The Cricket Thread

[Drumstick]

Let's hope they pitch it up.

[Balladeer]

Looks like they've stuffed it already to be quite frank.

That might be a good thing going forwards. Remove Root as captain, change of personnel, force the ECB to improve the standards of the County Championship and pick players from there... A man can dream.

[Mini E]

Get Smith here and things get interesting.

[Balladeer]

Get Smith here

Good one.

[Mini E]

Right?

[Parksey]

A decent session so far to get us back on track though you feel, again, that the key to the Australian innings is when you get Smith out.

This is also the first time I've been at home in the UK for an Ashes test for ages, always having to listen to it on the radio or watch the BBC text feed. I sweat Steve Smith's tics and twirls have gotten much crazier than the last time I saw him live.

[Drumstick]

Obviously ending in a draw but it's a nice start.

[Drumstick]

Jofra at 96mph!!

[Rex Kramer]

As good as he is, Steve Smith really takes the fun out of cricket.

[Drumstick]

That looked absolutely vicious.

[Denster]

Smith is a strawberry floating Lion.

[Cuttooth]

[Dowbocop]

Great stuff lads.

[Rex Kramer]

What a bag of shite.

[Rex Kramer]

So, who wins at the end of play tomorrow?

[Hypes]

England make another 40, mostly Woakes and Australia finish it off quite easily

[Mini E]

There's no way of England winning with the time left in the game (barring England getting skittled and somehow Australia doing the same). Brain money is on the draw. Life experience leans towards an Aussie win for the lols.

[Parksey]

I dunno, this is highly optimistic, but if we can quickly rack up a lead of 200 and stick Australia in, without Smith there is a small chance we could get through them.

Admittedly I was saying this last night and wanting us to get the 200 and declare before lunch, whereas we've only had 30 mins or so or play up until now.

[Mini E]

Ben Stokes just got hit where it hurts and stump mic was turned up to full volume, all you heard was *THUD* "AHHHHHHH IN THE DICK"

Edit:

twitter.com/MaxGermain52/status/1163089301795684352

[Parksey]

That lead should ensure that there's absolutely no way Australia can win. My target of 200 gave us more time to get them out but also left it plausible for them to surpass it.

The problem is now is that we need the win more than Australia do. If they draw they only need 1 win out of the last 3 to retain the Ashes. We would need 2 wins and to avoid defeat in the third one.