The English Revolution – A DaveK tale

[Planted E2]

Nice! World Cup ODI winners.

Without wishing to put down your efforts, I'm getting the feeling that England is way more powerful than any of the other nations in this game.

Yeah, I can't beat them with New Zealand. Can do just with South Africa though. ODI bowling attack is very tough

[DaveK93]

England are pretty strong, granted, but we have the power of hindsight that players do well in game haven't necessarily IRL, Lyth being an example. I think the main thing is that England have 11+ top notch players, I wouldn't necessarily say that the other international teams, AUS and SA excluded, have the same luxury. For example, of the Sri Lankan runners up squad, I'd say that only Kaushal and Mathews are top class players, the others are a little average. Give it 20-30 years and I start to find that the quality regens are finally through and established, and that's when it gets more difficult.

[GrahamB]

Looking forward to the Ashes.

[DaveK93]

Ashes week starts on Monday with the first test match. Squad news will be out Sunday night.

[DaveK93]

So, the Ashes are back. Here are the 12 men charged with starting us off in the first test.



3 names you won’t recognise are Terry Barlow, Robert Boston and Robert Dyke. So, a quick run down:

Terry Barlow – 26, Yorkshire. HS 146, 2 test centuries. With an ever changing middle order, he’ll be looking to seal his position.

Robert Boston – 26, Worcestershire. HS 131, 1 test century. In direct competition with James Taylor. Robert actually played in the away Ashes of 2016, so will be looking to play his first home Ashes.

Robert Dyke – 25, Worcestershire. HS 69*, BB 6-91. 46 Test Wickets. The new Graeme Swann. After a solid contribution in the WC Final, Dyke has established himself as the lead English spinner. He’s never played an Ashes series before, and he’ll be looking to continue some sterling work from the past season.

Last Ashes series: Australia 0-1 England – The highest scoring, and dullest Ashes on record. Things can surely only get better.

[DaveK93]

First Ashes Test

Cloudy conditions sum up the first game, in which promises to be bowler friendly conditions. England line up with the traditional Anderson/Wood/Broad combo, with Dyke likely to find turn through the match. Stokes acts as the fifth bowler.

The Aussies meanwhile line up without the retired Mitchell Johnson, so Starc, Pattinson and Hazlewood lead the line. Wheatley makes his Aussie debut.

Key Battle – Adam Lyth vs Steven Smith.
Two of the best performing batsmen in recent seasons, both will have a point to prove this series.

Toss: England call heads, which turns out to be correct. In dark conditions, Australia are sent into bat.



The first session was all about who could assert dominance. At lunch, neither could have claimed it. Some hostile bowling from Wood worked well, as Burns was caught in the slips for 17. Warner threatened to cut lose, but Anderson put paid to that. Warner cut at one too many, slicing to Stokes for his second catch of the match. Smith and Dickens looked comfortable though, and threatened to take the session away from England. Dyke however had other ideas. A turning ball hit the top of Dickens’ bat as he went to sweep it, and Lyth made no mistake. At 95-3, the game was still at a stalemate.

The traditional English rain took 40 minutes out the afternoon session straight after lunch. The English bowlers saw it as a welcome break however, putting the batsmen under pressure. Dyke trapped Martin in front for 11, but Smith threatened to get after the bowlers to try and create some breathing space. Lynn and Smith got set for a while, but a rash shot by Lynn saw him trapped plum by Broad.

Smith was resolute though, and remained unfazed when Whiteman was bowled around his legs by Dyke for 17. Play finished early through bad light though, and at the close, England were on top with Australia on 242-6. Smith remained in on 96*.

Starc and Smith added a further 79 in the morning, before Anderson had Mitch caught for 40. Smith was eventually last out for 182 as Aus finished on 382, a superb effort given the previous days poor conditions.

