Just beggars belief how bad we are. No clue how to play or build a test innings. Schoolboy stuff. Play a few shots, maybe get to double figures (20+ if it goes well), get out, trudge off to a "Bad luck. Well played" from the sports master. Still, at least we have scored more than Travis Head and Cameron Green now.

And, as I type, another one bites the dust to an idiotic one-day shot. THIS IS A TEST MATCH FFS!! Plus ca change and all that. 300+ totals are a distant memory.

Could we beat anyone at the moment?

I hope this isn't Kent's finest only Test, he's played well today despite being caught on the boundary. There was a good article in the Telegraph about him this week, even going as far as suggesting he could be a potential England captain. I know i'm slightly biased, but I think he has what it takes, and at 30 still has years ahead of him. We need new ideas as part of the huge reshuffle ahead

Oh, and I found out something else today. Burns can't run either.

How does that work. The counties bring in overseas players to strengthen their teams. Who would NSW say want from England who would improve them. Half the current team are NSW even Tasmania have a decent Shield side. You and I both know that it's an excuse because the ECB has sold out to the short form games for the $$ now the chickens have come home to roost. Finally why ban Australian players , all the test playing countries have county players.

Spot on. Our players could learn a lot from overseas players, if they had the capacity or will to learn. Rewind a generation (or two). Who could fail to learn from the likes of Gary Sobers, etc in the team? Players need role models to bring them along. Home-grown ones are few and far between.

That decision was almost similar to VAR ruling offside because a players finger nails were in an offside position.

Another brief appearance from Broady :D

Perhaps this 'cricket in the dark' has SOMETHING going for it. The fielders lose the ball in the dark.

And it's over. Can't even manage 200, let alone 300. Pathetic.

The hope now is we can make early inroads again and this time not let them off the hook. Only pride left to play for now. Come on!!

Root and maybe Stokes aside, agreed about no England player being good enough KM. But it should be all overseas players, not just Aussies. It won't ever happen because of £, but I don't see many overseas players turning out for domestic teams outside of England over the years. In some ways we are our own worst enemy. An overseas player may well bring skills and knowledge, but their personal benefit far outweighs that in my opinion. Perhaps the county championship should be reduced in size, make it regional and play it on true wickets in the middle of summer. A failure in county cricket is often overlooked as there is always another game straight after to make amends. In Sheffield Shield there are only a few games to play all season, the competition is way harder, and there is a genuine price on your wicket.

Pair for Warner please :D

:lux::lux::lux::lux:

Apparently the first opener to have two 'pairs' in the Ashes. (Thanks, TMS)

They probably don't even need to bat a second time. Their lead is already over a hundred!

Considering the competition, that's an impressive record.

Bowlers doing their bit again.

Lagershandy gone now. Keep at it.

All three #1 batters out for nothing, I wonder if Burns can make it four (very possible :D ). Would that be a Test record ?

So many lazy caught legside dismissals by both sides this series.

If anyone can do it, it’s Burns

As a Kent fan I have to disagree. He is not a test player.

If we had anything like a decent strength squad, I’d probably agree.

However….

Have been thinking that being made captain of the Oval Invincibles is a pre-cursor to Surrey getting the chequebook out and asking him to captain the County in general.

33-3!

Nightwatchman coming out. Aussies running scared :D

Lol, somewhere Steve Waugh is shaking his head.

The time-wasting in the last over was a tad unbecoming. Not that we would have done any different, I hope.

Just occurred to me that we’ve not won a test in Australia for ten years.

I just felt we won the Ashes, I am so happy lol

^ Made me think the same when I saw the nightwatchman from OZ

A lead of 152 is still a lot to chase for us

EFA :D

I can see a total of around 250 being set, but the problem England then face is with our batting confidence so low that when a wicket falls it then starts off a landslide, sadly it looks like only one likely result which can only mean an Aussie win.

IF (and it is a big IF) we were set 220/230, I can see us making a good fist of it. And no, I have not been drinking (I'm not allowed) and yes, I have taken all my medication :D

I hope the fact that no touring England ashes side since 1958 have failed to muster 300 runs in any of their innings will embarrass this lot.

I don't even get how as an opener you get run out in test cricket, absolutely idiotic, there wasn't even a run there to be had. :wallbash:

A 250 lead would mean bowling them out for 135. That's what's needed to have any chance, but I can't see it, even with 3 down. They might have them 135-9, but Aus would probably still stumble to 200.

