CRICKET

[1955vintage]

Mike Denness was born in Scotland and still captained England.....badly.

[Michael Rolls]

always felt sorry for him tasked with leading England against an Australian side featuring Lillee, Thompson and Walker in their pomp (and their batsmen weren't too shabby either). I very much doubt that anyone else would have done any better

[1955vintage]

This is the worst batting display by an English team I have ever seen.They are playing 20/20 shots in a Test match.

Australia are being given the series, my father will be turning in his grave.

[Michael Rolls]

have to agree - about what are they thinking? A bit more common sense with the bat and we could be looking at England going three up with two to play instead of (just about certainly) the reverse

[Michael Rolls]

well, to my considerable surprise, and despite Root, Stokes and Bairstow - the players most likely to score heavily - all failing with the bat, England won by three wickets, so the series is still theoretically live.

[1955vintage]

Australia must be kicking themselves, they had us by the short and curlies , not a deserved win.

[Cassandra]

Australia must be kicking themselves, they had us by the short and curlies , not a deserved win.

I disagree, it was Stokes commanding innings (again) and such as Wood's mini cameo's in both innings, plus superb bowling from the latter, Woakes and Moeen that got us there. If we had won the last test and the one before in a similar fashion you could say that Australia triumphed by England's mistakes.

Personally I don't really care that much who wins or loses, all three games have been compelling to watch, with wonderful entertainment and individual performances: albeit the Lords performance was traduced in the dereliction of the Bairstow dismissal assaulting the spirit of the game.

Cricket is a match of tactics and fast changing circumstance, designed over a five day period to extend both.

Well played both sides and congratulations to Ben Stokes and his squad.

[Cassandra]

well, to my considerable surprise, and despite Root, Stokes and Bairstow - the players most likely to score heavily - all failing with the bat, England won by three wickets, so the series is still theoretically live.

Mike hello, Ben top scored with 80 in the first innings   I would have thought you of all people being a speedball fan would have loved Woods magnificent 1st inning haul. A spell of real blistering speed. We've been asking over here, for someone to blow Khawaja away, He's good against fast medium swing, but Woods extra yard showed him up. Woakes as well really bowls a heavy ball cross seam and we sat, truly delighted by the way he shocked the Aussie top end. 

Wood reminds me a lot of the great Harold Larwood both in build and action. I can only recall Devon Malcolm's destruction of South Afria in '94 as being it's English equal. Woakes in particular and Moeen too, all contributed with the ball and Broad as always bowled intelligently, cleverly picking up the pieces promulgated by the shock & panic a Woods severe assault causes in a dressing room. Due to the location of Headingley and it's Pennine dominated climate, very often the ball is in charge there. We just did it a shade batter.

[Cassandra]

Mike Denness was born in Scotland and still captained England.....badly.

Denness captained England on 19 occasions, winning six, losing five and drawing eight matches, (32% win result). Not the worse by a long way for essentially an attacking Captain. History seems committed to see him relatively unkindly, but his period included some really stiff opposition sides including the great Windies combinations and Lillee & Thompson at their pomp. The greatest England captain Mike Brearley only managed a win ratio of 58%.

[Michael Rolls]

Don't forget Brian Close - captained 7 times, won 6, drew one - although I agree that Brearley was the best captain in my memory.
Loved Wood's bowling - up to 96.5 in the first innings, and his slowest delivery of that spell was faster than anything England sent down in the first two Tests. Such a change to see the fastest bowler in the match playing for England, not Australia. Just hope he stays fit for the next two.
Yes, Stokes' knock in the first innings was great - I was commenting on the second innings performances -  Root 21, Stokes 14, Bairstow 5 - just 39 runs between them.
Since his fine century in the first innings of the first Test, Root seems to have struggled. In the first Test he got 118* and 46, but since then 10,18,19 and 21. In fact, his 40 runs in this Test were equaled by Mark Wood.
Loved the continuing saga of Broad v Warner - got him in both innings, 4 and 1. I think that is 17 times now that Broad has got him in Tests.
Devon Malcolm - I was driving to, or from, a meeting with the car radio on - couldn't believe my ears! 9-59!
Back in the days when cricket actually appeared on terrestrial TV, I remember him getting one of the WI openers - can't remember if it was Haynes or Greenwich with a very fast full toss which hit leg stump - totally beaten for pace

[Michael Rolls]

Australia must be kicking themselves, they had us by the short and curlies , not a deserved win.

