England v Australia - Test 1, Cardiff 8th - 12th July

First topic message reminder :

England

Lyth
Cook
Ballance
Bell
Root
Stokes
Buttler
Ali
Broad
Wood
Anderson


Australia

Warner
Rogers
Smith
Clarke
Voges
Watson
Haddin
Johnson
Starc
Lyon
Hazlewood



Officials

Umpires - HDPK Dharmasena and M Erasmus
TV umpire - CB Gaffaney
Match referee - RS Madugalle
Reserve umpire - NGB Cook



Toss

Won by England who choose to bat.

CaledonianCraig wrote:I think what surprising me is that England have been the better more united team with each player contributing. Australia have been more like a disorganised rabble in comparison. They definitely have to look to be more consistent with the bat and ball for the remainder of the series.

Has been a revelation , has it not ? Mustn't get too carried away with one game ; Australia will not go away easily. But England have indeed looked a great combination in this game. I think what poor old Moores was saying was true : the potential was there , and the spirit was good. They just needed to get a bit more confidence and experience and we'd see some results. And in fairness , I think Farbrace helped them relax and enjoy it a bit more...and Bayliss seems to have - very quietly - helped that along.

May not be world beaters yet , but this looks like a good start.

Must concentrate again now with four still to get...

I hear you brennomac. But you didn't mention Haddin, he's a douche of the highest order. Australian 'cricket' is very unlikeable. The great spirit and style that England played recently against NZ means that I'm stoked for them. Rub it in lads.

alfie wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:Hi Alfie.

All good thanks v much.  Had a poorly old year last year but much better now after getting well and some much needed changes.

How are things in Aussie land?

Really glad to hear that.  I knew you had a rough time for a while there , great things are looking up. I'm not complaining at the moment (though the weather has actually turned pretty nasty this weekend at least by Aussie standards : Polar Blast ! Is the headline , as the temperature hovers around ten Some people don't know when they're well off )

We were in your corner of the world this January and I thought it looked pretty good even in winter ; will be visiting again some time soon - when the sun is out I hope.

Sounds like our reaction down here when it sleets "carnage as blizzards hit". Some areas don't do winter weather too well.

Yeah we had a lovely mild winter mostly.

The problem with coming here is you can never tell when that will be. Oct and Nov were pretty sunny, as was March. April, May June had plenty of cloud and rain though. Always a nice place to be though.

I think the signs that things were coming together was the New Zealand series. Players brought in such as Wood and Ali (new to Ashes) have proven to be able to trouble the Aussies more than the Aussie players themselves thought I reckon. They earmarked Ali as the man to attack and they have paid the price.

Hope the game ends today. I am planning on having a few in town tomorrow and the last thing I need is the pubs full of drunken English and Uncle Taff cricket fans

What is an "Uncle Taff"?

Watto out lbw again! Not saved by the review. We may not see him again on this tour.

Cook shuffling his bowlers around - he has done that much better lately.

And Wood does the trick...pending the inevitable review

Watson is gone...stone dead

Duty281 wrote:I wonder if it's odds-on that Watson is dismissed LBW?

Quite.

trebellbobaggins wrote:What is an "Uncle Taff"?

A Welshman who sucks up and bows down to English people. I'm just looking for a few quiet pints tomorrow in town

Almost there! 

Outstanding from England.

alfie wrote:Cook shuffling his bowlers around - he has done that much better lately.

And Wood does the trick...pending the inevitable review

Watson is gone...stone dead

Has he always been this prone to lbw?

Wood taking to Test cricket like a duck to water. A lot to like about him. Bowls a disciplined line, uses the crease to the full, great attitude, spirited and can bat a bit.

Steffan wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:What is an "Uncle Taff"?

A Welshman who sucks up and bows down to English people. I'm just looking for a few quiet pints tomorrow in town

oh right. in all my years with a Welsh partner I don't think I met any of those. Proud folk.

trebellbobaggins wrote:

Steffan wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:What is an "Uncle Taff"?

A Welshman who sucks up and bows down to English people. I'm just looking for a few quiet pints tomorrow in town

oh right.  in all my years with a Welsh partner I don't think I met any of those.  Proud folk.

Good. Most Welsh people are proud apart from a few who support England in cricket, England in football (but will no doubt jump on the Welsh bandwagon if we qualify for next Euros) and anti-devolutionists

A good choice though being with a Welsh girl. Unless she is from Cardiff...those woman are nuts

Steffan wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:What is an "Uncle Taff"?

A Welshman who sucks up and bows down to English people. I'm just looking for a few quiet pints tomorrow in town

I will bet you a million pounds that many of them though are ardent Welsh rugby fans and back the Welsh football team so would say it is a false analogy of sucking up to English people.

I am a Scot who has no qualms seeing England win at cricket and certainly wouldn't say just because I do I suck up to anyone.

trebellbobaggins wrote:

alfie wrote:Cook shuffling his bowlers around - he has done that much better lately.

And Wood does the trick...pending the inevitable review

Watson is gone...stone dead

Has he always been this prone to lbw?

I think he has the highest % of lbw dismissals of any Test batsman who has played a meaningful number of matches. 14 of 35 against England alone...

