Here’s a clip of an Aussie cricket journo previewing the first Test.
No agenda here, just thought it may be of interest
ASHES 2019: EDGBASTON
In the first of our five-part series profiling the #Ashes venues, @craddock_cmail explains how the foundations of #FortressEdgbaston were laid in 2005, and how @tdpaine36's side can end 18 years of hurt on English soil.
📽️ via @WilsontlSmith pic.twitter.com/c3lGJbrLLO
— News Cricket (@NewsCorpCricket) July 30, 2019
Mousey says
Also good piece in today’s Sydney Morning Herald, again mainly about that 2005 test.
https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/we-were-a-bit-cocky-inside-the-closest-test-in-ashes-history-20190717-p527zw.html
Bring it on. As a neutral observer I’m looking forward to the series!
Freddy Steady says
@mousey
Yep, excellent that. Can clearly remember watching that match as the Aussies inched closer and closer. Convinced England had cocked it up,
Freddy Steady says
Also .,,loads of good previews on BBC website . Seems it’s going to be 3-2 but no-one really knows who too! No draws apparently.
moseleymoles says
Looking forward to going to day 2 at Edgbaston, not in the Hollies this time which may be for the best. After apocalyptic forecasts earlier in the week it looks like dry but cloud, which should suit Jimmy and Stuart surely?
Junior Wells says
Looking forward to Cummins and Pattinson with the new ball too.
Uncle Wheaty says
10 off the first 2 overs.
We’ll be 200 ahead by the end of Friday with 4 down.
Freddy Steady says
@uncle-Wheaty
I admire your chutzpah! Roy will either make 170 off 10 overs or be out first ball of the day. And as for the rest of the batting line up…who knows?
Junior Wells says
Looking forward to Cummins and Pattinson with the new ball too. That is a good article by Chloe Saltau. The nausea of hearing McGrath was out, the performance of Flintoff with bat ball and sportsmanship, the booing of Capt Ponting in his last series as he came on and that nail biting finish. We can only hope this games comes close to that but it lacks the personalities I suspect.
Junior Wells says
Question please- when will teams be announced and is their scope for late selections?
Freddy Steady says
English team just announced… No Archer.
Junior Wells says
Anderson / Broad. Here we go again.
deramdaze says
Tell you what would be nice …
Australia: 550 for 7 declared
England: 444 all out
Australia: 250 for 8 declared
England: 100 for 1 … Match Drawn
Tiggerlion says
Looking at the English top order, we’ll be lucky to reach 100 with just four wickets down.
Bargepole says
England have scored over 400 just once in their last 30 innings!
Aussie team not being revealed until the toss.
Uncle Wheaty says
I would rerer all of those above to my prediction in an earlier post of an English World Cup victory and a 5-0 Ashes win.
On track so far…
chiz says
England haven’t found an answer to their top 3 problem and unless by some miracle the latest solution (Roy in, and Root at 3) turns things around it’s hard to see them winning much from 40-4. I also suspect it’s Broad and Anderson’s last series and one of them won’t make it to the end.
Freddy Steady says
Let’s get our excuses in early!
Dodgy top order, ageing bowling attack.
Junior Wells says
Speaking of getting the band back together …. Bancroft selected.
Freddy Steady says
Australia win the toss and decide to bat. Apparently everyone is happy with that decision. Australia think the pitch is dry and good for batting on and England think there’s moisture and a breeze for a bit of swing.
Let’s see!
Junior Wells says
Siddle in instead of Starc, injured perhaps.
Siddle can run in metronome like so long as he has a big enough supply of bananas. Best thing, he barracks for my Aussie Rules team.
Here’s hoping for a great match.
England have to be favourites.
Edgbaston boos sounded more pantomime like what I expected.
chiz says
Warner not walking when he’s out first ball
count jim moriarty says
Starc isn’t injured. Siddle purely a horses for courses choice apparently, on the basis that he bowls better in English conditions – which he should, considering the amount of county cricket he’s played. And he scored 44 at no.10, a typically annoying, nuggety innings. A proper cricketer.
Junior Wells says
He was indeed – why no appeal ?
chiz says
Giving him the chance to show he’s changed – apparently he’s a reformed character these days.
