4th Ashes Test England v Australia July 19-23 1930hrs @ Old Trafford

Who will win?

  • Total voters
    80
  • Poll closed .

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11kgm said:
This is a ridiculous gap between games
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Not really. We've played four tests since the WTC started on 7th June. The gap between Headingley and Old Trafford was nine days, which obviously became ten when the match concluded a day early. The gap between Edgbaston and Lord's was eight days. It's normal to have a week off when you've had back-to-back tests. But when you consider that we lost at Headingley, it certainly feels like time is dragging at the moment.
 

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1. Head
2. Khawaja
3. Labuschagne
4. Smith
5. Green
6. Marsh
7. Carey
8. Neser
9. Starc
10. Cummins
11. Hazlewood

I honest to god think that this is our best 6 batsmen + best keeper + best 4 bowlers.

  • Love Murph, but Neser is in insane form. Yes he strengthens our batting line significantly, but he's bowling like an absolute demon so it's not a compromise.
  • Head opening for Warner is a no-brainer. Did it in India, can do it in England.
  • Green is in our top 5 best bats in the country, straight back in.
  • Hazlewood plays the last test and I think we win. Too good to leave out. Need to enjoy him while we can.
  • Marsh holds his spot. Best player of short pitched bowling in the country.
 
kenneje said:
1. Head
2. Khawaja
3. Labuschagne
4. Smith
5. Green
6. Marsh
7. Carey
8. Neser
9. Starc
10. Cummins
11. Hazlewood

I honest to god think that this is our best 6 batsmen + best keeper + best 4 bowlers.

  • Love Murph, but Neser is in insane form. Yes he strengthens our batting line significantly, but he's bowling like an absolute demon so it's not a compromise.
  • Head opening for Warner is a no-brainer. Did it in India, can do it in England.
  • Green is in our top 5 best bats in the country, straight back in.
  • Hazlewood plays the last test and I think we win. Too good to leave out. Need to enjoy him while we can.
  • Marsh holds his spot. Best player of short pitched bowling in the country.
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I like your selections and your reasons for them :thumbsu:. Really good post.
The Poms will open with Wood/Broad/Anderson/Woakes --- how about swapping Head and Marsh (Head is doing really well at #5) and hope that Marsh gives Wood a fair whack and tires him out a bit?
 
CrowBloke said:
I like your selections and your reasons for them :thumbsu:. Really good post.
The Poms will open with Wood/Broad/Anderson/Woakes --- how about swapping Head and Marsh (Head is doing really well at #5) and hope that Marsh gives Wood a fair whack and tires him out a bit?
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Thank you mate, appreciate it!

I can see the logic in that, and it keeps Head in his current position. However it seems like Head is struggling slightly against the short ball, and I'd almost prefer him in early when they're more likely to pitch it up to take advantage of swing.
 
kenneje said:
1. Head
2. Khawaja
3. Labuschagne
4. Smith
5. Green
6. Marsh
7. Carey
8. Neser
9. Starc
10. Cummins
11. Hazlewood

I honest to god think that this is our best 6 batsmen + best keeper + best 4 bowlers.

  • Love Murph, but Neser is in insane form. Yes he strengthens our batting line significantly, but he's bowling like an absolute demon so it's not a compromise.
  • Head opening for Warner is a no-brainer. Did it in India, can do it in England.
  • Green is in our top 5 best bats in the country, straight back in.
  • Hazlewood plays the last test and I think we win. Too good to leave out. Need to enjoy him while we can.
  • Marsh holds his spot. Best player of short pitched bowling in the country.
Click to expand...

I agree those are the best 11 players with the exception of Neser - have to remember he's playing division two so his numbers are misleading.

I think the selectors will go with Murphy just for the variation, especially if we play two allrounders. No real point in playing 6 quicks on a dead track.
 
The case against Warner:
"The stats never lie, and their damning statements are starting to rack up against Warner.

That 66 at Lord's was Warner's only half century in his 12 innings in 2023.

