The Ashes 2021/2022

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MajorMitchell
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The Ashes 2021/2022

#1 Post by MajorMitchell » Wed Dec 08, 2021 5:48 am

Horrah for another Ashes Test Cricket series, in Australia this time and the Australian bowling attack have dismissed the Tourists for 147 runs in day one at the Gabba in Brisbane in the first innings of Tourists after they won the coin toss and chose to bat first.
New Australian captain Pat Cummins took five wickets including that of the English Captain, who got a duck.
There's a rain delay to allow the Tourists time to scoff a few cold Eel pies & down some warm beers, regroup in the sanctuary of their change rooms away from public view.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#2 Post by Octavious » Wed Dec 08, 2021 8:41 am

Ha! Australia have fallen into our trap. With Covid-19 being used as an excuse to destroy England's preparation the first innings was always going to be a painful affair, but not content with this advantage you conspired to put it in the Gabba as well. Australia may walk away from this with a victory, but only after playing all your aces early. England will take it on the chin, and suitably warmed up will march onwards to a 4-1 victory.
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#3 Post by Octavious » Wed Dec 08, 2021 11:57 am

Good Lord... Just looked at the weather for the next few days...
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#4 Post by Wusti » Wed Dec 08, 2021 1:44 pm

Octavious wrote:
Wed Dec 08, 2021 11:57 am
Good Lord... Just looked at the weather for the next few days...
Its floods and droughts here mate, rarely in pleasant balance. With an official La Nina in play - we can look forward to a very shitty summer of cold and rain on our Eastern seaboard here in Oz. Considering our raging bushfires only a couple of years ago. I'll take the rain thanks.
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#5 Post by MajorMitchell » Fri Dec 10, 2021 1:22 am

Day three. As I start this post Australia are 420runs for 9 wickets and Travis Head is on 147 runs so can Josh Hazelwood just arrived at the wicket hang around long enough for Head to get to, or past 150 runs, yes, Head has hit a 4 at deep midwicket to go to 151 runs.
The Tourists might have adopted the strategy used recently by India in Australia, get flogged in the first Test match, Hameed just dropped Head, next ball Wood has bowled Head, so Australia all out for 425 runs, a lead of 278.
Now we see if those cold Eel pies & warm Lagers have reinvigorated the English top 6 batsman.
Oh, yes, the recent Indian strategy, get flogged in the first Test, then bounce back and win the series.
Anything is possible in a five Test match series & it's day 3 of the first Test match so the Tourists are far from being defeated in the series. A summer of Glorious Ashes Test Cricket in Australia has just begun.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#6 Post by Octavious » Fri Dec 10, 2021 6:02 pm

Right, England seem to have warmed up to match speed quicker than anyone had hoped. Saturday is hot and dry, the wicket is in good nick... we have a genuine chance of England batting all day and building up a defensible lead. Sunday weather is looking less good, with the potential to be overcast and damp...

Australia are still favourites for the win, but the draw and an unlikely England victory are suddenly real prospects.
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#7 Post by Octavious » Sat Dec 11, 2021 1:34 am

Now storming into a lead that will likely stretch well into double figures...
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#8 Post by MajorMitchell » Sat Dec 11, 2021 2:39 am

There's no doubt that The Tourists played well on the third day of the Brisbane Test Match, so those cold Eel pies & warm Lager did the trick, yet may not have been the ideal breakfast for the fourth day.
Joe Root & Malan had to face the old ball for ~16 overs to start the 4th day and both well set to get centuries, then push on & with some good efforts from subsequent batsmen & tail set up a 350~400 run second innings, even above 400, get to 430~440. Definitely get a lead of above 150 runs, 180~230 for Australia to get mainly on the fifth day. Any lead above 200 would give them a slight chance to win, good opportunity to get a draw.
Have Australia open late on fourth day, take a few wickets to new ball before stumps & perhaps get them playing for a draw on the fifth day.

Alas they lost both Root, Malan and a third wicket to the old ball in the morning session and when the new ball was taken the wickets kept falling.
All out at Lunch for 297.
Lyon took 4 for 91 and now has 403 Test wickets.
The "lead", a deadly 19 runs, so after Lunch the Australian batsmen have to score 20 to win and get a day Golfing on the fifth day.
No amount of cold Eel pies & warm Lager for Lunch will make the Tourist's boing attack capable of knocking over Australia for 18 runs or less at the Gabba.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#9 Post by MajorMitchell » Sat Dec 11, 2021 2:42 am

Their Boing attack lost its w & l in that post, I meant, the Tourist's Bowling attack

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#10 Post by MajorMitchell » Sun Dec 26, 2021 12:43 am

The Tourists find themselves in a bit of strife early on day one of the third Test match in Melbourne, two down in the series, lost the coin toss and sent in to bat, they've lost two wickets to Australian Captain Pat Cummins who has taken the two wickets for 8 runs England, 2 out for 14 runs, Malan and Root at the wicket. Time for this pair of batsmen to make patient, big centuries.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#11 Post by MajorMitchell » Sun Dec 26, 2021 2:16 am

