The Ashes Tour of Australia 2025/26

(04-12-2025 11:57 )Charlemagne Wrote:  Not a fan of this pink ball, day/night cricket. It's just too much of a lottery.

I can't understand why any country would agree to play in them.

With a limited amount to play tonight Smith's over using delaying tactics and the batsmen are told to go for quick runs before a declaration.

Should be some repercussions for Australia's time delays.

(04-12-2025 09:10 )Charlemagne Wrote:  I missed the first test and have just started to watch the second test. But I'm noticing that Australia have the famous cheat Steve Smith as captain. Do they not remember the ball tampering of 2018, when Smith was crying his eyes out when he got caught.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2018_Austr...ng_scandal
Smith, Warner, Bancroft and Lehmann should have been banned for life.

If the Match referee is bold enough hopefully he'll see fit to fine them

I can't understand why they haven't played their quality spinner, Nathan Lyon.

They need a spinner to help get the wickets Mitchell Starc because their other bowlers aren't in the same league.

And a spinner would help their over rate.

(04-12-2025 14:54 )lovebabes56 Wrote:  If the Match referee is bold enough hopefully he'll see fit to fine them

Should do.

(04-12-2025 15:18 )Charlemagne Wrote:  I can't understand why they haven't played their quality spinner, Nathan Lyon.

They need a spinner to help get the wickets Mitchell Starc because their other bowlers aren't in the same league.

And a spinner would help their over rate.

Yeah, dumb decision.

I'd say if we can stretch to 350 with 1 wicket left we have to exploit what's left pretty quickly providing Stokes rotates the bowling expertly, and just hope Archer can strike early through the top order, nice to see Root get a century, his 1st in Australia (can't be that many test nations that he hasn't score a century against left), just disappointed that the others didn't back him up as I'm sure had they done so he might have been 150 no at close.

As for Brook, I think he will look back at that and realise he should have been more patient, and he has to bat better in 2nd innings and if not, then Stokes has to drop him for the Boxing Day Test.

Starc got 6 wickets, but how many were gifted to him with poor shots ?

England got bailed out by the Archer innings, 265 looked below par, Australia bat deep with this line up, it would be nice if we can push the score closer to 350.

Root didn't need to tick the box with an Ashes century in Australia to be considered a batting legend, he already was, but at least it has shut a few people up who doubted him.
Matthew Hayden promised to streak at the MCG if Root failed to make an Test ton on Aussie soil in this series, but he was a little worried after 2 low scores at the WACA.

Another litany of self inflicted dismissals from batters that should have learnt lessons both in this innings alone and from previous experience.
Crawley, Brook and Jacks particularly culpable in this respect.

Without Joe Root England would be in a right old mess.

No discipline with the bat.
Not much with the ball either so far.
Australia rattling along at more than 6 runs an over as they reach the first intermission at The Gabba.

This series could disappear into the abyss with all too familiar speed unless England can find some wickets and slow the scoring rate.

I think we will regret not reaching 350 which would have been a good safety net to guard against Australian batting and certainly the damage was done by gifting some cheap wickets to Starc who clearly is bowling probably a half yard quicker than Archer is we need three more quick wickets to be back on top but the way the Aussies are scoring right now that isn't likely to happen and we will be out of this game by day 3 and staring down a massive run chase to win it which is certainly in our current form, way way outside our batting capabilities.