Ashes 2025-26.

[sussexpob]

Parts of today really make you think that England have been handed a blessing. I doubt if Starc bowled like he did with Hazlewood and Cummins in support, England make 200. Neser was ok this morning, Green had a few sizzle past the edge, but Doggett was poor. It looked in session 3 like England had thrown it away. Brook once again getting out to something terrible, a calamitous run out, and then Boland running through Smith in 2 balls....

For all the talk, one thing remains true .... When Joe Root is on, England always have a chance. What a player he's become, another innings to add to his legacy, and finally we can change the record about no hundreds in Australia.

I imagine Matt Hayden will now revert to "One 1 x 100 in x games"....

[Arthur Crabtree]

As the ton approached I was thinking about how on the last Ashes tour Root was in a long period of being dismissed between 30-80, despite consistently getting a start. I seems now that he's a far better player. Probably at his peak. His average is going up. Maybe the captaincy hindered him.

[Durhamfootman]

Played Joe

the rest? Not so much

[sussexpob]

Just catching up on the first session I missed. Whatever god Zak Crawley worships is the right one, because how the hell did he get past the first 10 overs? Spooned a return chance to Starc he just couldn't get to, flashed an edge low to Smith that I think carried but wasn't taken, had about 20 times he wafted at one only for the ball to pass mms away from his edge, and then he finally did nick one and the umpire yet again decided that the soundwave on snicko wasn't the right wavey thing, so it couldnt have been the edge, even though there was no light between edge and ball and a clear sound at the moment it passes the edge.....

All hail Zak.... I need to ask him for his lottery numbers

[sussexpob]

We really need to bin snicko. Umpire's jut don't know how to use it.

I can't remember who it was in Perth, but an England batter got off an edge from Snicko because it was "too small" a nick. I believe IIRC Travis Head then got out first innings to an almost identical/minutely larger peak and was judged to edge it. And now we are back to the "edge isn't big enough". I have my reservations about the technology and the method used, I don't need to repeat them as I have made countless rants about it. But we decided to use the technology, warts and all, so cricket umpires acting above their station and making judgements on the visual representations of different shape or size soundwaves can all get in the bin.

Its really simple. Does the Oscillator noticeably spike? I don't care if the pattern is triangle, square, shaped like Barbie, 5 meters tall or barely registers.... That is a sound. The technology is used to determine sound. If you have a sound, you give it out. Any other conclusion invites a thought process that is not your position to judge on or make.

Any umpire saying " I see a spike, but its only small"... should be instantly removed from the game and fired.

[backfootpunch]

I was hoping root would do a dinesh ramdin and pull out a note saying yeah keyboard warriors talk nah when he got the hundred

Australian attack looks average. Duckett and smith got good balls the rest got themselves out.

Brook is fast becoming the gazza of cricket. Absolute genius one day, absolute plonker the next.

Can you have the outrageous brilliance without the idiotic swishes. Probably not. He needs to find a middle ground.

Like most of the batsmen. I have no problem with the aggression. Get the catchers out on the boundary early. But then engage your brain more for god sake. There are easy singles everywhere. Once those fielders are back you can score at 4+ an over just milking singles and punishing the bad balls i.e the way root plays.

If they did that not just continue to play those big shots bazzball would be much more consistent

[backfootpunch]

I also feel a little sorry for doggett. Waits all this time to make his debut. Looks like hes a mid to low 80s line bowler. Smith putts him on bouncer duty.

[sussexpob]

Brook is fast becoming the gazza of cricket. Absolute genius one day, absolute plonker the next. Can you have the outrageous brilliance without the idiotic swishes. Probably not. He needs to find a middle ground

He'd be an instantly better player following two very simple pieces of advice.

1. If you go wild wide outside off, at the very least move your weight and feet towards the ball.

2. That stupid bat pointing to air scoop thing you do? Yeah, everytime you play that, the team bus leaves without you on it at the end of the day.

On point 2, he nearly got bowled and stumped earlier playing that ridiculous shot.... and then 3 balls later, was attempting it again

[backfootpunch]

Brook is fast becoming the gazza of cricket. Absolute genius one day, absolute plonker the next. Can you have the outrageous brilliance without the idiotic swishes. Probably not. He needs to find a middle ground

He'd be an instantly better player following two very simple pieces of advice.

1. If you go wild wide outside off, at the very least move your weight and feet towards the ball.

2. That stupid bat pointing to air scoop thing you do? Yeah, everytime you play that, the team bus leaves without you on it at the end of the day.

On point 2, he nearly got bowled and stumped earlier playing that ridiculous shot.... and then 3 balls later, was attempting it again

Someone needs to tell him hes too good to be playing like this

At least pick your moments

[sussexpob]

In general though, I have to give England some credit. There was hints of more responsibility from the batsman in general, Crawley's luck and Brook batting like a maniac aside. Stokes threw it away with a terrible mix-up, and Jacks got a start and then threw it away (as did Harry, but he never looked comfortable), but watching Root and Stokes at 200/4 ish, they batted exactly how the situation required. Stick in a bit, give yourself a chance, turn 200/4 to 280/4 and win the game.

England too often don't play like that, so I applaud them trying to adapt to the match situation - its what I have asked for, its what they did. The partnership was ended well short of anything match changing.... but its the thought that counts.... and why not some pure bazballing when the Jack comes in. May as well have a whack rather than see Archer try and fail to block.

[Durhamfootman]

74 overs in the day..... just saying!

Assuming that the Root/Archer partnership didn't last much longer than it did, England should have been able to have 10 overs at the Aussie openers under lights. Because the bowling was allowed to be 'England slow', they'll open their innings tomorrow in bright sunshine with fresh, well rested batters

74 overs! More than an hour's play lost and nobody gives a monkeys

I'm going to assume that there was no rain delay

[Arthur Crabtree]

No rain.

69 overs in the scheduled play, 5 more in the extra 30m!

[sussexpob]

74 overs in the day..... just saying!

Bad light stopped play

[bigfluffylemon]

And unless England can bat another 6 overs, no over rate penalty

[backfootpunch]

And unless England can bat another 6 overs, no over rate penalty

Farcical isnt it

Would be a big points fine too surely