Scarlet Shocker's Summer Supreme Thread: Cricket goes Global!

[Scarlet Shocker]

Agreed. Fielding was poor... especially YJB behind the stumps which is a disappointment 😞

[Parabola]

It's difficult to know how to feel about that. Losing stings obviously. The ashes always were going to be the acid test of England's new mindset because of the overwhelming importance of beating the Aussies. Against other countries the average fan has been reasonably happy to accept the risks of playing hyper aggressive cricket but the English cricket supporters psyche is built around beating Australia. Or at least not losing and there's the rub.

 

This was a game that would in all likelihood have been drawn 99 times out of 100 between other teams. In my opinion it is a credit to England's approach that they engineered a situation where either side could actually win the thing. My worry is that there is a fairly vocal section of England's support that don't see it like that. They see reckless decisions and a team now 1-0 down when it didn't need to be. It'll be very interesting to see how that tension plays out.

 

In no way do I expect a change in approach, I just expect the griping about it to get very loud indeed. Of course that will all change if we hammer Oz in the next one. The only thing with a shorter memory than a sports fan is a sports journalist after all!

 

The test itself was frankly murder. Days 3 and 4 were tense, day 5 was stomach knotting terror. It was almost a relief that I've been dealing with an emergency at work for the last couple of days! I'm not convinced I'm going to make it through this summer if they are all like that...

 

I thought we played well. We were hampered by lots of things, Jimmy was oddly out of sorts, Mo injured (unsurprisingly not test match fit after being retired for a couple of years) and Ben really isn't fit to bowl much. It is pretty remarkable we took 18 wickets considering. I strongly suspect we'll have to reshuffle the bowling pack for the next one.

 

And the missed chances really hurt us. I'm a huge Bairstow fan but three drops and a missed stumping doesn't look good whichever way you cut it. I don't see what they do though. If you bring in Foakes you have to drop someone and the only candidate would be Crawley, but then who opens? Also Johnny might not take losing the gloves well, I seem to remember his batting suffering the last time we did that, in the short term at least.

 

So overall it was disappointing but it could easily have gone the other way. On to the next!

[Scarlet Shocker]

It was super tense. I don't think England can regain the Ashes from here. I suspect that we're going to crash and burn now and that will put an end to "bazball" - it's one thing to play "entertaining cricket" but that's crap if we lose badly.

 

I think the whole team went in undercooked - and many players could have played in a county game for a couple of days instead of playing golf.

 

Jonny  might improve markedly now. I notice that in the past he's a bit crap unless he's in a fight with the media and trying to prove a point. I suspect he'll rightly take some stick for his poor keeping and he'll be blasting a century and taking 5 catches behind the stumps... but I don't think it'll be enough.

 

I feel sorry for Mo... he's been offered a poisoned chalice when he is technically one of our greatest all-rounders.

 

We'll have to see how things play out but we saw how much last night meant to Cummings and the Aussies - and they are not going to let tht advantage slip without a real scrap.

[Scarlet Shocker]

My name is Benjamin Andrew Stokes, captain of the English Test Team, Saviour of Headingley ‘19, loyal servant to the true emperor, Baz McCullum. Father to a way of batting, saviour to a nation of fans. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.

 

[Herotu]

We was robbed. 

Same old Ozzies.

 

Two can play that game. Time to get the pots and pans out and find out which hotel they're trying to sleep in on Wednesday night ...

[Scarlet Shocker]

This quote made me laugh out loud as I read it. I was listening to the entire thing on TMS as is my wont and I must admit I was caught up in the furore. I wanted revenge. I wanted justice.

 

But then it really boils down to this:

 

Quote

In the best cricketing tradition of behavioural etiquette, the entire occasion turned on the exact timing of a man in a hat saying the word “over”, while another man prodded a patch of manicured north London clay with a piece of wood.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2023/jul/02/cricket-bairstow-carey-ashes-lords

 

Whatever else the series holds in store, we have stories to tell and it was an amazing spectacle

 

I believe I'm right when I say that England gave away over 70 runs in extras. Had we not done so, Stokes would almost certainly been 150+ not out, which would have changed the situation dramatically.

 

However this series ends, I am already feeling sorry for the Aussies down under on the next return leg. I think there will be fire for a long time to come

[Scarlet Shocker]

Well it's hotting up. Headingley always produces a result and this was...

 

awful.

 

It shredded my nerves. I almost wish we'd been dumped out ignominiously on day three but suddenly it's an entirely different series.

 

England women are also on the fightback and have now pretty well drawn level after losing the Test. It could even be argued that they are in the box seat, having lost the test by a narrow margin but winning the shorter versions - and Australia are not looking confident. They aren't used to this level of competition.

 

But this for me, has been the result of the summer so far:

 

[Scarlet Shocker]

Wow... what a lot to process.

 

Ashes 2023

Spoiler

England win the final test at the Oval to level the series; Australia retain the Ashes, 2 - 2

 

The end was fitting: Carey cBairstow b Broad - that was amazing. If you know why, you know why.

 

Regardless of the result, it was exciting and disappointing in equal measure. The declaration at Edgbaston was a dreadful mistake IMO but it did make for an exciting game and England gifted the Aussies the first two tests.

 

There were runs, wickets, a bit of controversy - especially that run out!

 

but overall the series was played in great spirit and whatever side of the fan club you sit you probably weren't too disappointed.

 

But of course the biggest news was Stuart Broad and his retirement after taking over 600 test wickets. A great servant to English cricket and somebody we'll miss very much moving forward.

 

 

Edited July 31, 2023 by Scarlet Shocker
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[Scarlet Shocker]

nice Ashes explainer short