The Ashes - 2019

[Macca 17,032]

Labuschagne to apparently replace Smith with regards to the concussion protocol.  Becomes a full member of the eleven under the new rules (to an immediate effect)

Steve Smith complained of headaches this morning upon waking up.  Hope the lad is ok.  It was a nasty hit.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

20 minutes ago, Macca said:

Labuschagne to apparently replace Smith with regards to the concussion protocol.  Becomes a full member of the eleven under the new rules (to an immediate effect)

Steve Smith complained of headaches this morning upon waking up.  Hope the lad is ok.  It was a nasty hit.

I really hope hes getting the best medical care available. Im quite worried about him. There can be ongoing complications from a blow like that. I dont think he will play in the next match either.

I saw Archer interviewed before the game. I was quite impressed. He was humble and quite appologetic and said nobody wants to see people carried off. He also referred to the Hughes incident.

[Macca 17,032]

18 minutes ago, Wadda We Sing said:

I really hope hes getting the best medical care available. Im quite worried about him. There can be ongoing complications from a blow like that. I dont think he will play in the next match either.

I saw Archer interviewed before the game. I was quite impressed. He was humble and quite appologetic and said nobody wants to see people carried off. He also referred to the Hughes incident.

Yes ... better to err on the side of caution Wadda.  The 3rd Test starts on Thursday so the turnaround time is short too.  Smith should be getting at least a 2nd medical opinion (which would probably happen anyway) He might end up needing an extended time on the sidelines.

It was a nasty blow and when he hit the deck I was really concerned.  And that neck area still isn't protected well enough for my liking.  Certain fast bowlers can be hard to pick up - Johnson & Archer are 2 such types.  So the batsmen need proper head & neck protection.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

6 minutes ago, Macca said:

Yes ... better to err on the side of caution Wadda.  The 3rd Test starts on Thursday so the turnaround time is short too.  Smith should be getting at least a 2nd medical opinion (which would probably happen anyway) He might end up needing an extended time on the sidelines.

It was a nasty blow and when he hit the deck I was really concerned.  And that neck area still isn't protected well enough for my liking.  Certain fast bowlers can be hard to pick up - Johnson & Archer are 2 such types.  So the batsmen need proper head & neck protection.

Yes exactly Macca, i was thinking afl and its at least a week mandatory. You just couldnt expose all his bruises so quickly.

There are helmets with that area protected, but apparently Smith wont wear one as he doesnt feel comfortable so im told....

[dl4e 5,851]

I am devastated about Smith. He is a joy to watch and his off beat body movements are very funny. I think now is the time for Warner to step up and show why he is in the test squad. I have faith in Head abd Wade but not much for any other batsmen in the side.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

30 minutes ago, dl4e said:

I am devastated about Smith. He is a joy to watch and his off beat body movements are very funny. I think now is the time for Warner to step up and show why he is in the test squad. I have faith in Head abd Wade but not much for any other batsmen in the side.

Yes im the same dl, i hate to see a hero cut down. Lets hope for a swift recovery

Edited August 18, 2019 by Wadda We Sing

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

.....and as for all this booing about a match that wasnt even played against England.....they have been done for ball tampering at least 3 times in recent history, Atherton in 1994 against South Africa and Marcus Trescothick in the 2005 Ashes series. Atherton was found to have dirt in his pocket that he applied to the ball, was fined 2000 pounds and it was further found he lied to the match committee. Trescothick admitted in his book released 3 years after the series to using sweets that kept the shine on the ball longer and produced the swing we saw in that series which England won 2-1.

Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson were found to have used their boot spikes to scratch the ball in a game against South Africa in a test in 2010. Although South Africa complained, no charges were laid mainly because South Africa won by a big margin.

........so they can shut up.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

I really think England can win this now. Lets hope not.

Warner is just having a mare....feel for him a bit, just doesnt even look confident.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Wadda We Sing

[dl4e 5,851]

25 minutes ago, Wadda We Sing said:

I really think England can win this now. Lets hope not.

Warner is just having a mare....feel for him a bit, just doesnt even look confident.

Lets hope our batsman can hang tough. Oh no now khawaja is out. Warner has to be dropped. Bring Harris in.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

12 minutes ago, dl4e said:

Lets hope our batsman can hang tough. Oh no now khawaja is out. Warner has to be dropped. Bring Harris in.

Far out....this Archer guy. Hes gonna kill someone......

Labuschagne hasnt got a clue against this bowling....

Edited August 18, 2019 by Wadda We Sing

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

3-47....37 overs to go....we are in trouble here.

They never wanted to chase the runs which i always think is a mistake. Having said that the bowling was too good and they went into their shells from the outset.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Wadda We Sing

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

Incredible catch by Denly, crazy shot by Paine. After a near hatrick by Leech,  7 overs to go... 6-149.

Labuschagnes batting saved the day early and a great comeback after a rough start and getting hit by Archer several times.  Cliffhanger.

Bad light meant Archer had to stop bowling and spin only was allowed.

EDIT: Draw.

Edited August 18, 2019 by Wadda We Sing

[Jara 1,153]

Typical classy display by the Poms:

1) Captain a cheat

2) Stealing players from the Colonies to pump up their own pathetic ranks

3) Booing a guy when he's on the ground with a possible broken neck

 

They'll be a Third-world country by the time Bojo's finished with them. Good.

[Macca 17,032]

Smith has been ruled out of the 3rd Test

It will be interesting to see what line-up we go with.  Does Starc get a game?

