3rd Ashes Test - Australia v England - MCG

[shanghaiclaret]

Our batsmen have failed again and again. Our bowlers have bowled too short for the first three Australian innings.

In spite of this, we would have been reasonably competitive if we had held our catches. If we have to improve one area, it is our fielding. That starts with you Mr Buttler. No good taking worldies one minute and dropping dollies the next. NO MORE DROPPED CATCHES.

[RammyClaret61]

I’ll be there tomorrow. Just hope we turn up and put a performance in.

[Burnley1989]

Our batsmen have failed again and again. Our bowlers have bowled too short for the first three Australian innings.

In spite of this, we would have been reasonably competitive if we had held our catches. If we have to improve one area, it is our fielding. That starts with you Mr Buttler. No good taking worldies one minute and dropping dollies the next. NO MORE DROPPED CATCHES.

That’s the frustrating thing, this isn’t a great Australian team by any stretch and we should be able to take them a lot closer.

[Burnley1989]

I’ll be there tomorrow. Just hope we turn up and put a performance in.

Have a class day! Boxing Day test is on my bucket list

[Newcastleclaret93]

England Men's XI for third Ashes Test: Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wk), Mark Wood, Ollie Robinson, Jack Leach, James Anderson.

[AfloatinClaret]

I’ll be there tomorrow. Just hope we turn up and put a performance in.

If it hadn't been for bloody COVID we would've been there too, seats in the Members and even successful in the lunch ballot. The final kick was to hear that the friend who'd invited us can't now go either, his daughter tested positive last night

[ashtonlongsider]

The Melbourne test is for me one of the great sporting occasions. The MCG is truly one of the iconic sporting arenas and I hope England don't let us down like they have in the previous 2 tests. I'll be surprised if there's wholesale changed, it's the application thats lacking with bat, ball and especially in the field. I'd definitely bring in Bairstow (for Pope) because I think his experience will be invaluable. Not sure about others, it will depend on the wicket, whether they go with a spinner of another seamer.

[SalisburyClaret]

Crawley - average if 11 this year
Bairstow - top score of 67 in 15 innings this year
I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle - can’t we say we’ve got Covid?

[TheFamilyCat]

Crawley - average if 11 this year
Bairstow - top score of 67 in 15 innings this year
I’m hoping for a Christmas miracle - can’t we say we’ve got Covid?

Crawley average 11, Hameed about 25. If they can reach those levels and with a few extras we could push to 40 for the opening stand. That would represent a fine start for England.

[SalisburyClaret]

Crawley average 11, Hameed about 25. If they can reach those levels and with a few extras we could push to 40 for the opening stand. That would represent a fine start for England.

Depressingly true!

[Milltown1882]

Lovely touch of rain around Melbourne right now

[jrgbfc]

Hope the rain passes through quickly I'm planning on staying up for the first session!

[kentonclaret]

Lovely touch of rain around Melbourne right now

Reminds me of the time I was in Melbourne when they experienced one of the coldest Christmas days on record and the newspapers on Boxing Day had pictures of lying snow on the ground in the surrounding mountain ranges. So much for Christmas dinner on the beach.

[RammyClaret61]

D28CBF1B-C55F-478A-AB37-36138D7685A6.jpeg (1.9 MiB) Viewed 1967 times

Clarets at the “G”.

[tiger76]

Boland & Cummins come in for the Aussies, where do Australia keep finding these fast bowlers? they seem to possess an endless conveyor belt of them.

[RammyClaret61]

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Not a bad view.

[Milltown1882]

Oz win the toss and bowl first. It’s gonna be a long night gentlemen.

[RammyClaret61]

Aussies win the toss. England will… “Bat”…. Hopefully

[tiger76]

Bad toss to lose, England will be skittled out by tea I'm afraid.

Sincerely hope I'm wrong, but if I wake up in the morning and we're still batting I'll be shocked based on the series thus far.

[RammyClaret61]

It’s rather more like Manchester than Melbourne. It’s rather chilly.

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Australia drop bowler who had 5-42 in last test
Our tail starts at No 8
Woakes could have been included as a batter.
He bats better than most of our top 6
Hope I am wrong but think Leach or any of our so called specialist spinners are nowhere near good enough forTest Cricket.

