Ashes 2025/6

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:

Just watched the highlights, wickets are almost a perfect split of great aggressive fast bowling and utterly stupid shot selection. Getting caught on the boundary day 1 of a test match is quite the thing..

Is Geoff Boycott still compos mentis?

He would have been furious watching this! Marnus, Smith - maybe Stokes and Green the only guys looking like they were trying to dig in.

Boycott is quite a strange guy by most accounts. Seems to have played for his own stats far more than for the good of the team.

I have a feeling he wouldn't have a place in this current England team.

Might be a bit of exaggeration in his reputation, because there are endless Boycott stories.

Definitely a bit of a maverick character, but he'd take Crawley's spot in the current team and England would be much the better for it - unless Baz decided he wasn't having any truck with anchors in his team.

I've got at least one of Boycott's tour books and it was a good read in its day.

@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:

Just watched the highlights, wickets are almost a perfect split of great aggressive fast bowling and utterly stupid shot selection. Getting caught on the boundary day 1 of a test match is quite the thing..

Is Geoff Boycott still compos mentis?

He would have been furious watching this! Marnus, Smith - maybe Stokes and Green the only guys looking like they were trying to dig in.

Boycott is quite a strange guy by most accounts. Seems to have played for his own stats far more than for the good of the team.

I have a feeling he wouldn't have a place in this current England team.

Might be a bit of exaggeration in his reputation, because there are endless Boycott stories.

Definitely a bit of a maverick character, but he'd take Crawley's spot in the current team and England would be much the better for it - unless Baz decided he wasn't having any truck with anchors in his team.

I've got at least one of Boycott's tour books and it was a good read in its day.

Probably been posted on here before but absolutely hilarious.

Hadlee rated Boycott the toughest guy he ever bowled to. That's enough endorsement for me, an absolute great of the game.

Australia all out for 132.

England will bat with a lead of 40. There HAS to be pressure on Crawley, fuck me, this guy has a ridiculously long leash to try and "find form"

@NTA said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Virgil Khawaja wouldn't have lasted much longer against Archer.

If you're in your late 30s and golf gives you injuries, time to quit international cricket.

Yep. Khawaja is turning himself into a (barely) playing food bill.

How annoyed (and tired) is Mitchell Starc about now.

Like Chris Martin's quip in the late 2000's - when every day is a bowling day.

Not to defend Bazball entirely but I always figured that if you can't bat time, you basically have to score runs quickly since you're effectively there for a good time, not a long time. That might be because of poor technique, or because the bowlers have the ascendance currently (for whatever reason e.g. bowler quality, pitch, weather conditions etc.). Lord knows how often I watched average NZ teams in the 90s and 00s try to bat time to avoid losing, and just not having a defendable target so it was all for nought and predictably nought at that...

Boycott has said more recently that given today's pitches and bowling techniques etc, he would probably score faster than he used to because batting time is harder than it was.

@Godder said in Ashes 2025/6:

Not to defend Bazball entirely but I always figured that if you can't bat time, you basically have to score runs quickly since you're effectively there for a good time, not a long time. That might be because of poor technique, or because the bowlers have the ascendance currently (for whatever reason e.g. bowler quality, pitch, weather conditions etc.). Lord knows how often I watched average NZ teams in the 90s and 00s try to bat time to avoid losing, and just not having a defendable target so it was all for nought and predictably nought at that...

Boycott has said more recently that given today's pitches and bowling techniques etc, he would probably score faster than he used to because batting time is harder than it was.

Definitely depends on the situation. But crikey, we're early on day 2 and England are batting again. Surely they reign it in a bit compared to the first innings.

DIsclaimer: Would not be surprised in the slightest if they have a heave.

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:

Just watched the highlights, wickets are almost a perfect split of great aggressive fast bowling and utterly stupid shot selection. Getting caught on the boundary day 1 of a test match is quite the thing..

Is Geoff Boycott still compos mentis?

He would have been furious watching this! Marnus, Smith - maybe Stokes and Green the only guys looking like they were trying to dig in.

Boycott is quite a strange guy by most accounts. Seems to have played for his own stats far more than for the good of the team.

I have a feeling he wouldn't have a place in this current England team.

Might be a bit of exaggeration in his reputation, because there are endless Boycott stories.

Definitely a bit of a maverick character, but he'd take Crawley's spot in the current team and England would be much the better for it - unless Baz decided he wasn't having any truck with anchors in his team.

I've got at least one of Boycott's tour books and it was a good read in its day.

View embedded content

Probably been posted on here before but absolutely hilarious.

Hadlee rated Boycott the toughest guy he ever bowled to. That's enough endorsement for me, an absolute great of the game.

Australia all out for 132.

England will bat with a lead of 40. There HAS to be pressure on Crawley, fuck me, this guy has a ridiculously long leash to try and "find form"

Him and McCullum are just taking the piss now

Luckily for the rest of us, the Poms keep picking Crawley.

