Other Sports: Page 77 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One more in the Tolly

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Burnwinter

The Australian team's flawed. Your lot just seems to lack the mettle to completely pulverise us so far. That was another good but not great delivery to remove Bell.

Well it's keeping me interested anyway. 🙂

Burnwinter

And now Bairstow's gone too … another couple before stumps I hope.

Timbob

This England team is a bit better on paper than on the field IMO, particularly the batting.

Prior has been playing like a millionaire this year, bit of complacency creeping in.

Burnwinter

True. We got let back in here. Commentators crediting Clarke's captaincy for introducing Smith, but what he did there is exactly what every Australian captain has always done.

I'd say England will most likely have a 100ish run first innings lead. The tail will push out towards 350 before we clean them up in the morning and I don't have great faith in us to overhaul that.

With us chasing again I think we'll need to convincingly win tomorrow and the day after to win the match.

invisibleman18

Bloody fucking blonde Australian leg spinners! Would have left out the blonde but then I remembered Michael Vaughan scoring most of his runs in that 2002-03 series off MacGill. 😆

Wonderful innings from Bell again. Think the commentators said centuries in 3 consecutive Ashes tests had only been done 4 times before.

Keeps turning one way then the other just like the first test. I really love test cricket. Shame Smith had to get those wickets as it looked like a good total was on. Looks like a 400+ wicket though and we'll likely end up a bit short now. Thankfully there's still a good bit of batting with Bresnan and Broad, and even Swann so hopefully they can at least take us past 350.

As an aside, why do there seem to be so few leg spinners throughout history compared to off spinners? It spins more and seems to cause batsmen more problems. Is it just so much more difficult to do? Tried both in my (limited) playing days and couldn't do either so stuck to medium (slow) pace.

Anyway should be an intriguing day 2.

Burnwinter

Doubt anyone truly believed for some time before Warne that leggies could be that controlled, devastating and relatively pacy. You're not going to select someone to float down slow, errant top-spinning full tosses.

Examples like Bill O'Reilly aside perhaps, spinners were defensive bowlers for the most part back in the day, and as I recall by the 80s were regarded as almost obsolete what with the West Indies dominance. We used to select guys like Peter Taylor almost just to chew through the overs.

invisibleman18

Obviously way before my time, and that of most on here, but wasn't Benaud one of the great leg spinners? 248 wickets in 63 tests.

Burnwinter

True! My knowledge of cricket is hazy at best between Bradman and Border. Still think the 70s quicks followed by the WI led to a near abandonment of hostile spin bowling.

Timbob

Abdul Qadir was knocking about in the 70's and 80's too.

The 90's and 00's was a bit of a golden age of spin i guess, with leggies like Warne, McGill, Kumble and Mustaq Ahmed knocking about, along with 3 or 4 of the all time great mystery/off spinners too.

Rohit

invisibleman18 wrote:
Is it just so much more difficult to do? Tried both in my (limited) playing days and couldn't do either so stuck to medium (slow) pace.

Far more difficult to control than off spin. Which is why Warne was incredible. Also leg spinners generally have cleaner actions, far more acceptable. Shame very few can perfect the art.

Funny that Smith wouldn't have got a ball if Agar wasn't off the field at that time.

Rohit

Swann and Broad putting on a show here. These are some very important runs.

invisibleman18

That last partnership helped but worried we could be 70 odd runs short on that pitch. 2 very good first overs from Anderson but he can't do it alone. One of the other bowlers has to step up here.

invisibleman18

So far in this series, only 5th wicket pairs have scored more runs than 10th wicket pairs. 😆

I don't think I've ever seen anyone look as terrified in the pavilion as Khawaja looks at the moment. Looks like he'd rather be anywhere else in the world.

invisibleman18

What a waste of a review by Watson. It was absolutely plumb all the way. Bet Clarke's fuming. 😆

Last over before lunch, needed that.

Bold Tone

Think England are the better side but they underestimated the Aussies and, partly for this reason, it is turning out to be a fairly even series.

Burnwinter

Watson you moron. Rogers you moron. Shaping up well so far …

Burnwinter

Hughes, another failure. Sort your head out you twat.

Timbob

Some really shocking dismissals in these two tests so far.

Don't think many of these Ozzies have careers as umpires in the future, can't review for shit. It's like they don't know the rules.

Rohit

Aussies are disappointing now. Please atleast make a match of it.

Burnwinter

Clarke's the only man who can turn this around now.

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