Test Cricket Prediction and Discussion Thread [self - mod]

[Sithara007]

We cannot blame Stokes alone for England's defeat in this match. A target of 282 runs was not enough to win. Given a target of 320-350, England could have won the match. The performance of England's batsmen in the second innings disappointed me a lot. However, if Stokes had not missed the catch, the outcome of the match might have changed. Stokes is a very good fielder. He should not be blamed for an accidental fielding miss. The second Test match will be played on June 28. Hope the next match will be more enjoyable.

Again, I would not use the term "missed catch". Most of the other fielders would not even attempt to take such chances. But as per the standard terminology, if a player attempts to take a catch and then drops it, it becomes a missed catch. On the other hand if a player never attempts to take a catch it is never considered as a missed opportunity. It was a really close match yesterday. The pitch was turning and England didn't had a quality spinner with them. And then the combination of Robinson and Broad failed to take the last two wickets.

[JSRAW]

^^ It wasn't turning, skidding yes but no turn, I've only noticed 3-4 turning balls from Root and that too from the rough, that's about it but i do agree they had no quality spinner which isn't a revelation as far as English cricket is concern.

Having said that as a neutral fan, the match was fun to watch and upcoming matches are going to be very exciting.

[synchronym]

Yesterday they needed 54 runs to win when Nathan Lyon came to bat. But still the partnership between Lyon and Cummins took them home.

The turning point in England's defeat yesterday was Stuart Board's second ball of the 83rd over when Nathan Lyon hitted a catch and Ben Stokes missed the catch by palming it with one hand. Had that catch not been missed, a remarkable partnership between Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon could have been enough to lift Australia's victory in tomorrow's match.

The outcome could have been different if Stokes had managed to pull off that crucial catch. It was such a close result and an intense run chase. England's bazball vs Australia's traditional gameplay were contrasting but adding extra excitement. Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon both did an incredible job, achieving what seemed like an impossible task at sometimes. Kudos to Aussie for their impressive performance.

Yesterday Australia won by 2 wickets but if England player Ben Stokes had not missed that ball then the equation of game tomorrow could have been different. Ben stokes I don't blame him for losing this game because he tried his best but I would say luck was not with England tomorrow. Because Australia batted with a lot of confidence as a result of which they won, congratulations to the Australian team.

[dezoel]

In the end, Australia won the match by 2 wickets. We got a chance to enjoy a very exciting match.
Usman Khawaja scored 206 runs in two innings. He batted very responsibly. But I would say Pat Cummins' performance was key to the win in this match. He did not collect any wickets in the first innings but did not collect 38 runs. Cummins picked up 4 wickets in the second innings and played an excellent innings of 44 not out. Pat Cummins has batted responsibly when the team needed it.

Beautiful end of first test of this series with the win for the Australia by just 2 wickets we have good contest until last ball with both teams were in good position to win and have lead in this series but at the end visitors were in better shape and win because here England were missing quality spinners which give them good opportunity for dominating like Australia have through Nathan Lyon first with bowl and then with bat.

As Carey gone there was serious chance for the England to win and enjoy lead, but this was really impressive performance from the captain and tail-ender which help their team for the win against experienced bowling of England there is good talk about few things happen in this match but still this was one of the best match we watch.

[Litzki1990]

Australia won by two wickets against India in a dramatic fashion. The game was in a state where there was no telling who could win but Australian captain Pat Cummins' responsible batting eventually gave Australia a comfortable victory. Australia beat England in the first match of the five-match Test series. Australia went one step ahead of England in winning the series. England and Australia will meet again in the second Test match on June 28.

[savetheFORUM]

When up against England they lose this advantage because the latter group grew up in these conditions (home advantage).

The game is in balance IMO. Aussie needs just one partnership and Poms will be waiting for one magic spell from their seamers.

Agreed. What a match. Australia just need 72 more runs while England just need 4 more wickets. This is going right down to the wire. Broad and Robinson need to bowl more overs since they are bowling really well.

On the other hand, Australia still has Khawaja, Carey and Cummins who need to keep scoring. I'm at the edge of my seat.

Most of the peoples were at the edge of their seats while they were watching the end of this test match which was fascinating because both were at same level, but sadly England's bowler were not able to give them any advantage even conditions were also in bowlers favor but 50+ runs partnership break English hearts and give good win to Australia which is now having good position in this series as this is second win for them on this tour after having big win against India in WTC final.

In this match, Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon were their hero because they have done good performance on right time even Australian three top order batsmen fail in both innings to give them any good backup but still good all-rounder performance from them for the win.

[Haunebu]

In this match, Usman Khawaja and Nathan Lyon were their hero because they have done good performance on right time even Australian three top order batsmen fail in both innings to give them any good backup but still good all-rounder performance from them for the win.

You forgot about Cummins who is easily the man of the match according to me since he claimed many wickets and batted extremely well under pressure alongside Lyon who gave him excellent support.

