2nd Test (Edgbaston) - July 2nd

[the big bambino]

Still think the biggest reason Eng managed to draw the last Ashes was due to the unexpected output by Zak Crawley. All of those runs would have been outside what Australia would have budgeted for him. That series is quite the contrast now that he's returned to meme.

 

[silentstriker]

 

[halba]

He defence has become tighter and is not chasing outside off stump

these two pitches are the biggest flat beds in 2025 though. Against the moving ball, he is suspect, just like most batters.

Eng batting lineup is so club standard, that they desperately need flat wickets to preserve their Bazball. On most moving wickets, their batters have no clue, so they doctor the pitches, same thing happened in the Eng Aus ashes in Eng last time, nearly ever pitch was flat as, and they couldnt win the series.

 

[the big bambino]

Gees you don't want to succeed too much in cricket. Score too many and that just shows how bad you are apparently.

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

Bazball is pretty cowardly in that case when you dig beneath the surface.

 

[Johan]

Eng batting lineup is so club standard, that they desperately need flat wickets to preserve their Bazball. On most moving wickets, their batters have no clue, so they doctor the pitches, same thing happened in the Eng Aus ashes in Eng last time, nearly ever pitch was flat as, and they couldnt win the series.

Pardon, but who are the two highest ranked bats in Test Cricket at the moment and where are they from?

also, most countries make their wickets for advantage of the home team, India makes rank turners for their spinners, same with Pakistan, South Africa makes green mambas for their pacers, and so forth. Australia iirc leaves it to the curators or something, England doesn't need to reinvent the wheel and make the wickets minefields when their strength lies in batting talents and depth.

I agree it shouldn't be this flat but somewhat batter friendly is fine, balanced pitches would obviously be preffered where neither are blunted.

 

[Arachnödouche2.0]

"Heavy metal is as much about rough distortions of decency as guitars"

Succinct from Vithushan Ehantharajah. It can be much more too but it's also fundamentally and unequivocally that.

 

[centurymaker]

View attachment 48403

Close of play is at 6, but play can continue till even 9PM if required.. as sunset is after 9:30 PM

This means no amount of early rain can reduce the 90 over quota for today.

 

[Prince EWS]

Feels wild to me that the countries with the flattest pitches in this mini era are England and New Zealand.

Alongside South Africa they were considered the toughest for batsmen for basically my entire life until recently.

 

[Daemon]

Feels wild to me that the countries with the flattest pitches in this mini era are England and New Zealand.

Alongside South Africa they were considered the toughest for batsmen for basically my entire life until recently.

Yeah it’s crazy pitch doctoring at work

 

[honestbharani]

probably a good decision to not bowl too many overs on day 4. It's a new ball pitch, they wanted to have another crack with the new ball in the morning with Akash & Siraj. Plus they'll still get minimum 26 overs with the 2nd new ball as well.

But there's four well established batters left. Brook, Pope, Smith, and Stokes.

They bat till 9. Can't take any of them light.

 

[silentstriker]

Close of play is at 6, but play can continue till even 9PM if required.. as sunset is after 9:30 PM

This means no amount of early rain can reduce the 90 over quota for today.

Then why can’t play continue until 90 overs have been bowled every day?

 

[honestbharani]

Then why can’t play continue until 90 overs have been bowled every day?

They make it mandatory only for the last day

 

[silentstriker]

They make it mandatory only for the last day

Yes but why?

 

[Prince EWS]

Yes but why?

Can't start early the following day when it's the last day.

 

[centurymaker]

Yes but why?

Also so that no team deliberately under bowls on the last day to deny the opposition a victory. Before the last day, a few lost overs aren't super decisive. But as the match progresses into day 4 and day 5, it becomes more of a deliberate ploy by the team who is on the backfoot.

 

[cnerd123]

This is such a bizarre game

Gill has been incredible. Akashdeep proving why he should have been picked all along. We've taken our catches. I can't believe this playing XI is actually in a winning position in this Test. Cricket ey?

 

[the big bambino]

This is such a bizarre game

Gill has been incredible. Akashdeep proving why he should have been picked all along. We've taken our catches. I can't believe this playing XI is actually in a winning position in this Test. Cricket ey?

Well its just a Bumrah off your best XI. Admittedly he's a big inclusion but the other 10 are in your best side (with arguments over Kuldeep I suppose).

 

[Gob]

Pardon, but who are the two highest ranked bats in Test Cricket at the moment and where are they from?

also, most countries make their wickets for advantage of the home team, India makes rank turners for their spinners, same with Pakistan, South Africa makes green mambas for their pacers, and so forth. Australia iirc leaves it to the curators or something, England doesn't need to reinvent the wheel and make the wickets minefields when their strength lies in batting talents and depth.

I agree it shouldn't be this flat but somewhat batter friendly is fine, balanced pitches would obviously be preffered where neither are blunted.

Mate do yourself a favour and skim pass halba posts like the rest of us. After all, you were talking to the first bloke in the history of cw to cop a year ban for being stupid

 

[Gob]

If England really meant everything they were telling everyone the past 3 years (most recent one being 2 days ago by Brook), they can't block out a draw at any point. Must be such a conundrum for Baz McCullum and big Ben given both are pretty low IQ cricketers.

Obviously the sensible thing to do is block the day out and emerge from the other end with the 1-0 lead intact but but then again, that's not how you save Test cricket