Back to normal for me, I’m afraid.
I’d like to thank Justin for inviting me to share the day with him and his colleagues yesterday. I had an absolutely brilliant day and appreciated it so much. A day like yesterday reinforced to me how great it must be to watch this sport and get paid for it. I know it was a one-off so it was probably more special for being so.
Some quick thoughts. Stuart Broad was immense yesterday. I thought he bowled superbly on a wicket not giving him much help. This isn’t Nagpur, as some tedious irk said on Thursday, but it is a benign surface and thought processes and proper considered bowling were required. Once again, Anderson, who was such a rock on surfaces and conditions like these, was below par. I really believe we hit the high-water mark two years ago at Trent Bridge, and something inside Anderson went with him. Sure, you’ll get good performances now and then, but the tiger inside may have roared its last. I’m probably talking nonsense, but he did not bowl well.
Steve Smith was a pleasure to watch. It’s not for the beauty of his batting, but for his temperament. He’s also a photographer’s nightmare / dream.
As for England’s batting. Knock me down with a feather. We collapsed. I missed Bell completely (toilet break) and Australia did Root up like a kipper. Watching Johnson in full cry was an amazing sight.
To today. England need a miracle, but I’ll say this. Ben Stokes came out at 30 for 4, and the Aussies are nervous of him. He was allowed to plonk his front foot down and drive, in stead of Johnson starting off with chin music. He has that swagger about him. It’s the first time I’ve seen him in the flesh. I was impressed. Cook’s knock at the other end was what was required.
Comments on the day’s play here. I might put some of the 235 pictures I took yesterday up during the day.
Being Outside Cricket 
I may have missed it, but were you a guest of Justin Langer yesterday, LCL?
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No.
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Justin Lee Collins?
This could take a while…
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Don’t be too quick to walk away.
Meanwhile, Martin Samuel reckons it might all have been different if Al had taken first strike..
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-3165700/England-s-batsmen-weak-weak-weak-s-like-2013-Australia-again.html
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He’s got a point. As we all remember Cookywooky was the warrior standing alone on the bridge in 2013/14. Noble Cooky. Brave Cooky.
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Justin Webb?
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Justin Timberlake?
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Justin Henin?
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Justin Hawkins?
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Looks a beautiful day at Lords.
I’m hoping for some excellent bowling and plenty of wickets. I’ll probably end up watching Cook score 250′
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Well that would ruin my Statsguru fun. And, quite honestly, my sporting summer.
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I keep seeing people tweet (I probably need to unfollow these people) England can do this, Remember Adelaide 06. Not really a comparison. The best we can hope for over next few days is that we don’t lose too heavily and make Australia work hard for the win.
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Australia lost their 4th wicket at 257. England at 30. Tell these people to stop being morons.
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I have don’t worry.
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It’s like when England are set 600 to win, and people say that it is possible. Yes, it is indeed possible. It’s also possible Sandra Bullock will text me saying she wants my body, but it’s not very fucking likely and I won’t be putting a bet on it.
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I just don’t what it is with these people. Last week these were the people when Australia were 90-1 saying they could easily chase 412.
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Try and point out to these people how rare it is for a team to chase over 300 and they just won’t have it.
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I try but instead I just make the most of it and lay teams chasing on betfair
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She’s just texted me to say she’s lost your number 😦
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The hussy!
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After Cook had made a hundred at Lord’s, I got a question on Polite Enquiries, wondering whether Cook Heretics should be tortured or merely burned at the stake. Or something like that.
In his reponse, George, who appeared in a bit of a mood, said that these people would now probably focus on someone like Ian Bell now….. As you know, I was gently miffed.
Now, you know, I love Dobell’s work. There’s a reason he was the #1 Dmitri Award last year. So I do need to point out this from George’s fine piece on yesterday’s play..
Hmmmmm……Hmmmmmmmmm.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/11747907/Ashes-2015-Englands-top-order-are-now-worse-than-Bangladeshs.html
Jonathan Liew’s take on England’s top order woes. A pretty damning take on things really.
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The reason he’s one of my favourites is that he isn’t prepared to try and make excuses for things. Doesn’t mean he’s always right, doesn’t mean his articles are always good. But it means he’s a….well you know. Journalist.
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Well that’s a first. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen Cook come down the track and bunt the spinner back over his head in a Test match before.
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It certainly shocked me. I looked away from the screen just as Lyon bowled, looked up again and the ball was well on its way to the boundary. Left me thinking what happened there?mWhen I saw the replay I initially wondered if Cook and Stokes had swapped gloves, bats and helmets and it was Stokes playing the shot, but no Cooky taking the attack to Lyon……
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Fifty for Cook and a standing ovation reminiscent of that given to Bradman for his double century here, at least that is how I imagine the MSM will report it.