Reminded me of one of his IPL performances where he absolutely decimated the opposition in a crazy manner.

[eaLiTy]

~
You forgot about Cummins who is easily the man of the match according to me since he claimed many wickets and batted extremely well under pressure alongside Lyon who gave him excellent support.

Reminded me of one of his IPL performances where he absolutely decimated the opposition in a crazy manner.

Sometimes Pat Cummins looks like he could bat really well and turn into an all rounder and he is not using his batting talent in most matches, in T20 he has the ability to slog the ball but he lacks consistency but in this match against England, Pat Cummins stood between England's dream of winning the first match as a wicket in that situation would have changed the match as they needed 55 runs when they lost their 8th wicket.

[Sithara007]

Sometimes Pat Cummins looks like he could bat really well and turn into an all rounder and he is not using his batting talent in most matches, in T20 he has the ability to slog the ball but he lacks consistency but in this match against England, Pat Cummins stood between England's dream of winning the first match as a wicket in that situation would have changed the match as they needed 55 runs when they lost their 8th wicket.

Nowadays, genuine tailenders (like Chris Martin of New Zealand and Courtney Walsh of West Indies) are very rare in international cricket. And during the first Ashes test, it was not just Pat Cummins who added runs down the order for Australia. Nathan Lyon also made a very significant contribution. When Lyon came to bat, Australia still needed 54 runs to win. He batted for more than an hour, making 16 runs from 28 balls. He managed to keep Cummins in strike for most of the time, and when the opportunity came he did well to hit a couple of boundaries.

[noormcs5]

Australia won by two wickets against India in a dramatic fashion. The game was in a state where there was no telling who could win but Australian captain Pat Cummins' responsible batting eventually gave Australia a comfortable victory. Australia beat England in the first match of the five-match Test series. Australia went one step ahead of England in winning the series. England and Australia will meet again in the second Test match on June 28.

Yes, but before that 2nd test match, we have the one and only test match to be played between the women's cricket teams of England and Australia at Nottingham. Bear in mind that England's women's cricket team is superior to the Australians and therefore they would have better chances of winning this test match.
Anyways, its a test season and we are witness some good test matches , first the world cup championship final, then the Ashes first test and now this ladies test match to begin in an hours time from now.

[Haunebu]

McCullum stated that England will stick to the Bazball approach against Australia's careful approach which I fully support since they won way more than they lost using this particular aggresive approach.

Australia barely managed to win the first match which is why England might give them a better fight in the upcoming match. Excited!

[JSRAW]

McCullum stated that England will stick to the Bazball approach against Australia's careful approach which I fully support since they won way more than they lost using this particular aggresive approach.

Australia barely managed to win the first match which is why England might give them a better fight in the upcoming match. Excited!

And they should because that's a new way for the Poms. They have already tried other things and failed miserably so McCullum is right and that's why he got the job.

I reckon, if they continue with this mindset then they will become a very likable team, saying it because I used to hate this team because of their timid approach but it's changing for good, which is refreshing.   

[Sithara007]

And they should because that's a new way for the Poms. They have already tried other things and failed miserably so McCullum is right and that's why he got the job.

I reckon, if they continue with this mindset then they will become a very likable team, saying it because I used to hate this team because of their timid approach but it's changing for good, which is refreshing.   

Well. Let's see how the remainder of the series turns out for them. Over-aggression may not work against strong teams such as India and Australia. BTW, their bowling is looking quite weak, apart from Stuart Broad. Anderson is showing signs of ageing, while Robinson and Moeen Ali cracked under pressure during the first test. They need someone who can get the tailenders out quickly. Someone like Mark Wood. I guess he is out due to injury. And this issue is nothing new. Last time when India toured, the England bowlers conceded plenty of runs against the tailend batsmen.

[Litzki1990]

McCullum stated that England will stick to the Bazball approach against Australia's careful approach which I fully support since they won way more than they lost using this particular aggresive approach.

Australia barely managed to win the first match which is why England might give them a better fight in the upcoming match. Excited!

Ever since Brendon McCullum took charge of England, England have always thrown challenges against the opposition. When he declared in the first innings against Australia, but England could have batted for a while longer and Joe Root was unbeaten on the wicket at that time. But at that time England planned to win this match with another challenge by declaring the innings but they did not succeed in this plan. But as you say, England have won more than they have lost by challenging their opponents. There are four more matches left in this series and maybe they will challenge and win in the second Test match against Australia.

[JSRAW]

And they should because that's a new way for the Poms. They have already tried other things and failed miserably so McCullum is right and that's why he got the job.

I reckon, if they continue with this mindset then they will become a very likable team, saying it because I used to hate this team because of their timid approach but it's changing for good, which is refreshing.   