Australia - 1st Innings
----------------------------------------------
D Warner        c Stokes b Anderson       20
J Burns         c Stokes b Wood           17
S Smith         c Cook b Dyke             182
D Dickens       c Lyth b Dyke             22
J Martin        lbw b Dyke                14
C Lynn          lbw b Broad               37
S Whiteman      b Dyke                    17
M Starc         c Barlow b Anderson       40
J Pattinson     c Cook b Dyke             5
B Wheatley      c Lyth b Wood             6
J Hazlewood     not out                   2
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb7,w5,b4,lb4)                   20
TOTAL: (all out, 119.4 overs)             382

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
S Broad         19      4       58      1
M Wood          29      6       88      2
J Anderson      26      4       84      2
B Stokes        15      0       51      0
R Dyke          30.4    6       93      5
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-24  2-44  3-87  4-106  5-185  
6-233  7-321  8-330  9-372  10-382

England put on 108 for the first wicket, but Lyth fell with 5 balls left of play for 64 to give Australia an opening. Boston and Cook were at the crease for the start of day 3.

Neither Boston or Barlow enhanced their chances for a solid spot in the team, both falling for low scores. Taylor, Balance and Hales are all pushing for spots, so it could be seen as a wasted chance. Root and Cook scored slowly, but stayed in, two English stalwarts doing what they do best. Cook’s 8th Ashes century was reached with an easy single, followed by a crunched 6 over long on.

Root eventually fell for 63, but a late cameo from Stokes saw him on 38* from 34 at the close, with Cook still standing on 139 from 372. With 2 days left, England were only 36 behind, and everything was still to play for.

With Cook finally gone for 154, caught off Hazlewood, England released the shackles a little. Wood set about making a cameo with the bat, and Dyke added 24. 415 all out though left England with a slender lead, and the game was still evenly poised in cloudy conditions. A lot depended on Englands bowling for the rest of session 2.

England - 1st Innings
----------------------------------------------
A Lyth          lbw b Hazlewood           64
A Cook          c Lynn b Hazlewood        154
R Boston        c Wheatley b Pattinson    4
T Barlow        c Whiteman b Wheatley     12
J Root          c & b Wheatley            63
B Stokes        lbw b Pattinson           38
J Buttler       c Whiteman b Starc        1
R Dyke          c Smith b Starc           24
M Wood          not out                   22
S Broad         lbw b Starc               3
J Anderson      lbw b Starc               0
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb14,w4,lb12)                    30
TOTAL: (all out, 159.5 overs)             415

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
M Starc         39.5    3       122     4
J Pattinson     41      7       108     2
B Wheatley      38      8       86      2
J Hazlewood     35      9       65      2
J Burns         5       0       21      0
S Smith         1       0       1       0
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-107  2-122  3-158  4-301  5-349  
6-351  7-388  8-403  9-415  10-415

An hours rain break immediately hampered progress, and wiped out half a session. Afterwards, Warner and Smith took England to task, running up to 161-2 by the close. Dismal bowling and attacking stroke play looked to have ended the match as winnable for England, and they were now under pressure.

The Aussie aggression continued, and England found themselves watching the ball travel to the boundary on more than one occasion. Warner finally fell for 92, but late hitting propelled them to 293-5 dec, setting England an impossible 261 to win the match.

Australia - 2nd Innings
----------------------------------------------
D Warner        b Anderson                92
J Burns         c Lyth b Stokes           15
S Smith         c Barlow b Broad          57
D Dickens       b Anderson                17
J Martin        not out                   49
C Lynn          lbw b Wood                39
S Whiteman      not out                   14
M Starc         
J Pattinson     
B Wheatley      
J Hazlewood     
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb3,w1,b4,lb2)                   10
TOTAL: (5 wkts, 85 overs)                 293

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
S Broad         16      2       54      1
M Wood          24      4       80      1
J Anderson      28      3       81      2
B Stokes        10      1       40      1
R Dyke          6       0       32      0
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-69  2-155  3-185  4-190  5-273

Lyth and Boston fell, but England managed to hold out for the draw. Serious questions were to be asked though about the dismal bowling displays in both innings. Was Jimmy still up to it, or was fresh blood needed? And are Barlow and Boston really good enough for this level?

England - 2nd Innings
----------------------------------------------
A Lyth          c Whiteman b Starc        1
A Cook          not out                   30
R Boston        c Lynn b Starc            30
T Barlow        not out                   18
J Root          
B Stokes        
J Buttler       
R Dyke          
M Wood          
S Broad         
J Anderson      
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb3,w1,b8,lb4)                   16
TOTAL: (2 wkts, 45 overs)                 95

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
M Starc         11      2       25      2
J Pattinson     13      4       22      0
J Hazlewood     12      1       25      0
B Wheatley      9       3       11      0
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-2  2-65

Series State: Eng 0-0 Aus

[Planted E2]

Barlow has a good average, but I'm not so sure about Boston though. Would swap him for Taylor or Ballance. Good work on finding Dyke though.

