Player Ratings thread

[adub]

TNT is kinda right for (maybe) the wrong reason.

Warner was an 8 for mine. He pretty much did nothing wrong for 113 runs bar one ball that held up on him and he popped up. Yeah getting out for 26 isn't going to win too many games, but unbeaten 87s in the fourth innings to win aren't nothing. It might look like downhill skiing but one loose shot and it could have been so different.

A few of the things that really impressed me about Warner were:
- singles. A big lesson for pretty much everyone else on that pitch (bar God of course). Davey, especially early on wasn't leaving much, but neither was he playing his usual four shots. He was just dropping it into a gap and grabbing the single. Turned over the strike, eased the pressure on himself and allowed him to score at 4 rpo despite not playing many aggressive shots.
- fixed his problem. Between the first and second innings he changed how he played the ball he got out to. There was no question of popping one up to midwicket in the second dig. He was pulling them. Sure it's obvious and easy to say. But to do it in the middle of a test match is quality.
- patience. Not a word usually associated with D Warner, nor anyone scoring at 4 rpo in a Test match where the average rate was 2.5. And yet he was so patient. He didn't go chasing balls or looking for big shots. He wasn't in Smith's zen trance state patient of course, but he played the ball on it's merits. Even at the end when the old Warner would have been looking to pop a few into the crowd to get his ton he was still just pushing them into the gaps for a single. That is bad news for England.

So yeah Broad and Anderson were very good. Warner was better overall.

 

[Spark]

I think Warner is going to boss this series, he looks really really good. But you can't mark him on just looking good given the nature of his first innings dismissal, that could really have killed us.

If anything I'm tempted to mark Warner down for getting out like that despite batting so well.

 

[oblongballs]

Some of those scores for England by Morgieb is too high, in particular broad. He was the pick of the English bowlers but if he is getting an 8 than Smith should be on 10000000000.

 

[adub]

He didn't look good. He played good. Only Smith would have played less balls without complete control in the whole match. But the one ball he didn't have complete control of got him out. Definitely marked down for that, but not to 5s and 6s. He scored 87 not to win the game. Not a single Pom scored that much in an innings, nor matched his total for the game, nor looked anywhere near as in command. Vince came closest, but still not nearly as good.

People are rating Bancroft's second dig, and it was good stuff from the debutante. But Anderson beat his bat half a dozen times before he got to double figures. You need luck sometimes.

Smith was in a class of his own, but Warner was the best of the batting mortals over the entirety of the match. And by quite a way.

 

[vcs]

You can always bank on Warner for runs in Australia. Can't see England winning a match this series unless they figure out a way to get Warner + Smith out twice for a total of 100 or so. Adelaide D/N match could be their best chance.

 

[S.Kennedy]

Starc does have a face like a workman's bench. I confess I cannot stand the guy. I hate the way he goes up to our bats and does a constipated expression. What a wankstain,

 

[quincywagstaff]

I’ve criticised Warner for being a flat track bully (and home track bully) in the past but credit where credit’s due, he’s been the pivotal reason why Australia usually start their home summers in grand fashion.

By my count he averages 82 in the opening two home Tests of the summer over the course of his career which even if on flat tracks is impressive stuff.

 

[Adders]

Also I don't subscribe to the "down hill skiing" line of thought at all.

Small totals can be a trip hazard at the best of times but realistically there is no way the Aussies weren't going chase down 170. They had the game won on day 4 and day 5 was all about twisting the knife......the most brutal way of achieving that was to get the score 0 down. I reckon Warner and Bancroft would have put the same price on their wicket in this situation as they would have if they had 400 to chase.

If either of those two had gone out and England had managed to snag a few more wickets I think they could have walked away from Brisbane with at least a few positives.......a lot of positives if they had managed the scalp of Smith. As it is they were hammered and 170/0 leaves them asking a lot of questions of themselves.

 

[quincywagstaff]

Agree on the 10 wicket win part. The Ch 9 commentators were drooling over the prospect over Oz finishing it on Day 4 but in truth finishing it in the way they did was perfect as it underlined how badly England had wilted in the 2nd innings.

 

[stephen]

Not only that but it meant that the English had one less day to recover mentally and physically. On a schedule with a tight timeline that extra day can be valuable.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Starc does have a face like a workman's bench. I confess I cannot stand the guy. I hate the way he goes up to our bats and does a constipated expression. What a wankstain,

Thank you for your contribution

 

[Furball]

I’ve criticised Warner for being a flat track bully (and home track bully) in the past but credit where credit’s due, he’s been the pivotal reason why Australia usually start their home summers in grand fashion.

