OT - The Ashes

[Hank shoots Skyler 2,094]

3 minutes ago, Satriales said:

Calm down. It was a fantastic innings.

Sorry but he should be making at least 350 there

[Captain Holt 522]

One of the great England cricket days.

[Feedthewolf 4,901]

Still wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes declare and have a few overs at them tonight. We've got to take 10 wickets to win the Test match, we're excellent chasers, and the weather's coming in...

[Top corner 230]

3 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Still wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes declare and have a few overs at them tonight. We've got to take 10 wickets to win the Test match, we're excellent chasers, and the weather's coming in...

I can see Stokes declaring around lunchtime tomorrow. 

[Feedthewolf 4,901]

Just now, Top corner said:

I can see Stokes declaring around lunchtime tomorrow. 

He's a difficult man to second-guess... will be interested to see who's right!

[Aggy 766]

46 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

I wouldn't be declaring, with the batting left we can go full on 20/20 mode now and smash past 500 fairly easily then bowl the Aussies out without the need to come back out to chase anything, we should be securing an innings victory from here

Would probably agree. Weather for the last two days isn’t great and think with this many wickets in hand you’d hope we’d get a 150ish lead which might win it either without needing to bat again or without needing too many knocking off. Not sure we’d want to be chasing 200 in the gloom and rain.

[Satriales 703]

I reckon once one of these two get out, they'll go full on one day mode aka Bazball.

[Feedthewolf 4,901]

Wowsers, that kept incredibly low! Let's hope we can bowl a few of those when it's our turn...

[Satriales 703]

1 minute ago, Feedthewolf said:

Wowsers, that kept incredibly low! Let's hope we can bowl a few of those when it's our turn...

That wicket was kind of bad and good news at the same time! Still, England need to get a lead of 100 plus before we get too confident.

[Feedthewolf 4,901]

7 minutes ago, Satriales said:

That wicket was kind of bad and good news at the same time! Still, England need to get a lead of 100 plus before we get too confident.

I can't see us losing this Test from here, given the weather forecast. It's just a case of whether we can take 10 wickets before the heavens open! 

[dylanisabaddog 5,031]

Oh dear. Starc has hurt his left shoulder 

[king canary 7,681]

37 minutes ago, Feedthewolf said:

Still wouldn't be surprised to see Stokes declare and have a few overs at them tonight. We've got to take 10 wickets to win the Test match, we're excellent chasers, and the weather's coming in...

No chance.

England's best chance of winning is by doing it by an innings. They'll thrash and try and get a lead of 200 odd by middle of play tomorrow.

[Feedthewolf 4,901]

5 minutes ago, king canary said:

No chance.

England's best chance of winning is by doing it by an innings. They'll thrash and try and get a lead of 200 odd by middle of play tomorrow.

You're right, of course, but you know what Stokes is like... last thing the Aussies would expect! Bit late now anyway. We'll come back for a bit of T20 in the morning and see what happens

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,868]

1 hour ago, king canary said:

No chance.

England's best chance of winning is by doing it by an innings. They'll thrash and try and get a lead of 200 odd by middle of play tomorrow.

Can't see Stokes taking that approach. I reckon they'll go full Bazball in the morning and declare around 12.30 with a lead of around 170-180. 

[TheGunnShow 6,029]

Not much of a cricket fan, but reckon England will throw the kitchen sink, taps, piping, and chuck in the bathroom as a job lot, and the Aussies will probably block, block and block again hoping for the weather to cause carnage.

[Wroxham Bridge 24]

Sadly I was there on Wednesday in the Party Stand Row 48 and surprisingly my Fitbit said it was very good workout day with trips to bar and loos. So it was TMS  this morning until I got back home to Sky. I grew up in the Boycott era and my batting was based on him and whilst Crawley's cover drives are something I could only dream about playing I still find them infuriating when he loosely drives and edges behind.

 

[Branston Pickle 3,709]

2 hours ago, king canary said:

No chance.

England's best chance of winning is by doing it by an innings. They'll thrash and try and get a lead of 200 odd by middle of play tomorrow.

