The Ashes | 2025-26 | 5 tests | Nov 21 to Jan 08 | Discussion Thread

[kosingh]

Lol Aussie fans want their coach fired 

[vvvslaxman]

Just now, Nikola said:

The moment head has one bad series, Australia will lose badly even at home. They don't have many batsman standing up, even smith has lost it completely now.

Entering the series  he was in terrible form. Australia was so lucky he found some form thanks to promotioin.  Even today he looked mostly in control. Game was Australai's as long as he was there. Starc also saved them in quiet a few matches. 

[Suhaan]

Just now, Nikola said:

The moment head has one bad series, Australia will lose badly even at home. They don't have many batsman standing up, even smith has lost it completely now.

Lastyear too,it was almost Head or burst 

If only badada Vada hadn't come and messed up things,made things worse

[vvvslaxman]

Just now, Nikhil_cric said:

You can put Dravid, Kallis and Laxman and even they'll get beaten on this pitch. 

Not sure. I didn't see England struggling in the 2nd dig. They just waltzed through the target.

[vvvslaxman]

Lack of positivity from Australia was shocking. 

[kosingh]

Have to hand it to Balmy Army for their dedication 

[vvvslaxman]

1 minute ago, kosingh said:

Have to hand it to Balmy Army for their dedication 

Do they have a choice lol THey booked their tickets for 5 tests expecting them to win it. 

[Nikhil_cric]

1 minute ago, vvvslaxman said:

Not sure. I didn't see England struggling in the 2nd dig. They just waltzed through the target.

That's because it's been rolled 4 times and it's flattened out enough. 

Similar to Perth in the first Test. 

 

 

[vvvslaxman]

2 minutes ago, Nikhil_cric said:

That's because it's been rolled 4 times and it's flattened out enough. 

Similar to Perth in the first Test. 

 

 

 

Main reason is England playe dpositively they racked up runs before the pitch started misbehaving. These guys were tuk tuking majority of the overs. They should have racked up 150 in 30 overs.

[vvvslaxman]

Australia has to completely revamp the line up. Especially Labu is a fraud.  

[Nikhil_cric]

8 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

 

Main reason is England playe dpositively they racked up runs before the pitch started misbehaving. These guys were tuk tuking majority of the overs. They should have racked up 150 in 30 overs.

No that's not the main reason. 

[Nikhil_cric]

Another couple of Adelaide/Gabba style tracks and this would've been 5-0 Australia 

[vvvslaxman]

1 minute ago, Nikhil_cric said:

No that's not the main reason. 

It is. They were 82/3 lol no reason to collapse for 110 from that spoint. It was terrible batting.  That too they were a bowler down. 

[Nikhil_cric]

1 minute ago, vvvslaxman said:

It is. They were 82/3 lol no reason to collapse for 110 from that spoint. It was terrible batting.  That too they were a bowler down. 

Even if that's your point, you kind of step on your own point on technique being important 

[vvvslaxman]

22 minutes ago, Nikhil_cric said:

Even if that's your point, you kind of step on your own point on technique being important 

Yea they made it look worse with pre emptive movements. They played  cluelessly all series. Not just this test. Only Head Carey did well. Not surprisingly Head was the top run getter

[Lone Wolf]

31 minutes ago, Nikhil_cric said:

Another couple of Adelaide/Gabba style tracks and this would've been 5-0 Australia 

Josh Tongue would have been more handy in gabba/Perth looking back 

[The Realist]

1 hour ago, vvvslaxman said:

Australia has to completely revamp the line up. Especially Labu is a fraud.  

 

Seem to have zero younger batters coming through. Become a retirement home/old friends club with same old always backed or recycled.

[Nikhil_cric]

51 minutes ago, vvvslaxman said:

Yea they made it look worse with pre emptive movements. They played  cluelessly all series. Not just this test. Only Head Carey did well. Not surprisingly Head was the top run getter

The reason they struggle is not because of technical issues. It's because Australian wickets are the toughest wickets to bat on nowadays. 

 

Perth, Gabba and MCG have seen the most seam movement among all venues in the world in the last 5 years. 

 

Near impossible levels.

 

Nobody can bat consistently on such wickets - regardless of technique when the ball seams significantly.

 

This is a bowling era because pitches are being curated a particular way in order to maximise WTC points. 

 

None of the batters from 2005-2019 would have made significant runs on some of the pitches being tailored these days. 

 

Leaving 10 mm grass on a pitch like MCG is ridiculous. 

 

It becomes a bowling shootout and you need lots of luck in terms of toss and in terms of looking to bat aggressively and hoping that it pays off. 

 

Also, it's even harder now because the kookaburra ball swings/seams and holds shape for much longer than it used to before 2020 after they improved it.

 

Bowling attacks are also bowling quicker and more accurate with wobble seam deliveries galore. 

 

Back in the day, only a few like Pollock, Ambrose and Walsh, Asif, Stuart Clark etc knew how to bowl it. Every other domestic bowler bowls it now.

 

Batting techniques have next to nothing to do with batting collapses these days. 

 

The few times batsmen have got flatter pitches with less grass they have scored heavily everywhere, notably the England series earlier this year. 

 

Otherwise, on greenish pitches with this new kookaburra ball and with 4 seamers bowling wobble seam, every other team will lose more than half their side before the 40 over mark. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[G_B_]

First win since 2011...

[Gollum]

Even on this rubbish pitch, Head top scored from both teams.

 

437 runs at 55 average on these minefields this series. Next best is Carey with 291, then Crawley 256.

 

In last year's BGT, Head scored 448 runs in 9 innings, next best Jaiswal 391 in 9 innings followed by Smith, way behind at 314.

 

This guy is something. Don't care what the stats say, he is an ATG who scores all the tough runs, impact runs, shines on the big stage like WC KOs, WTC F. 

 

He is the opposite of FTB or statpadder. All his 100s have come in big games or when his side was under the pump, did well in 2023 BGT in India as well. 

 

For me his greatest knock is that 92 in 2022 Gabba which was a dangerous pitch,