3rd Test at Headingley, Leeds

[GotSpin]

They simply need Root the batsman more than Root the captain

 

[Victor Ian]

Root doesn't manage his bowlers does he. In general, I'm really underwhelmed by his captaincy. Always come across as overly defensive in media appearances; rolling out the company line with no apparent critical analysis. You want strategy, vision and caring for your people from a leader. Don't see Root providing that.

On the other hand, you absolutely have to win this because this can not be drawn. Shouldn't you use everything you have before the series is dead? ...even if that means bowling your best chance of wickets until he can, no more?

 

[burr]

Yes, however they also absolutely have to win one of the next two, and draw another. So blowing your load here wouldn't be very smart. Quality over quantity matters too of course. Clarke in 13/14 with Johnson a proven case. At a minimum, Root lacks imagination as a captain. And that's being kind.

 

[TheJediBrah]

They simply need Root the batsman more than Root the captain

Tried that, thought it would get me the new ball, didn't work

 

[Tangles]

Didn’t expect quite a lolapse from England. Some village dismissals there.

 

[Nishant Guleria]

Smith is not playing is big loss for Australia because he is the only batsman who scored two hundreds in last two matches.But I think Australia would manage it.Their bowling line up is very good.

 

[Spikey]

Smith is not playing is big loss for Australia because he is the only batsman who scored two hundreds in last two matches.But I think Australia would manage it.Their bowling line up is very good.

thanks nissy

 

[artvandalay]

Re england's batting Nasser Hussain made a very good point after their innings about how many of them get out trying to drive the ball because of the heavy bottom hand leading to a closed bat face at impact when it's not the optimum way to play that shot. He showed how Bell played it for instance and Ponting agreed with him by saying that when you're looking to slog it towards cow corner as you often are in t20 cricket you can develop a heavy bottom hand grip which can leave you vulnerable to a moving ball. Hussain referenced Buttler's dismissal too when he couldn't keep it down because of that grip. It comes back to someone making the same point about KL rahul over here and how the ipl has adversely affected his technique where the forward defense is an after thought when the ball isn't there to hit rather than the other way round. Kohli plays with a heavy bottom hand too but i think the cover drive is one of his better shots even though it isn't as good as Dravid's IMO.

 

[Adders]

Tried that, thought it would get me the new ball, didn't work

Good from you.

 

[Compton]

Great point. Perhaps he thought Bichel might call him a cheat again.

Can’t be easy to have a legend badmouth you like that.

 

[Test_Fan_Only]

Theyre not dropping Root lol

pathetic post mate, you are much better than that.

 

[hazsa19]

They simply need Root the batsman more than Root the captain

The worse thing about Roots captaincy is that you can almost guarantee he said something like ‘put the pressure back on the bowlers’ to Stokes. ****ing moronic.

 

[GIMH]

Four quick wickets first up and then we can chase whatever down easily. A day to go down in folklore

Edit - this is my 60,000th post. Feels fitting that I brought up the milestone with the sort of mindless optimism that made benchmark00 my first CW nemesis back in the old days

 

[Lillian Thomson]

At least this means a day at the beach tomorrow instead of watching cricket on TV. I just hope my deck chair doesn’t collapse so easily.

 

[Burgey]

At least this means a day at the beach tomorrow instead of watching cricket on TV. I just hope my deck chair doesn’t collapse so easily.

I hope we bat til after tea so it prolongs the agony.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

I hope we bat til after tea so it prolongs the agony.

That doesn’t negate the possibility of the match ending today.

 

[TheJediBrah]

A maiden Jimmy Pattinson Test century should be in the cards today

 

[Second Spitter]

The reading of the last rites for England is a little premature, imo. The only thing standing between England restricting the Aussies to less than 320 is a batsman who should have been dismissed twice already and the bowlers. 320 is very get-able on this third day wicket, rubbish batting performance in the first innings notwithstanding.

England are currently at 6-7/1-- if I was a betting man, I'd slap a 50 on that.

 

[Second Spitter]

Where does he fall in the totempole of Australian captains?

I can't remember the last Australian captain who placed such little value on his own wicket.

 

[Bijed]

320 is very get-able on this third day wicket

You'd have thought at least 100 was get-able on a second-day wicket, yet here we are