Well. Let's see how the remainder of the series turns out for them. Over-aggression may not work against strong teams such as India and Australia. BTW, their bowling is looking quite weak, apart from Stuart Broad. Anderson is showing signs of ageing, while Robinson and Moeen Ali cracked under pressure during the first test. They need someone who can get the tailenders out quickly. Someone like Mark Wood. I guess he is out due to injury. And this issue is nothing new. Last time when India toured, the England bowlers conceded plenty of runs against the tailend batsmen.

You are right, Over aggression would be tested against India-Australia when playing away (not home). Not sure about Australia but i have my doubt when they are up against Jaddu-Ashwin-Axar on turner.

Overall I agree with your assessment of their bowling. I would also add that on a flat deck, they have incredible batting but a very weak bowling lineup, which plays into the opponent's hands. 

[Minecache]

And they should because that's a new way for the Poms. They have already tried other things and failed miserably so McCullum is right and that's why he got the job.
I reckon, if they continue with this mindset then they will become a very likable team, saying it because I used to hate this team because of their timid approach but it's changing for good, which is refreshing.   

Well. Let's see how the remainder of the series turns out for them. Over-aggression may not work against strong teams such as India and Australia. BTW, their bowling is looking quite weak, apart from Stuart Broad. Anderson is showing signs of ageing, while Robinson and Moeen Ali cracked under pressure during the first test. They need someone who can get the tailenders out quickly. Someone like Mark Wood. I guess he is out due to injury. And this issue is nothing new. Last time when India toured, the England bowlers conceded plenty of runs against the tailend batsmen.

Out of all the things that England could have found a problem with, they are actually finding it hard to get the tailenders out. This is actually a little funny . I also remember that against India, they conceded a lot of brands to 30 lenders. I also remember them giving 35 in one over against Bumrah. Of course, it was not all scored by Bumrah. There surely were a lot of wides and no balls. But they did concede. I think they just need someone who can get the ball into Yorker length. That is certainly going to get the tailenders out.

[teosanru]

And they should because that's a new way for the Poms. They have already tried other things and failed miserably so McCullum is right and that's why he got the job.
I reckon, if they continue with this mindset then they will become a very likable team, saying it because I used to hate this team because of their timid approach but it's changing for good, which is refreshing.   

Well. Let's see how the remainder of the series turns out for them. Over-aggression may not work against strong teams such as India and Australia. BTW, their bowling is looking quite weak, apart from Stuart Broad. Anderson is showing signs of ageing, while Robinson and Moeen Ali cracked under pressure during the first test. They need someone who can get the tailenders out quickly. Someone like Mark Wood. I guess he is out due to injury. And this issue is nothing new. Last time when India toured, the England bowlers conceded plenty of runs against the tailend batsmen.

Out of all the things that England could have found a problem with, they are actually finding it hard to get the tailenders out. This is actually a little funny . I also remember that against India, they conceded a lot of brands to 30 lenders. I also remember them giving 35 in one over against Bumrah. Of course, it was not all scored by Bumrah. There surely were a lot of wides and no balls. But they did concede. I think they just need someone who can get the ball into Yorker length. That is certainly going to get the tailenders out.

I think that was occasional, but this time it was Patt Cummins he isn't a tailender to be honest, he played a very good knock against India as well in WTC final. So i don't really think it's problem with England. Also even overall lower order test batsmen have now starting playing better so I feel it's a phenomenon I see in almost every match. Good batting till number 9 atleast, india also will have Ashwin and even Shami who can bat well.

[Minecache]

✂

I think that was occasional, but this time it was Patt Cummins he isn't a tailender to be honest, he played a very good knock against India as well in WTC final. So i don't really think it's problem with England. Also even overall lower order test batsmen have now starting playing better so I feel it's a phenomenon I see in almost every match. Good batting till number 9 atleast, india also will have Ashwin and even Shami who can bat well.

Well if we are talking about the Australian team, I don’t think we can actually count anyone as a tailender batsman. All of them can actually bat very well. So it doesn’t matter who the bowlers are, they will still have to take the late order of Australia very seriously. We have seen similar types of things happen in the Ashes before as well.

But anyway, the performance of England was certainly really good and I think the one mistake that England made was to declare the innings when there were eight wickets down in the first innings.

[Sithara007]

✂
Good batting till number 9 atleast, india also will have Ashwin and even Shami who can bat well.

Ashwin is no longer considered as a bowler. He is considered as a spin-bowling allrounder. In case of Shami, I can agree with you. He's not yet an allrounder and can be seen as a bowler who can bat a bit. Among the Indian bowlers, at this point only Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma and Jasprit Bumrah can be considered as genuine tailenders. Shardul/Ashwin are allrounders and Shami/Siraj are ones who can contribute with the bat. Same with other teams as well. Australia have Cummins/Starc and for England it is Broad/Robinson.

[Haunebu]

The Robinson debate is blowing up everywhere. I knew that he would get into trouble after sending off Khawaja in a messed up manner, but such mistakes happen in the heat of the moment.

Greats like Ponting, Hayden etc criticised him badly, but they are forgetting the fact that they themselves made a shit-ton of mistakes when they played.