Why not 'deserved'? You might as well say that Australia's two wins were not deserved as they relied on mistakes by England - oh, and I am not saying that was the case - they just played that bit better

[Michael Rolls]

and the victory was achieved despite Stokes not being able to bowl art all, and Robinson unable to bowl in the second innings.

[Cassandra]

Don't forget Brian Close - captained 7 times, won 6, drew one - although I agree that Brearley was the best captain in my memory.
Loved Wood's bowling - up to 96.5 in the first innings, and his slowest delivery of that spell was faster than anything England sent down in the first two Tests. Such a change to see the fastest bowler in the match playing for England, not Australia. Just hope he stays fit for the next two.
Yes, Stokes' knock in the first innings was great - I was commenting on the second innings performances -  Root 21, Stokes 14, Bairstow 5 - just 39 runs between them.
Since his fine century in the first innings of the first Test, Root seems to have struggled. In the first Test he got 118* and 46, but since then 10,18,19 and 21. In fact, his 40 runs in this Test were equaled by Mark Wood.
Loved the continuing saga of Broad v Warner - got him in both innings, 4 and 1. I think that is 17 times now that Broad has got him in Tests.
Devon Malcolm - I was driving to, or from, a meeting with the car radio on - couldn't believe my ears! 9-59!
Back in the days when cricket actually appeared on terrestrial TV, I remember him getting one of the WI openers - can't remember if it was Haynes or Greenwich with a very fast full toss which hit leg stump - totally beaten for pace

Gordon Greenidge Mike a great batsman, but both he and Desmond Haynes never played against Devon (they are too far back for him)? You might be thinking of Hansie Cronje we believe, who batted no.3 for South Africa that day of destruction 29 years ago? Devon Malcolm is actually one of the nicest and quietest people I've ever met and still plays to this day.

The South Africans made the mistake of 'bouncing' and sledging him (as was their want under the convicted cheating Captaincy of the above) - Devon told them, as he left the field - 'you guys are toast'!

He was as good as his word!

July 10, 2023, 05:17:51 PM

and the victory was achieved despite Stokes not being able to bowl art all, and Robinson unable to bowl in the second innings.

Hopefully they'll replace Johnny B behind the stumps, he's making far too many mistakes and missed opportunities. We need the Worlds best keeper Ben Foakes and he's as good a batsman as any (bar Joe). Also because we are 'out of balance' by having Stokes playing as a batsman only, we need to regroup so:

Crawley
Duckett
Ali
Root
Stokes
Bairstow
Foakes
Woakes
Wood
Tongue
Broad

This team bats down to nine. Two Swing, Two Seam, & extreme pace bowlers here, Moeen as the spinner and Joe Root as back up. A good sharp Old Trafford (where it always rains) green-top pitch and away we go!

Goodbye Jimmy Anderson (no sentimental swang-song farewell) and drop Robinson, who's lost pace, as well as endeavour.

[Michael Rolls]

I like the look of your team! Regarding Devon Correction, sir. Devon played Tests from '89 to '97. Gordon's last Test was in '91, Desmond's in '94. Just checked – the occasion I had in mind was 24 Feb to 1st March 1990 at Kingston (which England won by 9 wickets) – Devon took 5 in the match and second innings scorecard reads Haynes, bowled Malcolm 14 - It must have been highlights on TV, but no mistake - a very fast full toss hit leg stump. Devon, to my mind was like the little girl with the curl - he was very good at times, and pretty ordinary at others. There was, to mind, an unnecessarily cruel comment about him once - can't remember which tour it was, but the party had been announced, and one of the Telegraph writers gave a pen portrait of each player. Of Devon he wrote 'on his day, probably the fastest bowler in the world. Unfortunately, his day doesn't come round very often'

[Michael Rolls]

Whilst waiting for the washing machine to finish, I had a look at Mike Denness' record against the Aussies. It wasn't as bad as memory tried to claim - to average 29.90 against that lot wasn't too shabby, although it was skewed by his 188 in the fifth Test, which England one by an innings and 4 runs. Thommo missed that test, pretty sure from injury, but Lillee and Walker were there. I'd forgotten that it was his appointment as captain that led to the Boycott sulk - and I was shocked to realise that it is ten years since he died