Day 1 of First Ashes Test

I would be interested to hear if others had the same feeling as me yesterday watching the first day of the first Ashes Test. I felt it was almost a surreal experience! I know some may think it is blasphemous to criticise this new "Bazball" approach to the red ball game but I am afraid I am still very much old school. Remember that a Test Match is supposed to be a "TEST" of players abilities and I can still remember watching openers like Boycott, Edrich, Amiss, Gooch and even Alistair Cook who would give their England wicket up over their dead bodies. Please tell me if there has ever been a first day of an England/Australia game where TWO England batsmen were out STUMPED to a spinner charging down the wicket!!! The shots that Duckett, Stokes and Broad played were straight out of the T20 Blast. Brook was obviously unfortunate with his dismissal whilst Pope totally misjudged the length and got himself in a tangle to Lyons.
Then of couse we have to discuss Stokes' staggering decision to declare!! I could understand it to a certain degree if the last 3 batsmen were Broad, Robinson and Anderson but Joe Root was still there playing superbly and Robinson is also no mug with the bat. These two could definitely have added another 30-40 runs which might turn out to be crucial. It will now be interesting to see Australia's approach as I would anticipate that they will bat much more carefully but still score at 2.5-3 runs an over. If this is going to be England's method for all 5 tests it is very difficult to disagree with Jonathan Agnew's assessment that the series will be 3-1 to the Aussies. By the way if you have not already seen it you must look at the video on the BBC cricket website showing Phil Tufnell's reaction when England declared, it is priceless as he turns round to Agnew and they are both obviously thinking "what on earth is happening?"

Dear Mr McCullum, there are too many runs and wickets in Test cricket these days…..

MatthewC, I knew that there would be a few rather sarcastic responses like this. Obviously you are happy with the way Test cricket may be heading but for those of us lucky enough to have witnessed proper test cricket and in particular proper batting, it is a little depressing to see how the approach has gone from one extreme to the other. I would accept that for example to watch "Sir Geoffrey" or even our own John Edrich bat all day for 80 would be seen as incredibly boring but when one remembers that they were up against Lillee / Thompson / Walker / Pascoe etc etc, I would defy any current batsman to survive long against them; it was courage and skill to occupy the crease.

The problem is you can't play Bazball (what a horrible term) all day long can you. I got bored with T20 slogging about 7 years ago and just don't watch it anymore. And Bazball may be a lot of things, but clever as you may think it is, it's not Test cricket. Is it a contest between bat and ball? Up to a point but far from being something to saver, a 6 has become just commonplace in my view.
I haven't watched any of the Test or even the " highlights". Listened to a bit on the radio until the women rattling away(sorry girls) for ever just made me turn it off. And blimey what has Moeen (I'm back) Ali have for a brain? Hope the declaration bites Stokes up the bum.
Being a boomer maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'd rather watch cricket as cricket rather than some baseball game.

Awful from Moeen today,gone for nearly half the runs . Must find a replacement for the rest of the series!!

Get a wicket keeper.The best in the world is available.

13 NBA’s and now ones cost us a wicket!!! Totally unprofessional !!

Dipped into the highlights:

Bairstow hasn't a clue how to keep to spinners. I could have caught those balls. The bowlers are clearly undercooked, certainly by the last session. Stokes only bowled 7 overs, Robinson kept going off and looked knackered in the field and Anderson, well didn't do much at all. Expect Wood, Woakes and Potts next Test.

I've been out of contact for the best part of 24 hours, travelling across Switzerland by coach and train. So I fully accept my opinions are based on not having watched a single ball bowled. But from the accounts I've read:

1. What an arrogant cock Ben Stokes is, declaring with Joe Root still in with a hundred to his name and with four days to go in the game. Verging on disrespectful to formidable opponents.

2.Having made the decision to give Australia a tricky half-hour before stumps, why open with Robinson (the natural change bowler) instead ofJimmy Anderson, who is the go-to new-ball bowler?

3. Bairstow has missed chances already? I am shocked, I tell you...shocked.

4. Australia are playing proper test cricket. 300 in a day is plenty. They are taking the contest seriously, battling hard when they lose early wickets and exposing the lack of depth in England's bowling. Good on yer, cobbers.

I agree with Chinaman's assessment of the bowlers. Robinson in particular did not look anywhere near fit enough to come back for a third spell of bowling which in any Test match is vital. Anderson needs a responsive pitch and/or conditions to be at his best but it definitely looked as though the Aussie batsmen were treating Anderson with the greatest respect as demonstrated by his very low economy rate. As we know Stokes, the bowler, is also a major issue as I don't think anyone is fooled into thinking he can bowl more than about 6 or 7 overs in a day. The big question is whether this group of bowlers is capable of taking 20 Aussie wickets and unless the fitness improves and the pitches/conditions are totally in our favour, it is difficult to see that happening.

What annoys me,Jackers is that why does he have to do something “funky” every match?? Like in this case declaring with Root and Robinson well set!! Can’t he just do the logical thing occasionally??

Another Bairstow drop.

GET FOAKES IN FFS.............................

dougieginn wrote:What annoys me,Jackers is that why does he have to do something “funky” every match?? Like in this case declaring with Root and Robinson well set!! Can’t he just do the logical thing occasionally??

It made some sense: you don't lose many tests getting 400 and you'd have had a go at Aus on the night. The only question for me was "is 393 enough".

RB wrote:

dougieginn wrote:What annoys me,Jackers is that why does he have to do something “funky” every match?? Like in this case declaring with Root and Robinson well set!! Can’t he just do the logical thing occasionally??

It made some sense: you don't lose many tests getting 400 and you'd have had a go at Aus on the night. The only question for me was "is 393 enough".

It was only 4 overs on the night though.

It’s going to be a lot harder to get third innings runs than it would have been to see how many Root/Robinson/Jimmy would have got.

In the first test in 2019, Smith made about an extra 150 runs batting with numbers 10 and 11.

At the risk of upsetting someone,our only hope is rain!

dougieginn wrote:At the risk of upsetting someone,our only hope is rain!

But lots of people have laid out lots of money - especially Australians - to watch a game !!!

I’m sure an Australian in the same position would hope the same!

dougieginn wrote:I’m sure an Australian in the same position would hope the same!

Badges - what do you reckon ???

I think Ollie Pope is a Top class player but I wonder is he going to reach the Top echelon of a English Batsmen would love to see him kick on in this Ashes season.

If ever a match was thrown away by inept captaincy,this was it. The decision to give Root the extra over after he dismissed Carey was crucial,why didn’t he take the new ball when it was available? It’s was the obvious thing to do !!

Proper cricket 1 Bazball 0.

Fantastic Match got people talking about test cricket again which is dying on its arse around the World.taking away the real importance of winning for.good or bad I don’t know. Ironic they won 8 wickets down after our First innings declaration.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing dougieginn.

Not sure irony is the word.