Junior Wells says
Well not disastrous for England V good bowling and a very nervy Davey.
chiz says
Then given out when he wasn’t! Hilarious.
Junior Wells says
There ya go @Chiz he didn’t appeal when he was in fact not out and didn’t walk to an edge off the toe of the bat. Does that make him square ?
chiz says
Karma!
Junior Wells says
So yes then
chiz says
#cheat trending on Twitter here
Lunaman says
Lively start! I’m in Greece and I don’t think my iPad will last very long for TMS. I brought a portable dab radio but no dab here! It could be worse I suppose.
Junior Wells says
Loving the crowd oohs and aaahs.
And thanks to the miracles of time zones I’m accompanied by a remote control and a bottle of red.
Lunaman says
I think I might join you with a Mythos – it’d be rude not to.
Cheers @JuniorWells
Junior Wells says
*clink*
Freddy Steady says
17-2. Bancroft gone.
Junior Wells says
England bowlers have been excellent , greAt length….. fuck it.
dai says
I got up this morning (5 hrs behind England) and before seeing score thought that there would be 3 down for not very much. I was correct. Seems to happen start of every series.
Junior Wells says
Not sure there has. been a bouncer so far. Very tight.
Freddy Steady says
Mini fight back by all accounts. It’s scorchio on the balcony here on the Welsh riviera so might be time to open the fizz and get stuck into last nights pulled chicken.
#middleclassmoi?
Mousey says
Lunch and it’s time for bed here in Canberra. Good game. What shits me is the radio commentary is at least 2 balls behind the TV coverage
dai says
Can you pause the TV coverage to delay it?
Mousey says
Good thinking 99!
Mousey says
@dai So now I’m obsessed with getting this right! Timing the TV release of the ball with the radio commentators’ description and then pausing the TV. In the past it’s been the other way round – radio ahead of TV.
Junior Wells says
@Mousey. Good luck mate. Reckon you might have it synched by lunch.
Mousey says
Well yeah, the radio commentary is actually in real time but Channel 9 fuck around with it! Interesting, might have guessed. I’ll stick with Jim and Aggers I think. With Glenn and Geoffrey et al.
Junior Wells says
Ditto for me. What are you doing in Canberra Mousey, apart from freezing your nuts off, as one does in Canberra in the wintertime?
Mousey says
@Junior-Wells – just accompanying Mrs M as she attends to her PhD business at ANU. Yeah bloody cold but v pleasant and sunny this morning. Off to some galleries for some culcha…
Freddy Steady says
112-7. We’re on top at the moment though Smith still in.
dai says
123-8 Anderson maybe out though which might make 2nd innings tough
chiz says
When I predicted one of Broad and Anderson wouldn’t make it through the series I was kind of hoping it’d be more than four overs before I was proved right
dai says
Was just listening to TMS in the car (available outside the UK on youtube). Coverage almost ruined by drunken morons chanting “Barmy army” repeatedly. If you must chant about something make it relevant to what is going on in the game.
Junior Wells says
Just woke up for a pee, checked scores …. oh dear. First thought was that Guardian over by over saying “ is it cowardly to pray for rain”
And all this with Anderson out of action. Oh dear indeed.
Back to sleep now in the hope of a stoic late wicket stand or an early English collapse – or both.
Freddy Steady says
@junior-wells
Think you’ll wake up pretty happy!
dai says
What an innings from Smith. Seems like booing him may not really unsettle him.
chiz says
Fantastic player. He’s got half his side’s runs.
Bargepole says
Great recovery by the Aussies, but how many times have we seen England reduce a side to 150 for 8 or whatever only for the last couple of wickets to put on another ton! Obviously hampered today by Anderson’s absence, and questions have to be asked about his selection when his injury recurs after only 4 overs.This could be as significant to this series as McGrath’s was in 2005.
dai says
I don’t think it happens to just England, old ball, tired bowlers especially as you say, no Anderson and the pitch settles down.
As Sir Geoffrey says, don’t judge a score until both sides have batted.
Junior Wells says
Did he get booed off ?