And what about Harris?  Labuschagne looks likely to replace Smith but do they go with the same top 3 where the 12 completed innings reads as 8,  2,  13,  7,  8,  40,  13,  3,  36,  16,  5 & 2.  Looks a lot like my typical batting season at suburban level (I was a bowler!)

12 completed innings for a total of 153 runs at an average of 12.75.  Warner,  Bancroft & Khawaja are just not contributing. 

And with Archer up and firing I'm not hopeful.  Is Burns still over there? 

Renshaw has the technique to face up to a bowler like Archer but he seems to be out of the picture (for some reason)

Edited August 20, 2019 by Macca

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

On 8/20/2019 at 9:01 PM, Macca said:

Smith has been ruled out of the 3rd Test

It will be interesting to see what line-up we go with.  Does Starc get a game?

And what about Harris?  Labuschagne looks likely to replace Smith but do they go with the same top 3 where the 12 completed innings reads as 8,  2,  13,  7,  8,  40,  13,  3,  36,  16,  5 & 2.  Looks a lot like my typical batting season at suburban level (I was a bowler!)

12 completed innings for a total of 153 runs at an average of 12.75.  Warner,  Bancroft & Khawaja are just not contributing. 

And with Archer up and firing I'm not hopeful.  Is Burns still over there? 

Renshaw has the technique to face up to a bowler like Archer but he seems to be out of the picture (for some reason)

Incredible figures Macca, maybe shoot an email to Rod Marsh !

Seriously average. The word is Warner will stay, but may have been dropped down the order to 5 if Smith was playing. Probably not a bad idea anyway. I believe Marcus harris can open and that could be plan b if Warner or Boocroft fail again, the latter getting the nod over harris because of his superior fielding. If Stark doesnt play in this game, its hard to see him getting in the team. He got 10 wickets in his last test so it hard to understand. But at least the side has great depth if there is an injury. Dont even get me started on Roots catch. A man under pressure, that was clear.

We are certainly in for another exciting game and some of the team are really going to have to stand up in Smiths absence. Lets hope hes right to go for the 4th test. We only have to win 1 more game to retain The Ashes.

[Diamond_Jim 12,624]

Just checked the Headingley weather forecast. 26 degrees each day and no rain.

I suspect it will be a green wicket for day 1at most and then dry out with spin and variable bounce on day 5.

Interesting decision as to whether to bat or bowl if we win the toss.

An interesting piece of trivia..

Only two of the last five Ashes series in England have featured Leeds Tests; on both occasions the team that won at Headingley lost the series – England in 2001 and Australia in 2009.

https://www.cricket365.com/pitch-report/pitch-report-2019-ashes-series-headingley-leeds/

Edited August 22, 2019 by Diamond_Jim

[Diamond_Jim 12,624]

So much for that weather forecast of 26 each day.

England win the toss and put us in.

Big first session if and when it starts

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

22 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

So much for that weather forecast of 26 each day.

England win the toss and put us in.

Big first session if and when it starts

Roots gone Archer happy. He might lose this series all on his own. The wet ground should take the sting out of the ball. If we can get through to stumps and no Smith, that will put England right on the back foot.

[Diamond_Jim 12,624]

44 minutes ago, Wadda We Sing said:

Roots gone Archer happy. He might lose this series all on his own. The wet ground should take the sting out of the ball. If we can get through to stumps and no Smith, that will put England right on the back foot.

hope so

not a great start but it could have been worse...Warner not looking comfortable

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

46 minutes ago, Diamond_Jim said:

hope so

not a great start but it could have been worse...Warner not looking comfortable

I think out of the 12 balls he faced, he missed about 7 of them. Ive never seen a batsman so badly out of form and not even looking like he can get out of the slump. Harris wasnt much better. Oh well, looks like the rain has come now.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

Good fightback by Warner now i said that. Kid Charlemagne going ok as well, like his style very relaxed. Archer is looking like nothing on this pitch after the initial few overs, was hoping that would be the case. These 2 starting to look a bit settled. Should be a fascinating next few hours.

[Wadda We Sing 10,685]

Well what a disaster. How lucky were we that Dave Warner decided to YouTube how to bat at the breaks on his laptop. A great fight from him and Charlemagne. I went to bed when they were in so all ive seen is the score...looks like the rest of the team barely scored 50 between them........i bet its sunny and a dead wicket today.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Wadda We Sing

[Macca 17,032]

9 hours ago, Wadda We Sing said:

Well what a disaster. How lucky were we that Dave Warner decided to YouTube how to bat at the breaks on his laptop. A great fight from him and Charlemagne. I went to bed when they were in so all ive seen is the score...looks like the rest of the team barely scored 50 between them........i bet its sunny and a dead wicket today.

We can't let 'em get more than about 250 - 260 Wadda.  And yep,  the sun is out and the wicket might be bat friendly.  Need one of our paceman to get a 5 wicket haul.

Love the nickname for Labuschagne too.  A demonland special.  'Kid Charlemagne'

Looks a player of the future.  Nice technique and good temperament.  Need a few more.  I'm a Renshaw fan for the same reason and hopefully,  he'll get another opportunity down the track.

Edit:  2 for 10 with Hazlewood & Cummins both bowling very well.  Good start.

Edited August 23, 2019 by Macca

[Diamond_Jim 12,624]

Great first hour for the Aussies. Would be nice to have England 5 for at lunch.

PS and now 4 for .. yeahhhhh

Must say Labuschagne reminds me of this golden oldie....

 

[Macca 17,032]

Reckon I prefer something a bit more contemporary @Diamond_Jim  for Marnus Labuschagne

Dubbed 'Kid Charlemagne' by Wadda

(Circa 1976!)

 

Edited August 23, 2019 by Macca