[DaveK93]

Second Test Match

The talk pre-match was centred around the new boys in the England squad, Barlow and Boston. Would they keep their places? Well, Barlow did. Robert Boston was dropped in favour of 21 year old David Sharpe of Durham, who boasts an impressive FC record of 72.37 in his short career. Barlow misses out as well though, with James Taylor taking the no.3 spot, Root at 4, Sharpe at 5.

The bowling unit remains unchanged, as do the Aussies.

England lost the toss, and were put into the field by the Australian skipper Smith.



Burns was the first casualty of the day as his poor start to the series continued. Anderson got him to edge behind, and Taylor did the rest. Anderson got the only other morning session wicket as well, with the dangerous Warner’s off stumped knocked out the ground. Smith was making short work of some poor bowling though, and looked comfortable.

He brought up his century midway through the afternoon, as England continued to look poor with the ball, Dyke, Wood and Stokes in particular looking very poor. Dickens also prospered, but he fell one short of his century with the score at 317-3.

Smith finally departed with the arrival of the new ball, falling to a slip catch off Anderson for 186. Jimmy then followed up by removing Lynn and Whiteman cheaply, leaving Aus 395-6 at the close. Given the poor bowling throughout the day, England could feel disappointed with their efforts, but winning the toss with the projected conditions and pitch was always going to be vital.

Anderson got Starc early on for his 6th wicket, whilst Dyke picked up two as Australia finished on 440 ao. The tourists should have really progressed more after a stunning knock by the captain, but England rallied behind their record wicket taker, who answered doubters questions about his skill levels. His counterparts however, did not.

Australia - 1st Innings
----------------------------------------------
D Warner        b Anderson                43
J Burns         c Taylor b Anderson       9
S Smith         c Cook b Anderson         186
D Dickens       c & b Wood                99
J Martin        not out                   56
C Lynn          b Anderson                3
S Whiteman      c Cook b Anderson         0
M Starc         c Cook b Broad            20
J Pattinson     b Anderson                8
B Wheatley      b Dyke                    2
J Hazlewood     c Taylor b Dyke           3
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb9,w2)                          11
TOTAL: (all out, 112.2 overs)             440

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
S Broad         31      3       96      1
M Wood          18      2       72      1
J Anderson      32      3       116     6
B Stokes        13      1       70      0
R Dyke          15.2    1       63      2
J Root          3       0       23      0
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-32  2-72  3-317  4-367  5-375  
6-375  7-417  8-429  9-435  10-440

England managed to see out the initial barrage, but Cap’n Cook fell for 27, as Wheatley caught him in front. The Lyth/Taylor combo was useful though, but as with Lyth in the first test, Taylor fell in the last over. His knock of 70 was assured and confident though, and had provided England with a solid base, something Boston had failed to do in the last match.

Lyth fell in the first over for 93, bringing debutant Sharpe to the crease. He immediately announced himself by smashing Starc for four consecutive fours, to the delight of the crowd. He and Stokes fell in quick succession though to leave England floundering at 273-5 when the new ball was taken.

Root and Buttler consolidated, and when Root fell lbw to Starc for 73, England had reduced the deficit to under 100. Once Buttler went though, England crumbled to 418 ao, leaving themselves behind, and bowling to the tourists in batting conditions for the second time in the match.

England - 1st Innings
----------------------------------------------
A Lyth          c & b Starc               93
A Cook          lbw b Wheatley            27
J Taylor        b Pattinson               70
J Root          lbw b Starc               73
D Sharpe        lbw b Pattinson           21
B Stokes        b Starc                   2
J Buttler       c & b Hazlewood           80
R Dyke          lbw b Starc               8
M Wood          c Dickens b Smith         16
S Broad         c Lynn b Smith            6
J Anderson      not out                   1
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb4,w1,b4,lb12)                  21
TOTAL: (all out, 117.5 overs)             418

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
M Starc         30      5       109     4
J Pattinson     32      2       112     2
B Wheatley      27      1       88      1
J Hazlewood     23      3       78      1
J Burns         5       0       14      0
S Smith         0.5     0       1       2
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-61  2-205  3-209  4-234  5-245  
6-375  7-391  8-397  9-417  10-418

With a point to prove, England entered the field. Before long, they had made that point. Both openers were back in the hutch before double figures were on the board. However, that meant it was time to deal with Steve Smith yet again. Even the ones he was edging were going to the boundary. The Smith/Dickens partnership took them to 121-2 at the close, and two long days of play left for England.

