2025-2026 Summer of Cricket

I can't believe how dumb this English team plays. Smith was just starting to take control there playing legimate cricket shots, then tries to drag one from outside off over the on side...
 
In Affectionate Remembrance

OF

BAZBALL AKA ENGLISH CRICKET,

WHICH DIED AT ADELAIDE OVAL

ON

21st December 2025,
Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances.

__________________

R.I.P.

_________________



N.B. - The body will be cremated and the ashes retained in Australia.
 
England did well to get as close as they did to our score.

They have some talented players in their team but they are so reckless with the bat at times.
 
Macca89 said:
That pitch in New Zealand but be a tarmac. Should be an interesting chase tomorrow
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First and third pitches have been roads. Wellington produced a quality test match surface for the second test, of course. 😎😂

Conway and Latham became the first two openers to both score hundreds in both innings of a first class game, let alone a test match! Pretty amazing record.
 
If the Windies go close to chasing that total down this game will be second on the all time aggregate runs scored in a test. Current first and second were back in the day when you played until there was a result.
 
England’s Ashes campaign reminds me of the English general’s approach to their early offensives in World War I when wave after wave of soldiers were forced to walk towards entrenched machine guns with predictable results.

England have put up a good fight for awhile in each test but an injury weakened Australia have been clearly superior each time.

England’s selection has been poor, some of their players like Duckett and Pope are well below test standard. Their preparation was diabolical and “they were deaming” in thinking playing bazball all the time would work in Australia.

Australia still has 2 tests to win and the depth in their squad to do it.
 
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I don't think the English took the wrong approach.
They have been getting smashed by us for 20 years by trying the old "stiff upper lip" - giving it their best effort etc approach.

Bazball is basically them giving themselves what is called in boxing, a puncher's chance. They have decided to throw everything they have at us and hope for a knockout, before we grind them to dust.

The problem with English cricket has been well known for 40 years - and it's basically that they have never been able to change the system that used to be their strength - the county cricket system.

Before the 1970s, England was the only place in the world where there were hundreds of professional cricket players - all playing county cricket and training and playing fulltime. Even the Australian test team were either working a real job, or playing county cricket in the Australian off season to make ends meet.

There are 18 "first class" counties and 20 "minor" counties, and for political reasons, they can't seem to change that.

We have 6 first class state sides in Australia - all fully professional - and all playing very close to test level against each other.

Some of the English counties would struggle in Sydney grade cricket.

In short - they need to cut down to a maximum of 10 counties in the top comp and play fiercely competitive games every week and train with top class players every week or they'll never compete with us again.

It's 50 years since England had the only professional comp and they were the team to beat in the cricket world, and their old system isn't fit for purpose anymore.
 
Billy said:
I don't think the English took the wrong approach.
They have been getting smashed by us for 20 years by trying the old "stiff upper lip" - giving it their best effort etc approach.

Bazball is basically them giving themselves what is called in boxing, a puncher's chance. They have decided to throw everything they have at us and hope for a knockout, before we grind them to dust.

The problem with English cricket has been well known for 40 years - and it's basically that they have never been able to change the system that used to be their strength - the county cricket system.

Before the 1970s, England was the only place in the world where there were hundreds of professional cricket players - all playing county cricket and training and playing fulltime. Even the Australian test team were either working a real job, or playing county cricket in the Australian off season to make ends meet.

There are 18 "first class" counties and 20 "minor" counties, and for political reasons, they can't seem to change that.

We have 6 first class state sides in Australia - all fully professional - and all playing very close to test level against each other.

Some of the English counties would struggle in Sydney grade cricket.

In short - they need to cut down to a maximum of 10 counties in the top comp and play fiercely competitive games every week and train with top class players every week or they'll never compete with us again.

It's 50 years since England had the only professional comp and they were the team to beat in the cricket world, and their old system isn't fit for purpose anymore.
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Back when I played in the Sydney Grade comp you’d have county players come out every season and play and a lot of them would start out in first grade and by the end of the season would be struggling to make second grade.
 
No Cummins or Lyon for the rest of the series. Be interesting to see if we replace Cummins with Neser or go with Richardson. I would think Murphy comes in for Lyon unless they go with 4 quick again

Archer gone for the series. Ollie Pope dropped for someone who hasn’t scored a first class hundred in Bethell.
 
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