The state of Test Match cricket

[poita]

The purists may not like the way England is going about things at the moment, but if Australia was setting the tempo for both teams we would have seen two draws in this series.

England have given us two riveting contests by scoring their runs quickly and keeping things moving along.

Good contests and exciting finishes will do more for the future of test match cricket than anything else.

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Not true.
England are only doing what WI, Australia, India, SAF have done for years and that’s score lots, fast and then bowl teams out.
It’s only because it’s England, who’ve accepted mediocrity for aeons, have suddenly gone for an uptempo game plan. Problem is, Stokes is on his last legs, their bowling attack is lead by two 40 year olds heading to the knackery. No spinning option either, so draft Moeen out of retirement. Their WK is a deadset joke too. England put all their eggs in one basket, tried to blast Australia, have made multiple dumb decisions and Australia have capitalised.
Australia aren’t perfect but we’re 2-0 up needing 1 win from 3 (or a draw) to keep the Ashes. We can play much better.
Tests are fantastic but this rhetoric about how fancy England are, and Australia haven’t come to the party, is frankly, bullshit.

 

[Brendan_B]

Not true.
England are only doing what WI, Australia, India, SAF have done for years and that’s score lots, fast and then bowl teams out.
It’s only because it’s England, who’ve accepted mediocrity for aeons, have suddenly gone for an uptempo game plan. Problem is, Stokes is on his last legs, their bowling attack is lead by two 40 year olds heading to the knackery. No spinning option either, so draft Moeen out of retirement. Their WK is a deadset joke too. England put all their eggs in one basket, tried to blast Australia, have made multiple dumb decisions and Australia have capitalised.
Australia aren’t perfect but we’re 2-0 up needing 1 win from 3 (or a draw) to keep the Ashes. We can play much better.
Tests are fantastic but this rhetoric about how fancy England are, and Australia haven’t come to the party, is frankly, bullshit.

Yes !!

 

[The Mad Hatter]

Forgot to include that Australia was without a frontline bowler - Lyon - for an innings and a half, the pitches are dead, the ball soft.

 

[CTJR]

It's frustrating that there's been such a distraction around the Bairstow dismissal.

We've had two consecutive tests that have gone down to the last session with all four results in play. That's unicorn shit.

I feel like the wicket preparation has played into Australia's hands. There's a number of players in that Australian top order who still look shit when the ball is hooping around off the pitch. Labuschagne's been found out a bit to a point where I'd suggest having Smith at 3 again while it's still an option and have Marnus open post-Warner is a genuine point of contention. Head and Warner still look suss outside off, Green still can't buy a run in his first 20 balls. Instead they've prepared almost-Australian wickets that give Anderson and Broad nothing, and their best bowler in Wood hasn't fired a shot yet.