Smith back for either Khawaja or Harris. Frankly I'd be sacking almost all our top six.. Other than Labuchagne their figures are deplorable. This is after three matches. Two in Smith and Labu case.

Smith 378 @126
Labuchagne 213 @71
Head 160 @32
Wade 151 @25
Khawaja 122 @20
Warner 79 @17
Paine 77 @12
Bancroft 44 @11
Harris 27 runs from the one game.

Gday Paddles,
jaszyjim - ends 28th March 2020

Hazlewood and Cummins had no idea how to bowl to him. He had already start to hit out against Lyon when Pattinson was bowling, he couldn't get him away. Over 118 Pattinson bowled to Stokes, and Over 120 Pattinson bowled to Stokes, Stokes couldn't get to him, they then took Pattinson off and bought Hazlewood on Over 122... 4, 6, 6, 2, 1, 0. Perfect batting from Stokes. Gets to the other end to face Lyon, just taking a single to then face Cummins, it was perfect last wicket batting. Stupidity from Australia.

As for the lbw decision, if it was Pattinson he wouldn't have reviewed it, but it was Cummins who was adamant for the review. Paine should have shown more strength but it was Cummins, don't go against Cummins if you want to keep your job.

Just tonk Hazlewood, that is what Hazlewood wants, that's how he gets most of his wickets, Hazlewood bowls a line 2 foot outside off, just let him go through to keeper, play the line of off stump for any that seam back.

Report Card: 
Warner 6
Harris 4
Khawaja 4
Labuchagne 8
Head 4
Wade 4
Paine 5
Cummins 6
Pattinson 5
Hazlewood 8
Lyon 4.

Just tonk Hazlewood, that is what Hazlewood wants, that's how he gets most of his wickets, Hazlewood bowls a line 2 foot outside off, just let him go through to keeper, play the line of off stump for any that seam back. 

Utter rubbish even when Hazlewood is the pick of our bowlers in this match and perhaps the last.. at least in the first innings.. you still bag him.  His first innings new ball spells here and at Edgbaston were outstanding. The Pommie comms  said it was among the best new ball Ashes bowling they had seen. Are you even watching the game? He has 12 wickets @18 from his two games. You said you wanted him taking wickets.. he does and puts us into a position to win the test and retain the Ashes.. yet you continue to take a pot shots at him. You are unbelievable Mike.

I think more batsmen should take this batting approach to Hazelwood, and just look to tonk him from length. 
 Even when he is seaming it like he has been.. that is duelling with danger. Stokes tonked him because the deck was slow and there was little seam nibble. So was safe to hit thru and across the line. Stokes tonked all our bowlers even Lyon who was so so average when again we needed wickets from him

patterson is good but hughes isn't good enough and is 30 years old

No Baggers I'm not bagging him, he had a good match. Paddles said just tonk him, I said that plays into Hazlewood's hands, he wants batsmen to chase his deliveries. Of his 12 wickets how many were lbw....1 Joe Root Lords, how many Bowled.... 1 Leach, the rest all caught, he wants players playing shots.

End result England chased down a record win, the batsmen did their job, they set a record target. We should have lost the Lords test as well except for the rain. You can blame the batsmen but ultimately it was the bowlers that lost the game.

1st test Australia win,,,,,,,,Bowlers Pattinson, Cummins, Siddle and Lyon   Never change a winning side
2nd test Draw Australia looking at a defeat, only 1 change Hazlewood for Pattinson
3rd test Lost  Pattinson for Siddle Pattinson our best opening bowler in Australia (maybe Behrendorff may object) relegated to 3rd waits till basically over 30 to get the ball.

We lost the test. How does a team dominate a test by winning by 250 runs (ultimately we only needed 40 of Smiths runs to win) then lose. We have Labuchagne who scored 160 in this test, the runs were there, it was the bowlers and there is only one change that turned a dominant bowling attack into a bunch of LOSERS. If it quacks like a duck.

The problem is we can't revert back to our dominant bowling attack of Pattinson, Cummins, Siddle and Lyons, because that would mean dropping someone who just took 9 for in a match. You can't do that. So we continue fiddling with the side in hope. Should have left the 1st test side alone in the first place. That piece of stupidity may lose us the series.

Prior to this series the 2 tests we won against Sri Lanka the bowling attack had Starc, Cummins Richardson and Lyon...No Hazlewood. Starc took 10 for and still hasn't played this series. The difference between Australia winning and Losing seems to be Hazlewood. Just saying.... India series LOSERS Hazlewood, Starc, Cummins, Lyons.....South Africa Series LOSERS Hazlewood, Starc Cummins, Lyons, Sandpaper to help bowlers etc etc...

Alternate Pattinson and starc each game to rest them. Hazelwoods played 2 in a row so maybe bring in siddle and hazelwood back for the 5th

My team for the fourth test

Warner
Khawaja
Labu
Smith
Head
Wade
Paine (c)
Starc
Cummins
Siddle
Lyon

That would be my side except Pattinson for Siddle. Open with Starc and Pattinson.

