The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

[lemmon]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

The difference is that the Aussies can blow away England’s lower order, whereas Englands pace attack to be brutally honest hasn’t any pace .Nice to see Bancroft and Warner see it through .

I reckon it's just as much the diversity in our attack that we saw today - Starc is the erratic wicket-taker, Hazlewood nibbles away on a good length, Cummins is accurate aggression and Lyon is a star.

Woakes and Ball are good players on pitches that give you seam movement but in Australia, you need some extra pace. They miss the Tremlett-type player from 2010-11 who hurried our batsman from back of a length.

[GVGjr]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

To make matters worse for England

Breaking news: The ECB is investigating reports English batsman Jonny Bairstow headbutted Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft in Perth earlier this month.

The Australians have been giving it to him and Warner gave him a send off. The ECB had to investigate

[lemmon]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Nathan Lyon quoted about a week ago: “there’s going to be heated moments ... I’m all for it. There’s a line, we’ll headbutt the line but we won’t go over it.”

Apparently all coming to light based on things heard over the stump mic.

[hujsh]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

For those who watched the match more closely than I, how did Paine keep? I saw one article saying this test has justified all 3 inclusions by the selectors but the two times I paid attention when we were in the field I saw him give up 4 byes.

I know he had a bad drop but a good stumping to help make up for it.

[lemmon]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

For those who watched the match more closely than I, how did Paine keep? I saw one article saying this test has justified all 3 inclusions by the selectors but the two times I paid attention when we were in the field I saw him give up 4 byes.

I know he had a bad drop but a good stumping to help make up for it.

That drop was the only real blunder, otherwise didn't really notice him - what you want out of a keeper.

We would've liked more runs out of him in the first dig, even if he copped a good one. Cummins papered over his failure.

[Bornadog]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Love to see Bancroft and Warner take us all the way to 170

and so it's finished beautifully

[bulldogtragic]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

and so it's finished beautifully

Another 40 runs in the target would've been good for centuries a piece for them, one on debut too. Bloody England.

[Sedat]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

To make matters worse for England

Breaking news: The ECB is investigating reports English batsman Jonny Bairstow headbutted Australian batsman Cameron Bancroft in Perth earlier this month.

The Australians have been giving it to him and Warner gave him a send off. The ECB had to investigate

Champion batsman but a real dickhead. He is literally the last person who should be sledging an opponent due to drunken nightclub headbutting shenanigans.

Poms exposed for their poor tail and for carrying 3-4 players not at this level. Stokes is being sorely missed and frankly he's their only chance of making the series competitive for more than a couple of days a test.

Cook is Cooked and Smith is out of this world. I had him pegged as a fat NSW dud when he started but he's been amazing for a few years now. His technique might be unconventional but at the point of impact his head is still and his bat is dead straight. So difficult to bowl against as well - nothing seems to work against him.

[Topdog]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

There were some very emotional comments about him here on WOOF with someone even saying he should never play test cricket again. Picked as a spin bowler and batted at 8 if I recall correctly.

Never has been picked again as a spin bowler so really those comments were right.

I thought he was an absolute dickhead and would be mentally weak. He certainly isn't either of those.

[Twodogs]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Watching Smith bat I can't help but think of every junior coach I ever had talking about the value of having a good technique. But I just can't decide if he does have a good technique, on one hand like Sedat says everything is pretty much perfect at the point of impact but on the other hand it's not a batting style you would try and get a young player to replicate. "Just fidget around in the crease while the bowler runs in, walk across you stumps as you hit the ball and whatever you do make sure you hit across the line"

That spinning noise is my junior coaches spinning in their graves!

[LostDoggy]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Bancroft gave a classic press conference dealing in part with the Bairstow headbutt. Worth googling, very likeable bloke.

[Bornadog]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Bancroft gave a classic press conference dealing in part with the Bairstow headbutt. Worth googling, very likeable bloke.

very funny: http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/conte...o/1127194.html

[GVGjr]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Never has been picked again as a spin bowler so really those comments were right.

I thought he was an absolute dickhead and would be mentally weak. He certainly isn't either of those.

From memory the consensus was that he should never play for Australia again ignoring his young age and ignoring that he was a batsman picked to bowl spin. It was always a bad selection but it was Smith who was targeted.

[Twodogs]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

Here we go, the original 'Steven Smith' thread;

https://www.woof.net.au/forum/showthread.php?6738-Steven-Smith&highlight=Steve+smith

Some interesting comments all based on Smith's role at the time as the team's spinner. Nobody mentions his batting. As a matter of interest does anyone know what his first class batting average was when he came into the team? I wouldn't mind knowing what it was and if the selectors long term plans revolved around him as a batsman or a bowler.

[hujsh]

Re: The Ashes: Test 1, The Gabba

I remember reading an article on Smith by Ian Chappell before he was in the public consciousness about how he could be the 'next Warnie' While he was seen as an allrounder it was definitely the prospect of a new leggie that brought him to people's attention