The Ashes - official thread

[Soul Requiem]

First topic message reminder :

I don't understand why Buttler isn't hogging the strike here.

[Soul Requiem]

Spot on there with Burns, looks to be a very safe pair of hands in the slips, aside from the catches he's produced a lot of fine boundary saving stops throughout the series. Now here comes the game; Smith and Labuschagne.

[GSC]

would guess that if Australia are to have a chance, this is the partnership

[Duty281]

Well no surprise with this start! 29/2...it's pretty standard in this series.

These two need to bat until sometime this evening (or beyond) if Australia are to win.

[alfie]

would guess that if Australia are to have a chance, this is the partnership

All a bit déjà vu , no ?

Honestly cannot recall a series where the two openers have so consistently failed and the three and four have then provided the bulk of the team's runs . You couldn't call it boring as the whole series has been fascinating ; but the predictability has been a bit much !

Anyone want to put money on either of these two coming out before lunch ? If by some miracle they were to fall quickly this would be over by tea...

Think Root has made the right move in bringing Sam Curran on early for Archer. Woakes of course still has his file marked "marginal- fourth seamer" , for some reason ; so he's the most likely man to contribute another new ball breakthrough .

[Gooseberry]

No joke last time I switched the cricket on Smith was batting, uncertain if this was still their first innings.

[guildfordbat]

Yes, Burns is a good slipper. Since taking on the Surrey captaincy, he doesn't always field there, instead opting for the comparative solitude and extra thinking time of mid off.

I liked the way today he confidently went for the ball - ''taking ownership'' in management speak. Suggesting perhaps he has put any self-doubts about his place in the team behind him.

[alfie]

Leach has the first of his potential last day Michelle

Smith's mini-me gone and England will be all over Wade now...

[Duty281]

Labuschagne out from a routine stumping and surely the game. Good little spell that for England, with Leach and Curran on top, and they've been duly rewarded.

Aussies still 342 adrift.

[Soul Requiem]

Good bit of work that from Bairstow but beautiful ball from Leach.

[GSC]

Smith now to marshall the tail

[Duty281]

Good battle developing between Leach and Smith. Always interesting to watch when Smith doesn't look comfortable at the crease.

Three down in the opening session means England will be expecting to get this done by tonight.

[guildfordbat]

I was hoping we would bat a little longer but no issue whatsoever with where we are. Broad and Leach have done their day jobs very well and we are surely on the way to squaring the series.

[sirfredperry]

Has anyone ever got the same player out SEVEN times in a series? And just how comparatively bad is Warner's five-Test, 10-innings record?

[Duty281]

Has anyone ever got the same player out SEVEN times in a series? And just how comparatively bad is Warner's five-Test, 10-innings record?

Not sure about the second question, but the answer to your first is (thanks to the BBC):

Most dismissals of one batsmen in a series:
7 J Siedle by C Grimmett SA v A 1935/36
7 T Goddard by B Statham SA v E 1960
7 D Gower by G Lawson Eng v A 1989
7 M Atherton by G McGrath E v A 1997
7 M Ali by N Lyon Eng Aus 2017/18
7 D Warner by S Broad Aus v Eng 2019

No one's ever been dismissed 8 times or more by one bowler in a series!

[JDizzle]

Has anyone ever got the same player out SEVEN times in a series? And just how comparatively bad is Warner's five-Test, 10-innings record?

Fewest runs opening the batting in 10+ inns in a Test series:
95 (avg 9.50) DA Warner Aus v Eng 2019
136 (avg 13.60) JW D'Arcy NZ v Eng 1958
164 (avg 16.40) PH Punjabi Ind v Pak 1954/55

@AWSStats on Twitter.

[compelling and rich]

Smith out cheap

[Duty281]

And there it is.

[Dolphin Ziggler]

Just got in from Silly Sunday and first ball,Smith goes. You can all thank me later

[Gooseberry]

Would love to know what broads figures are discounting balls bowled to Smith in this series.

[Gooseberry]

It would be typical of this series for wade and marsh to confound all reason and go on to save this.

[GSC]

England should be aiming to finish this tonight and not come back tomorrow.

[LondonTiger]

Has anyone ever got the same player out SEVEN times in a series? And just how comparatively bad is Warner's five-Test, 10-innings record?

Not sure about the second question, but the answer to your first is (thanks to the BBC):

Most dismissals of one batsmen in a series:
7 J Siedle by C Grimmett SA v A 1935/36
7 T Goddard by B Statham SA v E 1960
7 D Gower by G Lawson Eng v A 1989
7 M Atherton by G McGrath E v A 1997
7 M Ali by N Lyon Eng Aus 2017/18
7 D Warner by S Broad Aus v Eng 2019

No one's ever been dismissed 8 times or more by one bowler in a series!

Warner scored just 35 runs of Broad, appreciably less than the other bunnies against their nemesis. Makes him the most dominated batsmen ever in a series. Yet I believe Broad did not get him out even once in the previous 2 Ashes series.

[JDizzle]

England have proper Tim Paine-d their reviews in this innings.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

England have proper Tim Paine-d their reviews in this innings.

Not to be outdone, Tim Paine is out reviewing one that has three reds - one of his top 15 DRS reviews this series that one

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Bairstow misses a stumping of Wade off Root...

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

And then Stokes drops him at slip next ball - both tough chances, but opportunities nonetheless..

[Soul Requiem]

There can't be many worse batsmen to have scored two centuries in a single ashes series.

[GSC]

this hasn't been Englands sharpest day since lunch

[JDizzle]

There can't be many worse batsmen to have scored two centuries in a single ashes series.

