[the ashes] test 3. Manchester

[Chappers]

First time since the 50's we have three on the bounce. Now lets make it four.

 

[Mainze]

First time since the 50's we have three on the bounce. Now lets make it four.

Think it might be very close in Oz this time.

2-1 us is my tentative prediction

 

[Chappers]

Think it might be very close in Oz this time.

2-1 us is my tentative prediction

That'll do
Just watching England on ashes channel doing them for 98 all out at the mcc

 

[rowley2]

We are just about favourites down under but only because, as it stands, we have the best spinner by a mile and that is what is separating the teams.

The seam attacks are roughly equal, though IMO theirs has bowled better than ours. This for me is for two reasons. Firstly they have Watson as a fifth bowler, and by accident or design they have "rotated" the fast bowlers a bit. This is a good attack, is younger than ours and will get better. We will need to bring in other bowlers for the last two tests for all sorts of reasons, not least because we need to bowl better.

We also need to look at number six in the batting order. Bairstow is a good lad but not playing well and is suffering from some very consistent bowling by the Aussies outside the off stump. He'll get more in the winter. The management are obviously seeing him as Priors eventual successor and fair enough, but the team is paying a bit of a price at the moment.

But is there anyone obviously better than Bairstow? Probably not .So we may have to look at playing someone who can bowl as well as bat at number six. Bopara, Clarke and Stokes are the three who could do this job. I would chuck one of these in for down under.

 

[mikemanc]

But is there anyone obviously better than Bairstow? Probably not .So we may have to look at playing someone who can bowl as well as bat at number six. Bopara, Clarke and Stokes are the three who could do this job. I would chuck one of these in for down under.

Clarke as in Rikki??

Don't think it will be 2-1 in Australia, think the weather there will guarantee at least one more result than that.

 

[CraigyLee]

Clarke as in Rikki??

Don't think it will be 2-1 in Australia, think the weather there will guarantee at least one more result than that.

Rikki Clarke single handedly won me the 2009 ashes on cricket captain 05 batting average of 112 and bowling average of 16


SO LESS OF THAT SON!

 

[mikemanc]

Rikki Clarke single handedly won me the 2009 ashes on cricket captain 05 batting average of 112 and bowling average of 16


SO LESS OF THAT SON!

Yeah, but does he mean Rikki Clarke?!?

Really?

 

[Wise Man Says]

First time since the 50's we have three on the bounce. Now lets make it four.

4 out of 5 now, never thought I'd see the day.

Now let's finish off this series by winning it (4-0 would be great) and then beat them again over there.

 

[Connolly_31]

Rikki Clarke single handedly won me the 2009 ashes on cricket captain 05 batting average of 112 and bowling average of 16


SO LESS OF THAT SON!

Rikki Clarke is the best all-rounder since Ryan ten Doschate

 

[Mr Redknapp]

Rikki Clarke single handedly won me the 2009 ashes on cricket captain 05 batting average of 112 and bowling average of 16


SO LESS OF THAT SON!

He was brilliant in the early 00's like much better than Flintoff

 

[Wise Man Says]

as expected, a very flat feeling officially retaining the urn as a result of rain.

No on field celebrations to witness, no jubilant crowd, no deflated looking Aussies. No memorable moments to look back on.

No potential for a whitewash and a dead series for the rest of the summer. Cricket will now slip back to eight pages from the back of the popular papers and another opportunity to capture interest of youngsters passes by.

A drawn test was the worst possible outcome for the series as a whole but to do it as a result of rain is just crap. Sod off Manchester

Manchester gave us nearly 4 full days play and the Aussies weren't good enough to win in that time, despite having won a brilliant toss. By saving the follow on, we saved the test. They had us teetering and couldn't finish us off. If we'd followed on, we'd have lost.

 

[rowley2]

Clarke as in Rikki??

Don't think it will be 2-1 in Australia, think the weather there will guarantee at least one more result than that.

Aye Rikki! I know it's a left field shot, but he is bloody good cricketer, only about 30, and takes wickets and scores runs in the championship. What else can we go on?

But we don't have an obvious solution to the all rounder problem, (apart from not playing one!) and since Flintoff retired we have done very well with four bowlers, but we looked a bowler light at Old Trafford, and looked a bowler light against SA last year. We don't have an obvious stand out no 6 purely as a batsman either.

Anyway it would be Stokes for me, an obvious gamble, but for me this would be a good time to try it; he is a vast talent. His batting is hardly sparkling lately but he is probably as good as any other contender, and no one can doubt his bowling is now more than useful.

