***Official*** 1st Test at The Gabba

[tooextracool]

Bar the 3 sweep shots he played in that session, Jones has looked quite good both technically and more importantly temperamentally. Lets see how long he can keep that up.

 

[silentstriker]

Has anyone else been impressed by Bell? I mean not just because he's still there, but he has looked very nice. Good defensive technique, looks to put the ball on the ground.

I didn't really think England had anyone like that, or at least no one that would stand up. Even though Cook didn't score all that much, with Pieterson, Cook and Bell...English batting may actually be a strength in the future instead of being abhorrent.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

You'd have to be out of your mind if you think a straight ball pitching and hitting outside the line of the off stump is 'dead in the water'. As such any ball that pitches and hits outside the off stump generally has enough doubt in it, and only a fool or David Lloyd would claim that its ever plumb.

It wasn't a straight ball to start with, it clearly came back off the wicket. Anyway, a lot of people seem to be "out of their minds", because pretty much everyone thought it was out on first glance, including all the commentators on Channel 9 and apparently on Sky too, and posters here. It looked absolutely dead to me, though obviously on the replay it would have missed off. Nevertheless, if you don't play a shot that's what you get.

 

[oz_fan]

Another good session for the Australian bowlers. McGarth and Lee bowled brilliantly early on to take the wickets of the two danger men, KP and Flintoff. I thought Bell batted well that session. A couple of deliveries beat his bat but he has really improved to Warne. Jones batted pretty well and along with Bell they are building a good partnership.

 

[Matt79]

pieterson's one looked out to me realtime and its asking for trouble to shoulder arms against a ball that line. The decision was wrong but understandable. I guess KP used up all his luck when Clark dropped that relatively simple catch.

Bell's lbw shout was very close, lucky to survive perhaps, given that it may have hit the glove first but that it weas very difficult to detect, even on replay.

good play by bell and jones - hope they can keep going and make it respectable.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Has anyone else been impressed by Bell? I mean not just because he's still there, but he has looked very nice. Good defensive technique, looks to put the ball on the ground.

I didn't really think England had anyone like that, or at least no one that would stand up. Even though Cook didn't score all that much, with Pieterson, Cook and Bell...English batting may actually be a strength in the future instead of being abhorrent.

Yeah, he's been very solid. He looked hopeless last night, but he's come out today with a clear plan and played really well.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

pieterson's one looked out to me realtime and its asking for trouble to shoulder arms against a ball that line. The decision was wrong but understandable. I guess KP used up all his luck when Clark dropped that relatively simple catch.

Bell's lbw shout was very close, lucky to survive perhaps, given that it may have hit the glove first but that it weas very difficult to detect, even on replay.

good play by bell and jones - hope they can keep going and make it respectable.

Agreed about the Pietersen shout, but the Bell one (against Warne) was a superb decision I think. I thought it was very close at first glance, but it clearly hit his glove on the replay and it was the correct decision. A lot of umpires would have given that out, I think.

 

[greg]

I'm not really sure where England go from here. They can't drop Harmison, not when he was expected to be your 2nd best bowler (after Freddie). So you kind of just have to grit your teeth and hope this was an aberration.

Who can they drop, and more importantly who can come in their place to get some wickets? Monty might, but thats not a big difference considering Giles did relatively well. So who's left?

Mahmood? Do you really trust him to have his radar straight? I don't.

Giles did "relatively well"? Really ffs don't talk such rubbish. He bowled under a fifth of the overs in a five man attack at nearly 4 an over and generally didn't look threatening at all. If anything the Australians were careful not to get after him too much to keep him in the side. If you mean "Giles did well considering what you can expect from Giles" then fair enough. But please don't use how Giles does, how much spin he gets etc to extrapolate how Monty would have done.

Nobody is suggesting that a different selection would have suddenly seen Australia bowled out for 300 and in serious trouble. But i am confident that they wouldn't have got 600 at 4 an over.

 

[Matt79]

That's what I meant, it wasn't out, but many would have given it, and given the way England's luck was going, he can consider himself lucky to have survived.

