The Ashes thread.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Cricket needs to sort itself out at this stage in the 21st Century FFS!

A window of opportunity opens up for play and we have this b o l l o x of taking 30 minutes or more of getting the pitch ready for play.

They always take 40 minutes for lunch even if they’ve been sat on their a r s e s all morning and they always take tea even if they’ve done nothing all afternoon.

The whole thing around these “traditions” needs ripping up, it’s nonsense.

Play should start at 10.00am and be able to go on until 10.00pm at night.

All matches should have floodlights and if play extends into an evening then so be it and it doesn’t need a pink ball either.

Advanced weather forecasts should be evaluated and if a bad forecast is showing for the following days then the earlier days should be extended in anticipation.

At some point in the next century they need to find a way of covering the stadiums like they do at football stadiums.

They were debating this on TMS. Archaic isn't it.

We could action all the except for the covered stadiums tomorrow.

They also need to sort out the over rate. It used to be 20 an hour, then 16 and now its supposed to be 15 but 12 is more the norm.

First I would stop drinks breaks. The batsmen could easily carry a drink out with them, pass it to an umpire and take a drink between overs. Only fast bowlers put enough effort in to 'need' a drink. They usually field on the boundary put a drinks bottle there.

Field changes during an over only to be allowed if it changes from right to left hander. Seeing every fielder on the boundary for 4 balls of an over if a 'batsman' is facing and then everyone brought in for the last 2 to prevent the single is both time consuming and much less fun. It would also stop the batsman wasting time tying a shoe lace or similar to prevent the 'extra over' before the interval

Finally lunch and tea breaks not timed but only after the requisite number of overs had been bowledin a session say 35. That would give 105 overs in 6 hours rather 85 in 6.1/2 hours

[mickd1961]

They were debating this on TMS. Archaic isn't it.

We could action all the except for the covered stadiums tomorrow.

They also need to sort out the over rate. It used to be 20 an hour, then 16 and now its supposed to be 15 but 12 is more the norm.

First I would stop drinks breaks. The batsmen could easily carry a drink out with them, pass it to an umpire and take a drink between overs. Only fast bowlers put enough effort in to 'need' a drink. They usually field on the boundary put a drinks bottle there.

Field changes during an over only to be allowed if it changes from right to left hander. Seeing every fielder on the boundary for 4 balls of an over if a 'batsman' is facing and then everyone brought in for the last 2 to prevent the single is both time consuming and much less fun. It would also stop the batsman wasting time tying a shoe lace or similar to prevent the 'extra over' before the interval

Finally lunch and tea breaks not timed but only after the requisite number of overs had been bowledin a session say 35. That would give 105 overs in 6 hours rather 85 in 6.1/2 hours

All good stuff 923.

Some of these idiots at the ECB advocating 4 day Tests need taking out back and shooting.

Tests should be allocated two addition days to help these weather situations, players are on central contracts, all Tests should have greater gaps between matches anyway so it then allows more rest time or it gives time to cover for bad weather.

In effect everyone has wasted their money on those first three days, it’s ludicrous.

A 5 day Test that end in a tough draw is still fine with me, some of the best ever witnessed have been fighting draws.

This situation is a fiasco though, a mate of mine said two weeks ago that the weather was already indicating that this match would be weather ruined.

Over rates are a joke aren’t they!?

I’d penalise sides with penalty runs of 4 or 6 for every over not completed out of 16 per hour.

It would force teams to play faster or play more spinners.

We’ve now lost the Ashes due to archaic practices.

[Dubbag]

It really does seem like all sports are been made to facilitate slow unexciting spectator sports.
If you could change one rule in cricket......
Such a shame. Was nicely poised for an exciting day. Oh well, thankfully it is All Ireland hurling final day today.
Thank God for amateur sports people.

[Dubbag]

Just checked the latest radar on rain....might get one over in before six o clock.....

[Stevil81]

Massive shame the weather has lost us the ashes, although we pretty much threw away the first two matches with Baz ball style of play.

We would have won this one I think if they had the 4th and 5th day.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

Massive shame the weather has lost us the ashes, although we pretty much threw away the first two matches with Baz ball style of play.

We would have won this one I think if they had the 4th and 5th day.

If the pre Bazball England had turned up we wouldn't have even got close. Never seen an Aussie team so rattled

Bazball dictated both Aussie selection and tatics from day 1. They picked the safe option of Boland and left out the much more aggresive and effective Starc because they believed Boland would contain better. They then set defensive fields from ball 1 to stop boundaries. Result: Less catchers and a record number of singles in a session

Just don't get why when we lose it's the Bazball's fault when we win Bazball plays no part.

[9goals2hattricks3pen]

It really does seem like all sports are been made to facilitate slow unexciting spectator sports.
If you could change one rule in cricket......
Such a shame. Was nicely poised for an exciting day. Oh well, thankfully it is All Ireland hurling final day today.
Thank God for amateur sports people.

Already made one obvious change. for 2027 No Ashes cricket to be played in the rain sodden north move it to the gloriously sunny south. Just had a bbq.Beautiful down here today. Where's my factor 30?

[mickd1961]

Weather is never a given here in the U.K. and thus the venue is irrelevant in July through to September.

We’ve got to be more flexible in future though and allow dates to be changed if a horrible forecast is certain.

I don’t feel it’s acceptable in this day and age to allow weather to render a cricket fixture as irrelevant after all that money is paid out.

I also think the time has come to stop Ashes being retained, they should have an additional Test or two to put in the schedule in the event of a drawn series.

[Leicesterbaggie]

It’s a poor way to decide an Ashes series as there is no way that anyone can claim that the Aussies are the superior side. If England win the final test then the trophy should be shared which would be a much fairer reflection as to how the series has gone. Having said this, we only have ourselves to blame for not getting something out of the first two tests.

[mickd1961]

Moeen Ali goes down with an injury and the physio gives him pain killers but hasn’t the awareness to bring any fluid out to the middle with him! 😩😤

So another couple of wasted minutes whilst a sub has to run out with a drink.

This stuff is so simple and yet it goes on and on with the ineptitude and lack of respect for the paying viewer.