Fifth Ashes Test. The Oval.

[K]

Khawaja is a terrible nicker. It was no surprise to hear those stats. Not just a nicker, but a thin edger. He cannot even get thick edges. Seven of those eight nicks were to the keeper. No need for slips cordons, etc. The ball has not been hooping around in this series or the previous Oz series, either. After his last Test, all of Taylor, Healy & Chappell wanted him dropped. Some didn't even want him in the squad to start with.

He has no footwork. He doesn't even bother bending at the knee. He just stands rooted to the crease and dangles the bat out. His technique is totally inadequate if there's any movement. In hindsight (well maybe in foresight too), he should not have been selected in the squad.


On the positive side, I suppose it's better than being bowled all the time, as Bairstow and Roy are.

Modern batsmen have no Test-standard technique.

[K]

I haven't looked carefully, but I don't see markets for individual batsmen's scores or the bowler who dismisses them.

I do see H2H markets, such as Root vs. Warner (1.57, 2.37), Marnus vs. Warner (1.66, 2.20), and Smith vs. Warner (1.40, 3.00).

I don't know if that means for the whole match (sum of both innings). I guess so, but they should say somewhere. I guess you then need to worry about a 10-wicket win giving Davey two innings to Marnus's one.

Is Root really a better bet than Marnus?

[K]

Pre-game odds:

Oz 47%
England 38%
Draw 15%.

[Donny]

Head dropped. Marsh in.

[K]

Do they think Head has performed worse than Wade? That is very unclear to me.

With Warner, they are just in a state of denial, but if the pitch is as flat as everyone says, maybe they'll get away with it. (Not that there are good replacements, of course, but watching Bancroft get turned around for 40 balls is better than seeing Warner disappear first ball.)

----------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, flat-track bully Roy has been axed, and so has racial abuser Overton. Stokes will bat only (at 4, they say). Curran and Woakes are in.

[Donny]

ENGLAND XI: Rory Burns, Joe Denly, Joe Root (c), Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach

AUSTRALIA XII: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood (one to be omitted)

[Donny]

Paine won the toss .... and elected to bowl first.

[K]

Siddle in for Starc.

Bold gamble by Paine to bowl first.

J. Maxwell: "Both sides' batting has been so porous."
He says Warner will be relieved he doesn't have to face up to Broad immediately.

And Cummins beats Burns straight up.

Lloyd tells us the average opening stand this series is 9.

Good first over from Pat.

[K]

Denly tries to leave Hazlewood, and the ball hits the splice of his retreating bat but goes straight to ground.

Athers on the pitch: "One things' for certain: it won't be as quick as in days gone by."

The camera pans to Sam Curran. He looks so young.
Athers: "Really, England have to find his right role in the team. Is he a batting all-rounder, a bowling all-rounder...?"

I'm just happy someone untarnished by past behaviour is in the England team instead of the guy he replaced.

[Donny]

Interesting.

Who would've thought Starc would play just 1 Test ?

[K]

Cummins continues.

Lloyd: "Easy-paced, I would say. 88 mph. Just through pleasantly."

Lloyd: "3 slips and a gully... and a short leg. Short leg is deep."

Marsh dives and stops well at mid on. He's pleased with himself.

Athers says the short leg has gone deeper than at Old Trafford.

[K]

Hazlewood gets Burns LBW. But Burns reviews instantly.

Ultra Edge shows flat line.
Ball tracking ... Missing! Decision reversed. It was high.

Athers says he thought that was a poor decision. He notes Burns didn't even bother checking with his mate, which normally you would with LBWs.

Lloyd wonders whether an early bad decision will affect the confidence of Umpire Erasmus.

[K]

Cummins to Denly. Huge appeal. Not out! They talk. They don't review.

Lloyd and Athers were sure it was out!
Lloyd: "What about the noise?"

Again, Denly tries to leave and the ball hits the bat. He is unjustly rewarded for his error with a boundary. Marnus tried to save, but was not in time. (They checked with the TV.)

I loathe Denly!

Ultra Edge shows nothing but back pad on that earlier appeal, so it was a good decision by Umpire Dharmasena.

[K]

Discussion returns to the depth of the short leg. It's not as deep for Burns, they say. Athers says it's probably because Burns has softer hands, while Denly comes a bit hard at the ball, so for him it may carry further.

Burns on drives Hazlewood for 4 with a straight bat.

But next ball he plays edgily, and there are oohs and hands on heads.

Then Denly edges in the air away from gully for 4.

Athers: "If there are two gullies, that's you done! ... He can't help himself. His eyes light up."

Athers adds: "A big booming drive is not a percentage option... unless it's a rank half-volley."

[Donny]

I'll be interested to hear Paine's reason/s for choosing to bowl first.

Please, Tim, not just because it's a bit overcast.