Cricket

Looking like a good game for England to win…better pray for some DLS assistance?

Tim David’s LBW in this T20…‘bowl of water for the umpire’s dog please’.

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Bit of a fightback. 86 for 0 off 5. 179 all out n 19.

Bruce

Pace-off always works :grinning:

What the **** is Jamie Overton doing playing as a specialist batsman? Completely daft imho.

I’d have thought he’d be there as a bowling allrounder, but with 4 bowlers and 3 all-rounders I’m not sure you need an 8th option, so yes he’s there as a batter. You’d assume Adil and Jofra will always bowl out, so 5 bowlers (2 front line and 3 allrounders) should be comfortable to find the 12 other overs.

It looks a very weak batting side to me. 7 to 11 looks like the longest tail we’ve seen in a long time.

As proven.

Archer at 8 said it all. Livingstone at 4 far too high also.

What was the purpose and motivation for the selection of this side? Cox looks like he can’t play the real quick stuff.

Like a bad pick & mix sweet selection.

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The selectors forget that for some of us the result when we play Australia, matters.

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Shouldn’t overlook that this was a shadow of the side that won the ODI WC in 2019 (very fortunately too!), and which also formed the base of the T20 team.

This side had fragility written in to it, from ball 1 (which was almost comedic).

That’s unfortunate is was partly awake at 3am and forgot it was on, good opening win for the tourists.

We cannot moan about the old lags being past their sell by dates and then complain about fresh faces!

Give Cox, Bethel and the others a chance. This is the way to find out what they have. Australia in 8 T20/ODI series is a proper test, more than a mickey mouse UK smash and bash.

I vaguely hope that Livingstone at 4 might encourage him to bat with his brain a bit more. We shall see. He bowled OK though.

I am not sure we appreciate how good Rashid remains, and how long he has been vital to this side.

Bruce

PS Don’t bowl fast and short to Aussie batters. They like it. Not sure how that message was missed.

Taking pace off the ball is T20 101 I thought.

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I don’t think I willmoan about the new faces, but the match is too close to the Test Match , this wouldn’t make a difference but this is Australia and if we are playing at home, we don’t give them an ounce of advantage, playing an inexperienced team

We were a batsman light and bowled the wrong length early on.
I think Livingstone has to bat four as he requires one or two deliveries before he gets started.
Buttler is a big miss.

The simple evaluation of yesterday’s game (as Morgan stated the bleedin’ obvious on Sky) is that England were carted during the Powerplay, and when batting lost 3 wickets within the PP for ~40 runs less, with an acknowledged ‘long tail’ for this format. Were it not for a collapse in the Aussie middle/lower order, England could/should have been chasing 250+…bearing in mind, Salt should have been out for a golden duck, playing a dreadful shot (IMHO). The term ‘at least have a look’ must surely still apply at this level?

I wholly agree that England have to blood new players, but yesterday’s side looked very weak compared to the Aussies. I always see Livingstone as a 7/8 at this level e.g. to give impetus, but not relied on to score big runs.

…and the question remains, is Buttler in form (?), as he’s been very patchy this last year, especially in the IPL, where he had to really work for runs at times.

This T20 stuff can be very cruel…and there’s no beer afterwards, or even during :grinning:

(edit: – perhaps they should introduce beer?! :beer:).

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Buttler is injured. Doubtful for the ODIs. Maybe gives others an opportunity.

Who else would you pick? Jordan and Moeen have retired. Stokes not available, Brook I suppose an option.

Blooding the new players with a proper challenge over several matches seems sensible to me.

Bruce

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Jordan as well ? I looked at the match yesterday and thought that was screaming out for Jordan.

A very much under-rated player in this country

I know it is easy from the armchair, but I would have Duckett and Jamie Smith straight in there. Duckett’s record is good across all formats and JS looks a class act with the bat, but they don’t like to overwork them. :sleeping:
I’m not sure winning matches is the current priority. It can’t be with the side they picked for last night. I would prefer it if international matches were taken seriously.

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Size is not everything!!

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