The Ashes

[BillyStubbsTears]

If we can get to the new ball without losing a wicket I think we’ll do it.

[IDM]

Tough ask..

It is do-able with Root still in, but if I was a betting man I would say we won't get past 250, unfortunately.

Hope I am wrong!

[Filo]

Woakes is in as night**tchman, but he can bat, he needs to stay with Root tomorrow, Moeen and Bairstow can bat and Overton showed in the first innings he can stick around. The key is getting through the first session intact

[Mike_F]

If Malan could've just held out to the end of the day I'd call it 50/50 but the Aussies have to be favourites going into the last day now. That said, I thought it was all over after the Aussies' declaration so what do I  know?!

[Donnywolf]

Think its a bridge too far and "Gary" will eventually see us off ! Love to be wrong though !

God I hate all the false oohs and aahs when the ball is nowhere near getting a wicket - and the incessant "well bowled Gaza " Nice one Gary" etc etc. Both teams as bad and its annoying (mostly me probably)

[Geoff Blakesley]

it was seat of your pants stuff listening to TMS through the night and this morning. Even the commentators were too nervous to sit down. Aussies still strong favourites but at least we are still in it and have a chance. Those that have paid thousands to be there have at least had something to cheer about. Come on England and Jonny Bairstow to hit the winning run !

[Filo]

It was pure comedy watching the barmy army take the piss out of Smith and Smith biting

[wing commander]

I think we are going to come up short but boy if we could have only batted to par in the 1st innings

[roversontheup]

Am I missing the blindingly obvious......why do they call Nathan Lyon Gary and Gaza?
Really need Root and Woakes to stay put and add runs in the morning. Will be tough with Cummins getting reverse spin and Lyon weaving his magic.

[JonWallsend]

Am I missing the blindingly obvious......why do they call Nathan Lyon Gary and Gaza?
Really need Root and Woakes to stay put and add runs in the morning. Will be tough with Cummins getting reverse spin and Lyon weaving his magic.

Not the blinding obvious at all unless you're an Aussie Rules fan.  Apparently a famous player of that particular code called Gary Lyon to whom Nathan Lyon owes the Gaz moniker

[Filo]

Tough ask..

It is do-able with Root still in, but if I was a betting man I would say we won't get past 250, unfortunately.

Hope I am wrong!

Good prediction, we suffered from our usual batting collapse again

[selby]

  The selecters have been poor,they should have taken Woods and Pluncket for pace and Rashid as a spinner.

[Draytonian III]

I don't think the bowling is the fault, it's the batting,Cook has hardly scored a run , Vince and Malan are very good cricketers but not international standard, but there again who do replace them with. Bairstow should be batting at 5  not 8, the Australians have been sledging him big style but not about the head but,really hope it's not about his dad, if so he should t*@t the next one that makes a comment, well out of order .

[Filo]

They should be adjusting the batting order so they don't have two left handers in at the same time, Nathan Lyon is not half as effective against right hander

[Dutch Uncle]

I don't think the bowling is the fault, it's the batting,Cook has hardly scored a run , Vince and Malan are very good cricketers but not international standard, but there again who do replace them with. Bairstow should be batting at 5  not 8, the Australians have been sledging him big style but not about the head but,really hope it's not about his dad, if so he should t*@t the next one that makes a comment, well out of order .

I would be surprised if the sledging that 'crossed the line' is not about his Dad. Despicable if so. Wonder if stump mikes picked up anything

[The Red Baron]

I don't think the bowling is the fault, it's the batting,Cook has hardly scored a run , Vince and Malan are very good cricketers but not international standard, but there again who do replace them with. Bairstow should be batting at 5  not 8, the Australians have been sledging him big style but not about the head but,really hope it's not about his dad, if so he should t*@t the next one that makes a comment, well out of order .

I would be surprised if the sledging that 'crossed the line' is not about his Dad. Despicable if so. Wonder if stump mikes picked up anything

Maybe that's why he said he'd take things further - whatever that means.

[BillyStubbsTears]

Hateful players, the Australians. Bullies when on top. Whining bairns when they are losing.

