The Ashes 2019

[RB]

With how poor the umpiring has been all series, why did we waste our last review? That last LBW was absolutely plumb and the umpire is incompetent for not giving it, but that’s why you have reviews.

Hats off to Stokes though, absolutely amazing innings

Cummins was shaking his head and saying no yet that absolute fool Paine went for the review on a whim and botched it.
Can’t bat
Can’t keep
Zero technical nous.
Just sack him now and play Carey

Yep. His batting is bad, his keeping ordinary, but his decision making is atrocious. He's clearly one of those guys guilty of the worst combination of over thinking and compulsive decision making in one. Some of his calls have been bizarre. I would not want to play under a captain so prone to brain explosions.

[Magellan]

With how poor the umpiring has been all series, why did we waste our last review? That last LBW was absolutely plumb and the umpire is incompetent for not giving it, but that’s why you have reviews.

Hats off to Stokes though, absolutely amazing innings

While the Aussies burned their last review with, what it seemed to this bleary eyed viewer at the time, might have been more tactical reasons than practical - just bad luck that it would have made all the difference so soon after. I'd like to think the review system was designed to 'fill in the blanks for rare errors or close calls - not for blatant errors.

Still, the Aussies had their chances - I can't remember screaming in frustration at the television that late at night before this morning.

Stokes innings one for the ages, will be talked about by future generations as an example of what belief and focus can achieve.

Special mention to Jack Leach - played the last stand support role to perfection, as cool as a cucumber to the end.

Some good points here, StrayDog. Stokes wrote his place into and Ashes folklore, a spectacular innings.

Whilst I’m really disappointed that Australia threw away a match that it shouldn’t have lost to the Old Enemy, last night demonstrated how absolutely amazing and exciting the culmination of a test match can be, and that the game can ebb and flow no mater what advantage you reckon you might have. No fireworks, rock music, and razzle-dazzle bullshit required, just 100% pure cricket (I’m looking at you, T20 cricket).

[whufc]

My anger at Paine hasn't settle the morning.

No surprise the useless bastard went to shit when he didn't have Smith holding his hand at first slip.

You just knew when he reviewed one that landed 2.75m outside leg stump it was going to come back and bite us on the arse. He just had to give the bowlers more than one ball an over to bowl at Leach.

Get a keeper in who can bat, give Head as the captaincy as Smith will do the role anyway and piss Paine off for good.

[locky801]

The test we should not have lost but we did

Fantastic innings by Stokes which reminded me of many decades ago in an ashes series when Australia were well on top and heading for an Ashes win.

Out came Ian Botham who smashed a quick big hundred, won England the test from nowhere and in the end England smashed Australia in the last 2 tests to win the Ashes.

Will be interesting to see how we come back from this, dont agree with Jim that we will smash them in the last 2 tests

[FlyingHigh]

Three more things the Aussies stuffed up:

Earylish in the partnership Harris at third man throwing to the bowlers end when he throwing to the keeper likely would have had Stokes out

For all our fast bowlers wanting to bowl bouncers at the tail, I can't recall them trying any genuine ones at Stokes in that last partnership, even early on we didn't try a couple on the 5th and 6th balls and it wouldn't have mattered if we went for a couple boundaries as we still had plenty of runs to play with and get a full over at Leach

Can't recall any slower balls to Stokes to try to upset his momentum,. Even that last ball from Cummins was rubbish,, short and wide. Field was right up, a slower ball may have got him chipping one. Was worth a try coz there was nothing to lose,.

Edit: Harris was at fine leg

[northerner]

Hate Mondays at the best of times... wake up today and realise it wasnt a bad dream.

Two things stick... Test cricket is alive and well. How good was that Pommie crowd cheering every run from ball one of the 4th innings. Test matches arebthe only form of cricket which enables absolutely anything to happen at any stage.

