The Ashes Tour 2015

Some of the stats posted by CricInfo are really daft. Like the quip that Joe Root is coming off a lean patch ... with only one 50+ score in his last 9 Ashes Test innings. He scored 87 at Adelaide in 2013.

Apart from their inability to get their spelling right, this has no bearing on his current form. Heck! 18 months is an immense amount of time in respect of a players form.

:mad:

/rant off
 
50 up for Joe Root (who incidentally is in lean form with the bat :rolleyes:):

31.3

Lyon to Root, 2 runs, close! Gets a leading edge through the off side as he looks to work this delivery through the leg side, but it evades cover and the two is enough to bring up a bristling fifty for Root
Click to expand...
 
Just gone through the first 50... now the first review:

35.2 Lyon to Root, 1 leg bye, big appeal for lbw! Given not out on the field. Root going for a sweep and the review has been called for, by Steven Smith as Clarke is off the field. And it's pitched just outside leg stump so it will stay on field
Click to expand...

Have not seen it, but reviewing something that needs to pitch in line on leg has to be a little desperate.
 
McT said:
Most runs since June 2014:

Younis Khan Pak121415
JE Root Eng 131348
KS Williamson NZ101235
SPD Smith Aus91226
Azhar Ali Pak121201
AD Mathews SL111154
KC Sangakkara SL101154
GS Ballance Eng131088
M Vijay India101034
AN Cook Eng13973

...and there isn't a single SA name there. The lack of test cricket is starting to show.
Click to expand...

Shocking stat. I thought Cook was aboit to be relegated due to lack of form.
 
1st Investec Test: England v Australia at Cardiff, Jul 8-12, 2015

Stumps day 1

England 343/7 (88.0 ov)

Root 134
Ballance 61
Stokes 52
Hazlewood 3/70
Starc 3/84

6.55pm: Three early poles for Australia, Joe Root dropped on nought, a century stand between Root and Gary Ballance, fifty for Ben Stokes, runs flowing through the evening session but Josh Hazlewood finishing it as he started, his third wicket probably tipping things Australia's way. England have got decent runs on the board and will hope to add a few more, principally through Moeen Ali, but they are someway short of an impregnable position on a surface that did not offer much in the way of devil.
Click to expand...
 
Day 1

Drinks: England - 42/1 in 13.0 overs (AN Cook 20, GS Ballance 16)
England: 50 runs in 16.4 overs (100 balls), Extras 0
Lunch: England - 88/3 in 23.0 overs (GS Ballance 28, JE Root 33)
4th Wicket: 50 runs in 60 balls (GS Ballance 14, JE Root 36, Ex 1)
England: 100 runs in 26.3 overs (160 balls), Extras 1
JE Root: 50 off 56 balls (6 x 4)
Over 35.2: Review by Australia (Bowling), Umpire - HDPK Dharmasena, Batsman - JE Root (Struck down)
Drinks: England - 139/3 in 37.0 overs (GS Ballance 41, JE Root 68)
4th Wicket: 100 runs in 144 balls (GS Ballance 25, JE Root 72, Ex 3)
England: 150 runs in 40.6 overs (247 balls), Extras 7
GS Ballance: 50 off 127 balls (7 x 4)
Tea: England - 190/3 in 52.0 overs (GS Ballance 59, JE Root 93)
4th Wicket: 150 runs in 232 balls (GS Ballance 43, JE Root 97, Ex 11)
England: 200 runs in 55.1 overs (332 balls), Extras 11
JE Root: 100 off 118 balls (14 x 4)
5th Wicket: 50 runs in 62 balls (JE Root 24, BA Stokes 28, Ex 0)
England: 250 runs in 64.4 overs (389 balls), Extras 11
Drinks: England - 271/4 in 70.0 overs (JE Root 133, BA Stokes 34)
BA Stokes: 50 off 76 balls (6 x 4, 2 x 6)
England: 300 runs in 76.5 overs (462 balls), Extras 16
Over 79.6: Review by Australia (Bowling), Umpire - HDPK Dharmasena, Batsman - MM Ali (Struck down)
7th Wicket: 50 runs in 51 balls (JC Buttler 24, MM Ali 26, Ex 0)
End Of Day: England - 343/7 in 88.0 overs (MM Ali 26, SCJ Broad 0)
 
12.15pm England have added 87 runs today, and 430 looks a pretty good total, if not one that should alarm Australia too much, just yet. Starc finishes with five, without bowling particularly well.
Click to expand...

England 430 (102.1 ov)

Moeen Ali 77 with the bat and out this morning while a nice effort from Starc 5/114 perhaps a little on the expensive side. At 4.75 to the over he'll probably be forgiven while he was taking wickets.

Early advantage to England.
 
Wow. From 43/3 to this. Great recovery, largely thanks to that partnership between Root and Ballance. Hard for England to lose it from here (unless there's some monumental 2nd innings collapse).
 
Day 2 - Lunch

England 430
Australia 26/0 (9.0 ov)
Australia trail by 404 runs with 10 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Agent_Smith said:
Wow. From 43/3 to this. Great recovery, largely thanks to that partnership between Root and Ballance. Hard for England to lose it from here (unless there's some monumental 2nd innings collapse).
Click to expand...

England certainly have recovered well. Australia only have themselves to blame for not taking the chances offered.
 
Steve Smith is undone:

Ali to Smith, OUT, Moeen's done it! Sees Smith skipping down the track and fires it down the leg side. Alert to the danger of being stumped, Smith thrust his pad and bat at the ball, just jabbed at it, and the ball popped up into the leg side, and Cook did well to dive to his right and catch it at a very short, but not silly, mid-on

SPD Smith c Cook b Ali 33 (56b 5x4 0x6) SR: 58.92
Click to expand...

In view of his form and ability to occupy the crease for long periods of time, this is a big wicket.
 
1st Investec Test: England v Australia at Cardiff, Jul 8-12, 2015

Day 2 - Stumps

England 430
Australia 264/5 (70.0 ov)
Australia trail by 166 runs with 5 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

The game is evenly poised, although I think that it is still England's advantage, if only slightly. First session this morning will be key to outcome of the game. If the Aussies can weather the session with only one down, then a draw is likely. If England get Watson and another, it juice things up a bit.
 
Broad to Watson, OUT, full and straight, targeting the pads - was there bat involved? No, Erasmus gives it! Watson sheepishly looks to his partner before deciding, inevitably, to review. This is going to be tight, don't think it bounced as much as the first one, struck just above the knee roll... It only needs to be clipping and that's what Hawk-Eye adjudges. Gone! Watson the walking lbw has walked into another one, trapped on the crease and forever trying to play around that big front pad

SR Watson lbw b Broad 30 (57b 6x4 0x6) SR: 52.63
Click to expand...

"Watson, worlds worst serial reviewer." I guess he had to, lemming, given the situation and the fact they get their reviews back in a few overs... But there was a sense of inevitability about it
Click to expand...

Watson is gone! And Australia will have to dig here or face a sizeable first innings deficit. Advantage England in this chess match.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X