Ashes 2015 - Australia tour of England July/September 2015

[C Boomer]

Also, having not seen the pitch before the start of play, I was expecting a proper Green wicket. It wasn't this kind of pitch at all, and from what I could see looked like it was tearing up a fair bit, so Lyon will be delighted to bowl last on it.

Good point, add to this no Jimmy Anderson then it certainly was a trick missed by England, the Aussies definitely in the 'box seat' !

 

[richowebbo]

Good point, add to this no Jimmy Anderson then it certainly was a trick missed by England, the Aussies definitely in the 'box seat' !

Yeah definitely. We really missed Jimmy today. We needed some magic, and Broad doesn't have it. Finn wasn't great from the small amount I saw for him. I only saw a couple of Stokes' over, and although he saw swinging the ball, didn't look hugely threatening.

Wood was good again. I really like the way he bowls with good line and length with the odd Yorker or short ball thrown in. But his pace just seems to drop off so rapidly. He can bowl 88 - 90, but then after 3 overs, he's down to 82-85. Kind of worrying.

 

[LiveLoveABD]

England looking quite flat. The bowling was quite rubbish!

 

[bigred]

I don't sympathise with the bowlers when they take a wicket with a no ball, but with the umpires not calling no balls with the naked eye any more, it means tha bowlers are pushing the line nearly every delivery. I reckon 10% of Wood's deliveries at Trent Bridge were no balls that just weren't called. Umpires must start calling no balls again.

On a more positive note, I think the progress of Ben Stokes' bowling is very good news. I reckon that Jimmy will probably retire after the next Ashes. He'll be 35 and I can't see him going all the way to 2019. So having somebody else in the side who can swing it both ways is very reassuring l. Sure, he's not an Anderson yet, but he's only going to get better.

Stuart Broad has at least two more Ashes in him but may even do 3 or 4 depending on his body. Wood, Woakes and Finn are young, and there's a good bunch of youngsters coming through like Gregory, Harris and the Overtons. England's bowling looks bright.

 

[Dingo Ate Me Baby]

How the hell can we class Moeen Ali as our premier spinner? Sure he got wickets against India last summer but other than that series he has been unbelievably poor, there is a hit me ball every over and more often than not he goes for over 5 an over. He came on today and gifted Smith a hundred with his short hit me bowling. Terrible.

EDIT: Knew my scathing assessment of Moeen would bring him some wickets. You're welcome England.

 

[bigred]

How the hell can we class Moeen Ali as our premier spinner? Sure he got wickets against India last summer but other than that series he has been unbelievably poor, there is a hit me ball every over and more often than not he goes for over 5 an over. He came on today and gifted Smith a hundred with his short hit me bowling. Terrible.

EDIT: Knew my scathing assessment of Moeen would bring him some wickets. You're welcome England.

The fact is, Moeen isn't a spinner. I was hoping after the 2014 summer that he would be, but he just isn't. In England, we are just about going to get away with Moeen doing a job. Perhaps in South Africa also. But pretty much everywhere else in the world, we're going to need to find a way to get another spinner in. In the pre-Swann era, we didn't have really good spin bowlers, but what we did have was Ashley Giles, who was really good at drying up an end. That's what you need when you have a really good seam attack. Moeen just can't help bowling a boundary ball every over.

 

[Dingo Ate Me Baby]

Yeah I hoped the same after last summer but Moeen just hasn't kicked on and to be fair it was criminal to not play Rashid in the West Indies. Moeen will no doubt play in the UAE alongside Rashid and it could be a 'spin off' to see who goes on into the future as the number one. Have my reservations about Rashid in test cricket because he can have the habit of bowling boundary balls but also has the ability with his googlies and legspinners to fox batsman.

Giles was a very controlled spinner and like you say bigred he could hold an end while the likes of Harmison, Hoggard, Flintoff et al do their thing. But also when the conditions help he will also take wickets. Ali takes wickets but doesn't look convincing at all, shame he is only in because of the serious lack of spin options we have currently.

 

[bigred]

What a delivery from Lyon. Mark Butcher said it would turn and that England needed a proper spinner. Aussies in a very strong position now with England batting last.

 

[richowebbo]

Like I said yesterday, Lyon will be straining at the leash to bowl last on this wicket. That's if England get past the follow on. Stupid decision by Cook yesterday, along with Broad bowling pants, has probably lost the game.

Alex Hales, get your bags packed! You're off to the UAE.

 

[bigred]

To add to my no ball rant from earlier, I reckon 15% of Johnson's deliveries have been no balls. It's becoming a joke.

 

[blockerdave]

To add to my no ball rant from earlier, I reckon 15% of Johnson's deliveries have been no balls. It's becoming a joke.

True. And the point is it's not good enough for the umpires to say we'll catch a no ball if there's a wicket - the ones not given mean less runs to the batting side, it means the bowlers don't get the rhythm interruption that would come from being called etc. the balance of the game is disturbed. If the umpires can't do their job they shouldn't be standing.

 

[blockerdave]

I don't sympathise with the bowlers when they take a wicket with a no ball, but with the umpires not calling no balls with the naked eye any more, it means tha bowlers are pushing the line nearly every delivery. I reckon 10% of Wood's deliveries at Trent Bridge were no balls that just weren't called. Umpires must start calling no balls again.

On a more positive note, I think the progress of Ben Stokes' bowling is very good news. I reckon that Jimmy will probably retire after the next Ashes. He'll be 35 and I can't see him going all the way to 2019. So having somebody else in the side who can swing it both ways is very reassuring l. Sure, he's not an Anderson yet, but he's only going to get better.

Stuart Broad has at least two more Ashes in him but may even do 3 or 4 depending on his body. Wood, Woakes and Finn are young, and there's a good bunch of youngsters coming through like Gregory, Harris and the Overtons. England's bowling looks bright.

I can't see Jimmy making the next Ashes. He'll be as you say 35, with an intense schedule twixt now & then, and he's hardly got a special record in Aus - I can't see him going through that slog. I think he'll go at the end of the English 2017 summer.[DOUBLEPOST=1440173438][/DOUBLEPOST]Oh, what a class innings from Bell.

 

[blockerdave]

Reasonable ball from Siddle, but look at the angle of Bell's bat and body... It wasn't the magic ball Athers & Beefy are making out it was a shit shot.

 

[blockerdave]

A definite sound coming through live on my headphones.

I think he's out. Seems to be a small mark on the ball after it's passed the bat.

Good decision I think.

He's edged it as he turns his bat after it's actually initially passed the bat.

 

[richowebbo]

Reasonable ball from Siddle, but look at the angle of Bell's bat and body... It wasn't the magic ball Athers & Beefy are making out it was a shit shot.

It was a very good ball actually.