5th Ashes Test, Sydney

First topic message reminder :

January 3-7, Sydney Cricket Ground
Start time 1030 (2330 GMT)

Australia:
CJL Rogers, DA Warner, SR Watson, MJ Clarke*, SPD Smith, GJ Bailey, BJ Haddin†, MG Johnson, PM Siddle, RJ Harris, NM Lyon

England:
AN Cook*, MA Carberry, IR Bell, KP Pietersen, GS Ballance, BA Stokes, JM Bairstow†, SG Borthwick, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, WB Rankin


The grassy SCG pitch should offer some assistance for the pace bowlers early on. Some grip there for the spinners too. It's not going to be too hot and there is the chance of a few showers over the 5 days - but nothing too substantial. Some cloud cover and high humidity though.

Ballance and Stokes have led a mini-recovery. Been fairly impressed with Ballance who looks compact and hits the ball solidly. Stokes continues to impress although he may have been a tad fortunate with an edge behind possibly bouncing just short - it looked good from front on I thought, but dodgy side-on.

Australia were sensational in the first hour. It is easy to criticise England all you like, but there's no team in world cricket currently who could have faced that off. Fast bowling of the highest quality on a pitch offering plenty. Cook's ball came back a long way: pitching off and hitting off from Harris's angle is no mean feat; Bell's ball was an absolute beauty as well. I guess KP was a bit loose, but really you just have to give credit where it's due in this case.

Lyon looks in good rythm also.

Over-rate desperately poor again (in fairness it took Ballance 10 minutes to change his helmet, but still).

Mike - I agree that Australia were sensational in the first hour although I felt Cook contributed significantly to his own downfall and consequently to a more limited extent the procession that followed. I'll try to look again at the ball that got him.

Agree with Mike the Australian bowling was sensational the first hour today.
Cook really did set the tone for England though. If you look at it again you see he has his bat way above his head - made a very early and appallingly poor decision to leave , presumably on length ? Just hadn't taken his batting head out with him...

Good to see the two new boys resisting. Too much to hope they might go on with it now ?

Sorry to have made "sensational" the word of the hour   

Must have been subconscious ...didn't mean to echo.


...and Lyon does for Ballance...

alfie wrote:


...and Lyon does for Ballance...

Lyon increasingly showing himself to be an important member of this vastly improved Australian team.

I've watched it a few times. I still think it's a fair enough leave, the ball pitches on off-stump; from Harris, who bowls wide of the crease, I think that's not often a dangerous leave. As it is, it swung a long way, and then kept going after it pitched. I would hazard that had he played it he may well have gotten out in identical fashion, just with his bat alongside his pad rather than way above it.

Nice bit of bowling from Lyon and good catch from Haddin. Lyon does look in excellent rythm, got nice loop and drift and a bit of bite as well.

Hmm. I will look at it again , but I think you are in a minority of one , there , Mike. Which doesn't automatically mean you are wrong , of course.

Lyon is indeed bowling well. Has been growing into his role. Funny to think a lot of Aussies were still touting Ahmed as late as before Brisbane.

May not last ; but I at least like the fact that Birstow is prepared to use his feet to the spinner.
Can't just let him dictate.

Everyone gone to sleep , eh ?

Don't blame you   

Hundred up , at least...

...but I bet Linebreaker is lapping this up.

England gone to sleep too, I see, alfie.

No I have been watching.

Quite unusual really. The top order disintegrated and for the first time in the series the tail wagged a bit. To me it was no coincidence that the highest scorers were those with least mental baggage. Stokes (impressive again), Ballance (debutant) and Broad (perhaps can take confidence from his bowling on this tour).
23 runs for the first 5 wickets whilst the last five wickets put on 132 runs.

Australia lead by 171 and for me the test is already lost. It looks a cadt-iron certainty this is to be a 5-0 whitewash for Australia.

