3rd Test at Melbourne - December 26 - 30

[Gob]

Ok

 

[Gob]

Maybe rest Starc

Hazlewood
Jhye
Cummins

 

[SillyCowCorner1]

Finally, the start time over here will be at the perfect time (6:30PM)

The Boxing day test is on Christmas evening...beautiful!

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

fwiw I'd play Bess, Robinson, Wood and Anderson from 8 to 11.
And I could make a case for playing Woakes at 7, dropping Pope and promoting Buttler to 6. No great difference in the runs scored, but more opportunity to use Robinson, Wood and Anderson in shorter bursts rather than bowl them into the ground.

If Robinson is fit to play then absolutely he should, but he seemed to be struggling in the last one. He might need resting which would be a shame, but better than breaking him bowling him into the dust. Wood surely comes back in. Woakes is currently England's 3rd highest run scorer in the series but can't take any wickets, playing him as a batting all-rounder instead of as a bowler almost makes sense, if mostly only as a damning indictment of our batting.

 

[wpdavid]

.. almost makes sense ...

I'll take that. Better than I normally get.

 

[GIMH]

Root
Malan
Stokes
Buttler
7 bowlers

 

[Starfighter]

Root
Malan
Stokes
Buttler
7 bowlers

Basically a NSW-type selection.

 

[TheJediBrah]

No reason Woakes can't bat 6. He's a lot better than they guy they have been batting 6.

Richarsdon will play for Aus instead of either Haze or Starc depending on fitness. Melbourne will be a road anyway so no big loss to take a game off as a bowler.

Neser has been exposed as ineffectual at Test level on anything other than a green-top, which we all sort of knew anyway

 

[Spark]

"Exposed as ineffectual" is a bit harsh but yeah you got the feeling that Smith, for one, didn't quite rate him

 

[Line and Length]

"Exposed as ineffectual" is a bit harsh but yeah you got the feeling that Smith, for one, didn't quite rate him

Green looked more dangerous than Neser.

 

[Gnske]

Smith also has a hard on for playing with lego, talking like Rainman, and hiding conspiracies to cheat, so lets get a better source.

 

[TheJediBrah]

btw Aus are 11-0 up in the last 12 Ashes Tests in Australia lmao

 

[OverratedSanity]

What was the one draw? I dont even remember

Edit: Oh its that terrible cook double hundred match. fmd worst pitch ever?

 

[TheJediBrah]

What was the one draw? I dont even remember

Edit: Oh its that terrible cook double hundred match. fmd worst pitch ever?

Yeah shocking game. Genuinely couldn't take wickets unless the batsman decided they wanted to get out

 

[GoodAreasShane]

I still really doubt Hazlewood will be fit for Melbourne tbh

If anything that worries me a bit less now that I have seen how well Richardson bowled in the 2nd innings though. He will definitely play if as I expect only Cummins returns for Boxing Day, maybe not if Haze is fit, but going forward it is good to know Richardson can be the force at Test level I thought he could be

 

[morgieb]

What was the one draw? I dont even remember

Edit: Oh its that terrible cook double hundred match. fmd worst pitch ever?

I think the worst pitch ever was that Mohali (?) match in 2012. That there wasn’t time for a 4th innings despite no rain and no scores over 400 was a farce. MCG 2017 was up there though.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I think the worst pitch ever was that Mohali (?) match in 2012. That there wasn’t time for a 4th innings despite no rain and no scores over 400 was a farce.

Nagpur, but yes it was atrocious

 

[GoodAreasShane]

That WACA deck against NZ where Ross Taylor made that 290 surely deserves a mention, Warner made a big double as well iirc

Mitch Johnson's last test, think he just decided he cbf anymore

 

[TheJediBrah]

That WACA deck against NZ where Ross Taylor made that 290 surely deserves a mention, Warner made a big double as well iirc

Mitch Johnson's last test, think he just decided he cbf anymore

Yeah horrendously flat pitch, but at least runs came easily on it and you could score at a good clip. I think Warner made 250 in a day on the same wicket.

 

[Shri]

If Robinson is fit to play then absolutely he should, but he seemed to be struggling in the last one.

Robinson will be fine if he gets a better attack leader as a role model tbh. I can imagine why he is mentally exhausted when the most senior one gets to go off the field for naps and showers after every spell.