England v Australia.

Let them see the series out in empty stadiums simple really

An utter joke that deserves the embarrassment of empty stadiums

Can't we just forfeit the last two tests ?

It pi33es me off they played the moral game and then produce this pathetic cowardly performance

There's no point busting a gut Mr Wood, even if you leave them needing 250 they won't get near it so fook em mate

Only Stokes capable currently of handling high quality bowling.

must be expecting some rain interruptions considering the draw is only 6/1

But harsh Sonts

Quite an even balance Bettye teams although they have the better bowlers, better batters, better catchers and better tic tac’s

I think the weather has evened things up a bit, they have generally had the worst of it.

I love this Stokes guy but someone somewhere has to be the adult in the room. The side is unbalanced and we need a wicket keeper. Some of the select and combinations have been lamentable.

Whilst I deplore the ground and pound arroyos Strauss and Cook, there is a time and a place. We have not ground the Aussies down and that has cost us.

Quite an even balance between the teams

Stokes is great to watch and a terrific player but he needs to change gear now and again.  It;s like going all-in at the poker, all of the time.  There;s always the "once" coming when you go out.  Half an hour of Alf Tupper then an hour of Boycott would work so much better.  In my view.

I think he has an incredible grasp of what to do and when that is why it is all the more galling the way he got out at Lords. He was literally alone and adrift and knew he had to get the runs himself. Imho he made a mistake and after an hour and a half should have trusted Broad. The pressure of conversing 2 or 3 singles an over builds into a torrent.

The thing J have with Stokes is he is not prepared to concede mistakes now that might be a necessary quality of leadership or sporting genius but it does not wash with me. If you lose a match and say you would not have changed a thing is stupid. I can understand the need to not admit mistakes in public but do not try and pull the wool over my eyes.

The wicket keeping situation is grave. Johnny is not as bad as most have said. He has been half decent in the past but this series he had been sub club, not just poor but a liability that may have cost England a chance if regaining The Ashes.

The problem is really how do you balance a team that needs 4 seamers and a spinner if Stokes cannot bowl. I understand the locker is bare but I think selections have also contributed and this has not been acknowledged. Robinson should never have played this Test.

Contrary to opinion again I think this series has been gripping. Aus are by far the better team with better bowlers, batsman, wicket keeper and catchers and yet England could and perhaps be 2 zip up with the prospect of securing The Ashes on Monday. Apart from having the best of the weather I cannot fathom how!

alistair cook rates stokes ahead of beefy( but admits didnt really see botham ),

No way!

Botham was unbelievable!

What Stokes has done with the bat to win things and recently not to have been nothing short of genius. Cricket is Art and the artist Stokes is up there at times with Michelangelo.

I haven’t got time to go into it now but it would make a great thread.

Botham for me

I haven’t got time to go into it now but it would make a great thread.

I, for one, would enjoy this thread.

They should be pitching it up, for the most part, here.

If they're determined not to, Wood ought to be the one aiming at Carey and Head.

They might be keeping Wood fresh for a go at another tail-end mop up, if they get the chance.

Either way, gotta make the most of this.

Not dissimilar to the period that Australia nicked off our openers under the clouds in the first Test.

Maybe they just don't want to dismiss them too quickly, so they can avoid Starc and Cummins in this

Can't be chasing more than 200 on this wicket

250 we're beat in my opinion

180 ish wed have a shot

Get them out and get just stop oil to throw jigsaw pieces on the wicket... Delay the game until tomorrow morning

Bairstow knocked these off in

You would like to think we'll take care of this match from here.

...under 20 overs last Summer

Whatever happens from here (and I'd rather take Aus at 2/1 than lay it)...

It would be remarkable if we found ourselves 0-3 after the situations we've had in each of the matches.

This is England though slippy

165/6 when that went down and I'm still wishing we had them 60 runs less than that

Who can forget us chasing 142 vs Pakistan in 2012 and getting spun out for 72

Jeeeeeez - JB even did his best to engineer a **** up with that catch

Love Brook's nonchalance.

