THIRD TEST: HEADINGLEY

England and pretty much every pundit is agreed: England has the momentum.

NOMENTUM

To all you tryhard wannabe experts whose strongest held opinion is the last opinion you heard, and who said Australia had the momentum going from the draw - THE DRAW!! - at Old Trafford to Riverside, get stuffed. There is no such thing as momentum from Test to Test. Find something else to write about, like listing Test cricketers whose names start with a number (mental note: look up batsmen whose names start with a number) or batsmen who have made 99 while using a green handled bat or something similarly suited to your mediocre understanding of the caper.

Comments

[Tony Tea]

Twose, Roger.

[Tony Tea]

Looks like Bancroft is set to be dropped.

[Tony Tea]

Tendulkar, Sachin.

[Carrot]

That’s hilarious, Tony - who wrote that?

It’s a pity Ryan ten Doeschate never played Test cricket.

[Carrot]

Oh. You did!!

[I am Not Trampis]

pretty good bowling thus far and they could have easily had more wickets

[X]

It sort of does look like they had the momentum.

[Tony Tea]

It's not momentum. It's winning the toss and bowling in favourable conditions, coupled with having a very good fast bowler.

[Smivvys back]

We bowled when the sun was out at lords, and were going to bat anyway when the clouds and rain were around. Don't they have weather forecasts in the UK? Without the best batsman in the world in your team, you are better off batting in the best batting conditions so that the rest might have a decent go. Like sending them in when your best bowler has just buggered his ankle eh Ricky.NOT.

[I am Not Trampis]

Broad was dead unlucky. Archer had a haircut. I wonder if it was the Samson effect that Broad was bowling until the second break faster than he.

I am also wondering whether Australia used up all their luck in this innings. I guess Robin Hood is more than just a fast bowler taking 6 wickets when only bowling fast medium most of the time

[I am Not Trampis]

Prediction time:
England lucky to get get 200 . Braveheart to get 50 as Warner did and Root also but of course not a ton. It does not matter if the suns shines or not

[I am Not Trampis]

one interesting thing from a bowling point of view was the ball swinging. It did until they went off and then stopped until they came on after all the rain dissipated.
both Warner and the big L made hay while the ball stopped swing.
Perhaps I am too pessimistic about the poms batting

[Carrot]

Roy looking all at sea against Hazlewood. It doesn’t look like there’s any way out of that battle for him. I expect him to be 80* at lunch.

[Carrot]

Well, whaddaya know, I was wrong. Hurrah.

[Carrot]

Oh, this is GREAT stuff. Keeper’s catch mind you, but we’ll take ‘em however we get ‘em.

Where was this Hazlewood in 2015? He was dog-ordinary in that series.

[Carrot]

Wow. What a session. Has it just won us the series?

[2BarRiff]

Oh Dear. Looks like Starc might not get a look-in this series.

[smivvys back]

might be 20 wickets in a day today. Lets hope not. Cmon Ussie get that 75 that will get you into the next test. Don't open the door for the Lab to take your place.

[I am Not Trampis]

I was pessimistic about England's batting just not pessimistic enough. England gone.you would expect a lot of changes for the last two tests.
Why does Woakes bowl so short for a fast medium swing bowler?

[Carrot]

Not a huge amount of quality on show today. We were dynamite with the ball, but not 67 all out dynamite, and then there were plenty of moments when it looked like we were going to let England back in the game. We might have too, if they’d have held on to their catches. As it is, we’re a scrappy 283 in front and look like we might be a decent chance of winning the match without passing 200 in either innings.

...... Still, you’d take it wouldn’t you?? Winning a poor quality game is a lot better than losing one, particularly when it involves retaining the one series we’ve all wanted the most, for the first time away from home in 18 years. This blog has never seen an away Ashes win, who cares how it comes.

[Lou]

Australia only dropped one catch! At bloody last, that makes such a difference as our bowlers have been creating chances through every innings only so many have gone to ground. Very good stuff from the Aussies. The ball was moving around like mad.

[Tony Tea]

Even though the Poms were 6 for 40 something when I went to bed at lunch I never expected them to me all out for 60 something. But did we bowl that well? 280 is not a big enough target if the conditions improve for batting.

