The Ashes 2013

[amateur51]

Might be Australia bowling England out twice! Looking ominous and not just the clouds..........

Yes indeed hodge - I feel such a fool

[Belgrove]

In England it is inevitable that the weather will intervene during a Test series. England retained the Ashes yesterday, with the weather gods working in their favour. The loss of three major wickets before lunch meant that Australia could have won the match had not the heavens opened.

Who can take what from this match? Australia can be satisfied with the performances of Siddle and Harris in the bowling department. Harris was also their best bowler at Lord's. Clarke's century was a gem - he is classy and made the England bowling attack look pretty ordinary. He's a better captain than Cook too, constantly varying the attack and not letting the batsmen settle. The interrupted collapse of England on the last day is cause for concern. So a moral victory for Australia, I'd say, with their peckers up for the next instalment on Friday. They will be keen to try and draw the series, and Australia will always come back at the opposition, that is their charm.

The pitch at Durham is less likely to be of the dry flat track-type we have seen at Nottingham and Manchester (although Old Trafford evolved rather more like a Test pitch should). Hopefully it will have a bit of bounce which would enable Tremlett or even Onions to have a go. It's important to vary the attack and not let Australia become too familiar with England's bowlers. I suspect that the selectors' innate conservatism will prevail however, so no change anticipated in the lineup.

The Ashes have been retained, but the series is not over.

[eighthobstruction]

My feeling is that if the weather had been like today,Eng would have come to the ground with better attitude, knowing they were in for the whole 96 overs, in warm conditions, and good light....and would maybe not have slumped as they did....anyway maybe maybe, if, if....Anyway good Oz turned up at last, and I hope they continue that way....Yes a big shame if Onions does not get rewarded....ALL media says put him in....

[amateur51]

In England it is inevitable that the weather will intervene during a Test series. England retained the Ashes yesterday, with the weather gods working in their favour. The loss of three major wickets before lunch meant that Australia could have won the match had not the heavens opened.

Who can take what from this match? Australia can be satisfied with the performances of Siddle and Harris in the bowling department. Harris was also their best bowler at Lord's. Clarke's century was a gem - he is classy and made the England bowling attack look pretty ordinary. He's a better captain than Cook too, constantly varying the attack and not letting the batsmen settle. The interrupted collapse of England on the last day is cause for concern. So a moral victory for Australia, I'd say, with their peckers up for the next instalment on Friday. They will be keen to try and draw the series, and Australia will always come back at the opposition, that is their charm.

The pitch at Durham is less likely to be of the dry flat track-type we have seen at Nottingham and Manchester (although Old Trafford evolved rather more like a Test pitch should). Hopefully it will have a bit of bounce which would enable Tremlett or even Onions to have a go. It's important to vary the attack and not let Australia become too familiar with England's bowlers. I suspect that the selectors' innate conservatism will prevail however, so no change anticipated in the lineup.

The Ashes have been retained, but the series is not over.

Excellent summary Belgrove - many thanks

I must say that I'm concerned about the loss of form in Cook and Trott. Not that long ago, they were both great obstacles to be overcome by the fielding side; now it appears that they are just swept aside. Is it just loss of form or is it that they have been 'found out' by the opposition? Or in Cook's case is the load of captaincy beginning to affect his natural talent?

Joe Root will take time to find his feet consistently as an opener but I think he's worth persevering with - I rather liked the fact that it took him a long time to score his first runs. I recall decades ago John Arlott describing a typical D'Oliveira innings: the first half hour no shots as such, just getting the feel of the ball on the bat and the pace of the wicket; and then perhaps playing a few shots for ones or twos; and only after the hour was up was driving an option.

It makes me smile that as soon as there is thought given to trying Onions or Tremlett at Durham it is immediately Bresnan who is offered up as sacrifice. For me he is Mr Consistency, never an easy option for the batsman, and as likely to take wickets as anyone. And I like his approach to batting & fielding. But somehow he is not flavour of the month, sadly.

[edashtav]

Excellent summary Belgrove - many thanks

I must say that I'm concerned about the loss of form in Cook and Trott. Not that long ago, they were both great obstacles to be overcome by the fielding side; now it appears that they are just swept aside. Is it just loss of form or is it that they have been 'found out' by the opposition? Or in Cook's case is the load of captaincy beginning to affect his natural talent?

Joe Root will take time to find his feet consistently as an opener but I think he's worth persevering with - I rather liked the fact that it took him a long time to score his first runs. I recall decades ago John Arlott describing a typical D'Oliveira innings: the first half hour no shots as such, just getting the feel of the ball on the bat and the pace of the wicket; and then perhaps playing a few shots for ones or twos; and only after the hour was up was driving an option.

It makes me smile that as soon as there is thought given to trying Onions or Tremlett at Durham it is immediately Bresnan who is offered up as sacrifice. For me he is Mr Consistency, never an easy option for the batsman, and as likely to take wickets as anyone. And I like his approach to batting & fielding. But somehow he is not flavour of the month, sadly.

Beautifully summarised Amateur & Belgrove.

