God help me - the Test Cricket thread

[spf]

England looking good for 500+ now. Weather may help us, but a big defeat in the offing otherwise. Australia squandered its chances on that wicket, we should have posted 450.

[Mantis]

This match is not falling into place as our top order batting line up just doesn’t deliver enough. Not helping the bowlers apply pressure when we field. England have worked us out. They look like they know what to do and when to do it. Not afraid to play an innings with the bat like it is a one day format. I have to respect that. They do not fear what the bowlers will deliver. Which isn’t great in this innings at all.

[Professer E]

Rubbish team selection, rubbish batting, rubbish bowling and rubbish captaincy.

Time to start planning to win the fifth test and save the ashes...and there should be a few different names in that side.

[LP]

We should change the name of the Squad to the NSW Test Team so it doesn't embarrass the rest of the country!

[Gointocarlton]

This match is not falling into place as our top order batting line up just doesn’t deliver enough. Not helping the bowlers apply pressure when we field. England have worked us out. They look like they know what to do and when to do it. Not afraid to play an innings with the bat like it is a one day format. I have to respect that. They do not fear what the bowlers will deliver. Which isn’t great in this innings at all.

For the most part, the batsmen, especially the top order, has failed in every test to post a decent score.

[Professer E]

The Green and Hazelwood selections are looking pretty dumb right now.

Marsh reverting to type - ok with bat, not up to it with the ball.  Two kind of all-rounders does not equal a test player.

Marnus batting like shyte.

Rubbish/non existent bowling plans.  MacDonald has lost me. 

[DJC]

We’re cactus ?

[ElwoodBlues1]

Bazball looks like it's going to win this game..poor team selection, poor bowling plans and a Captain who looks tired has played into the new English game style.
Just have to hope the weather saves us although I'm expecting an early declaration after more bash batting tomorrow.

[Professer E]

Yep, pray for rain and worry about the next one. This one is gone, and we only have ourselves to blame

[LP]

For the most part, the batsmen, especially the top order, has failed in every test to post a decent score.

Compared to back in their peak days the Pommie bowling has been dead ordinary, most of our top end are getting themselves out they are not being dismissed by unplayable deliveries.

On the batting the problem is the squad is chosen and the options to the coach are greatly limited, he's got what he has got and he needs to find a way to deal with it. Blokes with big reputations but not a lot of recent consistent form.

On our bowling, in my opinion our three best options for the Pommie conditions are Nesser, Boland and Murphy (Given Lyon is out). Spinners do not need to be big turners in Pommie conditions, but you need a lot of control so that you can lock down an end and the wickets will come. It seems to be a aspect of the game completely overlooked by Cummins, who seems to think he can bounce the Poms out.

Cummins, Starc, Hazelwood and delivering metronomic rubbish, hardly a smidge of speed variation among them, nothing out the back of the hand, no cutters, no slow bouncers, no knuckle balls, nothing to catch a batsmen off guard. It's like the left all their ODI and T20 skills back in India and forgot the basics of challenging a batsmen on the rampage.