England's Summer of Cricket 2023, Featuring The Ashes

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50 up for Mo at an absolutely vital moment.   

A fortuitous way to get there with Cummins not picking it up. It frankly looked like he wasn't moving well chasing back for it either.

Starc back on which I think slows how key a period the Aussies know this is. He's looked their best bowler today.

Duty281 wrote:Don't think there's been enough to justify bowling first. They were seduced by the overhead conditions.

With the Dukes I generally think wait 20 overs as sometimes it will swing more after a few overs. Whether that's from "losing the lacquer" as is often said or simply having time to shine one side.

The Oval has largely been a very flat pitch for a while. They aren't the only profitable county in the game by having 3 days Tests. 5 dayers with extended playing hours due to slow over rates and London pint prices. That's old school cricket profiteering there. None of this coloured clothing nonsense. Much more civilised.

I was expecting Australia to definitely bat if they won the toss. Whilst I thought England might even consider it as they did at Edgbaston despite their love of chasing. As it turns out both skippers would've bowled.

Warner drops a sitter. Clearly pressured by me picking him as my fielder in the tipping comp. Sorry, Dave.

Now Smith drops a fairly tough one. Green would have snaffled that.

that twas catchable by Smith
Marsh and Cummins have bowled in the channel and induced some edges

Cummins looks a lot less knackered starting here than he did in even his first spell at OT. I'd presumed it was physical exhaustion with a bit of mental stuff from the captaincy - he doesn't half cop some undeserved flack in Australia for non cricketing stuff. Perhaps it was the other way around though? If it was more being burnt out mentally then knowing they've regained the urn will certainly have lifted some weight from his shoulders.

This is his 6th Test on the bounce but it's hardly like England have forced them to bowl bulk overs. That innings at OT was the first time they'd taken a second new ball in the series for instance.

Australia have clearly done their homework and are getting Marsh on early to Crawley given he likes pace onto the bat. Smarter stuff.

cummins bowled well since coming on

Yeah, good move to get Marsh on, he seems to have a good record at the Oval, too, getting a five-for here in 2019 (his only test five, naturally). But he's having problems with his run-up here, two no-balls already.

But he's got Duckett, down the leg-side. Vital breakthrough for Australia.

Damn these Marsh brothers!

opened the door abit now, despite his 50 last innings dont have much faith with ali at 3

two gone, aussies bowled poorly this morning. corrected themselves well since

And, how often does it happen, one brings two. Deserved for Cummins. He's looked good from the off.

And the test match changes in the space of five minutes.

And bowling in the channel the sub-130kphj Marsh does what his faster front line colleagues have struggled with
Puts into perceptive Green "the talented one"  

Green reminds me of Imran's comment on Mohammed Sami who could bowl 95mph...could swing the new ball reverse the old ball...and yet failed in test cricket with an average of 53 in a big sample size of 36 tests.

Imran when asked why Sami failed said ( or said words that implied)
Sami is brainless.....he just runs in hard and puts the ball there, somewhere, anywhere
You have to "think" a dismissal and Sami does not have the minimum thinking skills needed to think how to get the wicket

Crawley is going to have to do something about his insistence on getting on the front foot. Can't really knock someone averaging 45 in the Ashes, but he doesnt seem as organised as you'd hope after nearly 40-Tests.

As usual, my suggestion is he bat down the order to face an older ball, because he clearly does have outrageous ball-striking talent

Duckett over a period of time will become a Pinch hitter like Romesh Kaluwitharna

As soon as Eng pulled the line in "the channel" with consistency.....suddenly it becomes obvious conditions are helpful.
Eng have to be careful....if Brook doesn't get going they could be looking at a sub 200 collapse

Honestly only flicked this on to watch Harry Brook. Let's go

That's a Bairstwosque drop from Carey

Should be four down. Cummins and Hazlewood hitting an excellent line and length, with a little bit of wobble.

Brooks living a charmed life..that should have been taken

Australia have been all over them since Duckett got out...amazing how one error can flip things around so completely. Duckett's innings was bright and really pressured the bowlers and fields : but that man Marsh made another important break. Bit of a strangle but who cares ?

Since then Cummins has looked like striking any time. For some reason they can't catch today or it might be worse !

But England's trouble with dropped chances is they rarely make Australia pay..As we have seen this morning...

kingraf wrote:Crawley is going to have to do something about his insistence on getting on the front foot. Can't really knock someone averaging 45 in the Ashes, but he doesnt seem as organised as you'd hope after nearly 40-Tests.

As usual, my suggestion is he bat down the order to face an older ball, because he clearly does have outrageous ball-striking talent

Agree on the possibility to bat lower down in general, but probably not the game after he made 190

Brook eager to make the most of that Carey drop.

Brooks charge makes it even session....maybe 55% Aus way...for they plucked out top-3 including Root.

Starc's radar has been off and he brought the same mistakes back of spraying it around , that let Eng get off to a good start.

