Quote:
Originally Posted by Osem
Oh dear, anyone would think the cricketing world was coming to an end judging by the way some commentators are slamming England's response to a huge first innings total by Australia. Odd how the very same people who've been banging on about our top/middle order batting frailties and the lack of anyone able to grind out an innings to save the day are now condemning England for doing just that.
This sort of play isn't dramatic but it is does represent what's required sometimes when the chips are down. Frankly, in recent years, quite a few of our so called top batsmen have become used to giving their wickets away and it's great (if not pretty) to see, at last, some real grit and determination. God only knows we'll probably need it in future tours with this side. It might not be pretty, but given the rather odd team selection, preventing Australia winning a match they were massive favourites in after their first innings will be a very good result even if it's not quite what most of us hoped for.
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I agree. It was always going to be difficult after losing the toss, batting first was a big advantage, so England are well within their rights to play the way they have done. They've done the hard work, played the good cricket in the previous tests, now they are showing they can grind out results and not lose.