Inside Sport

4th test


https://forum.insidesport.com.au/Topic2828596.aspx

By grazorblade - 2 Sep 2019 7:12 AM

4 days from now

First 11 guesses? What changes would you make? How has this pitch historically played?
By quickflick - 11 Sep 2019 9:29 PM

City Sam - 9 Sep 2019 2:35 PM
Decentric - 9 Sep 2019 2:06 PM

Paine did a good job keeping but we win this series with or without him. His on field captaincy is regularly rubbish with poor field placements, negative approach and wasting reviews (hello 3rd test).

Smith carrying the entire batting load on his own and Hazlewood and Cummins being brilliant won us this series. Paine was a passenger like the rest of them

Sam, I agree with you on virtually all of that. The only thing I disagree on his use of his bowlers. I think he has rotated them very well and it was a masterstroke to open with Pat Cummins on Day 4 in at Old Trafford. But Tim Paine's use of the DRS stopped us from winning the Leeds Test. It was infuriating. Also you're right about his field placings (especially when by not bringing the field up early enough against Ben Stokes in Leeds). Pathetically conservative.

That said, I respect Paine for his graciousness in defeat. I reckon the atmosphere in the Australian dressing room has improved immeasurably with him as skipper. And I'm happy with how they went to Leeds after the defeat at Old Trafford.

I agree that Steve Smith, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have been out of this world good.

One thing more. Australia haven't won the series (yet). They've simply retained the Ashes by virtue of removing the possibility of losing the series.