That was Test cricket at it's absolute best.

Test squad should be announced tomorrow or perhaps on the weekend

Bancroft & McSweeney have both scored 💯 today with Renshaw out for 29 and Marnus 4, Green 0, Webster 11, Weatherald 0

Smith got a 💯 as a nice tune up

Green didn't bowl and Webster picked up only 1 wicket

One to watch is Brendan Doggett who took 6-48 vs W.A

Haskett (W.A) is another who is lively. Big lad with a nice left arm action

According to the stats, Australia holds every highest wicket partnership in Tests vs England (1st through to 10th)

Meanwhile, with Hazlewood & Cummins both out of the 1st test, the Aussies are going to have to bat well to keep England at bay

And if Weatherald doesn't get the nod to open, here's how our batting order might look ...

• Khawaja

• Labuschagne

• Green

• Smith

• Head

• Webster

• Carey

• Starc

• Lyon

• Boland

• Doggett

If Weatherald plays, Webster might miss out with Green to bat at no.6

I favour the latter combination but Webster hasn't done a lot wrong

Edited November 16, 2025Nov 16 by Macca

That display of batting, from both teams yesterday was some of the worst I've ever seen. Only a touch over 70 overs bowled and 19 wickets! Coupled with the 1st India v South Africa Test it doesn't do much for the health of the game.

Carey's shot in particular in the last 15 minutes of the day was particularly inexcusable!

It's a long way back for them from here, and I reckon over these next 3 summers (including this one) we're about to see 6 of our best XI ushered into retirement.

Watched hundreds of tests from go to whoa but that is the strangest test I've ever witnessed

It was as if the players were in t20 mode throughout

Still, out of it all, we witnessed one of the great test centuries of all time by Travis Head and some brilliant bowling by Mitch Starc

I had us down and out after day one but in the end the Aussies won by 8 wickets! In 2 days!

Go figure!

Starc has been bloody phenomenonal this series. Carrying the bowling line up on his back in the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood.

I think people don't fully appreciate how good this guy's been over his career. Will be badly missed when he retires.

Match evenly poised but if the Aussies can bat on for a good amount of time, it will be advantage Oz

Hard to predict what the wicket will do but if the cracks appear and it gets worse for batting, even a reasonable small target like 250 in the 4th innings might be a tricky assignment

England before the Ashes (left) compared to England tonight.

After watching Bill Bailey’s Vietnam on SBS, I remembered that the BBL was back and so switched over just in time to catch the last 4 overs of the Renegades’ innings. I was surprised to see Afridi bowling for the Heat…well, perhaps ‘bowling’ is a poor word choice, as in his third over, he bowled three no balls (a total of 8 runs), was hit for a six and was eventually dragged by the umpire for bowling two balls above waist height in the one over, with his final figures being 0-43 off 2.4 overs.

Cameron Green is the most overated cricketer in the world. Useless

Bazball is the biggest myth in sport. I think Travball has more credibility and nobody uses that term in a serious context lol.

Is that all there is?

Huge build up and we're all done in 11 days. WTC points up for grabs so the next 2 tests aren't dead rubbers

Smith will be back but Lyon will be out. Webster could come in for Green and either Murphy or Kuhnemann for Lyon. Rocchicciolo (WA) a possibility?

Smith for Inglis? Not sold on Weatherald either and would like to see Renshaw or Kellaway get a chance

For Boxing day?

• Weatherald

• Head

• Marnus

• Smith

• Khawaja

• Carey

• Webster

• Cummins

• Starc

• Murphy/Kuhnemann

• Boland

Edited December 21, 2025Dec 21 by Macca

On 22/11/2025 at 08:57, MadAsHell said:

That display of batting, from both teams yesterday was some of the worst I've ever seen. Only a touch over 70 overs bowled and 19 wickets! Coupled with the 1st India v South Africa Test it doesn't do much for the health of the game.

Carey's shot in particular in the last 15 minutes of the day was particularly inexcusable!

It's a long way back for them from here, and I reckon over these next 3 summers (including this one) we're about to see 6 of our best XI ushered into retirement.

Fourth test v England.

Australian batsmen say hello !!!

No spinner? No problem

(I still would have preferred a spinning option in the team)

But they probably believe that Neser can play a similar role to a spinner, instead of Murphy

And Lyon probably would have played, if available

Carey standing up to the stumps in such an accomplished way when Neser is bowling, has become a real weapon for the team (and Neser is also a decent tail-end batsman)

Our best team might have the tried & true quartet of bowlers back in business with Neser as the 5th option (so no spot for Webster or Green?) We are probably or possibly looking for another opener (Weatherald? Renshaw? Kellaway?) and a no.5 bat (Khawaja retiring)

But whether our quarter* of frontline bowlers can stay together for 18 tests** over an 11 month period is another question altogether

*Cummins, Starc, Hazlewood & Lyon

** The 18 tests over the 11 month period includes a possible appearance in the WTC (2027) as well as 3 tests in South Africa *Sept/Oct), 4 Tests vs NZ next Summer, 5 Tests in India (Jan/Feb 2027) and the 5 Ashes Tests in England (2027)

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by Macca