I only remember Richardson wearing it late in the day, assuming around stumps. Pretty sure each ground had a working clock
Is it jusy my cynicism/pessimism that leads me to believe that Engalnd would have learnt from the Jacks/stokes partnership and will bounce back in Adelaide?
Also, as they aim to bat at break neck speed, why bat first? Surely take advantage of whatever is in the pitch on the first morning and as they trying to bat quickly, they wont get to day 4 or 5.
Greg Chappell article in todayâs Age about whatâs gone wrong with Englandâs approach
In âdoormatâ battle, Australia are walking over England
GREG CHAPPELL
The first two Ashes Tests have provided a stark, painful lesson for England, raising serious questions not only about their tactical approach but about the selfawareness of the leadership group. Their catastrophic failure, an echo of past collapses, can be neatly framed by the psychological phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.
In essence, the Dunning-Kruger effect describes a cognitive bias where people with low competence in a skill or field suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly rating their ability as much higher than average. Conversely, highly competent people often underestimate their relative skill.
In the context of English cricketâs game plan â the aggressive, often reckless approach dubbed ââBazballââ â the effect manifests as an overly positive spin on achievements and an unwillingness to accept that a method successful on flat English pitches and small grounds is unsuited to the demanding conditions and quality opposition found in Australia.
The failure that has ensued across the first two Tests is a whole-of-system one, a catastrophic breakdown of both the game plan and its execution. While the players have been the immediate culprits, the off-field leaders â Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes â are equally responsible for not recognising the different challenges presented by Test cricket in Australia.
At its core, Test cricket is a precise, high-stakes battle for control over a piece of real estate the size of an average doormat. This is the danger zone on the pitch, typically between four and six metres from the batsman. The bowlerâs primary job is to hit this area consistently, creating pressure and maximising the avenues for dismissal. The batsmanâs response must be to put the pressure back on the bowler by scoring off any delivery that misses this zone â driving anything over-pitched, and using cross-bat shots for anything short or wide.
About 80 per cent of wickets in Test cricket fall to balls pitching in this zone, as every form of dismissal is in play. The shocking corollary to this is that in a typical Test, only about 30 per cent of deliveries land in this area. The more successful bowling units hit this area more regularly.
Englandâs collective failure stems from their apparent inability, or refusal, to recognise and compete for this sacred piece of turf. Apart from Jofra Archer â and to a lesser extent Mark Wood â in the first innings in Perth, the England bowlers have been atrocious, bowling consistently too short and too wide.
This would not appear to be a failure of ability; they have previously demonstrated the skill and patience required. Instead, it appears to be a disastrous tactical directive â a belief that persistent short-pitched bowling will overwhelm the Australians. This approach fundamentally limits the avenues for dismissal, as bowled and lbw are taken out of the equation. If this wasnât the preplanned strategy, then the failure of the captain, coach, or bowling coach to intervene and correct the line and length is equally damning.
The impotence of the English attack harks back to some of the most frustrating collective bowling efforts in recent Ashes history: Adelaide, 2013:Australiaâs 9-570 declared was posted at an economy rate of approximately 3.6 runs per over across 158 overs, with every frontline bowler conceding big runs; albeit on a docile drop-in pitch. Lordâs, 2023: Australiaâs 416 all out was scored at a modern economy rate of 4.13 runs per over across 100.4 overs â a failure to contain the scoring over a full innings in non-hostile conditions.
Archer has been unable to back up session after session, as Mitchell Starc has done, while Woodâs body is again failing. Gus Atkinson has lacked penetration and Brydon Carse has lacked consistent control. That Englandâs attack failed to fire a shot in Brisbane and Perth â the two venues where they should have been best placed to exploit an Australian team with injuries and a vulnerable batting line-up â is galling.
The batting unit has mirrored the failures of the bowlers, playing far too many glory shots ill-suited to the conditions. Joe Rootâs century in Brisbane was the exception, a magnificent exhibition of traditional Test-match construction. It was a demonstration of the core batting basics: an athletic stance, adapting to the bowlerâs rhythm, seeing the ball out of the hand and responding by playing each ball on its merits.
Yet the rest of the line-up has abrogated this responsibility. To see the Australian lower order, specifically Starc, batting with patience and application â and looking like a top-order batsman as he drove home the advantage in Brisbane â should force the remaining England batsmen, and Australiaâs Cameron Green, to ask themselves why they are incapable, or not prepared to do the hard work.
