Toss won by Australia- first this series. Pitch looks brown dry flat and no hint of green, should bat well for days 1-3 but I suspect will take spin later. One change for Australia as announced already.
Expect Australia to bat and bat so long Day(s) in the field for England. Forecast for drinks 0/54.
Drinks 0/37 Warner 30 Bancroft 7. Australia went off like an express train for the first 20 minutes then some tighter but not penetrating bowling from Broad and Anderson over 4 and a bit consecutive maidens has slowed the pace. The ground is allegedly sold out – all 91,000 – but so far only 60,000 have turned up! So where we the rest? Seems like the cheap seats A$30 – £18 – and up in the ‘nosebleeds’ are not being taken up. Such ticket prices are unknown in England!
Forecast for lunch 0/95.
Lunch 0/102 Warner 83 Bancroft 19. Thank someone that Bancroft is slightly off form or out of touch otherwise it would have been carnage! I’ve watched England over many years and seen some rubbish play over that time but today is gold standard rubbish! Bowling as per the rest of the series, fielding plans change every ball – as England are following the ball- if you have a plan then stick to it. There’s so much overthinking going on it’s hurting my brain from 100m away!
England don’t look like taking one wicket let alone 20 (they’ve only taken 37 out of a possible 60 so far this series). I just don’t know what to say. What I can say is how impressed I am with Tom Curran on his debut, good start and not fazed by the occasion – the one thing to cheer at lunch.
I got some ‘happy’ socks as a Christmas present and I was hoping they’d be ‘lucky England’ socks and I’d have to wear them every day- perhaps they become happy in the afternoon?
Forecast for drinks 0/155 as I can’t see where England are going to get a wicket from unless someone’s taking out the rubbish at lunch?
Cricket51days 