The Ashes 2015

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Discussion

dav123a

1,220 posts

160 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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NBTBRV8 said:
+1.

The difference between the two sides is that Australia is by and large a top quality side that let their standards slip for a variety of reasons. England aren't a better side, they just happened to be performing better at a lower level which was better than Australia on the day.

Australia's performance dropped, rather than England improving theirs and this test series supports this as England can't sustain a superior performance, hence are a lower performing side.
You didn't watch in England in the WI earlier on this year. England have improved a fair bit. Had that team turned up we would have lost easily. Loads of reasons why England won. Interesting to see the rebuilding of Australian team in time.

Leithen

10,939 posts

268 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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The series was all about the bowlers, and England bowled better.

Given the dominance of batsmen in T20 in the current era, this is a good thing.

AW111

9,674 posts

134 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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I think a lot of batsmen have fogotten the need for patience in test cricket. Australia made 480 in the first innings, but started out scoring sfa for the first 20 overs. Proper test batting, albeit a match or two too late.

Black can man

Original Poster:

31,845 posts

169 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Indeed , proper cricket. Real cricket is a battle between bat & ball, not just who can hit it the furthest .

There is absolutely no doubt that the one day whack a thons are causing Test matches to be over on day 3 & 4

johnfm

13,668 posts

251 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Leithen said:
The series was all about the bowlers, and England bowled better.

Given the dominance of batsmen in T20 in the current era, this is a good thing.
Can't agree with that. The series was lost by senseless batting by Aus. Eng didn't bowl terribly in the first innings here. Lots of zip and sideways movement by Wood & Broad. But lots and lots of letting the ball go by Aus. Run rate in first 20-30 overs was less than 2/over.

Aus bowled poorly in Cardiff - but Eng didn't bowl all that well. Ali & Root took quite a few wickets - down to pretty daft Aus batting.

As I said above, the scorebook say Eng get the urn. I think the Aus batsmen will wonder what might have been for a bit of discipline for years to come.

Fishtigua

9,786 posts

196 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Woodie walkies.

Lets just end this today.

Murph7355

37,760 posts

257 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Soft shot by Butter really.

Black can man

Original Poster:

31,845 posts

169 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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It's spitting here in Battersea.


Shouldn't really hope for rain, but

johnfm

13,668 posts

251 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
quotequote all
Black can man said:
It's spitting here in Battersea.


Shouldn't really hope for rain, but
If it's rained off so be it. Series has been given away anyway.

Fishtigua

9,786 posts

196 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Yep, the rain will kill this Test.

We've been pretty lucky with the weather overall. God knows what will happen with the ODIs.

Murph7355

37,760 posts

257 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Maybe not.

We just declared ichi for the michi and the rain stopped. Covers coming off...

johnfm

13,668 posts

251 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Normality resumed.

How the fvck we lost to a team who only passed 400 once will remain a mystery.

Never any shame in losing to a better side. Losing to a poorer side, home or away, is not really good enough for professionals over a 5 match series.

Well done your lot.

Edited by johnfm on Sunday 23 August 15:33

RichB

51,622 posts

285 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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johnfm said:
Normality resumed.
What, a test completed before the 5th day?

Fishtigua

9,786 posts

196 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
quotequote all
RichB said:
johnfm said:
Normality resumed.
What, a test completed before the 5th day?
I did have a titter. biggrin

Just how much has the modern Test changed in our time?

Matches of my youth used to drag on for weeks on end.

Or felt like.

RichB

51,622 posts

285 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
quotequote all
johnfm said:
How the fvck we lost to a team who only passed 400 once will remain a mystery.

Never any shame in losing to a better side. Losing to a poorer side, home or away, is not really good enough for professionals over a 5 match series.
I wouldn't ponder on it too long John. No mystery, although it may be a surprise to a proud Aussie, over a 5 match series your lot were worse. wink

Murph7355

37,760 posts

257 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
quotequote all
johnfm said:
Normality resumed.

How the fvck we lost to a team who only passed 400 once will remain a mystery.

Never any shame in losing to a better side. Losing to a poorer side, home or away, is not really good enough for professionals over a 5 match series.

Well done your lot.

Edited by johnfm on Sunday 23 August 15:33
The thing is, a 5 test series generally proves who the poorer side was. This time it was your mob.

Your batsmen were as frail as ours. Perhaps more so on balance.

This test might have been different had we (a) batted first and (b) Anderson had been fit/our bowling attack been anything other than feeble. But ifs and buts and all that.

Your team lost over 5 tests. Both sides were piss poor. Neither deserves a place in the top 3 ICC rankings. But that's the game smile

zygalski

7,759 posts

146 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
quotequote all
johnfm said:
Normality resumed.

How the fvck we lost to a team who only passed 400 once will remain a mystery.

Never any shame in losing to a better side. Losing to a poorer side, home or away, is not really good enough for professionals over a 5 match series.

Well done your lot.

Edited by johnfm on Sunday 23 August 15:33
No mystery John. As I said earlier, Aussie squad is the weakest one you've had in 25+ years. Combine that with an average England squad & a narrow home win for us is the result.

Gargamel

15,007 posts

262 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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Bit of an odd test that, lacked some fire or any real passion, all felt a bit bloodless, but I guess that is the way of dead rubbers.

Aussies best player was Siddell, who presumably they will now drop again for the Bangla series.

In the end the crap/misfiring Aussie middle order just couldn't do it.


England have a way to go before becoming a really good test outfit, but some encouraging signs, Cook is batting better, Root looks a class act, Jimmy A and Broad continue to show real high class, Wood is an exciting find.

Elsewhere though, really annoyed Lyth hasn't taken his chance, can't see them persisting any further, I really thought he would make one decent score and then be settled to it, but it hasn't happened.

Bell ? I really don't know what to say.

Buttler - is this really the best option ?

Spinner - we really need a better frontline spinner, I like Moeen, but he is a bitsa at the moment, wouldn't mind seeing him at five.

BlackLabel

13,251 posts

124 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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If you live in the UK and want to watch the next Ashes live on TV then you'll now need a BT subscription.


mail said:
England’s cricketers were not the only ones celebrating an Ashes win on Sunday night — so were BT Sport, who have seized the rights to the 2017-18 series Down Under from arch-rivals Sky in a major coup.

In a move that demonstrates BT will challenge Sky strongly on the cricket field as well as on the football pitch, the network have secured the UK contract for Aussie home matches from Cricket Australia for the next five years.

It is believed to be costing them around £70million a year.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3208147/B...
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

Leithen

10,939 posts

268 months

Sunday 23rd August 2015
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BlackLabel said:
If you live in the UK and want to watch the next Ashes live on TV then you'll now need a BT subscription.
Lot of money for night time matches.