 players out on the hook - it wasn't the good aggressive play we've seen, and I am a fan of 'Bazball' and think it;s a breath of fresh air - but it was brainless yesterday.

Have to give credit to the aussies, as they gave england the exact rope they needed to hang themselves, and executed it perfectly - but it wasn't a genius plan, or unplayable - they could have easily ducked some of it - Aus perfectly goaded a team to do something stupid.

Apart from Brook actually, who looked worryingly like he couldn't handle anything short at all, and will get peppered all series now I would think.

Was a painful watch.

Looks like our new set up will need to look at how they are going to play this short stuff and work on it

 

[Cel]

Looks like our new set up will need to look at how they are going to play this short stuff and work on it

Yes. I think it's a case that anything pitched up can be countered with skill and timing, to a certain extent.

Hooking anything short is just a more difficult shot to control, and with that comes a much, much higher risk, Keeping an eye on anything aimed at your head at 90 mph I assume is more difficult, your arms are much further away from your body, the bat travels further etc etc etc.

Has been said already, but you can only bowl 2 an over, and it tires the bowlers out. Just skip it, scoring so well, it's not necessary.

 

[PCozzie]

That’s true to some extent but the short stuff unnerves you and it clearly works on most of this lot

Very fast, accurate short stuff is an art and the Aussie attack are doing it very well atm

The one you get out to might not be a great ball and or a shocking shot but it’s a process

Oh sure I don't disagree, and as short stuff goes, they were accurate and pretty quick. But this is where it comes down to the rub for England. Are they playing a Test match, or a five-day T20? That 10-over spell was the one period of play in our first innings when the Aussies came up with an attacking plan and stuck to it. England needed to understand the situation, realise that it couldn't last very long, and just sit in. The runs would then be on offer for the last hour from Steve Smith and Travis Head when the quicks were done. We'd have been 220-1 when the part-timers came on instead of 250-4 with just Bairstow and the tail left.

Anyway, what's done is done and there's a mighty job on now to save the test and series.

 

[dvdhopeful]

Going to be made so much worse when we try the same short ball tactic and the Aussies just blank us....

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

Another drop

but Smith on the next one!

 

[SE Spurs]

The biggest difference between the two sides in this series has been the fielding. The catching has been awful

 

[Timbo Tottenham]

Going to be made so much worse when we try the same short ball tactic and the Aussies just blank us....

I regret winnering this now

 

[dvdhopeful]

I left to bath my daughter, 2 wickets down, off to bath her again..... She will be raging, just ripped her off her mum's boob, for the greater good.

 

[0-Tibsy-0]

Good catch by root

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

If we can restrict Australia to less than 400, I fancy our chances…that’s a huge if, though.

 

[dvdhopeful]

No balls, fucking no balls

 

[ukdy]

At the cricket..... talks about the cricket... so I put it here!

 

[Monkeyman]

No balls, fucking no balls

It's actually a joke how many no balls they've bowled in these two matches.

 

[dvdhopeful]

Just shows a lack of discipline which I think has shown in the batting.

'Bazball' was all about controlled, calculated aggression, feels like it's moved into 'do what you want territory' at the moment.

 

[dvdhopeful]

Lyon is going to bat, this could be interesting

 

[SixtyFour]

As if an aussie was going to say, «nah, count me out, the legs a bit sore…»

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

As if an aussie was going to say, «nah, count me out, the legs a bit sore…»

Much more likely to hear ‘just give the ball a quick rub with this sandpaper’

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

Just shows a lack of discipline which I think has shown in the batting.

'Bazball' was all about controlled, calculated aggression, feels like it's moved into 'do what you want territory' at the moment.

They’ve bowled excellently given the circumstances, they’ve adapted to the situation and as Atherton has said, bowled in a way they wouldn’t be prepared to bat.

And it’s worked.

But we’ll go at the target and lose anyway

 

[SE Spurs]

This is crazy. Why the fuck the Aussies have sent out Lyon is beyond me. Tells me his series is done.

They've got more than enough runs. England ain't getting near 350+ against this short pitch stuff.