The most likely bit of good news for England tomorrow is they can go straight to the Airport.

I agree with the first bit but there was a run there, albeit a tight ish one. That’s what Warner and Oz do very well, rotate the strike regularly early and get the score ticking over. Makes it more difficult for the bowling team to build pressure

Well there clearly wasn’t a run there was there?

Otherwise he wouldn’t have been run out. :clown:

Nipple boy been on the hooch :D

You blind as well as completely and utterly bereft of sense ?

Because every run out means there was no run there doesn’t it?

Silly Billy

Talk to someone who thinks you’re a good bloke.

Good luck.

Hahahahahaha

Great response to a post about a run out.

Says far more about you than me does that

:D

TBH lads. There's a run there if they don't hesitate. Crawley baulked a little and Burns was hesitant. Had Burns gone from the outset he would've made it comfortably IMHO.

Would be embarrassing if Boland would score 20 or 30 odd

He is already nearing double figures

Boland gone….for 8……phew

6/63 . Surely not.

Awful no ball decision on Carey.

Er, no....only question is which bowler will get 100 first

England get a review correct.

Finally exciting and competitive cricket

130-8...lead by 245

The game is now....chasing 250/260 its game on....beyond that, hmmm....can they get the last two for not many???

18 runs off the final two overs before the lunch/dinner break.

256 ahead, 2 wickets left.

155 all out...271 to win. Burns 140 not out anyone??

LOLOLOLOL

150 run defeat for England coming up.

Well, bowlers have done their job again.

Over to you batters. Let’s see if.you do actually have some bollocks

Spicy pitch, overcast, lights on - it doesn't bode well !

It’s not simply about ‘having bollocks’ though, is it? Plenty of brave men & women can’t bat. It’s about being able to score 270 in a 4th innings of a Test match in Australia.

I actually do not care if we lose providing we make a good fist of chasing down what is a difficult target. Will mean we come away with whatever little pride remains still intact.

Pride? :supergrin:

Which takes bollocks, or mental fortitude shall we say.

As they are international cricketers, we can pretty much say they are, or should be, capable of scoring 270 runs.

Scoring 270 runs batting last in a Ashes test, is as much in the head as it is in the hands

Fair point

South Africa have shown recently that 200 plus scores can be chased down in the 4th innings of tests.
You just have to bat more like them.
Simple, really!

Cheers Jim, it is Australia’s to loose now :)

Decent start ! (He says, looking from behind the sofa !!)

We're going to win

Lol I am watching NFL and catching up here

Are there no barbers in Aus that Rory Burns can pay a visit ?

Wtf?

Not as if he's not had time :rolleyes:

Lol

:D

He is planning to move to WWE, watch out Wrestlemania here comes Burns

They're just doing this to make the inevitable collapse even more painful.

Didn’t this England team score 362 to win a Test match just a couple of years ago?

So, good job my Ashes Monthly BT Sport pass expired yesterday.......

An opening partnership of 250 should be enough to deal with the collapse so keep the faith.

Good start.

Should win comfortably from here.

surely I'm just dreaming and we're actually 20-3?

Provided Root stays in.

Sorry

Lol !

Oh Rory

Here we go. Last over before the break - typical.

Meh. That’s the spirit. At 68 for 0 though a 60% chance of England winning still looks a little high. There’s still a lot of runs to get on this pitch so I’d say it was evens probability.

It was good while it lasted

I got evens on Australia to win when Eng were about 50-0. Seemed like a very generous offer.

Still time for a Root Ashes century in Aus.

Plenty of scope to be all out for 120. This is England, after all, renowned for its huge batting scores.

Yep time to plan for the next Ashes now

Crawley should have been persevered with. Out of all the young batsmen he has the best game and technique

Going forward, spreadsheets on the ready

Ian Botham stating the obvious now

Yup agree

120?????


Didn’t put you down as an optimist

Botham telling it like it is.

Showing clips from Headingly '81 and realising it was 40 years ago is frightening

Anyone got a working stream? hesgoal one has changed to football.

Lol.

But he was spot on and said exactly what we all here have been saying

Here we go

lol

150 all out incoming

Cameron Green has really come of age this test match with his batting and bowling.