Well, much much better from England today after an absolutely dismal batting display yesterday, FINALLY remembering how to play test match cricket and that they're not playing a 50 over game, remembering what to leave and what not to leave and staying in and not wafting at silly stuff even if they've only got a couple of runs in 3 or 4 overs.
I think too much 50 over cricket has fucked them up a bit on the batting side to be honest, like yesterdays display, when a player got out, each next one treated it as though it were a one day game, playing silly shots at things like they HAD to immediately get runs on the board instead of the required 'toughing it out' and patience. They need to look at Labuschagne, he plays like a true old school test cricket player, leaves it on line and length, he scores really slowly, but he stays in and accumulates slowly and makes England have to play as less attacking field the longer he occupies the crease, although I don't think Root is attacking enough with his field settings in a lot of situations, like the Aussies second innings, as soon as Kawaja was out he should have been all over them but was too conservative.
Think with the bowlers we have and the bounce they can get out of nowhere we need to work on that bouncer nipping back into the body, just coming up into the ribs, need them to work on that ball for Smith and Labuschagne in particular as well as our plans to the right handers. The Aussies have had really good success with that ball and when it's right, because it's that extra bounce that comes out of nowhere, there really isn't a lot the batsmen can do about it, really really difficult to get hands and bat out of the way quickly enough, that'd be my plan for Smith and Labuschagne, close catcher right up there
"If Everton were playing at the bottom of my garden, i'd close the curtains”
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