Let’s see where things are this time tomorrow but looking a huge opportunity for us. Could the Trojan Denly defy the critics?
Vital day today. 179 is a good recovery for us and at 9.07 am this morning you'd prefer to be in our position than theirs. However Cummins, Pattinson, and Hazlewood should each be able to get the same movement out of this pitch that Broad and Archer did yesterday. Archer took the headlines for his 6 wickets but Broad bowled superbly and got so much movement, in fact too much movement to find the edge on many occasions. The weather today looks overcast until late afternoon per the BBC website, not the lovely sunshine we are seeing in the south. Batting 4th we need a lead of about 40-50 runs to be on a par with the Aussies, esp as tomorrow/sunday will probably be the best batting days. Ideally we would want to bat for 5 or 5 1/2 sessions now. The Aussies would want to bowl us out for sub 200 and then start their 2nd innings securely to make hay tomorrow. Massive day today. In the overcast conditions, with our batting line up, their bowlers, and in full "NathWFC cricket mode", I think we will be all out for sub 200.
The early Trott maybe. Bell was always a fair weather batsman, got runs when the conditions were good and there were already runs on the board, failed like a rabbit in the headlights when he came in at 50-3 on a fast or seaming wicket. He had that golden year(?) when he scored stacks of runs but either side of that only seemed (seamed?) to score runs when we didn't really need them. Liked him as a player when he was in, elegant player to watch, but IMO, as Deeney would say, lacking in cojones.
Time seems to pass so quickly. https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/aug/17/ian-bell-england-ashes http://www.espncricinfo.com/the-ashes-2013/content/story/661557.html
Yes 6 years ago now though when I'd just turned 50. We're getting old and the years are flying by.... !
Unless he unexpectedly gets a big score in the 2nd innings (which he may not even need to), they must be extremely close to pulling the plug on this now.
10/2. Worse that I predicted, unusually ! We simply don't have a single competent test batsman. The first time I checked the score this morning it was 10/0.......
No4 is still too high. The ball will only be about 4 overs old. I suggest #8 (about the 50th over) or drop him.
20/3. Forget 5 sessions, will we manage to bat a full one session ? Denly in for 21 balls so far without scoring. Hopeless.
We'll find put tomorrow whether we need Watford to take our minds off the cricket or cricket to take our minds off Watford
The reality at present is this is a pitch and conditions tailor-made for bowling. You need to be experienced and pragmatic to get through it at this level. Burns, Roy and Denly aren’t. And that means Root, Stokes and Buttler are facing the new ball far quicker than they are used to. It’s no great excuse but it’s a factor. We just don’t have players who are patient enough. Root hasn’t become a bad batsman overnight. But the quick turnaround from a 50 over WC and having to bat at No.3 don’t help. I still contend that Roy COULD be a good level Test Opener. But thrusting him into an Ashes series could prove hard to come back from in terms of his confidence. A longer term build-up should have been taken.
What a dreadful shot from Stokes. Somebody needs to stand up and be counted here. The next hour or so could make a big difference as to who will win The Ashes