[Carrot]

We bowled as well as I think I’ve ever seen an Australian seam attack bowl away from home, with the possible exception of Pattinson who got a bit lucky a couple of times. That said, some of the English shot selection was dire, so even though our bowling was pretty amazing, it wasn’t 67 all out amazing. Michael Vaughan made the point on TMS at one point that you MIGHT have forgiven an English batting performance like that if the conditions more resembled the ones that we got on the first day, but the fact is they had definitely improved, and on that basis England had no business being dismissed as cheaply as they were. So yeah, top marks for our bowling, particularly Hazlewood, but England really were awful.

Re: 280, the consensus is that it’ll turn. There’s a lot of rough as well. We’ll want a bit more than 280 it’s true, but anything more than 320 and you’d have to think that England will be out of the game. You never know though; we’d obviously rather 450 to absolutely guarantee it, but that’s clearly not going to happen.

[Smivvys back]

So Lab stays, does Tim Paine get dropped and Wade take the gloves? A bit harsh on the first captain likely to win in England since 2001. Also he is the best keeper we have so he can get 4 ducks and finish his career as the man who steered us through our most turbulent period. As long as we win this test. Headingly 1981 anyone? Stokes scores 100 odd not out to win the game? Nah it cant happen.
Also Joe Roots definition of momentum is a new one on me. Perhaps trefers to a latent momentum that occurs only in the 4th innings of a game. Only time will tell.
I reckon if we bat for an hour we will be right, a session and we will be even righter.

[Lou]

Why would the selectors bring Wade back in as keeper? He can't keep to Lyon, that was proven some time ago. Paine has done a good job up to the stumps, even if his keeping to the pace men hasn't been perfect, but then the catching overall has been pretty dismal up to this test

The English team are still talking their chances up. They'll have to take the next 4 wickets for about 10 runs to do that. Not saying that's not possible, it very much is.

[Carrot]

“They'll have to take the next 4 wickets for about 10 runs to do that. Not saying that's not possible, it very much is”. Hah - that’s it isn’t it, and it’s a remark on the quality of these two sides - batting-wise at least. We all know that when in doubt, expect something shambolic.

I think it’d be pretty harsh on Paine if we dropped him too, and not the right move strategically. He’s short on runs, but it’s been a low-scoring series and his keeping is tidy. As for Wade keeping again - eek! If Paine’s position is under threat, it’s probably more from Carey than Wade. Can’t see Wade being any sort of permanent solution at 6, though.

[I am Not Trampis]

agree and just who would be the captain?

[I am Not Trampis]

Mind you now we retain the Ashes it would be a fine time for him to retire after the oval

[Carrot]

Well, shit - we need a wicket. Who’d a thunk it.

It’s probably not that bad a thing that they haven’t folded completely all things considered, the series probably needed it.

[Carrot]

Well, England did pretty well today. They pretty much had to - and it’s not like they could do any worse! They have to start again tomorrow though, and the new ball is around the corner. One wicket before the new ball and we’re pretty much done, I’d say. I worry about Stokes more than Root, though - I’m sure they’re all hyper-competitive, elite, bred to win sportsmen and all that, but Stokes is even more so. If there was ever going to be a repeat of Botham’s Headingley, it would be Stokes that would deliver it.

[Carrot]

PS, there’s some gold to be found here. My personal favourite is “Largebikechain”.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cricket/comments/cusa2w/marnus_labuschagne_name_generator/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app

[I am Not Trampis]

I cannot believe how much people talk about good batting without mentioning the amount of luck involved in getting a score.

[I am Not Trampis]

If the Poms win then the two bs have to fire. I simply cannot see it.

I did not mention it in the 2nd test but when Robin Hood was bowling at his top all the bastsmen he bowled initially simply went back not back and across showing they were unnerved by his pace.

[Carrot]

The luck point is an interesting one, Trampis. Everyone hailed Smith’s first ton at Edgbaston as the Return of the King and all that, but no one mentioned that he’d played and missed about a million times on the way - just as Labuschagne did the other day at Lord’s. If either of them are “good enough” to nick it, they go to the sheds with nothing and the narrative is completely different. It’s just the same with any of the oval-ball football codes where a random bounce of the ball dictates the difference between brilliant and poor execution. It’s the same with pretty much every sport though - the random factor is everything, it’s why we love it, and why we’re all so superstitious and romantic about it. Ed Smith, current English selector, even wrote a book about it - “Luck, What It Means And Why It Matters”.

[Carrot]

We’ve missed Siddle in this innings. I was disappointed when he was left out. I’m not sure Pattinson is the guy when you’re defending a total. Still, Lyon looked threatening before lunch, and even Cummins looked much better when there was some control at the other end. You get the feeling that Stokes in particular is going to get one with his name on it from Lyon; it’s just a question of how soon we can make the breakthrough. We need two wickets. If we can do that relatively soon you’d hope that we can finish this off.