In the end, England resorted to removing the others first. Dickens fell for 87, but Martin and Lynn both fell cheaply, as England staged a fightback. Until they let them back in. Again.
Poor bowling at the tail saw Pattinson and Starc get runs. Finally removing them for 376, England needed nearly 400 to win the second test.

Australia - 2nd Innings
----------------------------------------------
D Warner        lbw b Broad               3
J Burns         c Cook b Wood             3
S Smith         lbw b Stokes              175
D Dickens       c Buttler b Stokes        87
J Martin        b Wood                    1
C Lynn          c Lyth b Broad            6
S Whiteman      c Lyth b Wood             7
M Starc         lbw b Stokes              32
J Pattinson     lbw b Dyke                30
B Wheatley      lbw b Wood                14
J Hazlewood     not out                   1
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb4,w4,b4,lb5)                   17
TOTAL: (all out, 93.4 overs)              376

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
S Broad         23      1       59      2
M Wood          26.4    2       120     4
J Anderson      24      0       97      0
R Dyke          9       1       46      1
B Stokes        11      0       45      3
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-7  2-8  3-203  4-219  5-244  
6-269  7-315  8-344  9-374  10-376

England were 4 down at the close, and it was basically all over. Poor shot selection had led to wickets yet again. It only took half an hour to finish the game on Day 5, and Aus had won. They continued their dominance at Lords, and leaves England in serious trouble for the series.

England - 2nd Innings
----------------------------------------------
A Lyth          lbw b Starc               63
A Cook          c Martin b Pattinson      4
J Taylor        b Pattinson               24
J Root          c Whiteman b Wheatley     0
D Sharpe        c Smith b Hazlewood       14
B Stokes        c Lynn b Starc            32
J Buttler       c Lynn b Starc            0
R Dyke          b Pattinson               0
M Wood          c Whiteman b Starc        8
S Broad         lbw b Pattinson           4
J Anderson      not out                   3
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb2,w1,b4,lb7)                   14
TOTAL: (all out, 37 overs)                166

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
M Starc         12      3       59      4
J Pattinson     13      0       62      4
B Wheatley      6       1       17      1
J Hazlewood     5       1       17      1
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-30  2-76  3-77  4-103  5-135  
6-135  7-136  8-157  9-162  10-166

There were serious questions to be asked though. Wood, Broad and Stokes had all been appalling with the ball. The batting had let Lyth down at times. Would there be wholesale changes, or will England stick with the players they know well?

The other problem is that of Steven Smith. With 600 runs in two tests, he is the deciding factor this series. Can England stop him?

Series State: Eng 0-1 Aus

[Planted E2]

Found Steve Smith was this unreal when I played with him as Australia. He got worse with an update though. Scored 401* for me against the Windies first up.

[DaveK93]

Found Steve Smith was this unreal when I played with him as Australia. He got worse with an update though. Scored 401* for me against the Windies first up.

He's been crunching me all over the park. Hopefully tomorrow at Edgbaston, the cricketing gods will be more forgiving.

[LastWicket]

Did this test result in Smith overtaking Lyth as 2nd highest test average after Bradman?

[DaveK93]

Did this test result in Smith overtaking Lyth as 2nd highest test average after Bradman?

Yeah, 2nd highest in players that have played over 40 tests.

[Planted E2]

How do you make it so your pictures are big size, rather than more a thumbnail, as in my series. Also I can't figure out tables. Cheers

[Planted E2]

Second Test Match

The talk pre-match was centred around the new boys in the England squad, Barlow and Boston. Would they keep their places? Well, Barlow did. Robert Boston was dropped in favour of 21 year old David Sharpe of Durham, who boasts an impressive FC record of 72.37 in his short career. Barlow misses out as well though, with James Taylor taking the no.3 spot, Root at 4, Sharpe at 5.

