The Cricket Thread 2013

[PaulWinch again]

To be honest on form at the moment I'd have Harris in our attack above Anderson.

[paul_e]

I think bigger problem is the combination of the bit of rain and the heavy roller seems to have taken the life out of the pitch for now, with cloud cover and a fairly new ball we should be seeing some seam but nothing is happening.  That the length has been poor and the control hasn't been good enough just makes that lifeless pitch even more important.

We need damage limitation until tea and then see if a bit more happens in the evening session I think, I still believe the target is defensible but leaking runs right now is making it more difficult.

[taylorsworkrate]

Match gone for me. Completely wasted the new ball and made it ridiculously easy to score at a fast rate. Pitch will be really flat from here. Bowlers should hang their heads in shame

[PaulWinch again]

Whatever happens in this match we look like we're on the slide. The Aussies from no hopers are now looking the better side. Our opening pair looks completely hopeless, Trott is failing, Bairstow doesn't look up to it, Prior is failing, Bres doesn't threaten enough, Jimmy has lost his mojo and as a team we don't appear to have any aggression or control.

[olaftab]

I am off to Paddypower with money on England to win from here.

[andyaston]

At last, Swanny!

[paul_e]

Need to get a couple of cheap wickets now, get them to 4 down withonly another 30-40 on the board and we're favourites again.  Getting Warner would be fantastic.

[taylorsworkrate]

Australia will have to implode spectacularly from this point. We simply cannot bowl that poorly during the only part of the innings that is in our favour. That's probably the worst spell Anderson's had in 5 years

[taylorsworkrate]

Cook has just seemed to allow the game to slip away for me. He took much too long to get Swann bowling, allowing Rodgers and Warner to get themselves in against the dross we served up. Then he set really negative fields when we were desperate for a wicket. I think he's been thoroughly out captained by Clarke all series, regardless of what the score is

[taylorsworkrate]

It certainly hasn't helped that Swann is bowling really poorly also

[paul_e]

Cook has just seemed to allow the game to slip away for me. He took much too long to get Swann bowling, allowing Rodgers and Warner to get themselves in against the dross we served up. Then he set really negative fields when we were desperate for a wicket. I think he's been thoroughly out captained by Clarke all series, regardless of what the score is

We needed to crowd the bat early on, 5 close catchers with a couple in their eyeline, really put some pressure on, and then bowl slightly full to tempt them into the drives.  Yet again we've allowed them to get into the game before trying to apply any pressure.

I think we need a change higher up if I'm honest.  Flower has done a lot of good for us but him and Cook are too similar in their attitude to the game and it's stifled us.

[taylorsworkrate]

Really poor start after tea.

[taylorsworkrate]

Swann really has bowled a large number of awful balls in this innings.

[taylorsworkrate]

I really can't see how England are going to get themselves out of this slide at the Oval. Cook, Root, Trott, Prior, Bairstow, Bresnan, Anderson are all playing very poor cricket at the moment and it's impossible to drop them all.

Its a very hollow retention of the ashes.

[PaulWinch again]

We're going to lose this, but even if we hadn't we've been unacceptably poor in the last two Tests. They made the mistake of keeping the same team after Old Trafford, when we were massively second best and it's looking like we're going to be beaten here. This team in the batting and bowling desperately needs freshening up. There are too many players coasting, too secure in their role in the side.