The Official Cricket Thread

[Big D]

I don't think I can be too critical of Wood having a belt. They are facing high quality pace bowling, and England probably don't want him of all tail enders wearing short balls. He could either try and hang around with a crippled Stokes which isn't something Wood can typically do or they can play to their "strength" which in Wood's case is "see ball hit ball".

Edit: Broad on the other hand should know better.

[Big D]

The blame also has to lie with the selection.

Shortening the specialist batting line up and moving Brook to 3 has been a mistake.

[clydecloggie]

A short ball gets an England batter. Maybe they should try this a bit more often?

[Paddington Bear]

No Wood did the right thing. Much less sure on Broad, and as for Woakes and Ali…

[assfly]

Ben Stokes bats like he's playing in a totally different match to everyone else.

[JM2K6]

[Big D]

Poor overall batting display again by England. Lucky to be within 26.

[JM2K6]

One-legged Stokes caught in the deep for 80. England 26 behind.

[Sandstorm]

One-legged Stokes caught in the deep for 80. England 26 behind.

Superb guts from the English skipper.


Now....Broad vs Warner coming up again.....

[Thor Sedan]

Ben Stokes bats like he's playing in a totally different match to everyone else.

Amazing what happens when you go into an innings knowing that you have nothing to lose.

It's going to be another wank-fest by the English media....no doubt Stokes is a generational superstar....but the soggy biscuit sessions from the English media are painful to read for a Kiwi living in the UK.

[Thor Sedan]

One-legged Stokes caught in the deep for 80. England 26 behind.

Superb guts from the English skipper.


Now....Broad vs Warner coming up again.....

When does Broad v Warner officially get classed as abuse?

[Paddington Bear]

Stokes yet again keeps us in the game pretty much single handedly. Just imagine what would happen if he got any support from registered batsmen…

[Sandstorm]

Robinson off and Stokes on one leg leaves England short in the bowling department. Need Wood to fire again and Borad to produce another miracle session.

[Paddington Bear]

Oh, it does not get old

[Sandstorm]

One-legged Stokes caught in the deep for 80. England 26 behind.

Superb guts from the English skipper.


Now....Broad vs Warner coming up again.....

When does Broad v Warner officially get classed as abuse?

Got him!!! Warner gooorn for 1.

[Sandstorm]

Oh, it does not get old

[Big D]

Looking at the list of most times bowlers have got batsmen out. Atherton had a tough shift. McGrath, Ambrose, Walsh and I'm sure Donald had him a few times. Genuinely great bowlers.

[JM2K6]

Ben Stokes bats like he's playing in a totally different match to everyone else.

Amazing what happens when you go into an innings knowing that you have nothing to lose.

It's going to be another wank-fest by the English media....no doubt Stokes is a generational superstar....but the soggy biscuit sessions from the English media are painful to read for a Kiwi living in the UK.

Ah yes, the media has been so kind to England in the last few weeks

[Thor Sedan]

Ben Stokes bats like he's playing in a totally different match to everyone else.

Amazing what happens when you go into an innings knowing that you have nothing to lose.

It's going to be another wank-fest by the English media....no doubt Stokes is a generational superstar....but the soggy biscuit sessions from the English media are painful to read for a Kiwi living in the UK.

Ah yes, the media has been so kind to England in the last few weeks

Well deserved as it was....the gushing about Stokes was hard for me to take - as I am a Kiwi in the UK and Stokes could have been a Kiwi international if things had played out differently. So when the UK media go balls deep into the wonder of Stokes....it is hard to hear.

[JM2K6]

Amazing what happens when you go into an innings knowing that you have nothing to lose.

It's going to be another wank-fest by the English media....no doubt Stokes is a generational superstar....but the soggy biscuit sessions from the English media are painful to read for a Kiwi living in the UK.

Ah yes, the media has been so kind to England in the last few weeks

Well deserved as it was....the gushing about Stokes was hard for me to take - as I am a Kiwi in the UK and Stokes could have been a Kiwi international if things had played out differently. So when the UK media go balls deep into the wonder of Stokes....it is hard to hear.

Not sure he'd have had quite the same cricketing education (and might even have been lost to a rugby code instead) had he stayed in NZ instead of moving to England as a child.

Moeen looking unthreatening. Christ. We've really shot ourselves in the foot here: Pope injured thanks to a miscommunication with the officials and not replaced by Foakes but instead Brook sacrificed at 3; Robinson injured again; Stokes injured again; Bairstow calamitous; Leach injured pre-series and replaced by a guy who isn't worth more than a cameo with bat or ball.

SOMETIMES THE STEADY OPTION MIGHT WORK OUT, LADS. Poor Liam Dawson.

[Sandstorm]

He’s dropped another one!!

[Paddington Bear]

He’s done it AGAIN.

This is absolutely criminal.

