If, like me, you enjoy a good moan now and again, this match is providing plenty of opportunities. There’s England’s selection; there’s England’s defensive approach (we had seven or eight fielders out on the boundary at various times today); there’s the ease with which two much maligned Australian cricketers scored centuries; and there’s the fact England were pretty much reduced to a three man attack, even though on paper they had finally, finally picked five.
Yep, this test match has pretty much been a kick in the nether regions thus far. I simply couldn’t believe it when Alastair Cook chucked the ball to Jonathan Trott when Smith was approaching his hundred. Normal procedure in these circumstances is to put pressure on the batsman, make him sweat, and hope he bottles it – much like Smith did earlier in the series. But oh no, Alastair knows best. Trott floated the ball up at approximately 60mph (my gran bowls quicker than that) and Smith duly spanked it back over his head for six. Brilliant.
I suppose the day’s saving grace was the fact that Cook and Root managed to bat out the best part of eighteen overs at the end of the day without succumbing to one of Australia’s six bowlers. However, with Chris Woakes batting at six – probably higher than he’s ever batted before in his life – they’ll have to bat a hell of a lot longer tomorrow if we want to avoid a defeat that’s been coming; a defeat we utterly, utterly deserve.
Australia have scored 500 runs twice in the series now. England are yet to scrape together 400. It’s hard to feel positive in such circumstances. However, if you think the pitch looks pretty flat, and you fancy England to bat out time and secure a draw, you might find this helpful: it’s a list of betting sites that accept PayPal. You see, we can be helpful here at TFT, even when we’re feeling more miserable than Bob Willis on a Monday morning.
Anyway, back to the angst and depression. At times today I really feared for the future of test cricket. This might seem a bit melodramatic, and you’re probably right, but when I see Steve Smith scoring Ashes hundreds – a young player with a bit of ability, but someone with a quirky technique who still has, in the words of Andrew Strauss, a ‘long way to go’ when it comes to being a test quality batsman – I worry about falling standards.
Ask yourself this: when Woakes was bowling his non-threatening medium-fast, and Jonathan Trott bowled Brad Haddin, did it actually look and feel like a test match? It’s hardly Wasim and Waqar, Donald and Pollock, Walsh and Ambrose, and McGrath and Warne, is it. It’s not even Flintoff and Jones to be honest.
You really get the sense that most of the players representing their countries in this match wouldn’t have lasted five minutes in years gone by.
Bah Humbug.
James Morgan
Written in collaboration with Online Betting King
