The Cricket Thread 2013

[Villan For Life]

No but it's still Australia's day. I'm not saying it's game over, but if you were offered the choice you'd take Australia's current position on that pitch over ours. Now we might bowl brilliantly and skittle them, but it doesn't change the fact that the batting unit isn't performing at the moment and hasn't done consistently for a while.

Fair comments. The Aussies are on top but from 27 - 3 our position is much better than I thought it would be after an hour of play.

Are you advocating changing the batsmen? There isn't any proven quality to bring in as replacement. Morgan has technical shortcomings and Bopara is not the answer.

I get the feeling that the likes of Cook & Trott are an innings away from a meaningful score. KP is playing his way back after injury and the jury is out on Root & Bairstow. I think Root will be a phenomenal player but I'm unsure about Bairstow.

I'd much rather have our line up that the Aussie line up.

[OzVilla]

Firstly, that is Australia's best bowling attack they played today.  Harris is a superb bowler but he just can't stay fit.  Always worried about his inclusion.  Pattinson will come good i'm certain and Siddle goes and goes all day.  Watson as a genuine all-rounder allows them to play the extra batsman which they need.  Shame we let Smith get them back into the game.

289-7 is Australia's day just about.  Normally on a first day the batting team looks for 300+ runs in a day and the bowling team looks for 7+ wickets so it's fairly even.  However, at 28-3 England would have been delighted to end the day on this score and at 263-4 the Aussies would have been delighted to get us 7 down so it's all relative.

I feel like every day I think, first hour is going to be crucial and yet again it will be.  England must get up to 350 - else it really will be an opening for Australia to bat long and put us under real pressure.  They bat down to 11.

[curiousorange]

It does give me heart that our bowling attack has been more penetrative than theirs in all kinds of different conditions, and really the Aussies got wickets from nothing at all. I'd trust at least Anderson to have worked this wicket out fairly quickly.

[PaulWinch again]

No but it's still Australia's day. I'm not saying it's game over, but if you were offered the choice you'd take Australia's current position on that pitch over ours. Now we might bowl brilliantly and skittle them, but it doesn't change the fact that the batting unit isn't performing at the moment and hasn't done consistently for a while.

Fair comments. The Aussies are on top but from 27 - 3 our position is much better than I thought it would be after an hour of play.

Are you advocating changing the batsmen? There isn't any proven quality to bring in as replacement. Morgan has technical shortcomings and Bopara is not the answer.

I get the feeling that the likes of Cook & Trott are an innings away from a meaningful score. KP is playing his way back after injury and the jury is out on Root & Bairstow. I think Root will be a phenomenal player but I'm unsure about Bairstow.

I'd much rather have our line up that the Aussie line up.

I'm not necessarily saying change the batting order, although I rate Taylor. I want the batsmen to show far more application, like Bell has. Prior, Cook, KP and even Trott have been out to daft shots and Root needs to get forward more.

[Villan For Life]

No but it's still Australia's day. I'm not saying it's game over, but if you were offered the choice you'd take Australia's current position on that pitch over ours. Now we might bowl brilliantly and skittle them, but it doesn't change the fact that the batting unit isn't performing at the moment and hasn't done consistently for a while.

Fair comments. The Aussies are on top but from 27 - 3 our position is much better than I thought it would be after an hour of play.

Are you advocating changing the batsmen? There isn't any proven quality to bring in as replacement. Morgan has technical shortcomings and Bopara is not the answer.

I get the feeling that the likes of Cook & Trott are an innings away from a meaningful score. KP is playing his way back after injury and the jury is out on Root & Bairstow. I think Root will be a phenomenal player but I'm unsure about Bairstow.

I'd much rather have our line up that the Aussie line up.

I'm not necessarily saying change the batting order, although I rate Taylor. I want the batsmen to show far more application, like Bell has. Prior, Cook, KP and even Trott have been out to daft shots and Root needs to get forward more.

Taylor looks technically strong and if Bairstow doesn't take his chance in this series then Taylor is worth a try.