Nah all over

Not getting 250 on this

Utter filth after the 8th went down, fook knows what happens when the tail is in thinking wise

half an hour of england slogging tonight

Had £45 on Australia at 3.1, we win ill take the loss but dont think we will sadly

Theres no way its a draw surely?

No rain tomorrow so finishes tomorrow regardless

even with another full day washed out wouldn't be a draw imo

england 1/3 overnight 10 wickets in hand needing another 224

well england have done well today .. its for them to lose it now but surely they won't

Duckett pretty much a walking wicket but if he gets 30/40 theyll win obviously

as long as they realise they have 2 full days to get the runs not 20 overs.

a walking wicket that keeps coming off according to his stats though Sonts'...

terrific session..think Head's a la Stokes' inns may prove pivotal

Eng incredibly skinny at 3s on

be handy if smn could replicate Butch's 2001 inns here

either gonna fall 30/40 runs short due to nearly ALL the batsmen's proclivity to keep playing balls that don't need playing resulting in giving wkts away

or,fingers crossed,if we can have some required test match discipline we could nick this

Openers can get through the first hour tomorrow, England will be 1-20 to win.

They make 100 partnership and then Root and co will get them over the line as they will enter the play relaxed.

27/0 is a good start in five overs!!

50 odd for 2 and Root to drop anchor and bat around him. If he goes cheap will need Stokes or Woakes to dig in.

Ive just got this feeling we’ll be 50/4 with some stinkers for dismissals

Starc and Cummins will love these conditions as well

Good start by England better than 30-3

See off the new ball. Keep taking singles. Bazball stylee!

a decent start albeit not w/o luck so far

morons

2 full days to knock off 250

shots like that are why we struggle.brain dead.

Looks like Aussies been at it again.

2 forward defensive shots,suddenly the ball had a snick of leather sticking out,penknife in pocket gate.
Swapped the ball

New ball swinging 40% more than old ball.

The newer balls that replace damaged balls are always harder have they ve not been used,are not warm.

Very lucky to get a rip in the leather,even though the ball never left the crease.

Stokes with no pressure

great shot ginger moron

2 full days to knock off 250...and they're trying to do it in 2 sessions pure comedy

Bairstow has had a mare of ashes series

It’s the way I playq

I am speechless. All they need is 2 an over. Just push straight balls past the bowler for singles and leave the high ones, wide ones and leg side ones ALONE.

How are England favourites

Jul 9, 2023 -- 2:20PM, Whisperingdeath wrote:

It’s the way I playq

that old chestnut

I play with zero patience & bad technique, suck it up

Next it will be “they can’t play under pressure”

This is very ugly to watch.

if we cant chase the wide ones down the leg or outside off we can always whack the short one to one of the 3 waiting fielders on the boundary.just waiting for the calamity run out,its on its way.

I do t think so Slippy

I think it is engrossing. Excellent thought process by these two batters and a Bazball has been effective as Cummins has not bowled a possible trump in Murphy through fear. Big mistake not trying him before lunch.

This is what Stokes should have done in the last Test with Broad when Aus changed tic tacs.

Good cricket from England, particularly restoring a brooks to 5

1.12..dunno about that..Oz still not out of this with a cpl of wkts

Brook has ridden his luck as has Woakes but absolutely invaluable p'ship
get it down to 20 0dd with these 2 still in

even this lot couldn't fk up from there,could they?
30r 4 of these so called batters shouldn't be donning an Eng shirt again

gripping stuff

no finer sport or drama than a well matched ,tense test match

100% jtb

1st 50 partnership

pmsl idiot

great knock,hopefully a match winning one, but dude u shouldn't be getting out like that

It’s time for Broady!

Well played Brooks!

Again good move to let Wood have a thrash first but I hope he has a little look first

played well but top players of the past made sure they were there at the end, not give it away

666666666666666

2 hits now haha

now only 1 5/6th hits

haha

wondersobright 09 Jul 23 15:25 
played well but top players of the past made sure they were there at the end, not give it away

technically correct wonders but we can cut him a bit of slack

not only have Woakes & Wood bowled well but looks like we have found our new opening p'ship as well

what Woakes has done is fully apply himself unlike the bloated ginger b4 him

the ashes are up for grabs

Another enjoyable and enthralling test match.

