The summer of cricket 2020

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alfie wrote:Not sure why you chaps wanted Billings at five ?  I know Buttler has mislaid his run scoring the last two games ; but he's been in rare form over the previous few weeks and I don't think he needs protecting

Fifty for YJB

Zampa has started really well...

Were Stokes in the side he'd be batting five to consolidate the innings before upping the run rate himself and setting it up for a Buttler charge in the last 15 overs, that theory should stay the same with Billings in the side for. Hoping Jos proves me wrong however.

300 up

And a fine fifty for Woakes

Finished really well...302/7

Woakes will have to open the bowling after this batting effort. He will be bouncing with confidence.

Sir Chris Woakes really showing the difference Englands batting down the order gives them. Didnt give them much chance of making it near 300 once Bairstow was out but there it is.

Quality from Bairstow and Billings rescuing the innings and the lower order doing some important damage again. 7-9 adding 83 runs at about 120 is good going.

alfie wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:Looks like this game will be pretty well in the balance at innings change. England will have wanted more, but Australia have struggled chasing and their tails always going to mean they cant afford to shop wickets as softly as England have at times.

The stats on chasing in ODI on this ground suggest Australia have a lot to do...

Think the last nine or ten games here have gone to the side that batted first. And the highest chase is well south of this total.

Means nothing , of course.  History is just ...history.  But I suspect England might be the happier side at the interval.

Yeah would think so, although pre that those first two balls I think we all fancied it would be a 350 pitch. Maybe spoiled a bit by some of the ridiculous games two years ago, but with that boundary and the fresher pitch felt like a real chance for england to open for the first time in a while. As you say those records have regularly been trashed over the past few years, but does look like the pitch is giving a lot more than was expected. England also have the advantage in seeing the length and styles to bowl.

Plenty of drama to come I'm sure, but if England get anything like the start Aus did you have to feel the games in the bag given the weakness in the Aus batting.

Soul Requiem wrote:Quality from Bairstow and Billings rescuing the innings and the lower order doing some important damage again. 7-9 adding 83 runs at about 120 is good going.

Zaltman has a bunch of stats on this ...notably that England 8-11 over the past 5 years have averaged almost 10 more than Australia's. They score at a run a ball too.

Aus well ahead of England after two balls

That was a good finish from the English lower order, Woakes especially. To get 302 from 0/2 and 95/4 is an excellent return.

Think the pitch has slowed up noticeably, the outfield too, so I make England favourites. That short boundary is a concern though!

Duty281 wrote:so I make England favourites. That short boundary is a concern though!

18/0 off 2 kinda changes that !

Aussies certainly started in lively style ! Guess they have to...probably best time to attack against the new ball.

But Woakes has done for Finch with a beauty

Too early to change anything!

And Woakes gets Finch plumb. Good call to get Woakes in first ahead of Wood, as the former can maximise the levels of swing and movement available with the new ball.

Woakes

Lowest score for Finch in all 6 games against England this summer.

That wicket was a crime against professional cricket.

Two for Woakes...he's having a good day .

Though that one was down to a rank bad shot from Stoinis. Woakes won't mind.

Duty281 wrote:That wicket was a crime against professional cricket.

TBF it was Stoinis

Feels very much like this needs to be a Bairstow Billings partnership from this pair now as the last of the proper batsmen, first game aside. Even then without the luxury of SCW Aus really cant afford to lose more wickets if their RR stays tied down as it is now. No junk bowling to target either.

Although Stonis gifted his wicket a bit theres been a couple of sharp chances given so far from easy going for Aus.

Happy days for England, does seem that first Archer over was the exception

Woakes has been excellent in this power play...and apart from that rather ragged first over , Archer has been on the ball too - though he hasn't got his bunny yet

Won't in that spell either...Wood replaces him after four.

As goose says , this is the pair for Australia.

Interesting : Root to bowl over number eleven. Morgan trying something different...could give him useful options later if he can bowl a few now. I like it as a variation

And he's bowled Warner

Master stroke

Root does for Warner.

Quite a good delivery. That's why I feel he underbowls himself a little in tests.

Warner must be sick of batting in England.

Joe Root's golden arm strikes again!

I'd agree he's a touch underbowled. Unlike many part time tweakers he can genuinely spin the ball as well as just put an arm ball on a spot.

That was some bowl in fairness, Rashid must be foaming at the mouth to get on after seeing that turn from Root.

If they give Root a second over then Moeen really will crawl into a hole and die

Root does it again. Makes up for his first-ball duck.

55/4.

Sweet Jaysus, ROOT!!!

In 10 deliveries Roots got more wickets than Moeen did in 4 ODIs this summer.

(Edit just realised Mo didnt get a wicket at all! The one he did get was in a T20)

Wood obviously fully recovered from his niggle. Serious wheels.