[OzVilla]

No but it's still Australia's day. I'm not saying it's game over, but if you were offered the choice you'd take Australia's current position on that pitch over ours. Now we might bowl brilliantly and skittle them, but it doesn't change the fact that the batting unit isn't performing at the moment and hasn't done consistently for a while.

Fair comments. The Aussies are on top but from 27 - 3 our position is much better than I thought it would be after an hour of play.

Are you advocating changing the batsmen? There isn't any proven quality to bring in as replacement. Morgan has technical shortcomings and Bopara is not the answer.

I get the feeling that the likes of Cook & Trott are an innings away from a meaningful score. KP is playing his way back after injury and the jury is out on Root & Bairstow. I think Root will be a phenomenal player but I'm unsure about Bairstow.

I'd much rather have our line up that the Aussie line up.

I'm not necessarily saying change the batting order, although I rate Taylor. I want the batsmen to show far more application, like Bell has. Prior, Cook, KP and even Trott have been out to daft shots and Root needs to get forward more.

Don't you think you should give credit to the bowling.  They bowled well at us early on, great length for Lord's and Prior was always going to try and counter attack - sometimes it'll come off sometimes it won't, it's the way he plays and I don't have an issue with that.   

[Steve R]

It was England's day until the Aussies brought that Koala bear on to bowl. The match has definitely swung in their favour but it won't be the last change of fortune in the match.

It's shaping up to be a good game. Excellent.

[PaulWinch again]

No but it's still Australia's day. I'm not saying it's game over, but if you were offered the choice you'd take Australia's current position on that pitch over ours. Now we might bowl brilliantly and skittle them, but it doesn't change the fact that the batting unit isn't performing at the moment and hasn't done consistently for a while.

Fair comments. The Aussies are on top but from 27 - 3 our position is much better than I thought it would be after an hour of play.

Are you advocating changing the batsmen? There isn't any proven quality to bring in as replacement. Morgan has technical shortcomings and Bopara is not the answer.

I get the feeling that the likes of Cook & Trott are an innings away from a meaningful score. KP is playing his way back after injury and the jury is out on Root & Bairstow. I think Root will be a phenomenal player but I'm unsure about Bairstow.

I'd much rather have our line up that the Aussie line up.

I'm not necessarily saying change the batting order, although I rate Taylor. I want the batsmen to show far more application, like Bell has. Prior, Cook, KP and even Trott have been out to daft shots and Root needs to get forward more.

Don't you think you should give credit to the bowling.  They bowled well at us early on, great length for Lord's and Prior was always going to try and counter attack - sometimes it'll come off sometimes it won't, it's the way he plays and I don't have an issue with that.   

I don't have a problem with Prior countering, but he's getting out to stupid shots. He needs to be in before he starts accelerating. The Aussies as a unit did bowl well, but they didn't bowl well enough to have 7 down on that pitch.

[paul_e]

As I said yesterday, on any half decent pitch 350+ in the first innings gives you a good chance of having a lead when you bat again.  If we can get up close to 350 (which is possible, Bresnan, Broad and Swann can all score runs and Anderson is well capable of occupying the crease at the other end for a while) I'll be fairly confident.  The pitch is decent for batsmen but you can't discount the slope at lords, most of the wickets for the quicks were due to them not picking the line which is pretty common there.

If don't think we'll make it to lunchbut if we get through the first hour I'll be pretty happy with the innings, we do need Cook to step up soon though, he really needs a big score.

[PaulWinch again]

Cook and Root need to start setting us a platform, at the moment they're not seeing off the new ball let alone setting a platform.

[PaulWinch again]

I would add that I think Root will be a super player and I want him in the team, but he needs to work on being able to get forward to the ball.

[PGW]

The merchants of doom will be out now - Bresnan out 1st ball of day!!!

[PaulWinch again]

Well Bresnan has fully justified his place bolstering the batting, shocking.

[PaulWinch again]

Bresnan is going to have to put in a stellar bowling performance now, because I think the only reason he sneeks in is batting. Finn, Onions, Tremlett are all better bowlers, particularly for Lords.

[PaulWinch again]

300 up, come on lads let's get as many as possible. This looks like a great batting track.