200 ahead by the middle of the day?  They’ll be there before lunch!!  Unless it rains….

[Midlands Yellow 4,114]

3 hours ago, king canary said:

No chance.

England's best chance of winning is by doing it by an innings. They'll thrash and try and get a lead of 200 odd by middle of play tomorrow.

Missed a trick if the weather people are calling it correct. Maybe no play before lunch tomorrow and Saturday and Sunday’s forecasts are sh1t. 

[king canary 7,681]

4 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

Missed a trick if the weather people are calling it correct. Maybe no play before lunch tomorrow and Saturday and Sunday’s forecasts are sh1t. 

Not sure I understand how a trick has been missed? If two days are rained off declaring tonight while 50 ahead makes no difference at all. 

I'd maybe understand if this pitch was doing lots or the conditions were ripe for swing but they weren't. Declaring tonight would have allowed Australia to block, kill time and wait for the weather with minimal pressure.

[Midlands Yellow 4,114]

Just now, king canary said:

Not sure I understand how a trick has been missed? If two days are rained off declaring tonight while 50 ahead makes no difference at all. 

I'd maybe understand if this pitch was doing lots or the conditions were ripe for swing but they weren't. Declaring tonight would have allowed Australia to block, kill time and wait for the weather with minimal pressure.

You could be correct it’s just opinions. Ironically the scoring rate slowed down post tea when I’d guessed we’d throw bat on every ball. Could have been near a hundred ahead and had them in for ten overs tonight. There’s little time left to force a result in a must win test when you see the weather forecast. 

[canarydan23 4,066]

42 minutes ago, Midlands Yellow said:

You could be correct it’s just opinions. Ironically the scoring rate slowed down post tea when I’d guessed we’d throw bat on every ball. Could have been near a hundred ahead and had them in for ten overs tonight. There’s little time left to force a result in a must win test when you see the weather forecast. 

I was surprised when Brook and Stokes shut up shop. Tomorrow should probably see a good few hours play, but at the moment the forecast for Saturday and Sunday is awful, quick conceivable both days will be a wash out. A real shame.

Edited July 20, 2023 by canarydan23

[Ken Hairy 3,782]

The problem we will have is the Aussies can't win now, and don't actually need to so they will clearly bat for a draw which means our bowlers have to be totally on it as I don't see the Aussies being reckless and giving us cheap wickets.

[canarydan23 4,066]

Carey's fumbled a clear opportunity to run Stokes out. Let's hope that costs them a good few runs.

[Herman 9,842]

Bit of a pre-lunch collapse. Get a 200 run lead, just, and then the rest of the afternoon to try and skittle out the Aussies.

[TheGunnShow 6,029]

1 hour ago, Herman said:

Bit of a pre-lunch collapse. Get a 200 run lead, just, and then the rest of the afternoon to try and skittle out the Aussies.

Exactly what I was thinking. Throw the bat at it after lunch and go after the Aussies after half-an-hour of batting or being all out, whichever comes first.

[canarydan23 4,066]

11 minutes ago, Herman said:

Bit of a pre-lunch collapse. Get a 200 run lead, just, and then the rest of the afternoon to try and skittle out the Aussies.

Whilst Wood will not be happy to have gotten out, he'd have been delighted to see how the ball that got him bounced low.

[king canary 7,681]

17 minutes ago, Herman said:

Bit of a pre-lunch collapse. Get a 200 run lead, just, and then the rest of the afternoon to try and skittle out the Aussies.

It's positive to see the new ball flying around though. Anderson, Broad, Wood and Woakes in good bowling conditions is exactly what we want. Bit of a post lunch thrash and either we'll be all out or declare up by 220.

[Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Man 3,868]

Oh, great. 

Might be worth declaring ten minutes before play is due to restart.

[Herman 9,842]

A much better lead than was expected. 

[Indy 3,323]

Credit to the English players and Bairstow, raised their game since that stupid run out, seams to have galvanised the team. Good on them and says something about playing the game fairly!