FOURTH TEST: THE MCG

Festive dead rubber.

Comments

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

Foist. A damned road for the boxing day test. how boring.

give us a greenish bouncy pitch which deteriorates and is a match between bat and ball.

given I am in my grumpy old man mood don't ever put Warner up with the greats. Against quick bowling or when the ball moves he is toast.

Cam someone tell Warney Johnson was not as quick as Lee or Tait merely bowled better bouncers.

Back to my blue pills

[Philsgone]

Bancroft batting more like his aunty Anne at the moment. Still 100 in the first session is what we dreamt about not so long ago, so good on hm for staying put.

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

I said before the series started the poms could b not get us out in a test except maybe at Adelaide if it swung. It is proving the same again On flat wickets you either need fast bowlers or a leg spinner. how tings change Len Coldwell played his only test in 1962 when the poms won. He was a medium pace inswinger.
No swing today and it is dead set boring. I have bee reading rather than watching the test. Warner gets out to a stupid shot and he is allowed to return because the umpire did not see a no-ball. What a lot of old cobblers. If he makes a mistake so what. Batsmen makes mistakes, Bowlers make mistakes fieldsmen make mistakes allow Umpires to be human and let them make mistakes. you will NEVER get perfection.

DRS and all its manifestations makes cricket totally unenjoyable.

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

I see all my friends are here!

This is a woeful pitch. Makes for poor cricket. Proof you ask . Smith and Marsh's dismissals!!

The commentators on both nein and the ABC are poor. How come former test players do not know the difference between a ball that seams on the pitch and one that swings???
Can some-one give Taylor a personality.

[Philsgone]

ball hits the pitch = seam. Ball moves in the air = swing. Its not hard, and you can pass this on to them. Also MCG is the biggest ground that provides poorest wicket, and has done so fo years.
Lack of focus from our blokes, but they will find it hard as wekk I think.

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

I am glad Cook got his ton. If only he was back in his 'Chef' days when he was too good to be a cook!!

[Philsgone]

I guess now Cook has 200, we can assume Starc will be picked for the SCG. Good dig, and you can only play against the bowlers that turn up. Moeen looked like he had been told he wasnt playing in Sydney. I cannot understand the concept of ignoring the stumps to Broad. When will someone ask the coach whose idea this is, especially when our tail-end destructor is missing.
Also is this a record low number of posts for a test match?

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

He is in back in his 'Chef' days at least in this test.

Too many short balls takes a lot of physical and emotional energy and suddenly fast bowlers look punch drunk. It had worked for three tests but try plan B when it doesn't.

Just you and me Phil.

I am glad Cook got the runs but if it was Warner in that situation I would probably hope he got a duck!!

[Carrot]

Right then, we have a Test match. Finally. It'll be interesting to see how good we are at salvaging something from 160 runs-plus behind. The likes of Khawaja and Marsh the Younger will be playing in a situation where their team is not a million miles in front, and the pressure's on. Let's see how that goes.

Barely watched a ball of last night, btw. Glad I didn't either, much thought I'm pleased that it's provided us with a contest. Regardless of how well he played, Cook has to be one of the most unattractive batsmen to ever pull on a glove, and I had no desire to forgoe sleep to watch him bat.

And speaking of Cook - what a difference an innings makes, huh? 2017 has brought him 899 runs at 47. Looking back at it in ten years' time you'll say that it was a pretty decent year, but if you take out two innings (both double hundreds) it would be terrible. I'm glad he's done well here, though.

[Philsgone]

Yes he makes it look pretty easy, but bloody hard to watch. He does not seem to enjoy his batting, no big emotion at the 100 mark, just relief. He is a tradesman in every sense of the word.

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

Well I enjoyed but I agree he is not that attractive to watch but then neither is Smith or for that matter Warner. Pommy first drop is the best to watch since Gower sorry how could I ever forget VVS. About the only aussies pleasant to watch were Chappell G and Junior!

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

Whoopsy I should have made comment on Broad's dismissal as an umpire. you can only give a batsman out if you are certain they are out. ( This is important for LBWs obviously). Both umpires could not have been sure so how Broad could have been given out BEFORE the DRS is beyond belief. The video simply confirmed this.

We have had umpires who have little self confidence in this series thus far.

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

An Ashes test albeit a boriung one because of a woeful pitch and only THREE people commenting!!!

[I am and will always be Not Trampis]

Obviously everyone realised this was going to be a boring test on a boring pitch.

If we get this next season Warner will get a ton, Smith a double ton and Kholi a triple ton. Aghhh

[Philsgone]

A significant knock in the life of MMarsh.180 off as many balls, then 29 off well over 100. Thats what a no.6 should be able to do. Smarsh no surprise, was never going to offer anything in the second dig, but it was a screamer by Bairstow.
So if no Koo in Sydney, anothr draw likely?