Siddle has actually contributed some vital innings throughout his career.
chiz says
No he didn’t get booed off… a few people were praising Rooooooooot for his fine captaincy at the same time though 😉
As for today… never judge a pitch until both sides have batted.
Junior Wells says
I like to think that the cricket lovers appreciated the knock and it was the pantomime crowd doing the booing as he left the field. tonight my aussie rules team, my rugby league team and the Ashes will all be on at the same time. Gonna do my head in.
Junior Wells says
Have just read the reports. Sounds like a fantastic day’s cricket. Plenty of theatre. It seems like, in their quest to play sociable cricket, the Aussies are reluctant to go to review – Warner, Pattinson.
Similarly, England’s failure to appeal over Warner was remarkable. I guess the toe of the bat is very difficult for batter and bowler to work out, and maybe, being the first ball there was a bit of “too good to be true”.
Re the inability of England to get the tail out, I agree with @dai however I will also add that Siddle and Lyon are no mugs with the bat.
Bargepole says
True, but that’s where you need a bowler with real 90mph pace to blow the tailenders away- hopefully Archer will be fit for the next match, especially as it sounds like Anderson could be out for a while.
kalamo says
I started to listen to TMS after the early reports that we were thrashing the Aussies. I had to walk away though, after Smith started to become “expansive”.
Freddy Steady says
A bit like old school test cricket so far today. England doing ok but you just don’t know what’s round the corner.
Junior Wells says
Well tough day at the office for us Aussies. 1.39 am and only seen 2 wickets. Not much luck, flatter track but England has been solid. No rushes of blood.
Oh well. Maybe if I go to bed …..
Freddy Steady says
Ahem.
Uncle Wheaty says
100 for Burns.
200 on the way!
Bargepole says
England ground it out today, need to capitalise tomorrow and try and get a healthy first innings lead as I don’t think runs will be easy to come by for the team batting last on this track. One of Root’s faults is that his conversion rate for 50s into 100s is poor, as illustrated again today.
Still no conclusive news on Anderson but Wood will miss the whole series which is a blow.
The standard of umpiring has been very ordinary in the first two days.
Junior Wells says
BTW. What’s with the numbers?
Names I can sort of get, but numbers? How did they allocate them and who came up with the god awful design?
count jim moriarty says
I believe that the player gets to choose from whatever numbers are available. It could be useful for those at the ground, but apparently on day 1 the scorecard on sale at the ground didn’t have the numbers printed with the players’ names.
Of course, the whole thing is pointless when most of the players are wearing cable knit sweaters that they can’t print the names and numbers on…
Freddy Steady says
Burns out . England’s lead is only 12 with 4 wickets left.
Edith.
Moeen goes without scoring. 3 wickets left. All down to Bairstow then?
Edith Pt 2
Apparently not. 2 wickets left!
Junior Wells says
Love this tension, beats crash and bash any day.
Freddy Steady says
@junior-wells
Absolutely! T20 etc has its place but I can watch a test match like this all day …and intend too! If Broad and Woakes can eek out a few more runs we might just be ok though I’ll imagine we won’t get Smith out and Burns will probably struggle to do what he did in his first innings.
Game on!
Junior Wells says
Desperate times require desperate measures Need to get these 2 out so I am going to bed in the hope it will encourage a change of fortune.
Freddy Steady says
Not worked yet Junior. Lead now 80. Warner and Smith still copping it.
Freddy Steady says
Well, that looks like it for the day. Oz 3 down with a lead of 34. Funnily enough, Smith still there.
dai says
This has the potential to be a thriller, if Australia get 180 or more ahead, we could see a nervous chase and a very close finish. Winner of this game will win The Ashes.
Junior Wells says
Bloody Groundhog Day.
Freddy Steady says
Evening/Morning Junior
Seems to me it’s boiled down to if we get Smith out early , we win. Crazy.
Junior Wells says
I’m not sure that position has gone down well with the Australian Test Team.
Freddy Steady says
Junior, are you saying he’s not popular in the dressing room?
Anyway, drinks already. Smith still there natch.
Junior Wells says
Not at all, rather that the others might think that they have a contribution to make.