[The Red Baron]

Hateful players, the Australians. Bullies when on top. Whining bairns when they are losing.

Douglas Jardine knew how to deal with them.

[BillyStubbsTears]

It’s fine being hard men when you’re winning. It’s losing that brings out your true character. Ive rarely seen an Austrialian side lose the Ashes with dignity.

[Filo]

It’s fine being hard men when you’re winning. It’s losing that brings out your true character. Ive rarely seen an Austrialian side lose the Ashes with dignity.

The Captain usually cry's and blubbers in front of the camera before resigning


All charcteristics of their Penal background 😀

[Dutch Uncle]

Hateful players, the Australians. Bullies when on top. Whining bairns when they are losing.

Douglas Jardine knew how to deal with them.

But, unlike Root, he had the quickest bowler on his side

[wing commander]

    it's going forward that worry's me,We win at home because we have Anderson but at 36 his time is coming to a end now and Stuart Broad hasn't shown much form with anything for a while for me no real strike bowlers coming through...We don't have a spinner of any quality at all either..

      Then there's the batting,at a time when we should be thinking of Cook's replacement we are still looking to find him a partner capable,and there are spots available if anybody has the skill to cement them...The rest of the squad seem to like a ale far to much for there own good...

     I had a couple of days at Trent bridge against the South Africans in the summer (our worst two days of the summer) we said then that we might be heading for a poor few years until some new players come through..

[The Red Baron]

WC

Seam bowling is the least of our worries, I think. Woakes is a very good bowler in English conditions and can take over the mantle from Jimmy, who has never done great things in Australia.

The big worries for me are spin bowling and batting. Since the last Ashes tour we've lost Trott, Bell and KP and only found one quality replacement in Root. Arguably we haven't had a solid opening partnership since Strauss retired. The same can be said with the spin department re Swann. Although I rate Moeen and think there must be a reason (injury probably) why he's bowling so poorly at the moment.

Problem is that the county set up (lots of T20, cuts in the number of Championship games) isn't producing spinners or bowlers of real pace, and batsmen are not used to playing long innings. I do agree with your basic point though. England have some lean years to come, certainly in Test cricket.

[Filo]

Yet another batting collapse this morning, after Bairstow and Malan put us in a commanding position

[wing commander]

    We really miss Stokes down there don't we...Basically the last 5 wickets are worth about 70 runs it would seem without him..Woakes and Moeen have been shocking and Stuart Broad can count himself lucky we don't have a decent bowler with pace else he would be carrying the drinks for me..Not offering much in any aspect of the game at the minute..

[wing commander]

  I will say this though..If Stokes was Australian or a similar thing would have happened to one of there best players I bet either they would have fast tracked the investigation or he would still be playing anyway..

[Filo]

  I will say this though..If Stokes was Australian or a similar thing would have happened to one of there best players I bet either they would have fast tracked the investigation or he would still be playing anyway..

I agree, I don't think Warner was prevented from playing when he chinned Joe Root a few years ago

[NickDRFC]

  I will say this though..If Stokes was Australian or a similar thing would have happened to one of there best players I bet either they would have fast tracked the investigation or he would still be playing anyway..

I agree, I don't think Warner was prevented from playing when he chinned Joe Root a few years ago

Probably because Root didn't press charges.

[Filo]

What I don't get with the England batting is that not one of them has the mindset to dig in when required, they just throw their wicket away. Take Broad for example this morning, a decent batsman before he got t**tted in the face a couple of years ago, he's trying to launch one for 6 and gets out, he should be staying there and picking up 1's and 2's, and waiting for the odd loose delivery to crack for a boundry

[Donnywolf]

Looking ominous tomorrow - how DO they get Smith out ? He looks like he could bat forever and only looked in trouble when the short ball hit him and rolled agonisingly (for us) back towards the Stumps but he swatted it away

Best thing is keep him off strike and try for the others - but a) that's easy for me to say and b) "the others" tend to do what our tail end Batsman dont as Filo has highlighted just above