[JM2K6]

BAIRSTOW YOU USELESS FUCK

[Sandstorm]

Moeen gets Labuwhatshisname.

[clydecloggie]

He’s dropped another one!!

Wood not impressed.

Ok, it was low and needed a dive but a Test keeper should catch that.

[clydecloggie]

Labuschagne applying for English citizenship.

[Paddington Bear]

He’s dropped another one!!

Wood not impressed.

Ok, it was low and needed a dive but a Test keeper should catch that.

Fortunately it hasn’t cost us as much as some of his others, but Wood is bowling his heart out and getting nothing in return from his keeper. Unforgivable. Picking Bairstow increasingly looks to be the difference between the two sides.

[JM2K6]

How the fuck have Australia lost those two wickets to those balls If it wasn't for England's incredible idiocy there'd be questions asked about the repeat brainfarts with bat and ball from the Aussies, absolutely insane shit at times

edit: And again Piggy Smith is a stroppy little twat as he walks off. What is he like!

[Insane_Homer]

Aus batsmen determined to make a game of it and keep the series alive.

[Paddington Bear]

Bairstow channeling his inner struggling league cricketer by attempting to keep himself relevant to the side by giving a send off to the opposition’s best player.

Game on here after some English style batting

[JM2K6]

Bairstow channeling his inner struggling league cricketer by attempting to keep himself relevant to the side by giving a send off to the opposition’s best player.

Game on here after some English style batting

But Khawaja is still in and Cummins wasn't batting?!

[fishfoodie]

He’s dropped another one!!

Wood not impressed.

Ok, it was low and needed a dive but a Test keeper should catch that.

Fortunately it hasn’t cost us as much as some of his others, but Wood is bowling his heart out and getting nothing in return from his keeper. Unforgivable. Picking Bairstow increasingly looks to be the difference between the two sides.

England selectors have form for picking non-specialist wicket keepers don' t they ?

Has their faith ever been justified ?

[JM2K6]

Wood not impressed.

Ok, it was low and needed a dive but a Test keeper should catch that.

Fortunately it hasn’t cost us as much as some of his others, but Wood is bowling his heart out and getting nothing in return from his keeper. Unforgivable. Picking Bairstow increasingly looks to be the difference between the two sides.

England selectors have form for picking non-specialist wicket keepers don' t they ?

Has their faith ever been justified ?

Every side's selectors have form for it. And yes - Geraint Jones, Matt Prior both repaid the faith.

[fishfoodie]

Fortunately it hasn’t cost us as much as some of his others, but Wood is bowling his heart out and getting nothing in return from his keeper. Unforgivable. Picking Bairstow increasingly looks to be the difference between the two sides.

England selectors have form for picking non-specialist wicket keepers don' t they ?

Has their faith ever been justified ?

Every side's selectors have form for it. And yes - Geraint Jones, Matt Prior both repaid the faith.

Yeah Prior would be one who delivered, but I wonder how often you end up replacing a keeper with say a batting average of -10 runs to the standin, but the standin loses you more in opposition runs, & wipes out any notional batting advantage.

It's like backing long shorts, & congratulating yourself when one comes home, & forgetting all the money you pissed away on the rest.

[JM2K6]

"See ya smudge" and "I said cheers, see you later" is a pretty weaksauce send-off if Smith got riled by that

[Paddington Bear]

England selectors have form for picking non-specialist wicket keepers don' t they ?

Has their faith ever been justified ?

Every side's selectors have form for it. And yes - Geraint Jones, Matt Prior both repaid the faith.

Yeah Prior would be one who delivered, but I wonder how often you end up replacing a keeper with say a batting average of -10 runs to the standin, but the standin loses you more in opposition runs, & wipes out any notional batting advantage.

It's like backing long shorts, & congratulating yourself when one comes home, & forgetting all the money you pissed away on the rest.

Pretty much, Foakes is a significantly better bat than say Chris Read or James Foster was

[JM2K6]

Bairstow caught one!!!!! Khawaja gone.

Slow-mo Bairstow fist-pumping does show just how chunky he is at the moment. Spent his entire injury layoff in the gym and/or eating pizza - I wonder if he's simply just too heavy to move properly for the job.

[Thor Sedan]

Do Aussie drop Warner after this loss? Surely there has to be a better option at opener than one of the most embarrassing bunnies in modern day cricket?

Drop him down the order?

[Paddington Bear]

Another topsy turvy day. Game very much on

[Grandpa]

As a Kiwi living in the UK I do not begrudge Stokes playing for England and being lauded.. what a strange take on life...

Also, the first two tests could have gone either way... but for dropped catches... that is the real culprit...

Australia are batting as poorly as England in this series... other than Stokes and Marsh... no one else has looked decent on either side in Leeds. Surely Australia should be just as mad at their team currently... for being nearly as bad as a team with a fat drunk ginger uncle playing backstop...