Ashes 17-18

Richard Hillman

I find it ridiculous that England are being dubbed "underdogs" for this series.

In this series England have:
Their greatest ever opening Batsman (Cook)
A guy that is showing all signs of being their greatest ever Batsman (Root)
TBC: A guy that has matched Flintoff and Botham in stats as an all-rounder and may be deemed England's greatest ever all-rounder (Stokes)
England's greatest ever Keeper batsman (Bairstow)
England's greatest ever Bowler (Anderson) along with England's greatest ever opening bowling tandem with Broad.

Added to that, the deepest ever batting line-up in Test Cricket history with Ali and Woakes in the lineup


All of this playing against the worst Australian squad of my lifetime? If they don't win it will be a disaster.

Mr. Guappa

Richard Hillman wrote: »

I find it ridiculous that England are being dubbed "underdogs" for this series.

In this series England have:
Their greatest ever opening Batsman (Cook)
A guy that is showing all signs of being their greatest ever Batsman (Root)
TBC: A guy that has matched Flintoff and Botham in stats as an all-rounder and may be deemed England's greatest ever all-rounder (Stokes)
England's greatest ever Keeper batsman (Bairstow)
England's greatest ever Bowler (Anderson) along with England's greatest ever opening bowling tandem with Broad.

Added to that, the deepest ever batting line-up in Test Cricket history with Ali and Woakes in the lineup


All of this playing against the worst Australian squad of my lifetime? If they don't win it will be a disaster.

I don't know enough about the current Australian side to comment on their standing, but England have huge questions throughout the line up.

2, 3 and 5 have been problem positions for them for years at this stage, so it looks again like if Cook and Root don't score then England will be out cheaply.
Who knows if Stokes will feature later in the series but he's a huge loss, and it remains to be seen how the English bowling will fare in Aussie conditions. They could do with a Mark Wood type.

Mr. Guappa

Just realised that this is on BT Sport. Damn it. Should have copped that earlier given the lack of build up coverage on Sky.

Inquitus

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Just realised that this is on BT Sport. Damn it. Should have copped that earlier given the lack of build up coverage on Sky.

Aye I despise BT Sports, in breaking up the monopoly Sky had on sports you now need to pay twice as much for the 2 options, or stream illegally. This is happening across the board now, Netflix has lost content, now you have Hulu, HBO etc. streaming channel, it just makes it worse for use the subscriber by forcing you to pay more to get the same or pay the same for less. It can't be sustainable long term though, as they not many people seem willing to for for the former option and pay twice as much to get the same content as they did before the market diversified.

The Rape of Lucretia

Is this the Ashes where the Ashes themselves become ashes ? A sporting irrelevance, lost in the niche accessibility of yet another pay TV channel that damn all people have access to ? The end game for one of the one time glories of the world of sport?
Already an event that harked back to Age of Innocence of sport, Empire, gentlemen, tradition, skill, tactic, drama, it has been slowing dying since its move to Sky and ever darkening obscurity as the last few £ and its life were squeezed out of it. Now, having reach the critical point of public indifference and collapse to a black hole. There is a sense of a once mega movie star, being treated by the media as a mega movie star, yet the wider people asking 'who?'.
It is a sad state of affairs. May have to root out my old VHS of 'Bodyline', or highlights of 2005 - the last last glorious kick from this former titan.

Inquitus

Inquitus wrote: »

Aye I despise BT Sports, in breaking up the monopoly Sky had on sports you now need to pay twice as much for the 2 options, or stream illegally. This is happening across the board now, Netflix has lost content, now you have Hulu, HBO etc. streaming channel, it just makes it worse for use the subscriber by forcing you to pay more to get the same or pay the same for less. It can't be sustainable long term though, as they not many people seem willing to for for the former option and pay twice as much to get the same content as they did before the market diversified.

its free if you are with Eir

The Rape of Lucretia

Sadly not.

Itssoeasy

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Just realised that this is on BT Sport. Damn it. Should have copped that earlier given the lack of build up coverage on Sky.

Why is this ? I'm right in thinking that Sky still have other England cricket and other test matches and ODIs ?

Itssoeasy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Y6T44tzIc

An Ashes classic.

Royale with Cheese

3 minutes in and BT are already annoying me.

Itssoeasy

Royale with Cheese wrote: »

3 minutes in and BT are already annoying me.

BBC Five live are doing a build up from now until it starts(well they are actually covering the full first day) but if you're in Ireland it will block you.

Beasty

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Why is this ? I'm right in thinking that Sky still have other England cricket and other test matches and ODIs ?

They have the rights to cover matches in England and Wales until 2024, but the BBC are getting some rights back from 2020

Royale with Cheese

I haven't seen enough of Australia lately to really make an informed judgement, but it's obvious why nobody fancies England.

Far too many question marks in their batting lineup, no guarantee an ageing Anderson will fire in these conditions, Broad coming in off a relatively quiet season, their star all rounder still at home, and a generally poor record overall in Australia.

Stokes really is a big loss, would make a huge difference if he were there. If England are to do anything they will need some of the inexperienced players to come to the fore and probably for Australia to have a few bad games.

Harry Palmr

I'll listen to the opening overs on BBC Four LW. As for the Ashes, unless this turns out to be a particularly well contested and/or controversial series then it's unlikely to make much of an impression "at home" when there isn't even a proper FTA highlights package to watch.

y0ssar1an22

who are the pundits on bt?

GeordieRebel

Lads isn't there a way to get the BBC radio commentary online in Ireland? Have a nasty feeling we are geo-blocked?

Royale with Cheese

y0ssar1an22 wrote: »

who are the pundits on bt?

Michael Vaughan, Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Geoff Boycott, Graeme Swann, Damien Fleming.

