Starts in a couple of hours, surely it can't be as dramatic as Friday's contest, or can it.

We’ve seen some good cricket this year thankfully. The t20 v Australia was brilliant but that day at Old Trafford when we beat Pakistan is the best cricket I’ve watched since we restarted.

Some sports can handle the lack of fans better than others. Cricket is still cricket, if there are 5 people there or 50,000 at the MCG.

Footy however is a pale imitation without the fans

Ric_C wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 1:05 pm

Some sports can handle the lack of fans better than others. Cricket is still cricket, if there are 5 people there or 50,000 at the MCG.

Footy however is a pale imitation without the fans

There's some truth in that, however T20 is vastly different to test cricket, and it's games like these where the absence of fans will be felt more.

Some cricket matches have had a sprinkling of spectators allowed to attend as part of the pilot scheme, and in an ordinary 4 day CC match, you wouldn't necessarily notice a huge difference, they generally aren't greatly attended in normal times, the expectations possibly being the Roses contest, and maybe Middlesex-Surrey, both those fixtures usually attract larger numbers.

There's growing noises that some football games will be open to a small number of fans from early October, but as with everything else this is subject to the situation at the time.

Cricket is still cricket, and football is still football. The atmosphere and tension at Headingley for Ben Stokes day last year was better than any football game I have been at.

dande - better than Robbie’s goal v Man Utd?

Yes Clegghall - better than that. Better than Elliott at Wembley. I'd actually put it as better than any sporting event / success I've been at. Better than they Ryder Cup at the K Club, better than my own horse winning a race (never ever thought that would be beaten to be honest). Such an emotional roller coaster, such a feeling that every ball could be the ultimate end of the game, building and building to a crescendo over such a long time. I've never been at a sporting event, with so many people reduced to tears at the end of it.

Australia win the toss (My perception of Morgan winning the toss is that he is very unlucky in that space) and choose to bat first..... batting first of course eliminates the bottle job of chasing down a target.

We need Bairstow to fire today.

Hales and Roy are a massive miss for England in white ball cricket at the top of the order. It was that partnership that propelled us to world number one.

Get in Jofra, Warner gone 3rd ball for a big fat zero.

Alex Carey comes in at number 3, is Smith hiding in the dressing room

Carey gone, Aussies 3/2 after two overs, great start for England.

Get Smith early and we could easily roll them for 100-120 here, they showed the other night how brittle their middle/lower order is when under pressure. Archer & Wood meting out the punishment, it's always good to see the Aussies looking clueless, long way to go yet though.

Smith run out by Morgan, 30/3.

England well in the box seat now. let's make sure we keep our foot to the mettle. Brilliant work from the skip.

Morgan off with dislocated finger
Hope he is fit to bat

Morgan back 69-3 from 11

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:08 pm

Morgan off with dislocated finger
Hope he is fit to bat

He's back on

But so is Pietersen in the commentary box.
Time to make a brew

Finch gone
Brilliant

Maxwell in now
Sound off now Pieterson on

We needed Finch out, he was starting to motor. 79/4 after 12.

89/5, Stoinus gone, big wicket.

Rachid strikes
89-5

England's game to lose from here, only 7 overs left, they'll do well to get 140-150 now most of their big guns are out.

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:15 pm

Maxwell in now
Sound off now Pieterson on

It’s on BBC1 with Jimmy co-commentating

Never judge a pitch until both
Sides have batted....

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:23 pm

Never judge a pitch until both
Sides have batted....

Good point, and I believe it's the same pitch they used on Friday, so it might wear, the problem for Australia is having a defendable total to protect.

Right now unless Maxwell goes crazy in these next 5 overs that looks unlikely.

Maxwell gone in 19th over. Could be important. 132/6

Same pitch for the third one
It is only 120 overs maximum

Correction 18th over.

England need 158 to win. Should be gettable but look what happened in he last game.

158 to win... I’d say a 65% chance of winning

Ridiculous , allowing Archer to wear a chain like that whilst playing for England .

expoultryboy wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:58 pm

Ridiculous , allowing Archer to wear a chain like that whilst playing for England .

Why?

Poor last over from Jofra, 18 from it, 158 should be doable, but a few early wickets and who knows, I wouldn't rule Australia out of this yet.

dandeclaret wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 3:59 pm

Why?

Because he looks like he is playing in a calypso band

Top Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:06 pm

Because he looks like he is playing in a calypso band

Would imagine its pretty off putting for the opposition batters to when hes charging in at 90mph surprised hes allowed to wear them big chains ...

Top Claret wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:06 pm

Because he looks like he is playing in a calypso band

I thought he looked like and England cricketer wearing a chain. In the same way Stuart Broad looked like an England cricketer wearing a headband in the recent test series.

Bairstow gone hit wicket

Yorkshire’s finest fails to produce...... again.

Bairstowe unlucky

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:25 pm

Bairstowe unlucky

Unlucky? Rookie mistake, stupid way to get out.

That's the first ball Bairstow has middled all summer

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:25 pm

Bairstowe unlucky

Incredibly careless IMO. He's opening the batting for an International side, and loses concentration like that.

DAVETHEVICAR wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:25 pm

Bairstowe unlucky

That’s not unlucky Dave, that was really poor from him.

ClaretTony wrote: ↑

Sun Sep 06, 2020 4:40 pm

That’s not unlucky Dave, that was really poor from him.

It wasn't even as good as that CT!

Malan gone for 42, surely England aren't going to implode the same as the Aussies the other day are they? As long as Jos stays in we'll be fine, but he really needs to bat through.

Banton gone cheaply, England are in danger of making a hash of this, 36 off 28 needed.

Morgan was just the man we needed at the crease. That wicket is just what we didn’t want.

Squeaky bum time now Morgan's gone

Like i said on the previous game Morgan seems to go for nothing or goes big.
We should still win this.