🦗 Aus vs Eng, 2nd Ashes test, Adelaide 🦗

[PaintyCanNed]

I’m remembering Kohli’s monstrous innings against an Australian declaration in Adelaide a few years back - that ultimately wasn’t quite enough. Can Root be a Kohli??

I’m hoping for a repeat of that not quite enough part

[wikihock]

Only so long as him and Overton become the new main strike partnership, and then we can have loads of Overton Window jokes for cricket/politics dweebs to make.

I know nothing about Craig Window.

[19948]

Yeah, it wasn’t a bad decision in and of itself the issue was Australia batted like crap.

And I’d assume if root is there it’s englands I’d say, so many negative English fans here

[marckee]

So many realistic English fans here.

If root goes within the first five overs (which history suggests he will), then Australia’ll wrap it up by lunch.

[marckee]

This is going as expected, then.

[PaintyCanNed]

[urbanfox]

Turned it on just in time for a replay of Bairstow’s middle stump getting flattened.

Guess I’ll listen to the Shipping Forecast instead then…

[PaintyCanNed]

phew!

[19948]

Gee, I was very worried about Aus losing, turns out the pessimists were right.

[The_Excession]

This was extremely likely to happen.

Still really hurts though.

[Avery]

I’m presuming “regular sites” is a euphemism.

[PaintyCanNed]

Just remembered ol barmy mate’s brilliant tatt! Wonder how he’s doing

[coolerthantv]

Grimly inevitable, that. Work productivity significantly better than yesterday morning at least.

Any changes for the Perth test? Personally I would love them to move Bairstow to 5 and replace Malan with a quick run scorer at 6/7 - a bit more aggression. Butler would have been perfect imo but he’s not in the squad so not really sure.

Vince needs to be smarter with his batting as he’s putting too much pressure on Root.

We’re making this Aussie team look a lot better than they actually are, right?

[Aggpass]

Don’t mind Malan, think Vince is the only one I’d consider binning but the problem is the lack of depth, the number of injuries and that our actually good players aren’t in great nick, rather than bad selection

[vamos]

I hate to be THAT guy but it is a shame Stokes isn’t involved. Don’t think that there is as much between these sides as the final scoreboards have suggested, and he would have brought a bit of fire and fear to our side.

Would… they… recall… him…?

[kenako]

They’re definitely fallible, we just don’t have the batting to make it count atm - our top players aren’t in their best form, and our other players aren’t really contributing reliably enough. If Root was in the form Smith is in, Cook/Bairstow/Ali could start getting regular 50s, and 1 or 2 of the new guys could chip in with some runs, then we’d have every chance, but they just can’t bring it all at the same time.

For a score of 400, something like - 100-125 from top batsman; 150-200 from the other 3; 75-100 from the lesser batsmen; 0-25 from tail. That seems well beyond us atm, and going to the WACA isn’t the place to solve that.

[Aggpass]

re: Stokes. Can’t think of any benefit of recalling him to Australia

It’s halfway through a series, he probably will be rusty as, and even if he’s at his best we’re not going to win the series.

It sets a pretty horrendous precedent in terms of player behaviour and what can be gotten away with if you’re good enough.

[kenako]

it’s a shame he shattered someone’s eye socket, and it’d be nice if the enquiry had been a bit quicker (seems to have a taken a strangely long amount to time to even get started), but Stokes should 100% not be a part of any ECB activities until the case is fully resolved. From a team performance PoV, he’s not played for ages, one loss loses the ashes, and it’d send a terrible message imo.

[Aggpass]

comes back to mass fanfare, torn apart by the aussie press, averages 15 with the bat and 70 with the ball in the final 3 defeats, never gets back to his best again

[vamos]

Yeah that’s what I feel too.

Wasn’t trying to debate if what he did is wrong or not - that’s indefensible. Rather WOULD they call him back?

Reminds me of the Pietersen situation where the press are obviously angling for it and hoping he gets back in the side to give them an interesting narrative, and the casuals all want it, but the sensible cricket lovers all know it shouldn’t happen.