Australia off to a swift start in their second innings - 32 for 1. Anderson trapping Warner for lbw. England need to instigate an England-style collapse in this Australian innings.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Australia off to a swift start in their second innings - 32 for 1. Anderson trapping Warner for lbw. England need to instigate an England-style collapse in this Australian innings.

Good to see the Scots are still staying solid   

You are right about the mental baggage , Craig. We know they are , by and large , much better than they are showing. But they have been beaten down in this six or seven weeks and are playing from memory...

Won't get their games back together until they get a break from this. Which is why I don't mind seeing Prior , Root getting some time off.

Jimmy takes another ! Fine catch Jonny Bairstow   

Must get Broad back on now and attack...

A good one-handed catch from Bairstow and Watson is caught behind and Anderson gets another wicket. Australia 47 for 2 leading by 218 and still in complete control.

I would like to see Stokes brought into the attack. Anderson doing well here.

Hmm why the fascination with Rankin.  Get Stokes on. After all he had a six wicket haul in the first innings.

Yes Stokes would be a fair idea. Sorry to say , but Rankin looks very ordinary.
Looking like a poor choice.

alfie wrote:Yes Stokes would be a fair idea.  Sorry to say , but Rankin looks very ordinary.
Looking like a poor choice.

It just shows what KP_Fan knows.

And while Anderson is putting pressure on - as far as you can when you trail by 218 - it is surely important to keep that pressure on both ends.

I know they want to give Rankin a chance...but this isn't the time.

Cook has this wrong. Rankin staying on when not threatening and Anderson being bowled into the ground now in his 8th successive over. Sloppy, sloppy stuff from Bairstow.

Broad on for Rankin.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Broad on for Rankin.

Bit late. But glad to see him on.. Stokes the other end ? Anderson still beating the edge but don't want to flatten him. Maybe one more after drinks...

And Broad strikes. Clarke caught behind playing a loose shot.

Australia 72 for 3. England need much more wickets though this evening to rekindle some hope.

Stokes replaces Anderson after the drinks interval.

So after Broad gets his bunny Clarke , Stokes comes on the other end...

Come on lad , take another bag

Something Stokes needs to work on is being more economical.

Smith carrying on where he left off Friday...

Guess he will have a license to play his shots with 250 plus lead.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Something Stokes needs to work on is being more economical.

Think it will come with experience , Craig.  Right now I am happy to see him taking wickets.  Will give England some room to play around with bowlers four and five.

Aussies are likely to score freely while they are in anyway , in this situation.

Yes I understand that. He did go at over five an over in first innings as well. At least he has been the one beacon of light on this tour for England. A fair few runs and a fair few wickets.

Stokes with a good delivery gets Smith caught in the slips. Australia 91 for 4 but effectively 262 for 4.

Dear God almighty - Haven't even seen the highlights yet, but seems like the script has remained unchanged.

I just want to know what the hell happened to David Warner at the Big Bash? hes come back from that and completely forgotten the concept of digging in.

Well not quite king raf. This time the top order was obliterated and the tail wagged a bit. But England bowled out far too cheaply is a similar story.

Warner not famous for "digging in" , anyway , kingraf. Has tightened up his defence a bit , I guess ; but in general I think his main strength is a good eye ; and he had a run of good luck early in this series.
Law of averages has caught up with him a bit.

Well yeah, defence isn't his star quality, but he was able discern between good balls, and baddish balls. He's come back from the Big Bash where he scored his 30-ball fifty and decided hitting a team to smithereens is a valid tactic against the new ball

Just over confidence I think.

Well yeah, defence isn't his star quality, but he was able discern between good balls, and baddish balls. He's come back from the Big Bash where he scored his 30-ball fifty and decided hitting a team to smithereens is a valid tactic against the new ball

Afraid Rankin is showing why he wasn't selected earlier in the tour. He must be capable of better than this ? Just looks tight , no rhythm ...half track "hit me" stuff at no great pace.