Pat Cummins, 9.3 overs, 3 wickets for 27 runs. Malan out. Drinks.
Root has been critical of his bowling attack in the first two test matches. Yet it's impossible to win test matches in Australia if your top four batsmen don't score enough runs in the first innings.
The West Indian teams under Clive Lloyd that dominated in Australia did so because their top four batsmen consistently scored big in the first innings. Greenidge & Haynes getting past 100 before losing a wicket. You have to have a top five that consistently get the first innings score past 300 runs in first innings. Yes you need a top quality bowling attack, but if your batsmen keep failing in the first innings you've got no real chance of winning, unless the bowlers perform miracles.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#12 Post by MajorMitchell » Mon Dec 27, 2021 2:58 am

The Tourists, all out for 185 on day one. They did well to get Warner's wicket before stumps bringing in Nathan Lyon as a "watchman" & he did his job.
Day two:
Jimmie Anderson & his colleagues may have had a sizeable dashes & squirts of Worcestershire Sauce on their cold Eel pies for breakfast because he's bowled beautifully in the morning session on day two. Wood has been excellent, genuine fast bowling was needed, and Robertson bowled well.
Robinson got Nathan Lyon out.
The Tourists took the important wickets of Marnus Labuschagne for just one run and dismissed Steve Smith cheaply.
The Tourists took 3 wickets for 70 runs in the morning session, Australia are 4 out for 131at lunch.
Yet they're dogged by their failure to post a decent first innings score. So the most optimistic game plan for England is to try and get Australia out for less than 250 runs, to limit the deficit of runs/lead for Australia, then bat superbly in their second innings to "save any chance in the series" with a draw, or get an unlikely victory.
If the Tourists had scored 250, 300 runs in their first innings, then having Australia at 4 for 131 would have them well placed to get a first innings lead and in a potential match winning position.

Australia has become a wonderful multicultural society albeit imperfect. There's a 12yo lad, Ahmed Raza, who like thousands of fledglings has a desire to one day, play Test Cricket for Australia & young Ahmed may just make it one day.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#13 Post by MajorMitchell » Mon Dec 27, 2021 5:28 am

Well I have visited the hardware store near Paradise Lost Cove and purchased half a dozen hardwood stakes and a passionfruit vine for $Aus 27~ & got a stamp on my loyalty card. I was tempted by a pair of pruning gloves and in the discount Ed stuff near checkout a 910mm long aluminium straight edge marking out/ measuring ruler with spirit level bubbles & plastique handle. So I raided the coins tin in my car & cash reserve in glovebox & went back and spent $Aus 32 on the $20 pruning gloves with wrist & forearm protection sleeves and $12 for the 910mm long aluminium ruler.
On returning to Flyblown Gully by the Sea I painted the timber garden stakes with linseed oil slightly diluted with Eucalyptus gum turns.

Just before the Tourists get the new ball, (~4 overs away) Australia are 8 for 219, the spinner got Green and not sure who was bowling got Alex Carey for 19.

So they're capable of keeping Australia to a score of ~250, yet gain no first innings lead, they're already conceding a small lead to Australia because of their woeful first innings.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#14 Post by Octavious » Mon Dec 27, 2021 4:42 pm

I blame Covid-19, the extreme Australian climate, France, and Dr Karl!

(and not the one from Neighbours... the real one)
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#15 Post by MajorMitchell » Tue Dec 28, 2021 1:56 am

Two days and half a morning session, Australia win the Third Test match by an innings and 14 runs. The Tourists all out for 68 in their second innings.
Australia take an unbeatable lead ~ 3 wins to nil in the Ashes series.
An Australian bowler in his first Test Match took 6 wickets for 7 runs in the Tourist's second innings.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#16 Post by Octavious » Tue Dec 28, 2021 12:02 pm

Bit of a damp squib all round, really. Preparations were dismal by pandemic necessity, but all that does is mask a few growing problems with the decline of test cricket in England. In some respects it was ever thus, but with the addition of The Hundred in recent years pushing the longer form even further into the sidelines things seem to be accelerating.
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#17 Post by Wusti » Tue Dec 28, 2021 12:13 pm

The Hundred? Also Test Cricket is still the highest form of the game. I can't watch 20/20 at all - drives me insane - 50/50 is OK.

What has happened to English cricket though - just one of those re-building phases or something more serious?
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#18 Post by Octavious » Tue Dec 28, 2021 2:11 pm

The Hundred is the latest English abomination that sees new teams (same grounds, but with daft names supposedly tied to cities rather than counties) competing in a... (*takes a deep breath and fights the urge to vomit*) decimalised and slightly shorter version of 20/20. Ten balls in an over, one hundred balls in an innings.

Time for first-class cricket cricket is increasingly being relegated to spring and autumn between showers. The best cricketers playing four day games in the heat of high summer is now a rare sight.
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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#19 Post by bartogian » Wed Dec 29, 2021 3:02 am

England isn't the only place where first class cricket is pushed towards the end of summers. Australia is currently in the midst of a two-month period of exclusively hit and giggle cricket at the domestic level.

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Re: The Ashes 2021/2022

#20 Post by MajorMitchell » Sun Jan 02, 2022 6:15 pm

Ten ball overs? Dangerous Heresy indeed.
Anyone involved should be burnt at the stake or sent to a prison camp in Siberia.

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