O/T:- The Ashes 2023

[legs77]

I think there was a bit more to it than that, legs. It's fine lines, and it would not have looked stupid if we had nicked a couple out.

It was stupid / arrogant it was messing with the game and now its bitten us.

Aussies 100% not have done it.

[BanjoPie]

Yup. Not looking good. Bit of a tease that no rain at The Open for a little while and that’s not too far from the cricket.

My first ever post on a Cricket thread. If it's raining at the start of the day and its forecast for the rest of the day, why can't the officials just postpone play until the next day? - why can't the match go in to a 6th or even 7th day?. Not a Cricket buff (no doubt you may have already guessed that) but if rains during Wimbledon, they extend the the tournament into the following Monday. Seems a daft ruling to me to just award the match to whoever is in front after the 5 days is up!!

[Jeekay56]

Seems a daft ruling to me to just award the match to whoever is in front after the 5 days is up!!

They don't do that, otherwise the series would be level!

[BanjoPie]

They don't do that, otherwise the series would be level!

Simple question but why? - surely the outcome should be decided on runs and wickets!

[nw6pie]

It was stupid / arrogant it was messing with the game and now its bitten us.

Aussies 100% not have done it.

Agree that it was a poor move in hindsight, but I’d say all the dropped catches in the first two tests and that mad session where we gifted wickets to the Aussies from short balls ultimately cost us the Ashes.

[Notts78]

My first ever post on a Cricket thread. If it's raining at the start of the day and its forecast for the rest of the day, why can't the officials just postpone play until the next day? - why can't the match go in to a 6th or even 7th day?. Not a Cricket buff (no doubt you may have already guessed that) but if rains during Wimbledon, they extend the the tournament into the following Monday. Seems a daft ruling to me to just award the match to whoever is in front after the 5 days is up!!

The issue with ‘rain days’ is that the knock on effect it would cause. Do you do it just for test cricket? Or does it filter in to first class cricket? I haven’t looked at Lancashires fixtures, but will they need the pitch preparing over the next few days?
What the ICC needs to sort out is the inflexible nature of start and end times. If 90 overs need to be bowled a day and the day is glorious sunshine, bowl the 90 overs. If there is rain we can play until 7.30pm, yet if no rain we finish at 6.30pm regardless.
In the sub continent, it starts going dark earlier. Yet they start play at 11am. Again, why not start at 10am? It’s crazy. Fans in this country pay the best part of 70/80 quid for a ticket but don’t get the full days play.

[BanjoPie]

The issue with ‘rain days’ is that the knock on effect it would cause. Do you do it just for test cricket? Or does it filter in to first class cricket? I haven’t looked at Lancashires fixtures, but will they need the pitch preparing over the next few days?
What the ICC needs to sort out is the inflexible nature of start and end times. If 90 overs need to be bowled a day and the day is glorious sunshine, bowl the 90 overs. If there is rain we can play until 7.30pm, yet if no rain we finish at 6.30pm regardless.
In the sub continent, it starts going dark earlier. Yet they start play at 11am. Again, why not start at 10am? It’s crazy. Fans in this country pay the best part of 70/80 quid for a ticket but don’t get the full days play.

Thanks for the explanation but still think more could be done even if rain if forecast couldn’t shorten the match accordingly?

[The_Don_ORiordan]

Don’t agree with rain days.
But it would actually be nice to play the overs allocated in a day when there isn’t rain. I make it over 100 overs lost in this series just because of slow over rates. That’s over a days play. Pathetic.
This does need sorting out.

England will not regain the ashes through poor selection, poor fielding.

The least deserving Australian side to retain the ashes in my lifetime. World test champions or not.

[The_Don_ORiordan]

Thanks for the explanation but still think more could be done even if rain if forecast couldn’t shorten the match accordingly?

Trouble is. Weather forecasting isn’t very accurate.

Things they could easily do though.

1. Actually play when it’s light until 7pm or even later to make up overs lost for weather on previous days.
2. Make sure teams adhere to 15 overs per hour. With 5 runs fines for every missed over and warnings and dismissals for unnecessary gardening, fist punching, glove changes etc. for batsmen not ready to receive.

[Magpies1959]

I think the condition of the pitch needs taking into account, when thinking of adding extra rain days. It will only ever favour the bowler, the longer a 'cut strip' dries out, uneven bounce and cracks to the plating surface.
You are more than welcome to your opinion, legs, but I think you would need to chat to Stokes and McCullum about that decision, before calling it/them arrogant/stupid. nw6pie, good old fashioned hindsight eh, I would put it down as a brave decision, and in keeping with the aggressive attitude of Stokes and McCullum, risk, reward, as we at Notts know all about, after last season. This time it didn't come off, but also that same attitude had probably dragged us back into the series, until the rain came.