*Official* Second Test at the Adelaide Oval

[Spark]

@ Grieg's diamond slips field

 

[Hurricane]

Finn is the weak link at the moment. But it isn't like you can not bowl him since there are only 4 main bowlers. Strauss just has to hope he will come right. I do think Strauss might have taken him to let him think about his bowling.

 

[pup11]

Of course they're going to target him on the front foot. How did he just get out?

Headingley last year? They bowled short to him basically all innings and it was eventually a yorker that he got out to.

Bowling short at Headingley was stupid on their part, the wicket had no real bounce or pace, but it had plenty of lateral movement on offer which English bowlers failed to use.
The thing I'm getting to is, that more and more bowlers realise now that even if Clarke is in good touch bowling short to him still can cause him a lot of problems.

 

[Uppercut]

You mean that a good ball will remain a good ball?

Haha, I'm not sure what you mean, but probably .

 

[Spark]

Bowling short at Headingley was stupid on their part, the wicket had no real bounce or pace, but it had plenty of lateral movement on offer which English bowlers failed to use.
The thing I'm getting to is, that more and more bowlers realise now that even if Clarke is in good touch bowling short to him still can cause him a lot of problems.

When he's so woefully out of form, yeah.

I'd still stick to the full length and a hint of outswing against him though.

The question is though, Clarke's played 65+ tests now, how has it taken that long for him to be "found out" like you say he has and it took Hughes about 5 tests?

 

[hazsa19]

great morning of test cricket. As an England fan we would have loved another one and will think we deserved Hussey, but come on we would have taken 3 stumps when Punter won the toss.

Add 2 wickets to the score and that's the true image of the morning. England up, but Australia no way out of it on this great batting pitch.

Can't wait for the next session

 

[Uppercut]

FWIW I think it's pointless talking about Clarke's form now. When you get a ball that good so early on you basically have to hope you miss it IMO.

 

[Ruckus]

When he's so woefully out of form, yeah.

I'd still stick to the full length and a hint of outswing against him though.

The question is though, Clarke's played 65+ tests now, how has it taken that long for him to be "found out" like you say he has and it took Hughes about 5 tests?

He hasn't been found out, everything is the same as ever. His bad form is a combination of one legitmately bad series in India (everyone has them) combined with a bad back and some genuinely excellent bowling. It's easy to see how all of that could cause a short period of bad form. He will come back, and probably in these Ashes.

 

[blahblahblah]

FWIW I think it's pointless talking about Clarke's form now. When you get a ball that good so early on you basically have to hope you miss it IMO.

AWTA

that was just a cracker

not many could have done anything

 

[blahblahblah]

The snick sound was probably his back creaking tbh.

 

[Spark]

I'm more talking about the Broad over he faced than the ball that got him from Anderson. I don't know anyone who could've played that.

 

[Uppercut]

I'm more talking about the Broad over he faced than the ball that got Anderson. I don't know anyone who could've played that.

Fair, but again, no one's going to look solid having just come to the crease at 0/2 in the second over.

 

[Spark]

Yeah, fair enough. Anyway, at the end of the day it's probably Katich's fault for running himself out FTR it was sixth ball...

In that light the way Watson played Anderson in the first few overs was outstanding. Didn't get any runs but didn't look troubled in the slightest.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

Crucial partnership, pivotal session etc.

May as well be the first.

 

[Bun]

The pitch is flat as any other Adelaide wicket. The three to go were one run out, and two very good balls at two batsmen in indifferent form. I think Australia, if they don't self destruct by playing mindless strokes looks all set to be 300/3 at close.

 

[vcs]

3 down for 2? C'mon Australia...

 

[blahblahblah]

The pitch is flat as any other Adelaide wicket. The three to go were one run out, and two very good balls at two batsmen in indifferent form. I think Australia, if they don't self destruct by playing mindless strokes looks all set to be 300/3 at close.

that sounds pretty ambitious

 

[pup11]

When he's so woefully out of form, yeah.

I'd still stick to the full length and a hint of outswing against him though.

The question is though, Clarke's played 65 tests now, how has it taken that long for him to be "found out" like you say he has and it took Hughes about 5 tests?

Hughes is pretty much brilliant off the front-foot and he just dismisses anything that's pitched up to him when he is in good flow, so obviosuly because of this bowlers tried the short of length balls against him pretty early and it was his rotten luck that he came across possibly the only two attacks that could have carried out such a ploy with success.
As for Clarke he has a pretty shoddy front-foot technique, so there is already plenty for the quicks to work with there, but whenever bowling full doesn't work bowling short does produce good results against him, and had bowling attacks been of better standards and pitches been more receptive, then Clarke and many other batsmen would have been more brutally exposed against the short ball.

 

[blahblahblah]

Anderson is back.. hope he continues his magic

 

[Spark]

Yeah 300/3 is a bit much