Secondly... I have supported and respected Paine throughout the last 12 months. Great ambassador who saw us turn around the shocking culture of the team. Now hes redundant. He kept well this game but we need a guy who can bat at 7 whilst our top six are wobbly and anyone can captain with JL and smith advising.
What are the protocols for getting Carey in when hes not in the squad?

[Senor Moto Gadili]

Hate Mondays at the best of times... wake up today and realise it wasnt a bad dream.

Two things stick... Test cricket is alive and well. How good was that Pommie crowd cheering every run from ball one of the 4th innings. Test matches arebthe only form of cricket which enables absolutely anything to happen at any stage.

Secondly... I have supported and respected Paine throughout the last 12 months. Great ambassador who saw us turn around the shocking culture of the team. Now hes redundant. He kept well this game but we need a guy who can bat at 7 whilst our top six are wobbly and anyone can captain with JL and smith advising.
What are the protocols for getting Carey in when hes not in the squad?

Carey was playing T20 in England, so I assume he is still there. Should simply be a case of calling him up, but they will not drop Tim Paine. Only chance for a change is injury.

[gadj1976]

I went to bed at 4-229 and thought we would lose it because of the way we were bowling. Just utter rubbish. Hardly any deliveries would've hit the stumps in the first session. 5 wides by Patto? Don't really know what he was doing but he looked ready for a spell.

I was surprised to get so close in the end. The comical part of it was that I hear we bowled bouncers to the tail again? What is that tactic? Can no one bowl a good yorker any more? Then to hear that we stuffed up a DRS and the umpires stuffed up a simple LBW chance just goes to show that the game is run in farcical fashion.

[amber_fluid]

Aussies only have themselves to blame.
Stuffed up the run out and didn’t save a review.

[mal]

Ends up being a good toss to win ....

Well done to Ben Stokes and Roy Laird for that amazing last wicket partnership

[gadj1976]

Ends up being a good toss to win ....

Well done to Ben Stokes and Roy Laird for that amazing last wicket partnership

Roy Laird?

[Lightning McQueen]

Cummins is McGrath good

Dear me. Not even in the same library yet and totally different bowlers.

I doubt that anyone will ever be able to bowl the perfect line and length that McGrath did for his entire career, to be able to bowl an at the throat 130km bouncer where batsman absolutely poop themselves was something special too, especially when he had Brett Lee bowling them at 150km + from the other end.

I don't like McGrath but gee he is in a league of his own for pace bowling.

[Lightning McQueen]

How good is Ben Stokes? To get over the line in them circumstances is a true test of character and grit.

[gadj1976]

How good is Ben Stokes? To get over the line in them circumstances is a true test of character and grit.

Given that he batted unconventionally to start with, having 9 off 81 deliveries and the like, it was truly a great knock.

[whufc]

Reminded me of an innings I saw a bloke filling in the B Grade play once LOL!! Very similar standard of cricket tbh.

http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/common/ ... ityID=1988

[FlyingHigh]

True all-rounders are a great part of cricket partly because of their rarity, but let's just hope our media don't get back on the "we need an all-rounder" bandwagon. Or worse still, our selectors do the same and try to manufacture something.

[Lightning McQueen]

How good is Ben Stokes? To get over the line in them circumstances is a true test of character and grit.

Given that he batted unconventionally to start with, having 9 off 81 deliveries and the like, it was truly a great knock.

Exactly.

[whufc]

True all-rounders are a great part of cricket partly because of their rarity, but let's just hope our media don't get back on the "we need an all-rounder" bandwagon. Or worse still, our selectors do the same and try to manufacture something.

It could have been Mitch Marsh!

[The Bedge]

Reminded me of an innings I saw a bloke filling in the B Grade play once LOL!! Very similar standard of cricket tbh.

http://mycricket.cricket.com.au/common/ ... ityID=1988

Geez you've been holding onto that one for a while desperate to use..

[JK]

Wonder if Lillee, Marsh and co. Made a few bob on this one too