Mitch Marsh?

[Soul Requiem]

There can't be many worse batsmen to have scored two centuries in a single ashes series.

Mitch Marsh?

I'll give you that one.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Didn't have to Ian Botham to realise one slip and one gully to new bat Peter Siddle was a bad idea - ball flies through second slip off Broad

[JDizzle]

There can't be many worse batsmen to have scored two centuries in a single ashes series.

Mitch Marsh?

I'll give you that one.

Marcus North is around similar ability too. But given Peter Fulton once scored two hundreds in one game vs England, nothing comes as a shock.

Wade seems to have lost his concentration a bit since the 100 anyway. Hopefully we can knock him over.

[GSC]

Wade gone, England will be hopeful of ending this tonight now

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Root deservedly gets Wade - he's bowled well today

[Soul Requiem]

Clever from Root bowling himself and Leach here to try and make best use of the new ball this evening and he gets a bonus wicket of Wade.

[Duty281]

Had Smith played his usual hand, this might have been close!

Time for Botham and Gower's last stint on Sky.

[GSC]

new ball in a few overs so Archer might be back to finish this

[Soul Requiem]

8 down so an extra half hour tonight I presume?

[GSC]

doesnt get that far. 2-2 a fair result I think

[Soul Requiem]

Pleased to see Leach finish it off there, bowled with good control and threat throughout the day.

I'll have to disagree with Gower and say that overall England were the better team but Australia had Steve Smith which evened it out somewhat. England were in and had chances to win four matches whereas Australia were only really in three games.

[JDizzle]

Has someone counted up the number of boundaries hit in the series yet?

[Duty281]

Deserved win for England in this test - dominant for the past few days. Australia got a lot wrong in this test from team selection to the call at the toss. And this time Don Smith couldn't bail them out.

As for the series overall, I think Australia were the better side and 3-1 or 3-2 to them would have been a fairer result, but this is sport and it isn't always fair. England didn't deserve to lose to India in '07 or the Saffers in '08, but they did.

Going forward I hope the England selectors recognise that a heck of a lot of work needs to be done on the batting order, and that England must not go into the winter test with Denly and Roy and Bairstow populating the top seven.

[Soul Requiem]

Has someone counted up the number of boundaries hit in the series yet?

Australia are well ahead, they were on 311 going into this final innings compared to about 290 for England.

[sirfredperry]

Not much between the teams and so 2-2 probably a fair reflection. Batting flimsy on both sides, with Smith outstanding and good efforts from Wade, Stokes (including one supreme effort), Labuschagne, Wade, Burns and even Denly.

Both sides had plenty of bowling with Archer tremendous (although he got overbowled), Broad very good and the Aussie pace attack very consistent.

[guildfordbat]

Had Smith played his usual hand, this might have been close!

Time for Botham and Gower's last stint on Sky.

Day just gets better.

[Soul Requiem]

The big big moment aside from Australias recovery from 122-8 for the selection of Ali in that first game, now Leach hasn't set the world alight by any means but on a pitch that is spinning provides greater control and more wicket taking threat. At 75-3 in that second innings England had the game in the palm of their hand but their premier spinner going for 130 off 29 overs let them off the hook especially with the seam attack missing Anderson. Leach plays instead of Ali and England win the series.

There was also the decision to needlessly send Anderson out to bat twice in that game too when he should have been left to recuperate.

[Good Golly I'm Olly]

Anderson doesn't get injured at Edgbaston, there isn't an unforecasted hour of rain at start of day 5's play at Lords, then England could potentially win the series? On the other hand, if Wilson gives out Stokes at Headingley off Lyon, Aussies win the series.

All in all, feels like 2-2 is a fair result to me.

[Soul Requiem]

Anderson doesn't get injured at Edgbaston, there isn't an unforecasted hour of rain at start of day 5's play at Lords, then England could potentially win the series? On the other hand, if Wilson gives out Stokes at Headingley off Lyon, Aussies win the series.

All in all, feels like 2-2 is a fair result to me.

It seems long forgotten that Smith was out plum on the first afternoon but not given out and saved by umpires call, in real time he looked more out than Stokes did.

[VTR]

Good win, only followed the score occasionally over the last couple of days. Drawn series seems fair based on the overall play. The end of a memorable summer.

[alfie]

Anderson doesn't get injured at Edgbaston, there isn't an unforecasted hour of rain at start of day 5's play at Lords, then England could potentially win the series? On the other hand, if Wilson gives out Stokes at Headingley off Lyon, Aussies win the series.

All in all, feels like 2-2 is a fair result to me.

That pretty much sums up my view too... You could certainly muse on what might have happened had Jimmy not been injured , or an hour of rain less at Lord's - or more at Old Trafford - but at the end of the day it is what it is ...XI v XI and it has ended in a draw. Australia deserved to retain the Ashes because they have ventured into their opponent's territory and matched them all the way (never mind Smith has done 80% of the heavy lifting : you could say the same of Botham in 1981)

Will they be disappointed in not winning ? Yes , a little...but for a far from vintage outfit to succeed where the stars of 2095 , for one , could not , has to be rated a success. Likewise England may fairly think this series was one that got away : 122/8 day one might haunt them ! But should remember that only the Stokes magic kept them alive after Leeds...

A good series for Test Cricket. Neither team top class ; but some brilliant individual efforts (Smith , Cummins , Hazlewood , Stokes , Broad , Archer )... and some real character shown by "lesser" players . Plenty of ebb and flow and no bore draws

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