@Duluth probably latched onto the thread title I put up... yeesh....
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@NTA
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@mariner4life said in Ashes 2025/6:
@barbarian said in Ashes 2025/6:
In Baz's case it's an attempt to recast himself and his playing career as 'well he was right all along, it was the rest of us who just couldn't see'
his greatest individual moment in tests was scored at the most un-bazball strike rate of 54. remember that Brendan?
His greatest individual moment in ODIs:
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They're even copping it on holiday
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@nostrildamus said in Ashes 2025/6:
@NTA said in Ashes 2025/6:
@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
Then again, in 1999 Air New Zealand did paint a plane with the Otago/All Black front row so maybe we're almost as bad sometimes.
How quickly you all forget 1991 through to 2011...
how long has it been for Australia?
You say that now of course, but you've got to remember the bad times and the good. For example, and not to derail the cricket thread any furth- nah fuck it:
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@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:
Australia are fucking tough to beat at home no matter their situation, they seem to find another level when its the Ashes too.
And yet we've fallen to the West Indies in recent years at the Gabba, and an Indian side that was forced to make bowling changes that turned out to be a masterstroke.
We're not invincible, and this England team isn't that bad in terms of actual skill, but fuck me some of their mental application in what is fairly mild heat is appalling.
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@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
Then again, in 1999 Air New Zealand did paint a plane with the Otago/All Black front row so maybe we're almost as bad sometimes.
How quickly you all forget 1991 through to 2011...
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@Dodge Root and Stokes deserve better BUT they've both got to step up as senior players and tell their coach to pull his head in, too.
Watching some of the English commentators in various videos when those wickets are thrown away on bad shots - the despair on their faces - almost makes me feel sorry for them.
Almost...
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@No-Quarter said in Ashes 2025/6:
If he had someone challenging the approach more in the dressing room, I think they would play a lot smarter cricket.
Perfect example was Starc and Boland's partnership, which I think was the longest of the series so far.
Those are the conditions in front of you. Sometimes playing positive is just wearing down the opposition.
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@Chris-B said in Ashes 2025/6:
@Virgil said in Ashes 2025/6:
Also its night and day with the fielding and keeping between the sides.
Unfortunately, that's a primary reason while we'll get our arses handed to us next summer. The Aussies catch pretty much everything and frequently get the sort of runout that Inglis engineered on Stokes - we'll drop four or five catches per match and almost never hit the stumps. (Note to NZ Cricket - it may not yet be too late to fix this!)
Even if we can turn up with Henry, Jamieson, O'Rourke, Sears, Duffy and Santner all fit and firing - they're not as good as what the Aussies can field (and we'll probably play Foulkes and "discover" he's of minimal use in conditions where the ball won't swing).
And our batting line-up will likely have Latham, Conway, Blundell and even Little Kane - guys who are past their best and mostly (hopefully Kane still might) won't cope with Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Lyon - unless injuries or retirements strike.
I'm extremely interested to see which of our pace attack get through to the end of the next WTC cycle.
And in typing that out I've realised we're now almost at the point where we align seasons to what is effectively the World Cup Final of Test Cricket, much like Rugby.
We've got Head, Weatherald, and Labuschagne at 31 which might present a fairly solid top 3.
Smith at 36, Green 26, Carey 34, and Inglis 30 - not sure if the latter will be a regular but he's not done too much wrong.
Starc 35, Boland 36, Cummins 32, Hazlewood 34 - a good group of pace guys to have around*
Lyon at 38 is the old man of the team, and despite getting publicly shitty at being dropped he is the GOAT.*I'm counting out Neser (35) and Doggett (31) at this point. There are probably younger options than Neser in particular
When you look at that list, and think about the careers, it is fairly clear a lot of these guys took their lumps and didn't lock in a spot until their late 20s. Think about Darren Lehmann, who had something like 7000 Shield runs before he made his Test debut, thanks in part to the Waugh-era domination and form of that particular middle order.
Cummins and Hazlewood have shown that injury can strike and so having a few guys bubbling away in Jhye Richardson, Sean Abbott, and some of the younger crowd could help.
While recognising that this England team are a bit shit - thanks mostly to a philosophy that seems to ignore reality - I feel a bit happier that we can survive the loss of one or two of our top pace guys. Better opposition might make me rethink that
At the same time, we need only look at the All Blacks side through the 20teens to understand that rotating in the odd young buck to give them a taste is a very useful exercise in terms of longevity of success. e.g. Todd Murphy or Kuhnemann for Lyon, even in a one-spin-option list.
Hopefully Bailey et al are paying attention.
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@Smudge said in Ashes 2025/6:
@sparky said in Ashes 2025/6:
All over. Finished with a six.
Australia 2 England 0
Three to play.
Cheers for that. Hadn't been able to work out the series score at all!!
So you've not contributed to the thread since October, and your first move is to jump in with a sarcastic remark about "thanks for the score update!"
My recommendation:
@Smudge said in Ashes 2025/6:
Comment on the game and offer up your opinion.
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@MN5 said in Ashes 2025/6:
I can't believe Atkinson has got a test hundred when I see the ways he gets out frequently.
Against Sri Lanka at Lords.
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@KiwiPie dunno if you're getting Fox or Channel 7 commentary over there?
I'm watching Ch7 and loving it. Ponting has been his insightful self, and while he's often teasing out the subtle detail of the game situation into terms the average viewer can appreciate, sometimes he just gets his Ian Chappell on and states the obvious:
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@sparky Fuck. Me. Dead.
England, you need to fire your coach immediately. And probably replace any selectors while you're at it.
I was listening to Agnew on the radio today and he went through the fact the are no players challenging the established lineup and nobody in the wider squad designed to, besides a couple of spare bowlers.
I reckon if you got Nasser, Broad, and Vaughan off commentary future they're be as effective with a week's prep.
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@game_film said in Ashes 2025/6:
This ain’t even close. Stay humble or get humbled
Second string bowling attack.
New opening pair effectively.
Cummins and Hazlewood are apparently fit and ready. Lyon probably comes back in.
Good luck England
Slow speed
Slow speed
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