Sending an offender down under? Ashes 2017-18

[diggedy derek]

Cracking match, which England are going to lose.

Smith is incredible - get the impression England tried everything, but he played the long game magnificently

[nmrfox]

40 minutes survived. Not so sure about the Èngland batsmen but not sure how long I'll survive the TMS "banter" between Agnew and Tufnell. Been a while since listening to TMS but due to an aversion to paying for anything to do at all with the obnoxious BT am forced to 5live. At least McGrath and Mann talk about cricket.

[nmrfox]

Stoneman goes. Bollocks.

[diggedy derek]

Good but not good enough start for England. Still no sign of scoring much against Lyond, which is worrying

[longeared]

Cracking commentator's curse from Sir Geoffrey on BT (which I'm not paying for) there, says how impressive Malan was in the first innings, then he edges Lyon to slip. Australia just starting to turn the screw now.

[longeared]

This is what I like about Moeen, he doesn't need long to get in, he's able to score off Lyon, he and Root are both able to rotate the strike and this quickly establishes a useful partnership.

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Target 170 - not enough.

[tee rex]

Resorting to "moral victories" now, but England might not even get those. Just enough runs needed for a few Aussie batsmen to regain some confidence after first innings failures.

Sorry about the weather nonsense earlier, thunderstorms are always hit and miss, and they missed.

[ad hoc]

I am just left with the hope that David "speak English" Warner doesn't get the winning runs

[ad hoc]

Just watching the highlights. Not sure if I knew before that being on the line was "out of the crease" before

[Vicarious Thrillseeker]

Just watching the highlights. Not sure if I knew before that being on the line was "out of the crease" before

As our 'keeper (and I guess every other 'keeper too) always used to say 'the line is mine'.

[Satchmo Distel]

This might have been England's best chance. Australia were about 7/10, definitely have room to improve, and will have quicker tracks plus Lyon to push home the superior firepower and spin.

I was surprised Ali miscalculated his footwork for the stumping and that Cummins was allowed four half-trackers at Ball. Imagine the storm back in the 80s if a West Indian had blown away the #10 in that manner.

It was also interesting to see how replay technology now often favours the bowlers. I don't think most umpires would have given Ali and Broad out with the naked eye.

England have to gamble on the leg-spinner, especially with Ali carrying a finger injury. Or hope Stokes can get permission to fly before the series is gone.

[Uncle Ethan]

Bairstow alleged to have headbutted Bancroft in a nightclub when team was in WA for opening tour game. If that turns out to be true he'll be out for at least a couple of tests. Raises some serious issues about drinking culture too given other recent events.

[Uncle Ethan]

Of course it also makes it even harder to let Stokes join the tour, even if no charges laid. My pessimistic 5-0 is looking realistic now.

[Satchmo Distel]

Drinking culture might have lost England a winnable series because I don't think this Australian team is anywhere near the standard of previous Ashes winners. I'd put Smith, Hazelwood and Lyon as contenders for places in the better Australian teams. Smith admittedly might be their best since Bradman.

[diggedy derek]

WTAF, Bairstow. The only sane practice given the Stokes situation would be to either be nice as pie to any Australia play they run into, or so nothing at all. If there’s so much as an angry exchange with another player that’s going to be disastrous.

[Uncle Ethan]

70 or so runs across both innings from Stokes would have helped, but England would still be two or three batsmen, one really quick bowler and a top class spinner short, even against this Australian line-up which is so massively reliant on Warner or Smith to get big scores.

[SouthdownRebel]

I find the ECB’s comment that they “understand the context” of the Bairstow allegation interesting. Given this was supposed to have happened four weeks ago and has only just been reported I’d wager it’s being blown out of all proportion, which would of course be a first for the media anywhere.

[Guy Profumo]

So. Moeen and the Lineline scandal...

[diggedy derek]

The line issue didn’t seem such a big deal to me, and Moeen raised no issue. You can see the line, you deal with it and make sure you’re in.

[Satchmo Distel]

Bairstow apologized and the apology was accepted. The episode puts him in a bad light in terms of common sense and self-control but should not affect his selection.

Ali was out. It would be desperate straw-clutching to moan about the thickness of the line.

I don't currently see how England will get 20 wickets in a Test here. Australia can grind this out if they want or they can go for naked pace knowing they can chase down any target England are good enough to set.

[longeared]

Agree with SdR on Bairstowgate. If it had been a serious incident the Aussies would ensured the story reached the public domain before the Test. They'd have loved to send England into disarray before the series started and have Ben Foakes making his debut in this match. As it is Foakes hasn't even had a bat on the tour yet and he's been released to play for the Lions.

Moeen said that if he'd been bowling he'd have been upset if it hadn't been given out, which is very fair minded of him.

England have really missed Stokes in this match. He'd have presumably replaced Ball, he'd have scored more runs himself and the shorter tail would have added runs at the other end as Bairstow wouldn't have had to hit out so early. He'd also presumably have taken more wickets. Not saying England would necessarily have won this Test with Stokes but they'd have set Australia a more demanding chase.

[Satchmo Distel]

The whole psychological lift Stokes brings to the team is hard to quantify. It changes a team's whole approach when it knows it has a balanced side. OTOH England have lost games with him in the side to weaker teams than Australia.

[Uncle Ethan]

Bancroft presser reduces his own skipper to tears of laughter. Says there was no malice at all in Bairstow incident and he was just saying hello. A very odd story all round but appears to be nothing in it.

[Ray de Galles]

Some footage of that press conference here. Bancroft's relaxed manner does contrast somewhat with Bairstow anxiously reciting the lines from an ECB press release that he's memorised.

It's clearly not that big of an issue but what kind of idiot "says hello" to anybody with a headbutt (however minor), let alone an opponent, let alone an Australian opponent at the start of an Ashes tour?