Don’t get me wrong, we needed these runs, but Cook’s strike rate is incredibly low, circa 33.00. Even in his his best blunting days, in the 2010/11 series when he ground out big runs, I am sure he was generally between 45.00 to 50.00 for strike rate. Maybe, however, he is the perfect foil for Stokes.
Whatever, I still struggle to find joy in Cook getting runs, Stokes on the other hand, great to see!
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He’s doing fine. Stokes, Buttler and Moeen will score quickly at the other end. Partnerships are all. As long as he isn’t becalmed it’s not an issue. Staying in is.
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Fair point, he certainly isn’t becalmed and he is rotating the strike.
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Hide the lockers…
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And this is why life gets so hard once you’re faced with a big total. The slightest bit of uneven bounce, an inside edge – and you’re back facing defeat…
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It is when the first four throw their wickets away. It means Stokes can get 87 and be nowhere near enough.
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Well indeed. Lyth surely is on very thin ice now.
And you have to wonder if Ballance needs to go back to CC to work on his game too.
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(And if it needs saying, I take no pleasure at all in saying that about White Rose players.)
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Weather forecast for Sunday now much better. If he has the option, Clarke wouldn’t need to enforce the follow-on (especially as Starc seems to have some sort of back twinge).
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Warne thinks Aus will bat to give the bowlers a rest.
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I think they will too especially as they will have plenty of time and also Stokes and Cook have held them up a bit here.
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Dozens of people about to write a comparison to Southampton….
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did not see it – any comments?
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He spilled it after initially catching it. Nevill wouldn’t have realised.
Smith just dropped Cook. The wheels are coming off! 😉
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According to Guardian OBO he dragged it on the ground…but that may be a one-eyed view
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Nevil wouldn’t have known but there were others who appealed who would have
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Nevil wouldn’t have known but there were others who appealed who would have
No they wouldn’t. Were you watching. It happened so quickly no one could have seen it. Even the umpire thought it was out.
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I notice Buttler is the only other batsman along with Cook who doesn’t know how to back up. He’s also wandering out of his crease before the ball is bowled. Mankad each of them, one after the other, and Australia would be well on the way to retaining the Ashes. (They might perhaps cop a bit of flak from the media, but it would all blow over soon, I’m sure.)
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That Buttler dismissal is a perfect example of what I bang on about that a keeper doesn’t realise there’s been an edge until after its in the gloves when standing up. He went for the stumping. The brain doesn’t process information that quickly.
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200 or so for 2 since that horrid hour after tea yesterday but I’m afraid the die has been cast. A good effort from Cook and Stokes. I’m afraid I’m less happy about Buttler after this latest innings. Too impulsive outside his off stump. Not enough game management. I think praise of Cook’s regardless of the end result should be a lot measured than the idiocy of that given to last year’s effort at Southampton. This has been a fine effort given the circumstances.
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Oh well, looks like he’ll manage his first ton in 13 Ashes Tests, break his tie with Pietersen (4 Ashes tons each) and leave Brearley and Butcher behind…
Guess I’ll just have to resign myself to tomorrow’s rapture…
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Oh dear. What a tragedy.
(Boycott jinxed him on TMS by the way, not me)
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Heard it. Ironically I was on the way to Waitrose at the time.
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Atherton put pressure on Holding to raise his estimation of Cook from “batting well” to “batting very well”.
Holding: “I’m not saying anyone’s batting very well on this featherbed”.
Another reason to love Michael Holding.
By the way, not a single mention that Cook hasn’t made a home Ashes’ century. Not relevant apparently.
Meanwhile, another wicket for Mitch Marsh while the regular bowlers have catches dropped, marginal decisions turned down etc. Anyone else getting Mudassar Nazar flashbacks?
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SimonH: they mentioned the lack of a home Ashes century several times on TMS, though only while he was in the 90s. Jim Maxwell said it, and Boycott replied “he’ll have one in a minute”. Hence the jinx.
Sky just *is* ECB TV, isn’t it? Who’s on “Manufacturing Consent” tomorrow morning by the way?
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This will give him another two years in the team. Regardless of results in the next two years.
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CWOTV tomorrow – Dean Wilson, Vic Marks and Bunkers.
ECB-TV is just awful. It was quite unusual for me to hear the Atherton-Holding exchange because I mostly mute the commentary these days. If, for example, you want to retain any affection for Nasser Hussain it’s the only answer.
Still, at least it’s balanced by other sections of the cricket media:
Or not.
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But to be fair, he finally improved on his best Ashes score in England. And after the drivel of that wonderful 95 against India in 2014, we all know what is going to happen next …
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He did complete the last part, creeping ahead of JM Brearley. Still in the relegation zone though.
