Ashes 2021-22.

[meninblue]

England escape with a draw. Well done by Broad for surviving 35 balls.

[sussexpob]

I guess we now need to review this series in a different light....England have now exceeded expectations

[Durhamfootman]

they certainly exceeded mine today. Well done to them. Feels like a long time since England batted a day to save a test match

Buttler going home seemingly. Will we see him in England whites again?

[sussexpob]

Hopefully not

[bigfluffylemon]

they certainly exceeded mine today. Well done to them. Feels like a long time since England batted a day to save a test match

Buttler going home seemingly. Will we see him in England whites again?

First time since 2013.

[Durhamfootman]

my thoughts entirely

[bigfluffylemon]

For the sake of completeness, have to criticize Cummins for not declaring sooner.

[Gingerfinch]

For the sake of completeness, have to criticize Cummins for not declaring sooner.

Twice!

[Arthur Crabtree]

I'm sure Shane is doing that at length.

[sussexpob]

For the sake of completeness, have to criticize Cummins for not declaring sooner.

He gave khawaja his 100 and it cost them the game (probably)....but it doesn't matter really

[bigfluffylemon]

For the sake of completeness, have to criticize Cummins for not declaring sooner.

He gave khawaja his 100 and it cost them the game (probably)....but it doesn't matter really

Well, it does and it doesn't. It cost Australia test championship points (meh) and a whitewash (which they do care about). Has it saved this from being the worst tour ever? Maybe, maybe not. But it's given England supporters a bit of a filip, albeit a small one.

If it had been a decision of Joe's, we'd have been all over him.

[bigfluffylemon]

Plus Australia dropped at least three fairly straightforward chances...

[bigfluffylemon]

This is also what I mean about Lyon. Ok, he took 2-28, which statistically is fine, but on a fifth day wicket he should have been at the forefront and won the game for Australia. He went missing in the last two tests against India as well.

It's easy to paper over as he is part of a strong attack (seriously, how do Australia keep on unearthing guys like Boland and Richardson that can bowl fast and accurately), and he keeps it tidy, but he doesn't seem to be the threat he once was.

[alfie]

Phew ! I enjoyed that - in a stressful sort of way. Something about a draw salvaged from the depths of despair. On the one hand it seems almost "wrong" to celebrate a narrow escape like that - especially when you are already 3-0 down in a series : but on the other hand after near nine hours of chewing fingernails (with , to be honest , a strong expectation that all would be lost eventually even if it did come down to the last couple of overs) ... Well I admit to letting out a cheer and pouring a solid glass of whisky...

Unique to cricket , isn't it : in football , if Andorra is down 10-0 at half time there is no way for them to salvage anything ; a tennis player getting hammered can maybe hang about but if he can't break his opponent he will sooner or later be broken himself ; but a cricket team can be roundly outplayed for five days and still sometimes end up with a share of the spoils - if it can muster enough courage and determination to fight out the closing hours. (OK I accept that various football teams can draw games too - but they don't do it from truly hopeless positions , so not the same thing). I might list a few similar games well remembered over the years , when I get some time to reflect.

This doesn't change the fact that Australia have been overwhelmingly superior in this series ; or that England have a heap of problems quite apart from the present difficulty of finding XI players fit to take the field next Friday. But it does show that for all their flaws these fellows don't lack for spirit and a measure of ability ; and perhaps deserve a little more sympathy for the near impossible task given them by the absurd schedule and total lack of proper preparation for this series.

Still have to get a team up for Hobart ; and try to even go one better there - or at least fight as they have here in Sydney. Will - rightly - be a lot of soul searching after the tour is done ; and some careers will be set back or even ended. T'was ever thus after a "big" series defeat. But that can wait. Tonight I salute the players who overcame injuries ; or , in the case of the bowlers , general lack of batting skills , to survive under huge pressure and claw back a bit of pride.

A small triumph , perhaps. But when you've been hammered for weeks small steps are still very welcome

[bigfluffylemon]

Apparently in between Covid chaos, an anti-vaxxer tennis saga, a covid-ravaged T20 tournament and the fallout over a party during lockdown, there's a test match starting today.

Also in a small slice of history, the first time ever an Ashes test will be held in Tasmania.

Root sounded absolutely dog-tired in his pre-match TMS interview. And I don't blame him.

Can England follow their least-worst performance of the summer by actually competing with Australia over 5 days? Or will normal service be resumed? And at this point, does anyone even care?