Brooks...bowl in the channel with well directed bouncer every over

Thrilling session of cricket. Right in the balance at lunch.

What to make of that ?  Australia's session because they took three perhaps , after sending them in.  But then you look at 131 off just 26 overs ...

As for all of this series : next hour/session/two overs will tell us a lot ... or not.

Runs out there, I think. But reckon a bit there for the pace bowlers too.

Something to please VTR or bring back bad memories - Mark Ealham’s son (I presume!) is on the 12th man duties in this Test.

https://twitter.com/surreycricket/status/1684483537804591106?s=46&t=wiyMk89KEarOmJqGyH0sCA

JDizzle wrote:Something to please VTR or bring back bad memories - Mark Ealham’s son (I presume!) is on the 12th man duties in this Test.

https://twitter.com/surreycricket/status/1684483537804591106?s=46&t=wiyMk89KEarOmJqGyH0sCA

His father was an Ashes winning* all rounder!

*won an Ashes Test

Duty281 wrote:This original post got me thinking, and I came up with my best England Ashes XI from 1981 to the present day, which was:

Cook; Vaughan (C); Gower Bopara; KP; Thorpe; Stewart (WK); Botham Ealham; Swann; Broad; Gough; Willis.

Just making some updates.

Those two boundaries from Brook...simply wow.

Duty281 wrote:Those two boundaries from Brook...simply wow.

What a talent he is. Most 50+ scores in the series now of anybody

Duty281 wrote:

Duty281 wrote:This original post got me thinking, and I came up with my best England Ashes XI from 1981 to the present day, which was:

Cook; Vaughan (C); Gower Bopara; KP; Thorpe; Stewart (WK); Botham Ealham; Swann; Broad; Gough; Willis.

Just making some updates.

Alan Mullally wants a word. Need that left arm angle for variety!

Murphy on now. Doesn't look very eager to bowl, I have to say.

But he does get Moeen with a straight one. No surprise, Moeen hampered by injury and was just swinging for the fences. Remains to be seen what else he can do in this test.

Bad luck that Moeen injury. Maybe he should have gone off rather than try to soldier on ? Kept the score ticking , mind. But has given Australia a break they sorely needed.

Afraid he might not be doing much bowling here. Fingers , groins...why can't he just get concussed

Gorgeous ball from Starc to account for Stokes. Aussies certainly on top now.

Brook and Bairstow. Could be fireworks.

Can't do much about that

Bairstow bowled in a test. A familiar tale.

England in danger of not reaching 300.

England don't half get out to ordinary balls

Oh dear...

Brook at least made them pay for dropping him on five...but gone now short of his hundred and England in real strife at 212/7. Going to struggle to get even 250 from here. Just two decent partnerships today , apart from which it has been a bowler's day. I thought Australia would choose to bat on winning the toss ; but they'll be pleased they didn't.

Don't know what magic they have in that Aussie dressing room to keep patching up Starc and get him out there bowling again !

It's still very good for batting out there. Stokes may have got a beauty, but most of the dismissals have been down to playing expansive shots. So looks like England are going to fall quite short.

Showing Mark Ealham's son what an England collapse used to look like in the good old days! Difference now is we are hardly facing an all time great batting line up in response. England still in this but will have to bowl well

Mark Wood is one of the most likable sportsman I've seen. Full golden retriever energy.

Really good work from Wood and Woakes. Very useful 38 run partnership.

250 for 7 from our 50 overs. Will be interesting to see how well the Aussies do chasing that under lights.

Sorry? What do you mean it's a test match?

250 up on the stroke of tea. Australia on top but Woakes and Wood are batting well for very useful runs.

It looks a good wicket to me. Runs in it but a bit of the bowlers. England's concern will be it flattening out on days 2 and 3 though.

250 up at tea. Score looks a bit light at this stage ; but "wait until the other side bat " seems very appropriate in this series. Forecast suggests overcast again tomorrow so if they can get this up towards 300 it might not be that awful. Wish Harry could have gone on to a hundred today : he slowed down a bit when Moeen started limping as running became difficult, obviously ; although he was still collecting boundaries. And didn't quite get into top gear again as he lost a couple of partners. But still a bit of a shock when he got out as he'd been so much in command. Getting better as the series goes on

Wood and Woakes playing very sensibly.

May come back to bite me, but don't think 250 is too far off par - if we can get upto 300...reckon that's about right. Think the Aussies have missed an opportunity to have us all out for under 200 and be really on top here.

You've been a good pitch whisperer thus far in the series Olly so let's hope so!

That's an amusing one.

Christ, another terrible drop. Players on their holidays already.

Seeing that the old, "you know when you've hit it", adage is nonsense has been an interesting side effect of DRS. I don't think Woakes has a clue he's hit that.

Ha. Not going to add too many more are they...Woakes gone straight away.

Or...no ! He edged it .... Thank you drs.