Steffan wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:

Steffan wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:What is an "Uncle Taff"?

A Welshman who sucks up and bows down to English people. I'm just looking for a few quiet pints tomorrow in town

oh right.  in all my years with a Welsh partner I don't think I met any of those.  Proud folk.

Good. Most Welsh people are proud apart from a few who support England in cricket, England in football (but will no doubt jump on the Welsh bandwagon if we qualify for next Euros) and anti-devolutionists

A good choice though being with a Welsh girl. Unless she is from Cardiff...those woman are nuts

We're proud in Cornwall but as we don't have a national team the Cornish follow a mixture of Wales or Eng and sometimes both so It doesn't really worry us you people follow.

each to their own I reckon.

she was from Ponty. Still pretty mad

alfie wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:

alfie wrote:Cook shuffling his bowlers around - he has done that much better lately.

And Wood does the trick...pending the inevitable review

Watson is gone...stone dead

Has he always been this prone to lbw?

I think he has the highest % of lbw dismissals of any Test batsman who has played a meaningful number of matches.  14 of 35 against England alone...

oh wow, that's a real problem.

overall though he's been a bit of a talisman for Aussie hasn't he?

ebop wrote:I hear you brennomac. But you didn't mention Haddin, he's a douche of the highest order. Australian 'cricket' is very unlikeable. The great spirit and style that England played recently against NZ means that I'm stoked for them. Rub it in lads.

Yep ebop forgot about the delightful Haddin, he really is a piece of work too. A real pleasure to see him hand Eng 134 runs after he dropped Root on 0 and then bat like sh1te

trebellbobaggins wrote:she was from Ponty.  Still pretty mad

That's where I am from so I can relate to her madness

My new bird is from Caerphilly but now lives in Ponty...that takes mad to a different level

This game will be over in an hour I reckon

I think we can call that England's session

Australia get to tea on 162 for 7. England's session by a country mile with five wickets falling for just 65 runs.

brennomac wrote:Yep ebop forgot about the delightful Haddin, he really is a piece of work too

Wow what is this...hate an Aussie cricketer day? I have never disliked any Australian cricketer other than Pontin who never came across as being a nice person (good commentator though)

Steffan wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:she was from Ponty.  Still pretty mad

That's where I am from so I can relate to her madness

My new bird is from Caerphilly but now lives in Ponty...that takes mad to a different level

This game will be over in an hour I reckon

That definitely does!

ah yeah she lived down in Caerphilly for years. Caerphilly mountain, good memories

This game,, depends on Johnson really, he can get a big score but probably for sure.

Just checking.. is it a rule that young Aussie boys must be named "Mitchell"?

it's a fashion I can guarantee will never take off in cornwall where it is a surname associated with folk from the, shall we say, rougher side of the tracks.

Steffan wrote:

brennomac wrote:Yep ebop forgot about the delightful Haddin, he really is a piece of work too

Wow what is this...hate an Aussie cricketer day? I have never disliked any Australian cricketer other than Pontin who never came across as being a nice person (good commentator though)

Nup, not 'just' today mate.

It's just sport mind you so don't get all indignant about it.

Pity the Aussies capitulated so spectacularly. Mitchell and Mitchell showing that the pitch probably could have been more conducive to a 400 chase than most.

Opening we have Mitchell and Mitchell, followed by the excellent Mitchell, Mitchell. Then we've a gritty middle there from Mitchell, Mitchell and Mitchell before we hit the deadly bowling attack of Mitchell, Mitchell, Mitchell and Mitchell down in the tail.

Mitchell will feel a little bit better about his contribution to the cause this test. He's probably been Aus' premier all rounder the last two years

50-up for Mitchell

Well batted. 

Roooooot time

Will Australia claim the extra half hour tonight?

Interesting. Could these two take them to victory?

Starc gors. Golden arm Root gets him, caught by Lyth.

trebellbobaggins wrote:Interesting.  Could these two take them to victory?

Cracking timing

Rooooooooooot

You never lose it trebs

Olly wrote:You never lose it trebs

You can't teach this to be honest. Natural comic timing.

Yorkie boys strike again. No century for super Mitch as the Root/Lyth combo get him

Good stand though from the senior member of the Mitchell clan.

England on the brink of victory. I have said it before I think - Root can do a very good job with.the ball. How many test wickets is that now?

England win by 169 runs with Ali taking the last wicket.

That's the game. That man Root catches Hazlewood off Moeen. No contest for man of the match.

Good win that , especially when you look at the two teams and what was expected.

One up

Fitting Root catches the last one !

Spin twins do the job...

Well done England

And 2 am as I wanted ...more or less.

Nice one Alfie! Perfect timing.

My road map wasnt too bad in the end.

trebellbobaggins wrote:

Olly wrote:You never lose it trebs

You can't teach this to be honest.  Natural comic timing.

And I didn't think we'd need you to strike a blow today , trebs... But well done

Great team effort : no bowler took more than three wickets in either innings , but the combination did the job beautifully .

No justice that Anderson went wicketless today ; but he won't mind. Think Moeen has proved a point or two.