Three cheers:

[Belgrove]

...I recall decades ago John Arlott describing a typical D'Oliveira innings: the first half hour no shots as such, just getting the feel of the ball on the bat and the pace of the wicket; and then perhaps playing a few shots for ones or twos; and only after the hour was up was driving an option.

There was a fascinating piece on Sky (reach for the garlic Ams) with Andrew Strauss facing a bowling machine, dispensing balls at 90mph - terrifying stuff. He said the very same. Survive for the first 1/2 hour (with heart pounding), hopefully one will not have to play more than a couple of balls per over, and try and middle it rather than it finding the edge. Once one's eye is in and the bowler is beginning to tire, some advantage can be gained. It's text book stuff which does not change down the ages, but it's a lot easier said than done. Strauss can still execute a lovely cut (and he played without a helmet!)

D'Oliveira is a sporting hero of mine. A true sporting gentleman, shamefully stitched up by both MCC's (whose President at the time of the SA business was none other than Sir Alec Douglas Hume).

[aeolium]

The whole England top order, with the exception of Bell, is horribly fragile at present: 4 down for under 130 in all completed innings and 3 for 30 or so in three innings. Cook, Trott and Prior are hopelessly out of form, Bairstow looks out of his depth and as one of the commentators said yesterday if Root had been caught early on in his long innings at Lord's and caught by Clarke yesterday he would have had six failures. It's a worry and one wonders what Gooch, the batting coach, is doing for his money when Cook and Trott keep getting out falling over to the off side and Bairstow keeps getting bowled playing across the line. It's amazing that an England team batting this poorly has already retained the Ashes.

For Durham I agree with am51 - I would be inclined to drop Broad rather than Bresnan and bring in Onions. Broad has a tendency to bowl too short which is fatal at Durham. I don't expect the selectors to drop Broad though - he seems to be a kind of talisman for them, undroppable. I expect Australia to keep the same batting line-up and perhaps bring Bird in for Starc (or even play four seamers and drop Lyon).

[eighthobstruction]

Boycott was saying Bairstow being handled badly by management....NOT allowed to go back to Yorkshire and get game time as a batsman or wicketkeeper, dragged around NZ etc with hardly a game....a young man needs experience, and time at the crease....

....something similar happening with Onions....

[amateur51]

Boycott was saying Bairstow being handled badly by management....NOT allowed to go back to Yorkshire and get game time as a batsman or wicketkeeper, dragged around NZ etc with hardly a game....a young man needs experience, and time at the crease....

....something similar happening with Onions....

Weren't t'management rather flustered by the way that the South Africans rumbled Bairstow and short-pitched bowling so early into his Test career? He's a knacky little fielder and can be a lively batsman and good team-player but is he the best Test cricket natural in that position? Better than Taylor who's on the boil at the moment, apparently?

[AmpH]

I have a fair amount of sympathy for Jonny Bairstow. At the end of last summer, having worked with Gooch on his technique against the short ball, he scored 95 and 54 in the final test against South Africa at Lords. This should have been a springboard to establishing himself in the Test side, but due to the selection of Patel and then Root he only played in the second of four tests on the subsequent tour of India and was only brought into the side for the third test in New Zealand in March of this year when KP was injured, having played no cricket of any kind for several months. Unsurprisingly he didn't score many runs.

Having been selected for the 2 NZ Tests in May ( scoring 41,5,64 and 26no ), he shared in an important and enterprising stand of 126 with Root which seemed to convince the selectors that he was what they were looking for at no 6. During the subsequent Champions Trophy prior to the Ashes, Bairstow was retained in the squad but neither played nor released back to Yorkshire, which was frankly ridiculous and unsurprisingly Yorkshire expressed their displeasure at Bairstow's lack of cricket before the Ashes, a fact which was acknowleged by Andy Flower at the time.

It is difficult for any young batsmen to establish themselves at no 6 but I do hope he succeeds - he is a stonking player to watch when confident and on form and England's batting could certainly do with some oomph. I would think the selectors will keep faith with him over the remainder of this series, but he clearly needs some significant runs and to work on his predominantly bottom - handed technique to ensure he plays more balls straighter in the ' V '. I would have thought Mr Gooch would be the ideal man to help, given the similar problems he experienced himself against Terry Alderman many years ago !

[mercia]

I don't follow cricket, which is probably why I'm confused

having won the first two tests, we drew the third test which apparently meant we had "retained" the Ashes but not "won"

if Australia were to win the 4th and 5th tests - what would that mean in terms of someone winning the Ashes ???

confused of Tunbridge Wells

[Nick Armstrong]

'Retained' means simply that we already had them from the previous series... Australia can not now 'win' them off us, even if they win the remaining 2 tests

[mercia]

'Retained' means simply that we already had them from the previous series... Australia can not now 'win' them off us, even if they win the remaining 2 tests

....... OK, but if they do win 4 & 5, the overall result will be 2-2 + draw, so no overall "winner" , yes ?

[Nick Armstrong]

....... OK, but if they do win 4 & 5, the overall result will be 2-2 + draw, so no overall "winner" , yes ?

Yes and therefore they won't have 'won' them off us

[mercia]

but as a competition with a prize we wouldn't have "won" either - a neutral country ( Albania ? ) should look after the Ashes until they are "won"

stupid game