By my count he averages 82 in the opening two home Tests of the summer over the course of his career which even if on flat tracks is impressive stuff.

Smith's average over the last 4 years must be fairly ridiculous as well.

 

[stephen]

4800 odd runs @72 since January 2014.

 

[Furball]

I’ve criticised Warner for being a flat track bully (and home track bully) in the past but credit where credit’s due, he’s been the pivotal reason why Australia usually start their home summers in grand fashion.

By my count he averages 82 in the opening two home Tests of the summer over the course of his career which even if on flat tracks is impressive stuff.

Smith's average over the last 4 years must be fairly ridiculous as well.

 

[OverratedSanity]

4800 odd runs @72 since January 2014.

 

[harsh.ag]

Smith's average over the last 4 years must be fairly ridiculous as well.

4800 odd runs @72 since January 2014.

Smith's average over the last 4 years must be fairly ridiculous as well.

4800 odd runs @72 since January 2014.

 

[Starfighter]

Nothing like double posts three hours apart.

 

[morgieb]

Bancroft 2 - did suffer from bad luck a bit (left stranded innings #1, peach second dig) but it is what it is.
Warner 4 - effectively threw away two starts first innings, and while he got a good nut second dig it wasn't quite an unplayable peach either. Not good enough.
Khawaja 6 - at least he didn't get out to Moeen again. Two OK innings but not really enough to establish Australian dominance.
Smith 4 - human after all. Didn't do a hell lot with the bat and made some questionable captaincy decisions.
Handscomb 3 - can't see how he can play the rest of the series. Just looks to have been worked out for now.
Marsh 9.5 - his knock was the difference between the two teams, really. Superb stuff. Doesn't really matter now if he struggles for the rest of the series, he did his job when it was required.
Paine 6.5 - very important innings first up and kept well. His dismissals were too loose, however.
Starc 7 - did bowl some pies but it's hard to argue too much with 8 wickets. Seemed to bowl a lot smarter against the tail second dig too.
Cummins 7.5 - unlucky Cummins is gonna be a meme I suspect. Another day and he'd have 7-8 wickets. Another very important cameo with the bat too.
Lyon 8.5 - in the form of his life, he looks like he's gonna take a wicket every ball. The bowler of the series thus far.
Hazlewood 6 - like Brisbane wasn't at his best, but lifted to produce a game-turning spell. Still he's only been at his 2016/17 best intermittently.

Cook 3.5 - looked comfortable first dig before getting a jaffa, struggled second dig after getting a life. Not really good enough.
Stoneman 3 - made a couple of starts but looked really loose doing so.
Vince 2 - technical flaw was spotted early and he's not gonna make significant runs while it still exists. Him at 3 might have value on flat decks but on decks which are doing anything he's not good enough.
Root 6 - scene looked set for a Root special in the fourth innings, instead we got a typical Root innings. Decision to send Australia in will be remembered like Ponting's and Hussain's decisions.
Malan 5 - tried hard, I guess. Did survive quite a while in the fourth innings to put Australia under pressure and that is his credit.
Ali 3 - nothing sort of game from Moeen. Did little with the bat and given how dangerous Lyon looked the fact that you can probably count the amount of threatening deliveries he bowled on one hand says a lot.
Bairstow 5 - neither here nor there, really. Quiet game with the bat and was solid with the gloves.
Woakes 7 - was probably on his way out of the team after the first innings, recovered very well and made a good contribution with the bat.
Overton 6 - fought fairly well on debut. Top-scored with the bat first innings and bowled pretty solidly.
Broad 4 - not his best work. Bowled a couple of threatening spells first innings but wasted the first new ball when he really should've struck, and given how dangerous Anderson and Woakes looked second innings his work there was not good enough.
Anderson 8 - struggled early on first dig, but got better and showed second dig that he can use favourable conditions better than anyone, really. Was bowling hand grenades all innings for a well-deserved 5-fer.

 

[TNT]

Anderson went missing in the first innings when the match was up for grabs, did well on the downhill slope when the match was lost.

 

[TheJediBrah]

Anderson went missing in the first innings when the match was up for grabs, did well on the downhill slope when the match was lost.

Jimmy NewPinkBallUnderLightsderson not performing when you need him