• The first stage of the forum upgrades has now been completed but they remain in a degraded state and are still being worked on.
    Please read this thread for more details.
    New user registrations are currently disabled.

5th test the oval


I'm not sure what people are expecting aus to do here. They don't need to score runs to win the test match, or throw wickets away. It's a good game plan for them, tire out our bowling attack who are all the wrong side of 30
 
Last edited:
At the end of the day they want to win the ashes for the 1st time in 20 years or something. They only need a draw, they aren't going to take risks when the don't have to and we aren't targeting the stumps
 
SAFC11 said:
At the end of the day they want to win the ashes for the 1st time in 20 years or something. They only need a draw, they aren't going to take risks when the don't have to and we aren't targeting the stumps
Click to expand...
Because that’s where they like them. They have grafted and rode their luck. Plenty of play and misses and no edges.
JackL said:
I'm not sure what people are expecting aus to do here. They don't need to score runs to win the test match, or throw wickets away. It's a good game plan for them, tire out our bowling attack who are all the wrong side of 30
Click to expand...
It might well be a good plan. Time will tell. The way they are going they will be 120 behind when the new ball comes around :lol:

Another 4 byes which are now top scorer this morning
 
Last edited:
rentaghost said:
Because that’s where they like them. They have grafted and rode their luck. Plenty of play and misses and no edges.

It might well be a good plan. Time will tell. The way they are going they will be 120 behind when the new ball comes around :lol:

Another 4 byes which are now top scorer this morning
Click to expand...
We couldn't do anything with the first new ball so doubt they're too worried about it. Hopefully they can take wickets soon so it isn't Smith, head etc facing it
 
NorthCountryBoy said:
A lot of doom and gloom on here, as there is whenever they get a partnership.

The old Boycott adage of ‘add two wickets to the score’. At present they’re going nowhere, we’re still right in this.
Click to expand...
They don't need to go anywhere. They're ahead 2-1. I think they're pretty happy with World Champions and winning the Ashes at any score in one tour.

If there's one thing I've learned about this Aussie team this series that has surprised me a bit it's that very much their own team. They either don't have, or want, that in your face desire to ground you into the dirt that pretty much all others have had for my lifetime. They're happy once they're out in front to just keep slightly out of reach, they don't seem so bothered about psychological warfare. They're almost monastic in comparison to Australian teams when it comes to banter and sledging. They seem to care just enough as they need to to win, but no more than that.

They're obviously knackered after 5.5 Tests as well

England supposedly also don't care about the opposition with Bazball, and happy to just chart their own course.

That's one explanation as to why they've chosen a now patently finished mate of theirs over a force like Toungue and weakened their attack anyway.

But the big takeaway I have from this series is that its actually been fairly old fashioned cricket that has done the talking when it's counted and Australia dictating the pace when it counts most.

Im willing to admit I got it wrong early series when I fixated so much on the power of Bazball to force results, because this series proves again that in a 5 day series a draw, *once ahead*, is a weapon, not a neutral position, and should always be part of a captain's toolkit.

A Draw is why Australia are retaining the Ashes and will probably win them abroad for first time in two decades. Australia can just stop the game and still win and still win.
 
Reminds me of the 1 day game against this lot in 2019 world cup where Finch and Warner played and missed lots yet somehow didnt get out
 
JackL said:
I'm not sure what people are expecting aus to do here. They don't need to score runs to win the test match, or throw wickets away. It's a good game plan for them, tire out our bowling attack who are all the wrong side of 30
Click to expand...
I’m not expecting them to do other than what they are doing. They are playing the situation perfectly.
That doesn’t mean that I find it particularly entertaining….and that is mainly because the English bowling attack is rather ineffectual, thus Australia aren’t being stretched and can just bat the game into submission without really breaking sweat.

Woody’s addition to the attack…..GERRIN! WHAT A BALL!….WHAT A CATCH!!!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top