Freddy Steady says
Ah ok. Fair point. Head seems to be doing ok certainly.
Edith. Oh!
Junior Wells says
Had to catch up with the Test due to Mrs Wells rebelling. 5 days of prime time TV is a hard sell.
The pressure has swung back.
Freddy Steady says
I guess Australia are favourites now. Smith is just ridiculous!
Freddy Steady says
Good God.
Junior Wells says
Well Freddy, nice to have had your company.The Sandman beckons. Looks like Australia will have a lead of well over 300 which will allow them the luxury of maintaining attacking fields.
Until tomorrow.
Freddy Steady says
Yep, looking forward to it Junior!
Should be another cracking day of test cricket…you’re very much favourites now.
Freddy Steady says
Morning Junior, this one’s for you !
Bargepole says
Seems an awful long time since 120-8!
England are obviously hampered by being a bowler down – I wonder if we’ll see Anderson again in this series. I think the rose tinted glasses were on when he was picked – he was desperate to play and the selectors were desperate to have him in the side and they convinced each other it’d be alright on the night.
Embarrassing fields set to Smith, effectively saying we can’t get you out so please take a single so we can bowl at the other guy.
Moeen surely will be out for the next match, nowhere near as dangerous as Lyle on a very helpful pitch, and has been a walking wicket with the bat for a good while now.
Let’s hope for some solid batting tomorrow.
Uncle Wheaty says
At long last we have a proper Test Match with all three results possible on the last day.
Happy days, may all the others be the same!
Freddy Steady says
Erm..,all 3? I really do admire your chutzpah!
Uncle Wheaty says
Freddy have faith.
200 up by tea, 35 overs left, 3 wickets down, middle order fired up…dare to dream!
Freddy Steady says
Ok Uncle!
This from the BBC website re:Smith.
Maybe he will start to wobble, although his last six scores against England read 239, 76, 102 not out, 83, 144 and 142.
Tiggerlion says
Jofra Archer will have him!
Junior Wells says
Nice to wake up to a century for Wade. Pretty good keeper too.
Junior Wells says
On Smith:
Obviously losing the Captaincy, in the manner that he did, was a disaster and complete humiliation that just about broke him. But, having survived the ordeal and back playing
cricket, losing the Captaincy has probably been the best thing. He was never cut out for it. Being the best player doesn’t qualify you to be Captain. He is too awkward, too obsessed, too eccentric. Based on this test he can focus solely on on field stuff batting, fielding and, in effect, being an on field Captain for field placements etc. All the other stuff he can leave to Paine.
Steve Waugh was interviewed and said Steve Smith could never be a coach because he can’t explain what he does.
Kid Dynamite says
“being an on field Captain for field placements etc”
This is very dodgy as far as I’m concerned. He’s still in a period of being actually banned from the captaincy, but he’s out there directing field placements? I don’t want to get all sour grapes about it, and it’s clearly an internal matter for Cricket Australia, assuming they ever find their spines, but it doesn’t sit right.
Freddy Steady says
Take it you’re awake Junior…not exactly the start we wanted!
19-1. Burns gone.
Junior Wells says
Am indeed. Scotch by the chair. Awfully good of those rain-laden clouds to skirt past Edgbaston earlier today.
Freddy Steady says
Indeed. My Spear of Destiny song obviously hasn’t worked so I’m off out into the garden to summon the Rain Gods.
Junior Wells says
Should the need arise, I’ll counter that with the Go Rain chant from Woodstock.
Bargepole says
The umpiring in this match has been embarrassingly poor at times.
Still pondering on why Woakes only got seven overs in yesterday when apparently he is fully fit .
duco01 says
Yeah – and umpire Joel Wilson is standing in the next test as well. Ha!
Bargepole says
He’s TV Umpire in the next match rather than on field thank goodness!
Junior Wells says
It’s almost like, “doesn’t matter if I get it wrong, they can fix it up on review”.
Freddy Steady says
Interesting comment from Glenn McGrath on the BBC website. Says there’s too much scrutiny these days on Umpires these days with every ball being replayed a billion times , DRS etc.
I’d be a hopeless Umpire, not a clue.
