Fourth Ashes Test: Trent Bridge

[Pies4shaw]

"England is on the cusp of winning a fourth consecutive home Ashes, something the home side has not achieved since Australia recorded the team's first away series win in 1899."

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-08-02/australia-looking-for-answers-at-trent-bridge/6665968

Quelle horreur!!!

[piedys]

Can Clarke go "back-to-back" like his genius predecessor Ponting?! Stay tuned!

[Pies4shaw]

Look, if left to his own devices I'm sure he could replicate the Hafey 79-81 "3peat".

[piedys]

[Donny]

Mitchell Johnson became the 12th player to achieve the Test double of 2000 runs and 300 wickets at Edgbaston and Stuart Broad, with 299 wickets to his name, is poised to join the list on his home ground.

Only Anderson has bowled more deliveries than Broad in international cricket in this decade.

The Marsh brothers - the sons of former Australia opener Geoff - have appeared in a combined total of 20 Tests, but they have only played together once - against India at Brisbane last December.

Steven Smith needs 59 runs to reach 3,000 in Tests

[Donny]

England (probable) 1 Alastair Cook (capt), 2 Adam Lyth, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Joe Root, 5 Jonny Bairstow, 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Moeen Ali, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Mark Wood, 11 Steven Finn

Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Chris Rogers, 3 Steven Smith, 4 Michael Clarke (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Peter Nevill (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon

Pitch and conditions

Alastair Cook has predicted "another Edgbaston" and if so it will continue the transformation from the attritional pitches of recent vintage. Trent Bridge dare not risk a boring surface, having been marked "poor" a year ago by the ICC for a slow, low surface for a Test against India in which only 29 wickets fell. The weather is also unsettled enough to fill both bowling attacks with optimism.

Cricinfo.

[King Monkey]

- Can't believe it's taken this long for at least some talk about Clarke going back down to 5. Won't happen, but at least the conversation started. He would never have moved up to 4 if I had anything to do with Australian Cricket.
- I've never believed your best, most attacking player should bat at 3, especially when you have a Warner type opener, especially on seaming decks with swinging overhead conditions, and especially when that man has technical deficiencies like Steve Smith.
- Mitchell Marsh looked like getting out every ball he faced at Edgbaston, he was facing hand grenades. And he hardly bowled. If anyone thinks he bats better than Watson, they don't watch cricket. That selection isn't even close for mine.
- Starc bowls too much rubbish to go with his unplayable balls. Really tight call between him and Siddle, depends if you're trying to blast the opposition out, or work to a plan.

So, taking the first 3 tests into account and only considering those in the touring party, my preferred XI for the fourth test:
1 Rogers
2 Warner
3 S.Marsh
4 Smith
5 Clarke (c)
6 Watson
7 Nevill (wk)
8 Johnson
9 Starc
10 Hazlewood
11 Lyon
12th Siddle

[Lazza]

I would give Adam Voges one more chance.

[Donny]

England has won the toss and will bowl first.

[Donny]

Mitch Marsh out. Shaun Marsh in.

[Donny]

Anderson out for England. Wood recalled.

[swoop42]

How embarrassing.

3/15.

[didick]

It's over.

[King Monkey]

Batting order becomes a touch irrelevant when you're 4 fa in the 3rd over........ Deary me!!

[swoop42]

4/15.

3rd over.

Bloody Nora.