The Cricket Thread (part 11) - from The Champing

Curiously he waits until today to bowl his quickest on tour. The result? He gets owned by Smith in no uncertain terms. Where was this pace when it was needed? Nowhere to be seen.

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When and who were the most recent touring team to play and 3 or 4 day warm up game in any country?

Doesn’t happen these daYs.

Just about every team plays 1 or 2 3/4 day games.

Someone should check that he is ok….

on another note, it’s great to see Neser get a 5 wicket haul after being the 12th man for so long, sitting behind the long term incumbents, who to be fair, deserved to be there.

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Back in the cuck chair Archer weak coat.

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Stokes getting soooo close to understanding the arrogant folly of Bazball against strong opposition.

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Love this

“They always play their shots. If we put as many balls in the right areas they’re going to give you some chances,” said Scott Boland, who faced more deliveries in the second Test than all of Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope and Harry Brook.

They are on the verge of absolutely disintegrating over here especially after Stokes threw them under the bus

“A dressing room that I am captain of is not a place for weak men,” said Stokes.

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Yep… we’ve all seen this movie before. It’s inevitable.

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I watched a lot of this Test, and it was great viewing.

Most of you know much more about cricket than me, but I am not sure I have seen a better wicket keeper performance than Carey for a Test.

Any other games stand out for the experts for some of the great Aussie keepers ?

Also the Australian fielding was a very high standard, Neser reflexes to take both c & b were very sharp and Smiths catch was special.

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I remember Rod marsh standing up to Dennis Lillee once, when Lillee was ostensibly bowling fast leg-cutters off a very short run, and later on in his career when he wasnt tearaway fast. He banged in a bouncer at one point and marsh shook his head and dropped back. It was probably somewhere just over 130 given he just jogged in off a few paces. I’m always amazed at any keeper standing up to anything other than spin. But when the guys like Bolo and Neser are getting some up to 137 or so and the wicket is a bit up and down with cracks developing, that’s a whole other level. He only bobbled one or two, and everything else went straight in, including the Stokes catch. But mainly it anchored their guys and stopped them jumping down to change the length. So, strategically great, but huge coconuts to do it.

Haddin said it’s the best keeping he has seen.

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I think one of the things shining through this series is test cricket is won by teams who can nail the simple things more often.

Australia have been much, much better in the field. Australia’s bowlers have been far more patient than England. It’s probably line ball with the bat. But to be competitive given the first two, England needed to be stomping Australia with the bat, and they haven’t.

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root
stokes
9 Aussies

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Plus knowing when to attack and when to defend. Bazball works great if you are Mike Tyson and everyone else is Steven Hawking. Not so great when you are around equal on talent.

Talent-wise England is fine (maybe a class spinner down), but they play like millionaires.

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Root now has more Ashes centuries in Australia than wins :rofl:

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Boycott having his say :

“England are irresponsible, rubbish and too far up their backsides to care”

:rofl::rofl:

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So this is the initial exchange :rofl: -

“You only play those shots when there’s not much on the score, mate,” the Englishman said to Smith.

Returning serve, the Aussie star said: “You only bowl fast when there’s nothing going on, champion.”

I do think it’s a little personal for Smith, because people bring up the concussion incident and he’s always keen to point out that Archer has never taken his wicket.

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Not the harshest sledge I’ve ever heard :zany_face:

Nah, all of it was very tame.

There might have been a few other things said when they were in each other’s faces , perhaps :rofl: