The Ashes 2023

Broad switching the bails again...

What a series, absolutely brilliant. Such a pity the Manchester weather buggered it up.

That's semantics! Collapses are a combination of very good bowling and careless play, 4/19 is a collapse IMO.

What a series. Best Ashes in years.

If england didn't declare so early in the first test, they might have won it

Interesting perspective considering they just went 68/7 at the end of their second innings.

The rain yesterday did Australia no favours. The pitch was dead and Warner and Khawaja were very comfortable. Today was a totally different story.

Totally by any established cricket definition, that is a collapse. Lost 7 wickets for 70 runs.

Doubt we’ll hear much about the ball change on account of the Australians hate for complaining and whinging. It’s not in their dna. Even though again today we saw Stokes and England take the incomplete catch a lot better than Starc and they did at Lord’s. So I wouldn’t be surprised if their media haven’t already lost the run of themselves about it.

Indeed, however Australians were up to all sorts of carry on in other games, unofficial drinks, multiple glove changes, and other equipment changes….general messing. Because it then suited them. 100% gamesmanship..

ultimately we need to get back to the days of hard tough umpires…. In the style of Venkat, Bird, Shepherd, fellas who you’d think twice about asking if they enjoyed lunch for fear of the reaction…. The game was the important thing, players important but it’s the game.

nobody allowed onto the field unless it’s a scheduled break or injury.

you get hit in the head, medical person with a concussion check, new helmet, no more fiddling with bits of helmet, taking off bits….this water all round for everyone and a ten to fifteen minute stoppage….. if you cannot continue to play without a break, get off the field….

every batsman with backup gear, spare bat, helmet, gloves, whatever… get on with it. Far too much pricking about now. Been watching cricket long enough to know this is only a recent phenomenon….. it’s a drain, far too many stoppages.

and umpires checking balls

Jimmy had to deal with a bad batch of Dukes this year. He'll be back flying next summer, clocking up his 700th wicket.

Non-story. They met up afterwards. Some of these lads are probably still on the sesh.

Disappointing to see such bitterness and cribbing on here towards Stokes and England given that they just just been responsible for such amazing entertainment this summer and are changing the game of test cricket, which is returning it to its rightful place at the peak of the sport thanks to Bazball.

It went out of shape after it hit Khawaja's helmet, apparently. There was only 11 or so balls with it after that on Saturday before rain stopped play. The new ball moved around plenty on Sunday but swing is a funny thing, could have been to do with the atmospherics also.

difficulty with that is you could be there 20 minutes and trying to get all to agree. In fact you would be in many scenarios. The batsman and bowler want different things..

up with the 4th umpire, there should be a selection of spare balls, in good condition…

Overs ‘around’ 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80,

if a ball gets damaged after 23 overs… it’s replaced by the 25

if a ball gets damaged after 82 overs, replaced by the 80

umpire on the radio “ hey we need the 80 ball please “

ball is taken from a box, brought to the standing umpire’s, they verify it’s in good condition, it’s thrown to the captain… ‘PLAY’..

no discussion, no debate, no dissent or it’s a 42.2.1. Level 1 offence…. “ showing dissent at an umpire’s decision by word or action “

you don’t like an umpires lbw call, you can do nothing, can’t argue or debate, that’s dissent … don’t like the ball change it should be the same. Remove any ability for the players to have input…. Too many have shown that they cannot do it responsibly without wasting copious time and potentially overs. It’s a pity but that’s where we are in world cricket… poor apprehensive umpires, players who are not altogether respectful of tradition, laws and most importantly the cricketing public, paying money to watch cricket.

I can see T20s going the way of baseball where they use a pitch clock now. Has sped up the game hugely and made it a better spectacle.