The Ashes: 1st Test, Brisbane

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1st Test Brisbane, November 23-27, 2017

Australia:
Bancroft, Warner, Khawaja, Smith *, Handscomb, S Marsh, Paine †, Starc, Cummins, Lyon, Hazelwood

England:
Cook, Stoneman, Vince, Root *, Malan, Ali, Bairstow †, Woakes, Ball, Broad, Anderson

Suicidal shot by Bairstow. Out for 42 caught in deep with tea nearing. Sad end to a heartening knock.

194 for 8 and lead is 168.

Ball almost bounced out first ball but gets a single.

Hard to see England getting this lead up to anything that will give Australia serious concerns.

In fact no chance now as Bairstow gets himself out trying to dab over slip and merely gives third man a dolly...

Frustrating : given the shakiness of the Australia batting , England aren't going to be that far short of a dangerous chase target. Couple of disappointing dismissals ; they seem to have got their tactics a bit mixed in this innings ...in fact from the time Malan got out on Friday they haven't seemed to be quite sure when to defend and when to attack...

Broad gone. Going downhill fast...

And Broad goes. Did not look like it in real time but Paine was convinced (the only one) and the review sees Broad caught behind off Starc. Tea delayed with one wicket remaining. The coup de gras to follow shortly you feel.

And Ball bounced out. Australia need 170 to win.

Yes the hot spot was very faint but it was there...as was a sound - though it certainly didn't look like an edge live...

Paine had a good innings for calling reviews !

All out 195. About eighty too few. Pity after a lot of fight but this match now looks destined to go the usual way for Brisbane...

So : is there any hope for England ? I doubt it : the pitch seems pretty sound - the odd ball hitting cracks , perhaps : wonder if Smith could be lucky enough to get one first ball

I guess if a couple of wickets fell early there might be some scares : but they bat deep enough , and England don't have the depth in their bowling on what we saw in the first innings.  If Moeen were Swann it might be different...

Too many wickets given away. Cook csught hooking, Stoneman a soft delivery to exit to, likewise Malan and Ali being stumped was poor. Bairstow out hooking when he looked settled. Too many gifts for me.

Only a very slim chance. England have to get Warner and Smith out cheaply. Do that and the jitters could set in. Also the whole bowling unit has to turn up - not just Broad and Anderson.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Too many wickets given away. Cook csught hooking, Stoneman a soft delivery to exit to, likewise Malan and Ali being stumped was poor. Bairstow out hooking when he looked settled. Too many gifts for me.

Indeed. Harsh to call Stoneman's exit soft , I think : was fine bowling from Lyon. But I do think he should have been more positive against the spinner , and then he might not have got that ball.

I understood why Cook tried to take on Hazlewood : they didn't want to sit and be peppered with short stuff ; and if he nails a couple of hooks it might well have pushed the Aussie pace men back a bit. But I think I'd rather he'd taken a little longer to get the pace of the pitch first.

Very surprised at Bairstow : he was looking pretty comfortable and really should have been looking to nurse Broad , etc , through for another thirty- forty runs at least. Was really no need to play that low-percentage shot.

They've done a few things right in this match ; and at least given the hosts a contest. But they will look back on some crucial (unforced ?) errors , to use a tennis term. Australia have made fewer such mistakes.

The difference is Smith's telling century, them having the more consistent bowling attack, better spinner and giving fewer wickets away.

Stoneman, I reckon, had no need to be prodding at it.

CaledonianCraig wrote:The difference is Smith's telling century, them having the more consistent bowling attack, better spinner and giving fewer wickets away.

I suppose in truth the difference is just Smith's century. If he had run himself out for eighty odd like Vince Australia wouldn't have made 240 and we'd have a totally different game...

Australia 8 for 0. A couple of nesr misses but no early wicket thus far as the new ball becomes less new (crucial).

Australia 13 for 0 and need 157 more to win the first test.

If, as it looks, Australia win this first test then you would think England would look to making changes to their attack. Perhaps Overton in for Woakes or Ball.

Still not going England's way ...some good bowling , beating the bat - but not quite finding the edge .

Really need a couple of early scalps to set the nerves a-flutter : but if Broad and Anderson don't strike I'm not holding out too much hopes for the back up bowlers.

alfie wrote:Still not going England's way ...some good bowling , beating the bat - but not quite finding the edge .

Really need a couple of early scalps to set the nerves a-flutter : but if Broad and Anderson don't strike I'm not holding out too much hopes for the back up bowlers.