We should be 2-1 up though.

superb sport fair play

i have been somewhat critical of McC but misread his modus pensandi
obviously a boxing purist employing the ALI/Foreman rope-a-dope
deliberately lose the 1st 2 tests only to come storming back to win the ensuing 3
to make an Ashes victory all the more sweet!

Yup

That is why I love this game.

Much better from England. Bazball certainly did for Cummins, very negative fields,. Gave far too many singles through fear of conceding 4’s

Modus pensandi!

I like that. Fat fingers!

I'll take the bet loss

Fair play we finally got one done no white wash at least

I could have greened but not much as I doubt the Aussies went major short

Time to put Root in as WK in my opinion, just to get Bairstow off it

Also I doubt Old Trafford will be as lively wicket wise?

Need to get Anderson back in but who to drop?

Might be Broads turn to sit out

tongue for robinson?

Aye

I dont rate Robinson hes so slow its painful

80mph he was bowling at in that second test, medium pace rubbish

Tongue and Anderson in Robinson and Broad out would be my take. They might recall Livingstone to bat at 3 but I would stick Root there.

Great match and next two at OT and The Oval will be too.

Only downer is the price of tickets, looked to get a couple for a day at Manchester a few weeks ago, looking at north of £500/pair. No idea what face value is but not paying those rip off prices.

cant see broad being dropped.foakes for bairstow? or give bairstow one more chance?.head looks gone to me

only thing i can see tickets wise is approx 1200 each with hospitality  first 4 days, but premium tickets at £125 for day 5

beyond obvious that foakes should be recalled and bairstow go back to just batting. really doesn't matter who opens in place of crawley. they aint gonna do much worse

take most of our catches and still every chance we can turn this around. oz heavily reliant on cummins and starc. their 2nd string bowling is very popgun at the moment

the conundrum is,you want a proper keeper in so foulkes goes in.then do you drop the spinner,bairstow,who is out of form but freeing him from keeping might rejuvenate him or drop an opener without having an opener to replace him.

totally agree about aussie bowlers

Well doneEngland.  I honestly thought there was no way back from 0-2 but was proved wrong.  Not for the first time!  .  This time Brook stepped up and saved the day.  The Aussies must be disappointed in their most experienced players after this one.  All still to play for.

What a load of absolute johnnythebull.  Rope-a-dope?  Unbelievable tosh.

LoyalHoncho 10 Jul 23 17:41 
What a load of absolute johnnythebull.  Rope-a-dope?  Unbelievable tosh.

yet another clueless,humourless troll pops up from the fetid depths of the BF forum..note to Rentokil..you ain't doing your job properly,innit!

Unchanged

A bit shocked by that as I thought Anderson would defiantly come back in for Woakes

Wood had to play as he has venom in his bowling and looks to have rattled a few Aussie batsmen

i think its the squad of 14 thats unchanged not the starting 11.still a poor decision imo.leaves iron palms behind the sticks and the choice of anderson,tongue or robinson as the bowler with broad,wood and woakes.cant see stokes bowling.

Tongue or Anderson will come in for Robinson, who surely they cannot risk. Anderson has the skill and home ground, Tongue as the extra zip.

I've read it all now.  Rope-A-Dope.  Unbelievable drivel.

Crazy play again from the England women. The need 4 an over so they keep hitting it in the air! I hope they still win but the coaches need the sack unless the players ignored instructions.

Christ
About as lively as a morgue
Is this supposedly an advert for the women’s game?

You’d think there was nobody in the ground

It is too tense to breath. at least Kate Cross kept the ball on the ground and was rewarded with two boundaries. Absolutely no excuse for deliberately hitting the ball in the air since the 20th
over. Unless you hit it for 6 of course. Well done Captain.

Insane chance to take by Cross but got away with it. surely they can get 5 now.

along the ground that time. best batter in the team apart from Capsey!

has anderson not got a poor test record at old trafford? or is it other way on?