Looked better with the bat !

alfie wrote:Afraid Rankin is showing why he wasn't selected earlier in the tour. He must be capable of better than this ?  Just looks tight , no rhythm ...half track "hit me" stuff at no great pace.

Looked better with the bat !

I would have preferred Finn to get a chance.

Rogers is playing like a million dollars, lovely to see.

I'm not sure why, but I have a strong dislike for Bailey, but I also have a strong dislike Anderson (much covered this dislike)... so what happens when an unstoppable force moves an immovable object? If Bailey gets run out and Anderson goes at eight an over - I'd be happy.

Borthwick time.

So , will they milk him for singles or go after him ?

Bit of spin there. Testing spell for the lad.

What on earth do you have against Anderson , kingraf ?

He admits he has a few things to say to the batsmen , but off field I have never heard him disrespect anyone. And he doesn't whine when he cops it back.

Nothing against him as such - I think all the fawning over him eventually did me in. I think it all came to a head during the SA vs England series, when the player v player assessments happened.... I remember them well, they went like

Philander vs Bresnan - Bresnan... offers control, Vern lucky... Bresnan can bat.

Anderson vs Steyn - Anderson. Steyn sucks in England (remarkable assessment after two Tests in England)... Anderson has control.. Sultan of swing... Swings circles around corners...

I could laugh the Bresnan comment off, but for some reason (probably the fact that it was repeated ad nausea), the Anderson one really gnawed.

I like making fun of him though... I'd probably be more upset than any England fan if he retires/gets dropped.

Good day for Australia ( where have I heard that before   

Linebreaker will have enjoyed it .

Player v Player talk is mostly rubbish : it changes by the series anyway ...

Yeah some people go on a bit ( not just in England !) , but it isn't Jimmy's fault if some go overboard about him. Whatever you say , he has been a damn good bowler the last few years. Like you - but for different reasons - I hope he has a bit left in the tank after the perhaps overdue rest he is going to get now for the next few months.

I wouldn't say he's been damn good for a while now. 2012, he had a respectable (but not damned good) average of 29.5, but a strike rate of 70!! Not much of a strike bowler. Jimmy had two very good years, but that's about it...

well Eng batting has gone from bad to worse to a meltdown except for the fresh-minded Stokes.

--But the first hour reconfirmed when we saw Aus with the ball.....what i have been saying all through the series.....it's Eng bowling that has severely under performed..... should have restricted Aus in the range of 150-180 here and in a couple of other tests at least.

--Anyway the melt-down is complete.....as I have noted often...Captain Cook is a walking ghost.....brain with a lot of mess going on inside...and Eng cricket should give him a break rather than forcing to play ODIs which are meaningless now.

--the academic rites will be over by 4th morning..and if Eng are in a hurry to go home...tomm evening   

--Can Haddin get One More Fifty?......will he announce retirement tomm?......will the end of Candle flickering bright 36year old-Mr. Rogers get another hundred ? Can Bailey do enough to save his test career? Can Stokes get another 5-fer and another 50?.......are the sidelights of interest.

--The series that showed once again to me...the more you prepare customized / designer conditions for short term gains...and the longer you ignore your cracks...the bigger the crash and harder the fall.
I have seen the Indian team crash also similarly.
I hope Eng does not choose the path of self-denial, do the right thing and the hard yards to rebuild and come back stronger in 2014

Well England are being thumped once again this series and in all honesty, I cant see them coming back from here. I agree somewhat with KP_fan in regards to the bowling failures from England and their inability to restrict the Aussies to low totals after good starts.

England as a whole look shot for form and confidence, this to me can only come down to what the Aussies have done. From the start of this tour, the Aussies approached the series in the right manner as opposed to Englands approach. They have played proper attacking cricket and sapped to confidence and form right out of an Ashes winning side a few months ago. As sad as it has been to watch England suffer, I have actually appreciated the approach from the Aussies.