Yes and that was my point about Australia having the more consistent attack.

Australia 16 for 0 and 154 runs away from the win.

This pair dealing almost exclusively in singles. Keeping their powder dry until Broad and Anderson have to be taken out of the attack.

Australia 20 for 0 and Ali comes into the attack.

CaledonianCraig wrote:If, as it looks, Australia win this first test then you would think England would look to making changes to their attack. Perhaps Overton in for Woakes or Ball.

Well yes , Overton for Ball would be likely - especially for the pink ball game. Unfortunately the missing Stokes looks more important than ever : makes all the difference to the late order to have Woakes at nine after Moeen...
The English tail has been brilliant over the last year or two but without Big Ben it really didn't show out here at all.

Not much they can really do to the batting except hope Cook can get a start and Root can play a big innings. Can only hope that Adelaide enables the seamers to run through Australia cheaply because otherwise it is hard to see how they're going to compete : flat wickets are going to play into Australia's hands.

I actually thought the bowlers did a fair job : Smith really had to fight to get that century , although the batting conditions were pretty benign. And the other Aussie bats apart from Marsh really struggled. If England could bat big they'd have a great chance...but that looks unlikely based on this match.

Moeen on. Need him to do something dramatic or this is just a matter of time.

Woakes also into the attack. Australia 23 for 0.

CaledonianCraig wrote:

alfie wrote:Still not going England's way ...some good bowling , beating the bat - but not quite finding the edge .

Really need a couple of early scalps to set the nerves a-flutter : but if Broad and Anderson don't strike I'm not holding out too much hopes for the back up bowlers.

Yes and that was my point about Australia having the more consistent attack.

Well yes...the three fast bowlers weren't really outstanding in either innings - couple of good spells but hardly Johnson and Harris. But Lyon really bowled beautifully in both innings .

As I say , England's bowlers did a fair job ; but neither Woakes or Ball threatened enough . Reckon much of that is down to the way Smith soaked up everything thrown at him though. If Root or someone had been able to play a comparable innings the lack of a fifth bowler might have started to take effect...

I do think Woakes , for one , will be more effective on a slightly quicker pitch. Though I imagine the Australians might fancy that too

Runs starting to come more frequently now. Australia comfortable on.37 for 0.

Needed them two down for next to nothing. Now they're feeling relaxed and there really isn't anything in this pitch to make batting too hard.
That England second innings was way under par. Though when they look back at this match I think they'll recognize that they effectively lost it by losing their last six first innings wickets for fifty on the second morning : they should have made nearer 400 from 240/4 ; and if they'd done so they wouldn't be looking at defeat now. In fact they'd probably be pushing towards a win ...but you need to cash in on those good positions ; and they didn't.

Warner and Bancroft are playing well now. Can't see them getting a result tonight - even with an extra half hour ; but they will be able to sleep soundly.

Plain sailing here as the Aussie openers start to give Ali some tap.. England's challenge petering out.

Australia 53 for 0. Win looks certain but England have to keep plugging away. The more wickets in this lost cause that they can get then it is crumbs of comfort andbinstills things in batsmen's minds for the rest of the series.

Can’t score 195 in the third innings on a pitch that’s still pretty good for batting and expect to win many games - England have done fine on the whole, but have just lost the crucial moments of this test ultimately

I wonder if Mason Crane will see some action on this toyr?

Also we have to bat Bairstow higher than 7. Twice in this match he’s been wasted having to attack with our long tail, him at 7 works fine with Moeen and Woakes to come after him, but when it’s only Woakes and the rabbits then it’s not so great. He’s our second best bat, madness to have him in at 7 and wasted

More to the point more England batsmen must not give their wickets away. Too many got in and settled then got out to poor shot choices or loose shots for scores in their 30s and 40s.

Good Golly I'm Olly wrote:Also we have to bat Bairstow higher than 7. Twice in this match he’s been wasted having to attack with our long tail, him at 7 works fine with Moeen and Woakes to come after him, but when it’s only Woakes and the rabbits then it’s not so great. He’s our second best bat, madness to have him in at 7 and wasted

Very disappointed with Bairstow , to be honest. Thought he would bat well with the tail - he has in the past - but twice he has played unnecessary wild shots at a time when he was both batting quite well and still had three potential partners... The sort of thing that I criticized KP for four years ago.

I think they like Moeen in at five with a view to getting after Lyon ; but since he fell to him twice it didn't really work. Agree YJB should go to six. But if he bats as carelessly as in this game it won't make any difference...