 

[Wise Man Says]

Aye Rikki! I know it's a left field shot, but he is bloody good cricketer, only about 30, and takes wickets and scores runs in the championship. What else can we go on?

But we don't have an obvious solution to the all rounder problem, (apart from not playing one!) and since Flintoff retired we have done very well with four bowlers, but we looked a bowler light at Old Trafford, and looked a bowler light against SA last year. We don't have an obvious stand out no 6 purely as a batsman either.

Anyway it would be Stokes for me, an obvious gamble, but for me this would be a good time to try it; he is a vast talent. His batting is hardly sparkling lately but he is probably as good as any other contender, and no one can doubt his bowling is now more than useful.

I've heard Keith Barker at Warks getting built up recently, he could be a outside bet.

 

[rowley2]

Manchester gave us nearly 4 full days play and the Aussies weren't good enough to win in that time, despite having won a brilliant toss. By saving the follow on, we saved the test. They had us teetering and couldn't finish us off. If we'd followed on, we'd have lost.

That's it.

I also thought Clarke, untypically for him, delayed his declaration too long and could have come in at abut 270 or so in the lead, given the fact that they just had to win and England were very unlikely to get the time to score the runs.

 

[Wise Man Says]

That's it.

I also thought Clarke, untypically for him, delayed his declaration too long and could have come in at abut 270 or so in the lead, given the fact that they just had to win and England were very unlikely to get the time to score the runs.

This.

We wouldn't have even gone for the chase IMO. Clarke could and should have declared far earlier.

 

[mikemanc]

Aye Rikki! I know it's a left field shot, but he is bloody good cricketer, only about 30, and takes wickets and scores runs in the championship. What else can we go on?

But we don't have an obvious solution to the all rounder problem, (apart from not playing one!) and since Flintoff retired we have done very well with four bowlers, but we looked a bowler light at Old Trafford, and looked a bowler light against SA last year. We don't have an obvious stand out no 6 purely as a batsman either.

Anyway it would be Stokes for me, an obvious gamble, but for me this would be a good time to try it; he is a vast talent. His batting is hardly sparkling lately but he is probably as good as any other contender, and no one can doubt his bowling is now more than useful.

He's nearly 32, will be by the winter series, and he's averaging 37 with the bat (best 92) and 33 with the ball (17 wickets from 17 innings) this season. You were right about him being a left-field selection!!

Stokes by comparison is averaging 23 and 25 and he's taken almost twice as many wickets.

I agree with the thinking, it would be great if we had a Watson, Flintoff or Kallis type player but the players of that ilk in England either have potential (Stokes and Coles) or aren't good enough (Clarke, Wright and Bopara). Nobodies banging the door down, there's a big opportunity for somebody.

 

[rowley2]

I've heard Keith Barker at Warks getting built up recently, he could be a outside bet.

Well he's a leftie so you never know. A bit on the medium paced side for going on tour to Aus though I would have thought, if I'm on the right lad.

 

[mikemanc]

That's it.

I also thought Clarke, untypically for him, delayed his declaration too long and could have come in at abut 270 or so in the lead, given the fact that they just had to win and England were very unlikely to get the time to score the runs.

Problem he had was at various times not too far in the future it was forecast to rain all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday but there was only a couple of hours yesterday evening. All day Friday the clouds kept splitting and going either side of Old Trafford, you couldn't gamble on the forecast. Although personally I think I'd have set us 300 just to give us something to go at and not just try and hang on.

 

[Wise Man Says]

Final appearance on the Verdict on Sky for Tom Moody tonight, I've enjoyed listening to him this series.

 

[rowley2]

He's nearly 32, will be by the winter series, and he's averaging 37 with the bat (best 92) and 33 with the ball (17 wickets from 17 innings) this season. You were right about him being a left-field selection!!

Stokes by comparison is averaging 23 and 25 and he's taken almost twice as many wickets.

I agree with the thinking, it would be great if we had a Watson, Flintoff or Kallis type player but the players of that ilk in England either have potential (Stokes and Coles) or aren't good enough (Clarke, Wright and Bopara). Nobodies banging the door down, there's a big opportunity for somebody.

Well we'd all love a Kallis or a Flintoff, and there is sometimes a desperation to find what isn't there, as we did for a long time after Botham retired, playing lads who didn't have enough of either batting or bowling about them.

But we don't really have a player demanding to be picked as a No 6 bat, so for me Stokes would get a go. He has obvious real talent, his figures stand up, and sometimes you just have to look into the future a bit. He'd be in my team.