3rd Test: Australia v England at The WACA, Perth, 13-17 Dec

[shravi]

Scoreline doesn't flatter anyone. However, it is not an entirely true reflection of how close the series was. First test could have gone either way, Australia would most probably have won the third if not for rain, England required an Australian capitulation and a Broad masterclass to win the fourth, by the fifth nobody cared.

England won the most important sessions and that is what test series are won on, and that is the mark of who the better team is.

This post I made about the series in England looks to be true now. England were beginning to scrape victories in increasingly unconvincing manners. It was only a matter of time before the tide finally turned.

 

[War]

I've been saying for a few years that flat decks are England's Achilles heel. It was astounding during the last tour that Australia kept preparing pitches that suited our bowlers. England play best on bowlers' tracks as they know they'll be able to get the opposition cheaply and that takes pressure off the batsmen.

I don't think the pitches were that different last Ashes to be honest. ENG team was just closer to its peak & AUS were just messy.

 

[War]

Stokes is probably good enough to play as a bowler only, certainly not quite there in the batting.

His batting is not there yet to bat @ # 6, especially not vs this AUS bowling attack. In a perfect scenario if Prior was batting well, Stokes would have slotted in perfectly @ # 7.

 

[NoLeName]

Well, this has been an eventful morning.

 

[Haarithan]

5-0

 

[Owzat]

Game pretty much over before today, but when you get hammered for runs then for wickets you know it is a question of getting through without (further) injury and regrouping.

As much as TMS love Carberry, I don't see the point building an opening partnership with a 33 year old who can't get past 60 runs and looks a bit of a shambles at times.

With Cook out of form we're 2+ wickets down before we get to 100, he needs to go on but I doubt he's capable. Has he made a decent score of 30+ without offering at least 1-2 chances? I think the aussies will now know how to get him out, not rocket science.

Cook/Carberry partnerships and England scores at 100

72 vs BAN. Cook 173, Carberry 30. 100/1
65 vs BAN. Cook 39, Carberry 34. 100/2
28 vs AUS. Cook 13, Carberry 40. 100/8
1 vs AUS. Cook 65, Carberry 0. 100/3
9 vs AUS. Cook 3, Carberry 60. 100/3
1 vs AUS. Cook 1, Carberry 14. 100/2
85 vs AUS. Cook 72, Carberry 43. 100/2
0 vs AUS. Cook 0, Carberry 31. 100/3

Three fifty partnerships, two against Bangladesh. Cook is out of sorts, but that puts even more onus on the other opener to go on when they get in and Carberry simply doesn't. Do you want to be 100/2 or 100/3 75% of the time?!?!?

SIX scores of 30+, three times he's got out within four runs of reaching 30, twice more before he's got to 44 and when he has made a fifty it was a modest one.

His figures remind me of Ramprakash, whose scores at the start of his career read 27, 27, 24, 13, 21, 29, 25, 25, 19, 0, 0, 12no, 2, 17, 6, 64, 2, 5, 23, 1, 20, 3 and 19. That only adds up to an average of 16.70, so that makes Carberry a kind of Ramprakash+ , able to get in but never to go on.

Took Ramps 17 innings to make a fifty, I'm wondering if it will take Carberry longer to get his first century or if people will see a handy scores merchant does not an opener make.

 

[VC the slogger]

At least the English are still getting into the record books one way or another.

 

[dancingmongoose]

I sense the urn coming home tonight

 

[aussie1st]

Just when England look to be going somewhere they get themselves out. KP the latest in it.

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As much as TMS love Carberry, I don't see the point building an opening partnership with a 33 year old who can't get past 60 runs and looks a bit of a shambles at times.

He always looks alright but always finds ways of getting himself out. Very similar to Cowan, who also looked solid then got out without converting the start. Ballance definitely needs to be given a go, whether it is for Stokes or Carberry.

 

[barmyarmy]

I feel sorry for Swann and Anderson. The batsmen have been so poor that they've been carted around the park by the Aussies batting with zero pressure.
Well done Stokes though; possible future for him in the side.

 

[Umair7]

LoL

 

[angryangy]

I think in part, England's game plan is too reliant on their batting being incredible. Perhaps this is the endgame situation for England's overall bowling strategy that much prefers to be accurate than to be brutal; encirclement and eventually being overrun. Indeed, they fancied a barrage of bounce when they chose the squad, only to flip, first in favour of spin, then the old stalwart Bresnan. Whether Rankin and Finn are accurate or not, the consistent pace of Johnson and Harris is a long way beyond what England's selected bowlers have delivered so far.

 

[midgetwars]

Harris was unusually bad in the evening session. 5 an over compared to 3 an over for the other bowlers.

 

[barmyarmy]

He bowled too short and both Bell and Stokes scored easy runs.

 

[swacker]

Nice one from Stokes, good mentality.

It appears England have found a proper player.