England's Summer of Cricket 2023, Featuring The Ashes

First topic message reminder :

If Pope can't play I'd probably prefer Foakes coming in, taking the gloves, myself. Maybe:

1.Crawley 2.Duckett 3.Brook 4.Root 5.Bairstow 6.Stokes (c) 7.Foakes (wk)

It means a rejigging of the order but gets better players in the XI than Lawrence at 3 IMO. Particularly when I'm not that convinced by Lawrence against higher pace. Given the 15 man squad that isn't on the cards though.

If Wood is genuinely fit I'd like his pace in the attack but would probably ere towards the seam heavy attack again if the 4  below are good to go:

8.Woakes 9.Broad 10.Wood 11.Tongue

If Wood isn't fit then:

8.Moeen 9.Woakes 10.Broad 11.Tongue

Which does have a lot of batting depth on the upside.

GSC wrote:Wood is seriously revved up but not quite finding the right area yet

yeah at that pace needs to be hitting the stumps or batsman chin. somewhere in between and little bit wide at the moment

good decision to bring in a short leg for me

Well that was unplayable

compelling and rich wrote:

GSC wrote:Wood is seriously revved up but not quite finding the right area yet

yeah at that pace needs to be hitting the stumps or batsman chin. somewhere in between and little bit wide at the moment

just like that!!

Wood, absolutely brilliant ball.

Makes that England's hour , eh ?

Impressive stuff from Wood

That makes it England's hour. Khawaja not anticipating that, whatsoever. Completely stuck.

Hopefully that will encourage England to pitch it up, as I feel they've been a bit short for the most part.

Key battle now. The main duo v England's attack. Knock one of them over quickly and England might sense a rout.

That's what pace can do. Wood hadn't got his radar quite right a lot of the time but Khawaja, who has looked in great touch, doesn't budge his feet and misses a straight full one. It's been a great spell from Wood.

I might be tempted to only give him one more though. Keep his spells short and sharp so he can do that a few times an innings.

Be half tempted to keep Smith up the other end and give Wood one more over at him

Looks too good a pitch for a rout. But getting both the openers is a fine start.

Wood has to be kept for short spells so the others have to back it up with some serious pressure stuff. Will go for runs on the fast outfield but have to keep attacking.

This outfield is lightning. If it does flatten out as Headingley has tended to recently then there could be plenty of runs in this pitch. England need to keep pressing the advantage of winning the toss here. Unlike T1 and 2.

Some sharp singles ticking Australia's score along. Smith looking good early, but Labuschagne doing a fair amount of scrabbling.

Par on this is 400, I reckon, so has been a decent start for England, but as the ball gets softer and the bowlers get into their second spells - that's when the real challenge begins.

Woakes has had a good opening spell, with no outright success.

could be very costly that drop

One for the Foakes crowd. Looked a very tough chance

Was tough, but made to look tougher because he moved a little late.

When it's Smith you simply have to get those chances.

Close ! Really tough one for Jonny having to turn back for the inside edge , but it isn't going to do his confidence much good. Robinson's best over , that.

Robinson and Woakes have bowled a good spell here post drinks

England will be a bit happier now

SIR CHRISTOPHER

That is deserved for Woakes. Beautiful, nagging spell. Labuschagne's struggles continue.

Rooting for Wood at Head

Got Marnus though ! Woakes to the party and it's three in the bag for just 61. Think Wood will be back on shortly...

Think this has comfortably been England's best bowling session of the series. Pretty much all been on it.

67/3 became 386ao in the first test, and Australia turned 76/3 to 469ao v India (largely thanks to these two), so still plenty of work for England to do. But a very good start all the same.

Woakes has bowled a really good spell there. Improved as it's gone on as well. A very deserved and important wicket.

Can England get at the returning Marsh early?

On the Smith half chance. Those are really tough talking as a keeper. You're naturally covering the outside edge more on this sort of pitch. That bounced sharply, nipped in, took the edge and went quickly. The height it reached Bairstow at shows how quickly it went. It's not dying at all. It's not uncommon at all for it to appear that keepers go late for inside edges. When they do so for outside edges it's less forgivable for me.

thats a bad one, given a bye?