Might as well have picked Geoffrey as it turns out. Or me...

Fun fact.

We've just witnessed a first in test cricket, anyone wanna guess what it might be ?

ie first time in test cricket history this has ever happened......

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

Fun fact.

We've just witnessed a first in test cricket, anyone wanna guess what it might be ?

First time that the opening partnership has failed to score a run in the first three innings.

@Gunner said in Ashes 2025/6:

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

Fun fact.

We've just witnessed a first in test cricket, anyone wanna guess what it might be ?

First time that the opening partnership has failed to score a run in the first three innings.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

No pressure on Weatherald or Khawaja ( if he can be bothered opening )

England bring up 50 at a fair rate of knots.

They don't let annoying things like losing early wickets bother them it has to be said.

Possible jinx alert, but outside of Starc the Aus attack does not look threatening.

They need CumDog back ASAP - and hopefully fit enough to play extended periods. I heard Hazelwood may be done for the series.

England favourites at TAB; $1.35 for the win

@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:

@Godder said in Ashes 2025/6:

Not to defend Bazball entirely but I always figured that if you can't bat time, you basically have to score runs quickly since you're effectively there for a good time, not a long time. That might be because of poor technique, or because the bowlers have the ascendance currently (for whatever reason e.g. bowler quality, pitch, weather conditions etc.). Lord knows how often I watched average NZ teams in the 90s and 00s try to bat time to avoid losing, and just not having a defendable target so it was all for nought and predictably nought at that...

Boycott has said more recently that given today's pitches and bowling techniques etc, he would probably score faster than he used to because batting time is harder than it was.

Definitely depends on the situation. But crikey, we're early on day 2 and England are batting again. Surely they reign it in a bit compared to the first innings.

DIsclaimer: Would not be surprised in the slightest if they have a heave.

You would think so, but if they don't think they will last, they may as well hit out - no difference in balls faced, but maybe a few more runs on the board instead of dot balls.

This is going to be a tasty summer. Aggressive batting and bowling - can't wait

@nzzp said in Ashes 2025/6:

This is going to be a tasty summer. Aggressive batting and bowling - can't wait

Anyone with 4th day tickets may be disappointed though.

Interesting situation.

It feels like England still need to get a lead of 250-300 at least to win. But probably won't get there.

Boland comes alive and Aus back in it

Very loose outside the off stump from Brook and Pope.

Bang-Bang-Bang

Three quick wickets by Boland have turned this game back in Australia's favour.

Can Root and Stokes respond?

Starc!!

And now Root.

Grace Hayden undoes the second button

England crumble.

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

@nzzp said in Ashes 2025/6:

This is going to be a tasty summer. Aggressive batting and bowling - can't wait

Anyone with 4th day tickets may be disappointed though.

The wya this is going, the third day looks unlikely

Huge belief and desire by the Australian bowlers to seize back control of this game since lunch.

@nzzp said in Ashes 2025/6:

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

@nzzp said in Ashes 2025/6:

This is going to be a tasty summer. Aggressive batting and bowling - can't wait

Anyone with 4th day tickets may be disappointed though.

The wya this is going, the third day looks unlikely

Could easilybe done by tonight.

WinViz - Today:
Before Pope's Wicket: Australia 24% England 74%
After Pope's Wicket: Australia 31% England 69%
After Brook's Wicket: Australia 37% England 63%
After Root's Wicket: Australia 44% England 56%

Australia now the favourite IMHO.

Bazball looking completely rubbish when you look at this scoreboard and consider the likelihood of Australia shitting the bed twice......

392/26 in the match.

@nzzp said in Ashes 2025/6:

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

@nzzp said in Ashes 2025/6:

This is going to be a tasty summer. Aggressive batting and bowling - can't wait

Anyone with 4th day tickets may be disappointed though.

The wya this is going, the third day looks unlikely

What is/are the shortest tests on record?

Commentators pretty critical of Oz going to the bouncer against these two. Sounds right to me.

They've been nicking everyone else out and now they've gone to the short ball and these guys have made hay.

England 194 ahead now, which probably has things at 50-50 given how it's gone so far!

I honestly don't know how to judge a good score on this pitch. I feel like there's abaut even odds of a England winning by about 50-70 runs and Australia winning by 8 wickets, I just have no idea how tough it really is.

Australia are the clear favourites IMHO.

England are going to end up with a lead of about 200. All it needs is for one of the Aussie batsmen to get away and make a 60+ and they are nearly there.

TAB on Tribe had Aus $1.50 Eng $2.40

so who knows!

@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:

Aussie batsmen to get away and make a 60+

This bowling unit has the potential to make that really difficult.

Aus chasing 204

Atkinson out.

Australia need to 205 to take a 1-0 lead.

This is fantastic viewing

@nzzp 204 for the tie. 205 to win.

England need 10 wickets.

This isn't going to be a draw. This isn't going into Day 4 or Day 5.