2nd test was unbalanced attack you only need 1 line and length bowler

but look at how we got the best out of hazelwood when we rotated him

bowlers are at their best when fresh and hungry

does cummins have the endurance to be the workhorse hazelwood/siddle style line and length bowler?

Agree with the top seven. Depends on the pitch for the next game for the bowlers. 

Reckon it is time to can the rotation. Cummins, Hazlewood and Pattinson is our best and most potent combination. I am dumping Lyon as he is now dispensable after two poor games on the trot .. a shocking missed run out that lost us the Ashes. So Siddle comes into our 4 man attack. Starc stays where he is. Chances are the next game will be rain affected.. so the lineup may not be important.

Batsmen did not do their job. Two did Warner and Labuchagne. Everyone was forgetting that this was a third day pitch despite it being the fourth innings. That was why it was such slow deck. So we should have added at least another 100 runs to our tally. That as it turned out would have been impossible even for a rampant Stokes to chase. I am keeping the same attack.. dumping Lyon as he is no longer indispensable (sorry DC I tried).. and adding Siddle. These decks favor seamers. Lyon was next to useless in that last innings. in fact since the first test. 5-286 he has taken in two tests. Three of those tailenders. Labuchagne can be the spinner.

 it was the bowlers and there is only one change that turned a dominant bowling attack into a bunch of LOSERS.

Losers?  This attack is the best we can put on the park. They all played their part. We rolled them for 67 their lowest Ashes total in 60 years.. Did you even watch the game? 

I didn’t post stuff last night because I was busy chewing my fingernails off.

that has to be the greatest match winning hundred in a test match. It was absolutely unbelievable hitting. The only thing that comes close to it was Lara’s 153 against Australia in the West Indies, but that series had already been lost. 

This was either slog 135 or lose the ashes. Incredible.

Iecho the sentiments of others that our bowlers - Lyon aside - bowled poorly at the end. We had 17 balls at leach, and not once did anyone try a full Yorker from around the wicket. 

Hazelwood is not a good performer at the death in ODI cricket. I wasn’t surprised to see him taken to the cleaners at the end there. But Cummins and Patterson should have bowled some full ones at the stumps. He’s a number 11 for god sakes, try to bowl him out! 

Hughes is improving every year. So he is 30.. Chris Rogers was 35 before he got a Baggy Green. I can not see any other openers at home putting their hand up. I'd like to see Larkin have another big summer.  He can score big once in and his technique is on the improve. What other openers are there?

Gday bg,
jaszyjim - Just a note on the scorecard - Paine too high @ 5 as was not par.
Paine scored 11 & 0 - Bairstow scored 4 & 36

Missed the last 100 runs o f the English innings. D
 Who the heck is Hughes? Never heard of him.

Did not see the last 100 runs scored by England, so can't comment.

I've enjoyed reading other's opinions and thoughts who did though.

Thanks for all the comments, guys!

Some inside info on Paine's batting.


I know another Shield squad player. Paine's technique is considered to be better than most batters in Australia. The consensus for the reason he constantly underperforms is lack of concentration.  

We have to acknowledge this was one of the greatest Tests of all time.

We were only 1 wicket away from retaining The  Ashes.

Its always safe to hit accross the line to seam movement IF you read the length...

That why people sweep spinners that have no idea about... but same problem with a spinner... you have to read the length to get the bounce right...

These comments really really annoy me. I saw cricinfo write the same thing. Ben Stokes innings WAS NOT EVEN THE BEST TEST INNINGS TO WIN A TEST THIS YEAR...

This one is imo...

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18645/scorecard/1144164/south-africa-vs-sri-lanka-1st-test-sl-in-sa-2018-19

That's AWAY in SA, facing Steyn, Philander, Rabada, Olivier and Maharaj! 78 required for the last wicket...

Sorry Stokes is great, but how noone even discusses this one which occurred this very year should be mindblowing... but its actually just reveals how little attention is paid to intl cricket outside matches involving the Rich 3.

That Lara 1999 series was drawn 2-2 - Lara does the 153* in the 3rd test, to put WI up 2-1...

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/571761.html

Daniel Hughes, he used to date that blonde lady from the Ch 9 rugby league footy show, Erin Molan.

Given Hughes only averages 38 with a strike rate of 46, and is 30 yo, which is a plodding scoring rate, Doolan, the Tassie batter probably has a better record and can take an attack apart.

Doolan lacks the mental strength though.

Disagree. He is an opener. The slower he bats for that 38, the more shine he takes off the ball. The more seam he softens. And the more overs he puts into the strike bowlers.

Sehwag and Slater style is great and all if you average over 50. But it doesn't do the #3 and #4 any favours if you strike at 120 for 38. Openers are not only permitted to be dour plodders, its almost preferred by the middle order batsmen. Sets the game up for them. But looking at his pyjama numbers, I think its fair to say Hughes has more gears when required, unlike Boycott or Richardson. 

Alex Doolan averages 33.9 in FC striking at 48... andpyjama numbers nowhere near as high or as fast as Hughes'.

http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/233648.html

Disagree. He is an opener. The slower he bats for that 38, the more shine he takes off the ball. The more seam he softens. And the more overs he puts into the strike bowlers.

I am with you Paddles. He is precisely the type of opener Oz needs.