Pundits are fine thus far, I can see Swann getting on my nerves a bit. The presenter used to do football on ITV I think, I found his delivery of the intro film fairly contrived and am not a big fan of his.

They're also bigging up the ashes as the pinnacle of a player's career at every chance they get. Like BBC do when they're showing an FA cup game.

Itssoeasy

GeordieRebel wrote: »

Lads isn't there a way to get the BBC radio commentary online in Ireland? Have a nasty feeling we are geo-blocked?

We are on the official BBC radio app.

Itssoeasy

England won the toss and will bat first.

bilston

Itssoeasy wrote: »

Mr. Guappa wrote: »

Just realised that this is on BT Sport. Damn it. Should have copped that earlier given the lack of build up coverage on Sky.

Why is this ? I'm right in thinking that Sky still have other England cricket and other test matches and ODIs ?

The host nation sell the rights. BT have bought the rights to all Australian Cricket for 5 years and this includes the Ashes when played in Australia. The next Ashes series in England will be back on Sky.

Sky's Cricket coverage is really excellent so may be missed, but we will see what BT bring to the party.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

come on Australia!

GeordieRebel

Itssoeasy wrote: »

We are on the official BBC radio app.

Caught with rights restrictions unfortunately.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

GeordieRebel wrote: »

Caught with rights restrictions unfortunately.

are you in Ireland? it's working on the BBC website for me

edit - not on the phone app.

Itssoeasy

The phone app will get you on rights restrictions on BBC five live BUT if you scroll across to any station that has "as on BBC five live" it's playing away fine. That's on the BBC radio app.
Edit: the Asian network works fine.

Cook out for 2.

s3rtvdbwfj81ch

Itssoeasy wrote: »

The phone app will get you on rights restrictions on BBC five live BUT if you scroll across to any station that has "as on BBC five live" it's playing away fine. That's on the BBC radio app.

for example?

Cook out!

GeordieRebel

Itssoeasy wrote: »

The phone app will get you on rights restrictions on BBC five live BUT if you scroll across to any station that has "as on BBC five live" it's playing away fine. That's on the BBC radio app.
Edit: the Asian network works fine.

Cook out for 2.

Superb. Thank you. Working perfectly.

Itssoeasy

Quincy Raspy Hillbilly wrote: »

Itssoeasy wrote: »

The phone app will get you on rights restrictions on BBC five live BUT if you scroll across to any station that has "as on BBC five live" it's playing away fine. That's on the BBC radio app.

for example?

Cook out!

Asian network works

bilston

Bad start for England and now two relative newbies at the crease. No pressure.

yellowlabrador

You can also get the coverage on long wave radio 4

Gizmo55

Decent English fightback to keep it to one wicket at lunch.

KevIRL

Nice run out by Lyon. If the Aussies get another one or two before stumps it will have been a good day for them

KevIRL

Root gone. Great referral by Australia

KevIRL

196/4 at stumps. Honours even but England will be relieved not to have lost another wicket before the end of the day.

Is TMS not on Youtube for this series?

bilston

I would marginally give Australia the edge just because England's two big batsmen failed. But a big innings from Moen could turn things. Bairstow and Woakes will need a few runs and then maybe England can push towards 350.

Moist Bread

Aegir wrote: »

Is TMS not on Youtube for this series?

Doesn't look like it.

I think I am donzo with Sky Sports after this. You are effectively getting double billed for the same content these days.

I think England did well today, they need to bat long tomorrow and get 350+. I reckon Austrailia will score at a far faster rate.

Gizmo55

Serious collapse here.

StringerBell

Bang Bang Bang

Thats swung this Test heavily!

I'd echo the comments re the coverage, really poor not to even have a FTA highlight package, think BT do it on their website after 7 but still.

Come on Australia!!

StringerBell

Cummins removes Bairstow, England 8/270, bout 15 minutes till lunch unless there another wicket fast

StringerBell

Lyon has really bowled well, better then his stats too.

EDIT

Queue Lyon going for 13 the very next over

StringerBell

Starc takes the wicket of ball with a superb catch by Warner, really good catch.

9 down now, the end is surely nigh

Gizmo55

Warner getting in Anderson’s ear.

StringerBell

Anderson in all sorts of trouble but survives the over, even managed to top edge one for 4 😊

StringerBell

Should be over, broad dropped by marsh.

Broad is no longer blocking, just trying to get as many runs on the board as possible now

StringerBell

Hazelwood picks up the wicket of broad, all out for 302, the few rubs added by ball and broad could vmbe very important.

KevIRL

Aussies in real bother

KevIRL

They battle back to finish 165/4. Superb stuff by Smith and to a lesser degree Marsh

StringerBell

England been good, disciplined with the ball taking early wickets. This stand from Smith and Marsh is looking very good though. Pretty much even Stevens after day 2.

165/4 @ close of play.

Richard Hillman

Australia are back in it. Wouldn't want to be batting last though. Excellent test match

StringerBell

202/6 new ball just been taken and Anderson removed Paine first over.

Marsh went to Broad earlier and then the Aussies batted very slowly and England bowled very......unusually.....for a long spell to make it pretty boring on the face of it but altogether compelling still!

England well on top now at the minute and the poor run rate is going to haunt Australia by the looks of it.

The pitch is noticeably more lively today though which will be encouraging for the Aussie quicks. They will be lucky to be coming back out within 50 runs of Englands first score though if something doesnt change pretty soon.

StringerBell

Smith on 80 with a strike rate of 38, I'm not sure the innings will last long enough for him to get a century 209/7

Cummins can't get away at all, last 10 overs gone for 22/2

Anderson looks like he may have a little niggle after that last ball, something to keep an eye on