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4th Ashes Test - Old Trafford

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Well yeah but I could similaly reel of class opening batsman who are a lot better than today's bunch.

Haynes, Greenidge, Gavasker etc etc

Not sure what you saying are you disputing it's not difficult for opening batsman this series and in test cricket as a whole?

Of course its difficult. It should be. It's Test cricket.

But your "nowadays" comment implies its moreso than before. It most certainly isn't.
 
Sorry for harping on about this, but god it's difficult for opening batsman in test cricket nowadays, and that's for experienced ones!

Roy should never in a million years been put there.

Everyone getting stuck into him, when he clearly should not have been put there.
That's just nonsense like. Put Kallis or Ponting or Smith or Langer or Ponting or Dravid or Sehwag or Lara or Amlla or Jayawardene in their prime against either of these attacks and I think they could bat for days. Those are just batsmen from the 00's.

Smith is a freak but I likewise think he stands out in a context in which very few players in the world can bat a Test properly. Put him in the mix in the early 2000's and I'm not sure he would stand out.

And again, Roy wasn't forced into playing Test Cricket at the point of a gun. If he didn't want to open for England he didn't have to.
 
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Of course its difficult. It should be. It's Test cricket.

But your "nowadays" comment implies its moreso than before. It most certainly isn't.

I think with one day cricket influence world wide opening batsman don't have the technique as they did years ago hence more difficult for opening batsman these days
 
That's just nonsense like. Put Kallis or Ponting or Smith or Langer or Ponting or Dravid or Sehwag or Lara or Amlla or Jayawardene in their prime against either of these attacks and I think they could bat for days. Those are just batsmen from the 00's.

Smith is a freak but I likewise think he stands out in a context in which very few players in the world can bat a Test properly. Put him in the mix in the early 2000's and I'm not sure he would stand out.

And again, Roy wasn't forced into playing Test Cricket at the point of a gun. If he didn't want to open for England he didn't have to.

The fact in this series as well as worldwide they are very few high opening partnerships these days kind of backs up my argument.

May be I should have said batsmans techique and other factors make it more difficult these days, would have been a better way to put it acrosss

Plus half of them are not openers!
 
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I think with one day cricket influence world wide opening batsman don't have the technique as they did years ago hence more difficult for opening batsman these days
That just means they aren't good enough for Test cricket then. The difficulty is self inflicted.
If they want to play TEST cricket and don't do the preparation required to PASS THAT TEST, then that's on them. It's not some sort of outside affliction.
 
We’re in massive trouble if Overton is the best option out of the county championship at the moment. He’s f***ing terrible.
 
The fact in this series as well as worldwide they are very few high opening partnerships these days kind of backs up my argument.

May be I should have said batsmans techique and other factors make it more difficult these days, would have been a better way to put it acrosss
Well yeah, Bastmen make it difficult for themselves by not preparing properly. Labuschagne and even Burns this series are evidence that Batsmen can work on their game if they apply themselves.

Roy, Bairstow and Buttler are evidence that if you don't you'll get out again and again and again
 
Pressure has gone now Broad and Archer have come off, as predicted.

Too much of a gap between them 2 and the rest of the attack. That's a bigger difference between the two sides than Smith.
Smith averages 140 vs us over 4 years. He's worth about 250 runs per test. With the comparative batting ability of both sides he basically means Australia get to bat the equivalent of three innings.

Smith is the difference, by miles.
 
That just means they aren't good enough for Test cricket then. The difficulty is self inflicted.
If they want to play TEST cricket and don't do the preparation required to PASS THAT TEST, then that's on them. It's not some sort of outside affliction.

But that’s the point all test teams batsman bar the likes of Kohli, Smith, Williamson etc aren’t good enough for the standard of test cricket, the players you mentioned were.
 
That's just nonsense like. Put Kallis or Ponting or Smith or Langer or Ponting or Dravid or Sehwag or Lara or Amlla or Jayawardene in their prime against either of these attacks and I think they could bat for days. Those are just batsmen from the 00's.

Smith is a freak but I likewise think he stands out in a context in which very few players in the world can bat a Test properly. Put him in the mix in the early 2000's and I'm not sure he would stand out.

And again, Roy wasn't forced into playing Test Cricket at the point of a gun. If he didn't want to open for England he didn't have to.
Come on, would anyone turn it down?
 
I reckon the Aussies will want another 150ish to set a (probably) out of reach total.

England need try to keep the pressure on but not allow them to get away so they have to use all of this last session. We do not want to be batting tonight unless they make a competitive declaration.
 
We’re in massive trouble if Overton is the best option out of the county championship at the moment. He’s f***ing terrible.
To be fair, if Anderson, Wood or Stone were fit he wouldn't even come up in conversation.
Everyone talking about how good the Aussie attack is, but forgetting we are missing 2 quality bowlers in Jimmy and Woody
 
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