Oh Jonny

Getting harder and harder to defend Bairstows spot

That's an unforgivable miss. Get Foakes back for the fourth test, England can't afford this.

if bairstow took his chances Australia be 5 down

Smith out but reviews immediately...

But given! England will feel much happier again now

Understood the Bairstow decision for the first few tests of the series, but had the perfect opportunity to get Foakes back in for this test match - and it's costing them big time.

Broad gets Smith though!

That's a genuine drop. The first one as Atherton fairly puts, "was a quarter chance at best", I don't think there's a reasonable argument that Foakes would have likely taken it.

Good to see Wood brought back before lunch though. As expected the England seamers are looking a lot more potent with a genuine 4 man attack so they can be properly rotated.

Broad gets Smith!

Don't really know why Smith is confused by that? Huge edge.

4 balls for Mitch Marsh to get to lunch

C'MON!!

Huge from Broad.

Another bit of evidence against the, "batters always know when they've nicked it though". Smith was certain he'd missed that. There are few with better touch than him.

Was my fear . Jonny's confidence is completely shot ... That first Test and the effects of rust hurt ; thought he'd got it back a bit by keeping much better at Lord's . But then that weird dismissal...

Costly. That was a sitter.

Though it seems the Smith one hasn't actually cost much at all

One extra over then. Bonus time?

At 3 down England wouldve been happy with their work if let down by the chances. Suspect they're delighted at 4 down with Smith out

Duty281 wrote:Broad gets Smith!

Don't really know why Smith is confused by that? Huge edge.

I think we've seen enough of those instances now with DRS to see that the old adage about batters always knowing they've hit it doesn't ring true in the quicker professional game. At club level facing 60mph dobblers I'm confident about when I have and haven't hit one but I don't think it quite translates to the highest level where everything is happening in a split second.

So heavily England's session. Mark Wood has been excellent as has Broad. 91/4...you'd take that after sending them in.

Could have been better if that Head chance had been taken. Though I suppose then Smith might not have been on strike to get out

Lively hour in prospect on resumption !

91/4, a really good morning for England. All bowlers doing well, but especially Broad and Wood. It's been an outstanding series for Broad and Wood has added that extra dimension that England have lacked. Woakes, too, his spell was very neat, getting it going both ways and removing Labuschagne.

Just hope they keep this intensity up in the afternoon, press the advantage, and get Australia out for sub-250. Head has looked very shaky to anything short (and should already be out!).

alfie wrote:Was my fear . Jonny's confidence is completely shot ... That first Test and the effects of rust hurt ; thought he'd got it back a bit by keeping much better at Lord's . But then that weird dismissal...

Costly. That was a sitter.

Though it seems the Smith one hasn't actually cost much at all

On Bairstow - as a fellow keeper (lol) it looks to me like he's just lost some spring in his feet/legs after the injury, rather than rust. He was a perfectly good keeper, so could see the logic behind him being in (obviously thinking they were getting that version), but this post injury version just isn't upto it mobility wise. Which of course, then has a knock on effect for confidence etc...(not an excuse for the drop off Wood to Head btw - that should've been taken at all pro levels).

I don't think they can really persist with this though. Smith chance was tough but there have too many routine outs in this series go begging

king_carlos wrote:That's a genuine drop. The first one as Atherton fairly puts, "was a quarter chance at best", I don't think there's a reasonable argument that Foakes would have likely taken it.

Good to see Wood brought back before lunch though. As expected the England seamers are looking a lot more potent with a genuine 4 man attack so they can be properly rotated.

If we ignore the lack of footwork that leaves Bairstow in a poor position to take it then no there's not a reasonable argument. Taking that into account I think Foakes starts moving to his left the moment the ball jags back and ends up with a far easier catch.

Bairstow is the focal point but think the biggest difference between the sides has been fielding in general. Well that and England's tendency to run up the extras count

GSC wrote:I don't think they can really persist with this though. Smith chance was tough but there have too many routine outs in this series go begging

With Pope's unfortunate injury it actually makes things easier, as Foakes can simply come in for one of the five bowlers in the next test.

Will it happen? Doubtful.

Anyway, England have had opportunities to really stamp their authority on games so far but have largely passed them up. Might be the last chance they'll get to keep the series alive

Big 6 from Marsh. I have always been undecided by him, he never really has been a top class player in my eyes but yet he keeps having great spells with both bat and ball.