A lot of angst about ticket sales in NZ. 31k at Eden Park tonight, 27k in Melbourne, for not dissimilar types of matchups. I reckon we are doing ok.
Matej Mohoric win and interview was a highlight from the cycling...
Personally quite enjoyed England being denied the Ashes like that. Make some dumb decisions and end up 2 down, it was never going to be likely you'd get 3 full games and win them all.
Agree with the comments already made re: the weather in Manchester. It was disappointing on one hand but England really put themselves on the backfoot by losing the first two games. The talk from Stokes & co about winning the last three games was stoic but extremely hopeful. It’s a rare series in England unaffected but weather and even without it you need every roll of the dice to go your way from 2-0 down. I think England will realise that deep down and should be bitterly disappointed because as the series as gone on they’ve gotten better, to the point of looking the better team, which has surprised me. I think some hairbrained batting in the first two tests (nervous energy?) and the ongoing sentimental selection of Anderson have been killers for them. And they’ve had a few things go their way that they haven’t taken advantage of - patchy form of a number of usually bankable Aussies and the injury to Lyon.
In a Jarrod Kimber email after the third test, he said that Manchester is the test ground which has lost the most days to rain (the SCG is second!). He also said this, which reinforced my view that England picked the right team too late: “There have been 54 teams who have gone down 2-0 in a five-Test series after the opening matches. Would you like to know how many have ever come back to end the series 3-2 up? One.” And that was Australia in 1936/37. No matter what the question, it feels like the answer is pretty much always Bradman.
Brilliant analysis! Agree they picked the right team too late too - not sure of the injury status before the third test but Woakes & Wood have added a lot.
After I hit post, I realised it was after the fourth test Mr Kimber said this, not the third. My error.
I don’t think Wood was ready for the first but maybe he was for the second. I think Woakes was a choice and may have been a better option than Robinson but that could be both recency bias and standard bias on my part about Robinson!
Maybe if England made selections of a different type, they wouldn’t have had to rely on the weather. If that sounds unsympathetic that’s probably because it is! (was it us against South Africa in Hamilton where it rained on day five for a series draw instead of a win and we only needed a wicket?).
Eng could not find the right balance in their play until the series was all but gone. They will talk a big game but privately they know they threw this series away with a ridiculous first innings declaration in the first Test and nothing short of suicidal shot making in the second test.
Had they found their balance earlier I suspect a 3 - 1 win to Eng would have been well within their grasp. As it stands, I expect they will overcome Australia quite easily at the Oval, a 2 - 2 series shared but the Urn on its way back Aus.
A lot of angst about ticket sales in NZ. 31k at Eden Park tonight, 27k in Melbourne, for not dissimilar types of matchups. I reckon we are doing ok.
Matej Mohoric win and interview was a highlight from the cycling...
Personally quite enjoyed England being denied the Ashes like that. Make some dumb decisions and end up 2 down, it was never going to be likely you'd get 3 full games and win them all.
Agree with the comments already made re: the weather in Manchester. It was disappointing on one hand but England really put themselves on the backfoot by losing the first two games. The talk from Stokes & co about winning the last three games was stoic but extremely hopeful. It’s a rare series in England unaffected but weather and even without it you need every roll of the dice to go your way from 2-0 down. I think England will realise that deep down and should be bitterly disappointed because as the series as gone on they’ve gotten better, to the point of looking the better team, which has surprised me. I think some hairbrained batting in the first two tests (nervous energy?) and the ongoing sentimental selection of Anderson have been killers for them. And they’ve had a few things go their way that they haven’t taken advantage of - patchy form of a number of usually bankable Aussies and the injury to Lyon.
In a Jarrod Kimber email after the third test, he said that Manchester is the test ground which has lost the most days to rain (the SCG is second!). He also said this, which reinforced my view that England picked the right team too late: “There have been 54 teams who have gone down 2-0 in a five-Test series after the opening matches. Would you like to know how many have ever come back to end the series 3-2 up? One.” And that was Australia in 1936/37. No matter what the question, it feels like the answer is pretty much always Bradman.
Brilliant analysis! Agree they picked the right team too late too - not sure of the injury status before the third test but Woakes & Wood have added a lot.
After I hit post, I realised it was after the fourth test Mr Kimber said this, not the third. My error.
I don’t think Wood was ready for the first but maybe he was for the second. I think Woakes was a choice and may have been a better option than Robinson but that could be both recency bias and standard bias on my part about Robinson!
Righto! Yup re: Woakes he has been both quicker and better than both Robinson & Anderson IMO, and bats better too
Maybe if England made selections of a different type, they wouldn’t have had to rely on the weather. If that sounds unsympathetic that’s probably because it is! (was it us against South Africa in Hamilton where it rained on day five for a series draw instead of a win and we only needed a wicket?).
Eng could not find the right balance in their play until the series was all but gone. They will talk a big game but privately they know they threw this series away with a ridiculous first innings declaration in the first Test and nothing short of suicidal shot making in the second test.
Had they found their balance earlier I suspect a 3 - 1 win to Eng would have been well within their grasp. As it stands, I expect they will overcome Australia quite easily at the Oval, a 2 - 2 series shared but the Urn on its way back Aus.