[Milltown1882]

What time will Root stroll to the crease? I’m saying 00.27

[Taffy on the wing]

Hope the rain passes through quickly I'm planning on staying up for the first session!

You'll probably wish you'd gone to bed, looking at that wicket......very green indeed.

[ClaretTony]

You'll probably wish you'd gone to bed, looking at that wicket......very green indeed.

My plan was to watch at least until lunch but I reckon I’ll be asleep even before we lose a couple of wickets

[ClaretTony]

That’s one gone

[Milltown1882]

My plan was to watch at least until lunch but I reckon I’ll be asleep even before we lose a couple of wickets

And it begins

[SydneyClaret]

Wow. Hamer should have gone home with Burns.

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Lancashire had the right idea about Hameed. Dreadful opener.

[Milltown1882]

Anyone got Dom Sibley and Joe Denly’s numbers?

[ClaretTony]

Lancashire had the right idea about Hameed. Dreadful opener.

Showed great promise for a year, was called up for England and did well before breaking a finger.

Since ……. Not a lot.

[Colburn_Claret]

I'd say shocking, only sadly it isn't.

This whole team needs to hang their heads in shame

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Great ball but now after less than 2 overs my suggestion of playing Woakes who top scored in last test second innings and can bowl would have proved a better selection

[ClaretTony]

This whole team needs to hang their heads in shame

It’s not shame - we are just not good enough

[Steve-Harpers-perm]

Showed great promise for a year, was called up for England and did well before breaking a finger.

Since ……. Not a lot.

Bar Root can’t think of one player who has improved under this coaching set up.

[tiger76]

Good delivery from Cummins to claim the wicket TBF, but this is a shocking stat regarding England's batting this year.

That is England's 50th duck of the year. The all-time record is 54 - England in 1998.

And I wouldn't bet against that 1998 number being exceeded before this test is out.

[jdrobbo]

The money is in white ball cricket and the ECB have prioritised the money over the game that matters to so many. We might be winning silverware in the other formats but if you can’t bat out a couple of sessions against your fiercest rivals then there’s a huge problem.

Tony’s right, we’re just not good enough, BUT we should be good enough: it’s all our own doing. Not good enough England.

[ClaretTony]

The money is in white ball cricket and the ECB have prioritised the money over the game that matters to so many. We might be winning silverware in the other formats but if you can’t bat out a couple of sessions against your fiercest rivals then there’s a huge problem.

Tony’s right, we’re just not good enough, BUT we should be good enough: it’s all our own doing. Not good enough England.

We certainly should be a lot better than we are

[ClaretTony]

At least Gower is winding them up by repeatedly giving the score in the ‘runs for wickets’ format

[Taffy on the wing]

I'd say shocking, only sadly it isn't.

This whole team needs to hang their heads in shame

It's only one wicket!.....steady on......this could be the turning point

[Taffy on the wing]

I'm only following the BBC commentary by the way so i'm partially shielded from the horror.

[Milltown1882]

I'm only following the BBC commentary by the way so i'm partially shielded from the horror.

I’m jealous

[Gunfury]

Joe Root may as well just open from now on….he’s practically the 3rd opener anyway

[Taffy on the wing]

To be fair it was a horrible toss to lose.
I'm still making xmas dinner ....pretty soon i'll be too numb to care.

[tiger76]

What time will Root stroll to the crease? I’m saying 00.27

Only 10 minutes out, he actually strolled to the crease at 00.37.

[tiger76]

To be fair it was a horrible toss to lose.
I'm still making xmas dinner ....pretty soon i'll be too numb to care.

It was a horrible toss to lose, however if Australia were batting first do you really think they'd be 2 down so early?

[Taffy on the wing]

Looks like some have gone to bed.......

[ClaretTony]

Looks like some have gone to bed.......

Not quite but I think this will be my final post

[Taffy on the wing]

31-2 could be worse frankly.......these 2 are our main hope.

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Still here and watch until lunch

[DAVETHEVICAR]

Last ball before lunch Malan gone
Awful morning