That was just his third overseas half century since he returned from his ban, a period of 18 innings.
He has not scored a century away from Australia since belting 123 against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2017.

Of the three Australians to have opened in Tests this calendar year, Warner has scored the fewest runs, 221 to Travis Head's 223. Head's runs came in just five innings and at an average of 55.75."

Head can open (but is scratchy early, like many).
Marsh can open (ditto, above), and both are in good form.
I see no good reason to retain Warner for the 4th Test. "He's due" applied in the Third Test, and Broad got him twice, cheaply (4 and 1).
www.abc.net.au

David Warner poses a problem at the top of the batting order, but what other options are there?

The case for and against David Warner retaining his opener spot as Australia faces tough selection choices ahead of the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford.
www.abc.net.au www.abc.net.au
Interesting article; actually makes a reasonable case for dropping Labuschagne who's only made 3 runs more than Warner, this series.

There's something else:
"One area Australia has slightly struggled with compared to England is lower-order runs.
In five of their six innings, England has scored more than 75 runs after the fall of the sixth wicket.
Australia though, have only done so once." :oops::grimacing:
That suggests to me that:
--- Cummins' bounce-out-the-tail tactic is expensive.
--- Neser might be the player to bolster the tail's batting, but I think Hazlewood will get the nod.
 

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I really hope we abandon that crazy tactic of bouncing the tail. It might work once every 10 attempts (maybe I'm being generous there), but there's a reason why those guys bat down the order - they're not as good as those above them. Target the stumps, and if they miss, we hit.
 
philreich said:
I really hope we abandon that crazy tactic of bouncing the tail. It might work once every 10 attempts (maybe I'm being generous there), but there's a reason why those guys bat down the order - they're not as good as those above them. Target the stumps, and if they miss, we hit.
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Agree it is such a dumb tactic and it costs us over and over again what’s wrong with 6 balls top of off stump. They miss you hit or get an lbw.
 
LukeParkerno1 said:
Agree it is such a dumb tactic and it costs us over and over again what’s wrong with 6 balls top of off stump. They miss you hit or get an lbw.
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It wouldn't matter so much if we'd been scoring 500+ on a regular basis. But we've only topped 400 once, so giving runs away like that is asking for trouble.
 
philreich said:
I really hope we abandon that crazy tactic of bouncing the tail. It might work once every 10 attempts (maybe I'm being generous there), but there's a reason why those guys bat down the order - they're not as good as those above them. Target the stumps, and if they miss, we hit.
Click to expand...
I couldn't agree more with this. If Joe Root is struggling to cope with Cummins hitting the top of off, I don't know why anyone thinks Mark Wood will fare better. Bouncers are best used not as wicket-taking balls but to a) inject some fear into a tailender; and b) to force them back into their crease, making LBWs and caught behinds more likely for the fuller deliveries.
 
jikost said:
Imagine living here.. it's the middle of summer FFS.

View attachment 1739440
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Having grown up in Perth and now living in Hobart, I can tell you that the same temperature feels different depending on where you are. Early June it was 16 here and I was playing golf in a short sleeve shirt, whereas 16 in Perth is bloody freezing. 28 in Hobart feels like the sun is about 2 feet from your head, while 28 in Perth is basically mild. I've known of people from Perth leave a Hobart beach because it was too hot. 32 degrees.
If it was 30 in Manchester, it would be awful.
 
Bicco said:
Having grown up in Perth and now living in Hobart, I can tell you that the same temperature feels different depending on where you are. Early June it was 16 here and I was playing golf in a short sleeve shirt, whereas 16 in Perth is bloody freezing. 28 in Hobart feels like the sun is about 2 feet from your head, while 28 in Perth is basically mild. I've known of people from Perth leave a Hobart beach because it was too hot. 32 degrees.
If it was 30 in Manchester, it would be awful.
Click to expand...
Agree - 30 in Perth feels different to 30 in Melbourne.
 

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4th Ashes Test England v Australia July 19-23 1930hrs @ Old Trafford

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