The Ashes

OldCastleSwift

I actually went 3-1 Australia in my Ashes WhatsApp group so I'm looking forward to Stokes lifting the urn.

IronHerb

That’s still on.

OldCastleSwift

Stokes has Smith LBW. Big, big wicket.

buffybegood

OldCastleSwift said:

Stokes has Smith LBW. Big, big wicket.

Yep, great to get him just before lunch 😊

buffybegood

Also, an added bonus, was just how disbelieving Smith was, both by the original umpire's decision, and that it was still out (and not even umpire's call) when he reviewed it. Priceless.

buffybegood

Australia starting to settle, 139-3 with Head and Khawaja looking comfortable and trying to hit Moeen Ali out of the attack.

We need a wicket or 2 soon.

OldCastleSwift

buffybegood said:

Australia starting to settle, 139-3 with Head and Khawaja looking comfortable and trying to hit Moeen Ali out of the attack.

We need a wicket or 2 soon.

There you go. Head gone to a Crawley catch off Moeen.

buffybegood

Perfect 😊

148-4.

buffybegood

And there is one against Bairstow in the Bairstow/Foakes argument, gotta feel Foakes gets the stumping there.

Moeen unlucky not to have a second wicket.

thornburyiron

I think you must have your best keeper in the side. Bairstow should be in as a batter but he’s a good but not top notch keeper. He may have scored 78 but if Green goes and gets a ton it’s a net loss.
A top keeper will generally have you in credit.

buffybegood

I think Foakes is very unlucky, I think Stokes was insistent on his inclusion in the Test side last summer as our best keeper, and he's hardly a rabbit with the bat either. Stokes was in favour of a keeper who could bat, rather than a batsman who could keep, and rightly so Foakes had the gloves.

The issue is that Bairstow was amazing last summer, and so you felt he had to come back in, but his replacement, Brook, made himself undroppable with his performances in the winter. There's an argument that Bairstow could have come in at the expense of Crawley given the move away from traditional openers under Stokes, but I must admit I predicted Foakes would be sacrificed and that's how it's turned out; Stokes has made a bit of a U-turn.

If all our batsmen stay injury free, I think this could be a talking point throughout the summer.

buffybegood

I'm concerned by the number of no-balls we're bowling, I can see us picking up a wicket and it being a no-ball.

OldCastleSwift

Bairstow again. Drops Carey. Would have been a big bonus wicket with the new ball due.

Always. Pick. Your. Best. Keeper.

OldCastleSwift

Broad strikes with the new ball. But a no ball.

Well predicted Buffy.

PrestonHammer

Absolutely no excuse for bowling no balls.

OldCastleSwift

Should be seven down. Feel Australia might attack now.

PrestonHammer

Jimmy has been anonymous in this match.

OldCastleSwift

These aren't Jimmy conditions. They're not really English conditions, come to that. Road of a pitch under cloudless skies. How often do we see that in an Ashes summer.

PrestonHammer

Robinson has been the same. The thing is they've known the pitch was going to dry because it hasn't rained for ages. They should have picked Woods for this match.

buffybegood

OldCastleSwift said:

Broad strikes with the new ball. But a no ball.

Well predicted Buffy.

Unfortunately so 😭😭😭

IronHerb

This is starting to sound like we’ve gone one down after 20 minutes. 😂

buffybegood

Another chance not taken, Bairstow nowhere near it, not sure if Foakes woulda taken it though tbh. Root maybe woulda taken it if he'd have stayed down.

PrestonHammer

It's been over 5 hours. I think I've given it enough time hahaha

Slacker

IronHerb said:

This is starting to sound like we’ve gone one down after 20 minutes. 😂

Yeah it does have a familiar ring to it………

PrestonHammer

PrestonHammer said:

It's been over 5 hours. I think I've given it enough time hahaha

In fact taking into account the match started Friday, it's been over 11 hours hahaha

PrestonHammer

I don't want to be negative but he has dropped, albeit a tough one, another one.

PrestonHammer

Hooray a wicket for England. Cheers Jimmy.

buffybegood

Great pre-lunch period, Australia all out for 386, England lead by 7 runs on first innings.

However, the Foakes/Bairstow debate with rage on, and rightly so. It's hard enough to take 10 Australian wickets, without having to take 13.

buffybegood

After one long rain stoppage, they were just talking about having to go off again when Duckett gets himself out, caught in the gulley for 19. 27-1.

buffybegood

And now, 2 balls later, Crawley has gone. 27-2.

Conditions not great for batting, light can't be great given how dark the clouds are, and there's rain in the air. This little period could decide the Test, and potentially the series.