The case of Harry Brook is perhaps the most disappointing. While he has looked like a superstar on flat tracks in England, he has looked anything but in more testing Australian conditions. Unless he shows some respect for the opposition and the pitch, he risks being remembered as a comet that shone brightly for a moment before disappearing into the black hole of history.
McCullum may not be flattered by the ââBazballââ moniker, but nothing done on this tour has suggested that the descriptor is anything more than an excuse to avoid the hard work required for success.
The body language and public comments of the players suggest they believe they have been unlucky, when the truth is they have pursued a failed game plan that has been exposed as more fluff than substance. When you start feeling sorry for yourself, it is a downward spiral. The adage, ââWhat you fear is what you get,ââ appears to be playing out painfully for England.
This two-Test performance is one of the most catastrophic by an English attack in Australia in recent memory. The doomsayers of both English and Test cricket as a whole will have a field day.
Stokes said at the end of the second Test that some of his players have failed to cope with pressure. I agree, and I donât think those who have been found wanting can come back. Personnel changes will be required for Adelaide, but this team has been embarrassed.
The bad news is that Englandâs attack may become even more exposed as Archer is unlikely to be able to back up for all three remaining Tests and Wood must be a doubtful starter. Unless Matthew Potts or Josh Tongue can bring some leadership and sense to the bowling unit before the third Test, I have concerns for their ability to change the narrative.
The better news, however, is they have three Tests; a window, albeit a shrinking one, in which to abandon the illusion of certainty and confront reality. This group has the chance to salvage the reputations and careers of many of the players and coaches involved.
These matches will determine if they can adapt and prove themselves competent, or if they will continue to suffer from the tragic illusion of the Dunning-Kruger effect, blinded by overconfidence.
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Yes. Anything they may have learnt will be forgotten on the beach/golf course up in Noosa.
Ok, look like he could be in.
Apparently Trav thinks he is opening and that the talk is Khawaja will bat instead of Inglis
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Thatâs just wild. Heâs stunk it up for two years, why the golden ticket back (if it happens).
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wtf is the point? At 39. When we are 2-0 up in the series. Where he hasnât performed for literal years. When we have a plethora of other options more suited to the middle. Who are all significantly younger than he is. In a team already boasting perhaps too many senior players.
FWIW, I like Inglis but I would prefer to see a few others in there such as Slug or McSweeney (even Patterson), but he should keep his spot if the alternative is Khawaja.
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I donât trust either Inglis or Khawaja to get through spells of good bowling at test level but Inglis is damn good in the field (that run out was elite) and Khawaja is a liability.
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I have mixed feelings about it.
Which is to say not entirely negative.
Iâm more interested in how you getâŚ
Neser
Cummins
Starc
Boland
Lyon
Into the same team.
You canât.
Win this and we can do whatever the hell we want with selection on a Melbourne/Sydney victory lap.
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Apparently weâre playing a Test against Bangladesh next year in Mackay???
Mackay. Really.
Why not Townsville?
I thought we had 2 against them. One in Darwin Iâm guessing. Thatâs March 2027
We do.
As far as Iâve read the other venue is TBA.
If I had my way, the second Test would be at Marvel.
Edit: still should be at Townsville, not Mackay.
I dunno, have they scored a massive government grant for a stadium?
Iâm pretty sure the ICC doesnât allow test cricket at venues with a roof.
But I agree, a test at Marvel would be great. You can rock up knowing youâll get a full days play.
All the media keep saying next year but I was certain it was in 2027 as the T20 WC is next year.
Mackay has had a crap load spent on and is a decent venue
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Goddamn itâs hard to find our actual international schedule for next year.
Thereâs a T20 tournament in Sri Lanka in February?
Is that right?
And weâve got Bangladesh earlyâŚ
I meanâŚwhat are we doing?
Yes, Iâve already kinda moved on.
Well, thatâs stupid.
At the very least we should get rid of that for B (under 8th) teams.
Bangladesh, Ireland, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan.
Iâm almost certain that our next tests are against South Africa over there in September and that Bangladesh is here in 2027 just before the 150th Ashes test
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As a matter of faaactâŚ
I meanâŚthat could be a permanent fixture.
One Test every year at Marvel.
Late Feb, early March.
Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Afghanistan.
We could do the right thing and host them.
Itâll be over in three days, but fine.
Doesnât interfere with schedules.
We could try out our potential teams going forward.
Win win win.