Bairstow and Ali at least attacked Lyon and unsettled him. More England batsmen must adopt that attitude.

CaledonianCraig wrote:I wonder if Mason Crane will see some action on this toyr?

There will be a temptation to play him - probably in the next match ! I fear if they do it will will be one step towards the complete unravelling of their game plan and set the scene for another 5-0. Think they have to stick to what nearly worked this time as far as the bowling goes - Perhaps Overton for Ball - and hope the batsmen do a better job.

Not ruling out Crane playing later (Sydney the most likely) ; but he couldn't bowl out the under twenty threes last week so I doubt he's a Secret Weapon.

Australia 83 for 0. Only 87 required.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Bairstow and Ali at least attacked Lyon and unsettled him. More England batsmen must adopt that attitude.

Absolutely. Not crazy stuff ; but sensible aggression. That - slightly controversial - stumping decision against Moeen was probably the big moment of the day. Another hour of those two would have seen a very different situation now.

Trouble is the other left handers aren't that confident against Lyon. And Root seems not quite at his best so far on this tour , for whatever reason. So Lyon gets into his groove comfortably.

I'm sure they'll have a good chat about tactics after this game. Hopefully they'll not get too depressed from this disappointing defeat and will at least see that the opposition is far from untouchable. Losing in Brisbane doesn't have to kill you : bounce back in Adelaide and you can nullify it.

Does make Adelaide a big pressure game.

Fifty for Warner

Australia cruising at 92/0 and going to win by a comfortable (and arguably slightly misleading ?) margin.

Getting to the point where England will be more bothered about keeping their key bowlers rested than competing. In fact I think they reached that some time ago. Just going through the motions now.

Century partnership up. England look a well beaten side now.

Truly embarrassing, another 5-0 on the way.

Another disappointing element for England today? Losing key wickets minutes before the end of a session. Root out just prior to lunch and Bairstow out just prior to tea.

LionsV2 wrote:Truly embarrassing, another 5-0 on the way.

Quite possibly. Hopefully the players are made of sterner stuff than some of their supporters though

The Adelaide Test is obviously crucial. Pink ball and all , no idea what the pitch will be like this year ...anything could happen. If England can hit back and level the series there we can look forward to a real battle...but if that one goes to Australia it will be hard to stop the runaway train...

I wouldn't call it embarrassing , by the way. Disappointing , more.

Judging by this capitulation the players are weak, captaincy terrible and our so called star batsmen doing his usual get in and get out routine.

CaledonianCraig wrote:Another disappointing element for England today? Losing key wickets minutes before the end of a session. Root out just prior to lunch and Bairstow out just prior to tea.

Even day one . Stoneman just before tea. In fact on day two wickets fell to delay lunch so it was a bit of a pattern... Indeed a bad habit to get into. One they need to stamp out quickly.

LionsV2 wrote:Judging by this capitulation the players are weak, captaincy terrible and our so called star batsmen doing his usual get in and get out routine.

Back to the football board for you , lions

Australia close on 114 for 0 and will have 56 to polish off to complete the win.

alfie wrote:

LionsV2 wrote:Judging by this capitulation the players are weak, captaincy terrible and our so called star batsmen doing his usual get in and get out routine.

Back to the football board for you , lions

I'm bored of hearing about Roots average when these pretty 50's and 60's achieve absolutely nothing, how often does he truly impact on a game?

Then there's Bairstow and Ali, two players protected down the order because of their fragile nature; Bairstow should be batting at 6 at the lowest.

Well played Warner and Bancroft this evening : got through the early pressure and have been cruising since the change bowlers came on.
Australia will complete victory tomorrow with no difficulties ; England will have to reassess before Adelaide.
A few things we can say already : Smith is a class above any other batsman on either side ; Lyon is a much more dangerous bowler than Moeen - and better than a lot of people appreciate. The rest of the Australian batting isn't anything special ; but England's bowling relies far too much on the two openers. At least the three new batsmen did well in their first innings (and Stoneman showed resolve in the second ) ; but they need the more experienced batsmen to stand up if they are to compete for more than the first half of a Test Match.

Just caught up with the evening highlights.

Warner and Bancroft did well to ride out the storm. Game over, barring the most ridiculous comeback in Test history.

Ultimately, England didn’t score enough in either innings. I’m really not looking forward to when England have to bat on faster wickets!

With the guaranteed Australian win at Perth still to come, England’s chances in the series are thin.