 

[tooextracool]

It wasn't a straight ball to start with, it clearly came back off the wicket. Anyway, a lot of people seem to be "out of their minds", because pretty much everyone thought it was out on first glance, including all the commentators on Channel 9 and apparently on Sky too, and posters here. It looked absolutely dead to me, though obviously on the replay it would have missed off. Nevertheless, if you don't play a shot that's what you get.

I honestly cant believe anything can possibly look 'plumb' on real time and then not even be close on the replay. Furthermore it definetly didnt come back on the seam. It came in on the angle that it was delivered from, but it was still a straight ball that hit Pietersen on the back foot outside the off stump, which means it had very little to go before it could hit the stumps.
Like i said earlier, too many people make a big deal off batsmen not playing a shot, if the ball hit 5 inches outside off stump and hit the pads people would think that it was a close one. I couldnt care much about what sky commentators think, because tbh honest i dont really respect the opinions of Botham,David Lloyd and David Gower anyways.
It was a poor shot though that i dont deny

 

[Perm]

Has anyone else been impressed by Bell? I mean not just because he's still there, but he has looked very nice. Good defensive technique, looks to put the ball on the ground.

I didn't really think England had anyone like that, or at least no one that would stand up. Even though Cook didn't score all that much, with Pieterson, Cook and Bell...English batting may actually be a strength in the future instead of being abhorrent.

I thought Ian Bell has played really well, being very patient around off stump with McGrath, Clark and Lee and nagging on a good line. He also played Shane Warne quite well which would do his confidence a world of good considering the rough time he had in England against him. I daresay he's probably been doing a fair bit of batting against Merlyn.

 

[greg]

I thought Ian Bell has played really well, being very patient around off stump with McGrath, Clark and Lee and nagging on a good line. He also played Shane Warne quite well which would do his confidence a world of good considering the rough time he had in England against him. I daresay he's probably been doing a fair bit of batting against Merlyn.

The claims about the "rough time" Bell had against Warne last time are seriously overstated. Of course he was a bit nervous early on, but memories are overinfluenced by one leg-break which didn't turn and a couple of harsh decisions. He really wasn't in long enough to form a judgement.

Anyone who's watched any of Bell in the last year would tell you that he is by far and away England's best player of leg-spin. He reads it for a start which is a bit of a help. His real problem in the Ashes was his play outside off-stump against the quick bowlers - playing with a marginally open face and not getting properly behind the ball. A technical problem which he seems to have largely eliminated. Touch wood.

 

[tooextracool]

The claims about the "rough time" Bell had against Warne last time are seriously overstated. Of course he was a bit nervous early on, but memories are overinfluenced by one leg-break which didn't turn and a couple of harsh decisions. He really wasn't in long enough to form a judgement.

Anyone who's watched any of Bell in the last year would tell you that he is by far and away England's best player of leg-spin. He reads it for a start which is a bit of a help. His real problem in the Ashes was his play outside off-stump against the quick bowlers - playing with a marginally open face and not getting properly behind the ball. A technical problem which he seems to have largely eliminated. Touch wood.

yea id agree with that. Bell was only dismissed by Warne 3 times last series, one was a leg break that didnt turn, another was at Edgbaston which was about as good as a leg break as you'll see and just about took the edge of the bat(And he batted quite well against warne before that dismissal).
As far as the technical weakness is concerned, you can still see it. However what hes done is that hes playing with soft hands so at least when hes edging it, more often than not it isnt going to carry and its only really a problem at the start of his innings.

 

[AussieDominance]

Australia doing well here keep it up!

 

[andyc]

Pietersen's lbw looked out to me the first time I saw it. If you don't play a shot to a ball that comes in a fair way, you're asking for trouble. Yes, Hawkeye said it was missing, but it was hardly a bad decision. I know I would've given it.

 

[andyc]

Nice ball from McGrath there to get Jones. England will struggle to make anywhere near 200 at this rate.

 

[Matt79]

GOT HIM - YES! Jones gone, Bell left to play a lone hand.

Time for Giles to justify being picked ahead of Monty.

 

[andyc]

That would've been a great catch from Ponting. Pity, McGrath deserves 5.

 

[R_D]

That would've been a great catch from Ponting. Pity, McGrath deserves 5.

Yeah What an effort.... nearly held on to it as well.

 

[AussieDominance]

Pidgeon is ripping England up here