[Carrot]

Shit shot, Bairstow. Pack ‘em.

[Carrot]

So. Three wickets in good time. We should be favourites now. But this is where we replace worries with another set of worries - this is surely where Stokes is going to go boundary-hunting. And that’s got to put a chill down the spine of ANY opposition supporter when he’s playing.

[I am Not Trampis]

Sorry but the poms are a shocking batting lineup this is a lot closer than it should be.

Carrot I am merely saying no-one has talked about luck. Burns had a lot ofl uck when he hit a ton.

How much luck can i person have??

[I am Not Trampis]

I dips me lid to Stokesy

[I am Not Trampis]

why are pommy crowds so much better than our crowds?

[I am Not Trampis]

That was one hell of a ton

[I am Not Trampis]

Unbelievable,

Just how did we lose that.

Very Very good ton though

[Patard]

Wow!

[Carrot]

That. Hurts. It’s amazing how it still does. I used to think it would be something I’d grow out of, but no.

[Tony Tea]

Carrot, I had someone text me that your "it hurts" comment is perfect. And it is.

[I am Not Trampis]

I am just glad I watched it although I could not sleep after it. Many mistakes made and of course England had the luck which NO-ONE will talk about.
Lyons must be feeling really bad.

It was the most amazing innings i have seen. Easily better in technique and pressure than Botham's in 1981

[Tony Tea]

Stokes' innings was fantastic. No getting around that. But the dropped catch, the botched run out, and the bungled review will be talked about in 100 years.

[Tony Tea]

Stokes' innings was better than Botham's and so was his bowling. Hell of a cricketer.

[I am Not Trampis]

Gl,ad you mentioned that tone it was fantastic

[I am Not Trampis]

I must add the winner was cricket although I think cliches are a dime a dozen

[Carrot]

Thanks, Tones - and to the someone who sent the text. Who are they? Get them on here, commenting!! It DOES hurt, and trying to explain it all to my German wife whilst we’re moving house and had other things to worry about was definitely a challenge.

Trampis, I’m with with you on the cricket winning front. You can’t deny that it was a magnificent result for the game at large. A sell-out crowd on Day 4 of a Test that was won by a side that were gone for all money at just about every stage of the match. You really can’t do better than that.

Even though it does hurt, if we win the series, I’ll give it to them gladly. I still think we’re a good shout for it. England still need to win all of these moments. We have the luxury of not having to win the series to win the series. And presuming that Smith will be back for the next Test along with Labuschagne, we might even have a top order for the next two matches as well.

[I am Not Trampis]

England are a very weak batting side. They need two openers a no.s so Root can bat at 4. Denley always wants to cover drive even though the shot is not on and Buttler is all at sea. Stokes cannot do this every test.

Having said that we are a merely weak batting side. Robin Hood will be back to his fastest after the rest and every time I think of Smith I remember Graeme Watson. The Big L wil not always have the luck he has had in the last two tests. Just ask Burns.

For some reason the country Woakel has not pitched the ball up most of the time and let the ball swing. If they bring back Anderson they then have a long tail.

I cannot see England winning another test

Even though we lost it was a game for the ages and I simply am glad I had the privilege of watching Stokes decimate us even though we should have easily won. I will not see anything like that again.
It is why test cricket is soo good to watch.

Great crowd as well

[I am Not Trampis]

here is another take on the game. not me although you can read my thoughts at my place!!

http://crookedtimber.org/2019/08/27/a-tie-would-have-been-good-enough/

[I am Not Trampis]

I have a take with some interesting links as well.

Here
https://nottrampis.blogspot.com/2019/08/what-innings-what-test.html

[Tony Tea]

Great innings by Stokes, but I'm loving the debate over the LB referral. Either way, out or not out, the DRS would have been controversial. Australia could not review, so they missed the match winning wicket. But had Australia been able to review, Stokes would have been given out when to my mind, it was umpire's call at best. The DRS would have been well and truly in the dock.

[I am Not Trampis]

It did not look out to me. A spinner around the wicket has to spin in a long way to get LBW.

Mind you I ha te DRS with a passion

[Carrot]

There’s talk of picking a Marsh for Old Trafford. Mark my words, if this happens we will lose, everyone will laugh at us, everything will be terrible, and nothing will be ok ever again.