The Ashes

buffybegood

Must admit we were exceptionally fortunate that Stokes wasn't given out with 2 to win, he was plumb LBW and the umpire shoulda given him, but the Aussies must accept some responsibility for wasting a review just before.

Giant_Hammer

Well that was jolly good fun. :wahoo:

imagelost

:antonio:

whupathman

Happy happy joy joy

whupathman

If carlsberg made weekends of sport, England win, England win , West Ham win and spuds lose :wahoo: :wahoo:

OldCastleSwift

I gave up on this game on Friday after that atrocious first innings.

Some perverse masochism kept me watching but when Woakes gave his wicket away I switched it off. Couldn't bring myself to watch Warner celebrating an Ashes win.

I kept checking the score on my phone, basically waiting to be put out of my misery. It was 60 required, 40 required, 30, 24, 14. When it got to 8 I had to put my phone away. To lose it having come so close would have been horrible.

Then I got a message from a friend that read "HOLY (something unrepeatable)!" and I knew something remarkable had happened.

Have just watched the highlights and can honestly say I've not seen anything like that in my life. I was two when Botham took the Aussies apart in '81, but the pundits are saying this even surpasses that achievement.

I know Stokes has had his problems in the past, but what he's achieved this summer is nothing short of brilliant.

buffybegood

OCS

It was mental, I totally get where you're coming from, as I said with my first post here today, it's the hope that kills you

It was amazing to watch, Suz and I were counting it down but it seemed an impossible ask when we were 9 down. The situation was just so different to '91 (I was 15), so I think it's tough to rate one higher than the other, but his farming of the strike when we were 9 down, and his ball striking and invention were truly superb. He put on 76 with Leach, Leach scoring his one and only run as the 71st run of the partnership.

Certainly glad I got to watch it, the agony and occasional ecstacy, as I say, not unlike supporting West Ham :biggrin:

IronHerb

whupathman said:

If carlsberg made weekends of sport, England win, England win , West Ham win and spuds lose :wahoo: :wahoo:

And lets add Rory winning the Fedex and the $15m prize that goes with it. Great weekend of sport.

Yeoldhammer

Ben Stokes walking SPOTY at a canter.

Unless England Rugby brings home the world cup, the cricket team will be mopping up everything. from Team to individual.

Which is quite remarkable considering in the last year we have posted 4 of the lowest test scores of all time.

IronHerb

England won the One Day World Cup so that team may well win SPOTY. You're mixing up Test cricket and ODI's.

I'm also intrigued how you can walk at a canter.

SuzanneClaret

When David Gower says ‘that is the best innings by an English batsman I have ever witnessed both as a player and a broadcaster’ you know it’s a bit special.

OCS, I am old enough to remember and treasure that Botham innings. It’s a core piece of my teenage memories, living every moment of it with my dad.

In cricketing terms today surpasses it.

SuzanneClaret

However, it should not detract from the dreadful decision making by our top order batsman. Some terrible umpiring and the ‘good fortune’ that the Aussie captain can’t use DRS properly.

OldCastleSwift

Good point Suze. As brilliant as yesterday was, we can't forget about Friday's dreadful showing. Or at least we shouldn't.

We need to remember that we can still lose the Ashes, so certain players need to have a good look at themselves, and maybe a good look at Stokes' innings, to see how Test Match cricket should be played.

You'd imagine Australia are going to have both Smith and Labushagne in at Old Trafford, so we could be looking at a couple of 300+ innings from them; our batsmen need to step up and make sure that they play sensible cricket.

mike

We had a bbq yesterday and i had to go and keep make excuses to go indoors,cue daggers from the wife.
Unbelievable finish and something like yesterday is why i love sport.
What happened yesterday coupled with our great win at watford and topped off with tottenham losing made for a brilliant weekend.

Cheers :cheers:

SuzanneClaret

:ok: OCS

Stokes would not have been able to score those winning runs had he not put in the hard yards first. The stand out from his innings was the 2 runs off 70 balls. Roy could learn a lot from watching that again.

We should have Anderson back too. Swigging the ball from the Anderson end :biggrin:

alderz

I’m going to day one of the fifth test, and honestly I am getting very excited

SuzanneClaret

We are going to day two :wahoo:

Cuz1

Well if England bat first at least you will see all the team

IronHerb

Roy is not a Test Match batsman and shouldn’t be near the team. That’s not his fault but the selectors.

IronHerb

I’m at the Oval 1st day too. :wahoo:

alderz

IronHerb said:

I’m at the Oval 1st day too. :wahoo:

I will wave at you

Also I will scratch “hello suz” into the seat in front of me

Slacker

I’ve only just come down.I could have watched it on TV but myself and my daughter sat out in the garden and listened on the radio, somehow it makes even more absorbing.
I’ve been watching/listening and playing cricket my whole life and I’ve seen them all,Richards,Botham,Warne,Border,Lara amongst many others but this blokeTHIS bloke,wow just wow.To do it once and then to do it again 6 weeks later is just the stuff of dreams.
Sport can truly lift you up.

thornburyiron

Ironherb Roy has never opened in red ball cricket until the first test. He’s always been a middle order batsman. He only opens in ODIs.
Stokes innings yesterday was more special than Botham’s because it was a winning innings. Botham helped set up the win but it was Bob Willis and his bowling spell which actually secured the win.

Giant_Hammer

IronHerb said:

England won the One Day World Cup so that team may well win SPOTY. You're mixing up Test cricket and ODI's.

I'm also intrigued how you can walk at a canter.

I agree Herb. Most of the horses I back canter at a walk. :weep:

Lukerz

Ironic that after many of the pundits said ‘you can’t bat one day style in an Ashes test’, Stokes reminds them that you can, & it was the sole reason England won the test.

alderz

Lukerz said:

Ironic that after many of the pundits said ‘you can’t bat one day style in an Ashes test’, Stokes reminds them that you can, & it was the sole reason England won the test.

It kind of was, but also if he had the first half of his innings in a one day game you wouldn't be happy with him! He just sped up when he needed to

Dodger58

I think for the first 70 balls he was remembering his disastrous shot selection in the first innings.

Felt for Buttler, needed a knock, could have been the hero winning partnership builder - which would have made Stoke's innings less memorable - and was unfortunately run-out through no fault of his own.

Stokes was incredible, but Jack Leach enabled it. Best 1 not out in Test history :bowdown:

SuzanneClaret

Lukerz said:

Ironic that after many of the pundits said ‘you can’t bat one day style in an Ashes test’, Stokes reminds them that you can, & it was the sole reason England won the test.

But he didn’t, not for the first half any way. The 2 off 70 balls was pure test match batting.

He built his innings and wore down the bowlers like a classic test batsman.

Lukerz

Sure :ok: I am being a bit simplistic.

But just shows you that with no margin for ever, good decision making, shot execution, you can pull off a more aggressive innings.

SuzanneClaret

and that’s the core of the issue.

The decision making.