O/T:- The Ashes 2023

[Notts78]

Thee Bairstow dismissal is about the lowest of the low from the shackle draggers. It makes any Mankad decision look incredibly gentlemanly.

We can’t pick and choose which rules that apply. At the end of the day Bairstow wandered out of his crease before the ball was deemed dead. That’s on him.
What it’s done has got the owd codgers at Lords getting stuck in to Oz… I don’t mind that. However, Oz haven’t done anything wrong.

[BigFatPie]

While Starc was still moving in the act of taking the catch he needed to keep the ball off the ground. Good decision by the umpire, and even better that it wound McGrath up.

He’d wandered out of his crease a few times before. Got what he deserved. Stokes is playing brilliantly though!

[SwalePie]

Stokes is on fire now...can they stay together?

[Notts78]

Stokes is on fire now...can they stay together?

Hopefully.

[drillerpie]

Apart from the result and the questionable efficacy of England's tactics, the biggest thing for me today was trying to find a pub showing cricket with commentary on.

Everywhere was showing Formula 1 on the big screen with commentary. Some even showing cycling rather than cricket. Most had cricket on a side TV with no sound.

Finally found one at the sixth attempt and there were exactly 6 people watching it including me. 7 if you included my Italian girlfriend who got bored after about 30 mins and went shopping (to be fair I had promised her crowded pubs and a great atmosphere, which is how I remember 2005).

I told the barman his pub was the only one I could find showing cricket as the main event and even he said he had to be careful to judge what his customers want, and generally they don't want cricket. He said he only had it on today cause it was the final day.

Average age of those watching was about 45. Nobody under the age of 30 watching it in any of the pubs I went in. I wonder what percentage of 25 year olds in this country have ever seen a test match?

God damn the suits who sold cricket out to SKY, and goodness knows how you get it back to being the national summer sport with all the options available to young people today.

[durhampie]

Apart from the result and the questionable efficacy of England's tactics, the biggest thing for me today was trying to find a pub showing cricket with commentary on.

Everywhere was showing Formula 1 on the big screen with commentary. Some even showing cycling rather than cricket. Most had cricket on a side TV with no sound.

Finally found one at the sixth attempt and there were exactly 6 people watching it including me. 7 if you included my Italian girlfriend who got bored after about 30 mins and went shopping (to be fair I had promised her crowded pubs and a great atmosphere, which is how I remember 2005).

I told the barman his pub was the only one I could find showing cricket as the main event and even he said he had to be careful to judge what his customers want, and generally they don't want cricket. He said he only had it on today cause it was the final day.

Average age of those watching was about 45. Nobody under the age of 30 watching it in any of the pubs I went in. I wonder what percentage of 25 year olds in this country have ever seen a test match?

God damn the suits who sold cricket out to SKY, and goodness knows how you get it back to being the national summer sport with all the options available to young people today.

Its a boring game, thats why you see so many people sleeping during the game..

[laddo]

Its a boring game, thats why you see so many people sleeping during the game..

That's often due to a mixture of age and alcohol.

Need to win the 3rd test to keep my trip to the Oval meaningful

[countygump]

The questionable efficacy of England's tactics.

Agreed. Which is a shame really, as there doesn't seem to be a massive gulf in ability between the 2 sides?

[Notts78]

Agreed. Which is a shame really, as there doesn't seem to be a massive gulf in ability between the 2 sides?

Hence 2 tight games.

That said, if I was choosing a joint Oz/England side, there aren’t many England players that get in.
I think the way we play has made the games close. If we played ‘proper’ cricket, we’d still be 2 down, but would be getting hammered.

[Magpies1959]

BFP I guess you haven't heard of a thing called the spirit of the game. Bairstow had left his crease for a few balls before Carey decided to run him out, but similarly with the Mankad method of dismissal it is the done thing to give the batsman a warning. Bairstow did not 'get what he deserved' at all.
durham if you think cricket is boring, I guess you wouldn't have watched enough to have that opinion.
That was a herculean effort by England after being 45-4, after two close games, this series could still go either way.