Root continues . Fair enough. And he's got another

Morgan should be pleased with his experiment

(Marsh does struggle against spin. I actually thought Morgan erred in the first ODI in switching to pace just after he came in. Got it right today !)

Woods bowling absurdly fast

Wood is bowling very well indeed.

Not wanting to put a downer on Root bowling effectively but does anyone else ever wonder how he's not being called in for tests on his action? The slightly suspect elbow was pointed out to me whilst watching a Test live with seats that happened to be level with the popping crease at the end Root was bowling. My dad noticed it and once he mentioned it about half a dozen of us around him immediately felt like it was something that couldn't be unseen!

I'm not saying there aren't spinners in recent years with more suspect actions but Joe's certainly raises an eyebrow for me at times, particularly when he's bowling quicker.

84mph slower ball from Wood. It's safe to say he's in the groove!

That's the game. Labuschagne runs himself out, foolishly, after just surviving a near-miss at the other end. Fool me once...

Australia imploding...

Labuschagne runs himself out... Good throw from Roy , but Langer might not be best pleased.

Just Maxwell and the rabbits left. I might get to sleep before dawn...

Getting run out is never great but kinda understand why they felt they needed to start nicking some cheeky singles.
73/5 ...surely there cant be another shock swing in this series?

Roy misses Labuschagne with his first opportunity to run him out but makes no mistake with the second chance.

Short of a Maxwell miracle that should be the game for England.

I'd consider pace from both ends with Archer and Wood against Maxwell. 3/4 overs of really quick bowling before he gets his footwork going.

Duty281 wrote:That's the game. Labuschagne runs himself out, foolishly, after just surviving a near-miss at the other end. Fool me once...

Reckon the game's been gone for a while. At least since Warner got out...Miracles do happen : but you wouldn't back Australia to produce one from here...

Maxwell starting with intent , at least

Apparently Woods spell was the fastest ever recorded for an England bowler, averaging over 91 for 4 overs

Gooseberry wrote:Apparently Woods spell was the fastest ever recorded for an England bowler, averaging over 91 for 4 overs

Really? Sweet jaysus, that is some heat.

eirebilly wrote:

Gooseberry wrote:Apparently Woods spell was the fastest ever recorded for an England bowler, averaging over 91 for 4 overs

Really? Sweet jaysus, that is some heat.

Not surprised. He's been rapid this summer , whenever he's played. Looked really quick today.

Archer not having the best day. Kicking himself for that (rare , for him) overstep costing him a wicket...and to add insult the next one's gone over the keeper for four.

Meanwhile , Root still spinning his web...

100/5 off 21. Time for Curran yet ?

Slightly surprised Root is still bowling. Bowled nicely, but nip these two out and it is all over.

JDizzle wrote:Slightly surprised Root is still bowling. Bowled nicely, but nip these two out and it is all over.

I was thinking similar. Perhaps there's a longer term plan for Root to bowl more in ODIs. Or perhaps I'm overthinking...

Surely time for Rashid though. Curran keeping things tight at one end, building pressure for Rashid at the other could be a good partnership. It's what Plunkett and Dilly used to do together in these overs.

Suspect that last hit will mean Root comes off after this over

Since that reprieve , Carey and Maxwell have been mounting a bit of a recovery ...run rate remains well within control. But five down and a fairly flimsy tail are their problem.

Think we will see Rashid soon. Yes , here he is now...

Maxwell must be bit miffed about constantly coming in at 7 for this shower.

Carey not quite reading Rashid...but they're still hanging in ; and scoring enough boundaries to keep up with the rate.

Wood coming back now. Morgan would like to knock one of these over soonish...probably doesn't want a nail biter...

Still about 40 behind the DLS so it really would take a magic partnership to make it a nail biter

Archer's no-ball looking a bit more costly now! Australia still far back, but if these two can bat through another 8+ overs, it'll start to get close.

Not such a good period for England there... Might welcome the drink break.

Rashid should have had one but Jos couldn't hang on to that nick...and then what might have been an unusual lbw was spoiled by a tiny touch on the wristband...

Carey has his fifty : but Maxwell looks the danger man. Game not ending just yet so sleep will have to wait.

England only need one wicket to be into the tail but as long as Maxwell is out there Australia have a shot.

I imagine Langer is thinking something along the lines of, "come on Glenn, if you're there at the end we can win this".

Gooseberry wrote:Still about 40 behind the DLS so it really would take a magic partnership to make it a nail biter

Ahead of where England were at this stage, actually. Though one more down.

Hundred stand reached with a rather unconvincing shot off Rashid. He looks as if he must get one soon as they're not really hitting him cleanly.

Or they weren't That one by Maxwell was out of the Middle ! Good fifty

Game on , I think .