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?batting_positionmax1=2;batting_positionval1=batting_position;class=1;continent=4;filter=advanced;home_or_away=1;host=1;opposition=2;orderby=batting_average;qualmin1=5;qualval1=matches;spanmin1=11+Nov+1918;spanval1=span;team=1;template=results;type=batting
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d’Arthez, did you enjoy the Ali/Lyon lbw appeal…?
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not out
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We all know Mr. Dharmasena and Mr. Ali have a special bond, so Mr. Lyon shouldn’t be expecting any respect for /his/ arm ball….
I’m just waiting to see Jeff and Square Jeff.
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Not out, while Smith was out. DRS showed that with about 94.98% certainty the decision against Smith was incorrect. The Ali lbw was with about 80% certainty incorrect – and could easily have been given.
As said, the ECB can’t complain about the umpiring decisions …
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Dave Tickner will be loving the unironic “deserved a hundred” action on Twitter right now…
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To be fair to Cook, I’ll say what I always say, there’s a nonsense concentration on round numbers in cricket. In most matches, 96 is pretty much as good an effort as 104.
To revert to type, if Cook was the player he is supposed to be, he’d have been getting up around 150. Esp. given that Rogers managed over 170.
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England 312 all out – perhaps 450 is par on this pitch.
So there’s plenty of blame to share around between batsmen and bowlers…
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Dropping Warner on nought when 250+ behind not working out too well.
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Letting him get confidence for the next game could be bad for England in this series.
However, I think in terms of this game, Aus are only looking for around 250.
Difficult to see England getting them out for less than that even if Warner had gone for 0.
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after a lot of trumping for Lyth in the slips, that was a poor one…although I’m not sure, was he at 2nd slip or wider in the cordon? would that make much difference?
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Wider – more like about 5th slip. The ball came at shoulder height and he tried to go for it with hands pointing down which looked awful.
Australia have dropped at least two catches as well so it’s not a case of the winning side holding all their chances. Australia’s batsmen cashed in better on their let-offs and their bowlers have created more.
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Bell is starting to remind me of how Vaughan lost his batting, the shots are still there but the eyes are going a bit. If he is dismissed again in the same manner the knives will be out.
Well they would be if we had an experienced number 4 waiting in the wings…but as we haven’t I guess it will be mild murmurings of discontent
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Argh. Now I’m having flashbacks to that terrible period. Vaughan essaying the perfect forward defensive as behind him the stumps cartwheel…
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Sorry, but it is somewhat reminiscent. Shame I like Bell, I love his collar up strut where he thinks he looks like he is bristling with intent (for those of my age he looks like Ritchie Cunningham impersonating the Fonz). However whilst class is permanent, entropy is unrelenting and the sands of time are running out for him.
Ballance is also a major concern, his trigger movement pushes his weight back and he struggles to play forward.
Can England drop two batsmen for the next test?
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“for those of my age he looks like Ritchie Cunningham impersonating the Fonz”
Very good. 🙂
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For heaven’s sake, Bell is only 33! By all means drop him because his form isn’t good enough but to drop him because he’s too old at that age is bonkers.
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One guess what Selvey has chosen to write about today….
#deservedahundred
#notBenStokes
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Waittasecond, I thought that the pitch was super-flat.
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Quite frankly, it’s effing embarrassing.
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I have actually got significantly angrier about it since finishing the piece. It seems just about passable to begin with – and the usual suspects will offer their usual arguments as to why it should be regarded as such. But he’s written *exactly the same* about Cook over and over again since the India series a year ago, and especially since he was dropped from ODIs. There is nothing new at all, apart from the horrendous chutzpah and double standards about playing a glory shot when you’re close to a hundred. That and the downplaying of what 22 failures to make an Ashes hundred actually means in a historic context.
And as TLG has pointed out, the emphasis on Cook every times he makes any runs at all is so woefully predictable. This is exactly why I couldn’t bear to hear him making a score this afternoon.
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Meanwhile. Simon Heffer on cricket.
As bad as you think it will be.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/11749002/Ashes-2015-Alastair-Cooks-resistance-of-Geoffrey-Boycott-and-John-Edrich-era-as-England-battle-to-keep-series-lead.html
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Bunkers…
I dunno. Can think of one, myself. But let’s not go there.
“Drop one, and it would be difficult to make a case for keeping the other.” Nick Compton, Michael Carberry and Sam Robson in particular should be chortling at that old swaddling.
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Someone is really trying too hard to win those awards…
It’s a stuffy old place, largely inhabited by people who need to dress better. Yes, and I was there.
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And when a certain person who mustn’t be named made 300 odd runs, we were told there are no vacancies in the top order.
Nick Compton, Michael Carberry and Sam Robson must be spitting feathers. But as the King of English cricket told us it’s all about “trust.”
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