Anyway, that was almost a typical Jason Roy dismissal
Edit. We’re doomed. 81-3 now
Junior Wells says
Watching this session is like returning to an old familiar comfy chair.
Freddy Steady says
Right lads, keep it tight after lunch…er.
Junior Wells says
It is a shocking task having to just defend all day, it’s what makes Test cricket so fascinating
Freddy Steady says
Junior, this is going to be all over by your bedtime.
Junior Wells says
I’m due to get up early for a flight but each time I resolve to head for bed another wicket falls.
Junior Wells says
Well Fred, gonna have to hit the hay. Hoping to wake to the news that the prediction of @Uncle-Wheaty of an English whitewash has crumbled at the first hurdle.
Freddy Steady says
Well, you can sleep soundly Junior…a big big tonking in the end.
Uncle Wheaty says
I stand corrected.
3-2 to England.
Freddy Steady says
Well, Woakes attempting to delay the inevitable.
Mousey says
And it’s goodnight from me! Well done Australia. Excellent test cricket. Looking forward to the rest of the series
illuminatus says
Bye bye, Ashes.
We’ve had our “McGrath” moment with Anderson, and lost on a ground where we tend not to. And our batting is brittle beyond all comprehension. We knew it before the series started, and now this just confirms it. Thank God I can’t watch it live.
Bargepole says
Predictable collapse of England second innings after a reasonable start – Australia deserved winners, Lyon in particular cashed in on a turning pitch in a way that Moeen wasn’t able to, Not only that, when you’re a bowler down you need your spinner to seal one end which he also wasn’t able to do.
Changes for Lords – Archer for Anderson and Leach for Moeen would be the obvious choices, although I’m not convinced by Denley either – but there aren’t too many obvious replacements around.
Perhaps Archer’s pace might ruffle Smith a bit – let’s hope so! Other than that, try a few things against him – how long did it take before someone came round the wicket to him yesterday – or try bowling wicket to wicket and bring lbw and bowled into play instead of outside off stump over after over.
Junior Wells says
Agreed Bargey. Tough losing Anderson and to have your spinner ineffective too make it verytough. Root very unimaginative, basically gave up against Smith. Mental disintegration of a different sort.
Siddle is a great bowler, McGrath like line and length but without the menace. Often makes handy runs too. Interesting that we have rested Starc available too.
I must say that the biggest challenge of this series is on the marriage with the scheduling of matches. All on during prime time, if they all go to 5 days it could get ugly at the House of Wells.
Bargepole says
If she leaves, she leaves JW 😉
My team for Lords
Burns
Roy
Root
Butler
Bairstow
Stokes
Curran
Woakes
Leach
Broad
Archer
There’s some talk of Anderson being able to return for the 4th Test, which is at his home ground, Old Trafford, although presumably they’ll want to see him get through a game first.
Mousey says
Anderson has to actually play a game of cricket before he plays a Test Match! This is SO logical. He’s 36 or something and cannot possibly recover from “niggles” the way he would have 10 years ago.
Further to the above – cricketers NEVER know when to retire. Understandably – they want to keep doing what they’ve done successfully for however long. But like the rest of us, they never learn from history…
dai says
Older I think, but he has been averaging less than 10 with the ball in county cricket, so is not ready for the knacker’s yard yet.
Freddy Steady says
Re; the scheduling of the matches. It’s a tricky one. I’m off all summer and there will definitely be thin lips in Freddy Towers at the thought of me watching them all. There’s jobs to do you know!
Freddy Steady says
Wot you doing up?
Junior Wells says
*Yawns, rubs eyes *
Early flight.
Kid Dynamite says
I see Archer took 6-27 today and then hit a century. Glos 2nd XI are about as good as the Aussies, right?
Moose the Mooche says
I wish Joffrey Archer massive success, because he has so much to live down with that awful moniker, a composite of absolutely the most repellent fictional and non-fictional* characters of the last 40 years. Somewhere on the internet it’s one of HP’s names.
(*leaving you to work out which is which)
count jim moriarty says
NIce, but his name is Jofra, not Joffrey.
Junior Wells says
He certainly impressed me. Some nasty rearing balls. If fit he is a cert.