The bowling unit remains unchanged, as do the Aussies.

England lost the toss, and were put into the field by the Australian skipper Smith.



Burns was the first casualty of the day as his poor start to the series continued. Anderson got him to edge behind, and Taylor did the rest. Anderson got the only other morning session wicket as well, with the dangerous Warner’s off stumped knocked out the ground. Smith was making short work of some poor bowling though, and looked comfortable.

He brought up his century midway through the afternoon, as England continued to look poor with the ball, Dyke, Wood and Stokes in particular looking very poor. Dickens also prospered, but he fell one short of his century with the score at 317-3.

Smith finally departed with the arrival of the new ball, falling to a slip catch off Anderson for 186. Jimmy then followed up by removing Lynn and Whiteman cheaply, leaving Aus 395-6 at the close. Given the poor bowling throughout the day, England could feel disappointed with their efforts, but winning the toss with the projected conditions and pitch was always going to be vital.

Anderson got Starc early on for his 6th wicket, whilst Dyke picked up two as Australia finished on 440 ao. The tourists should have really progressed more after a stunning knock by the captain, but England rallied behind their record wicket taker, who answered doubters questions about his skill levels. His counterparts however, did not.

Australia - 1st Innings
----------------------------------------------
D Warner        b Anderson                43
J Burns         c Taylor b Anderson       9
S Smith         c Cook b Anderson         186
D Dickens       c & b Wood                99
J Martin        not out                   56
C Lynn          b Anderson                3
S Whiteman      c Cook b Anderson         0
M Starc         c Cook b Broad            20
J Pattinson     b Anderson                8
B Wheatley      b Dyke                    2
J Hazlewood     c Taylor b Dyke           3
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb9,w2)                          11
TOTAL: (all out, 112.2 overs)             440

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
S Broad         31      3       96      1
M Wood          18      2       72      1
J Anderson      32      3       116     6
B Stokes        13      1       70      0
R Dyke          15.2    1       63      2
J Root          3       0       23      0
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-32  2-72  3-317  4-367  5-375  
6-375  7-417  8-429  9-435  10-440

England managed to see out the initial barrage, but Cap’n Cook fell for 27, as Wheatley caught him in front. The Lyth/Taylor combo was useful though, but as with Lyth in the first test, Taylor fell in the last over. His knock of 70 was assured and confident though, and had provided England with a solid base, something Boston had failed to do in the last match.

Lyth fell in the first over for 93, bringing debutant Sharpe to the crease. He immediately announced himself by smashing Starc for four consecutive fours, to the delight of the crowd. He and Stokes fell in quick succession though to leave England floundering at 273-5 when the new ball was taken.

Root and Buttler consolidated, and when Root fell lbw to Starc for 73, England had reduced the deficit to under 100. Once Buttler went though, England crumbled to 418 ao, leaving themselves behind, and bowling to the tourists in batting conditions for the second time in the match.

England - 1st Innings
----------------------------------------------
A Lyth          c & b Starc               93
A Cook          lbw b Wheatley            27
J Taylor        b Pattinson               70
J Root          lbw b Starc               73
D Sharpe        lbw b Pattinson           21
B Stokes        b Starc                   2
J Buttler       c & b Hazlewood           80
R Dyke          lbw b Starc               8
M Wood          c Dickens b Smith         16
S Broad         c Lynn b Smith            6
J Anderson      not out                   1
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb4,w1,b4,lb12)                  21
TOTAL: (all out, 117.5 overs)             418

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
M Starc         30      5       109     4
J Pattinson     32      2       112     2
B Wheatley      27      1       88      1
J Hazlewood     23      3       78      1
J Burns         5       0       14      0
S Smith         0.5     0       1       2
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-61  2-205  3-209  4-234  5-245  
6-375  7-391  8-397  9-417  10-418

With a point to prove, England entered the field. Before long, they had made that point. Both openers were back in the hutch before double figures were on the board. However, that meant it was time to deal with Steve Smith yet again. Even the ones he was edging were going to the boundary. The Smith/Dickens partnership took them to 121-2 at the close, and two long days of play left for England.

In the end, England resorted to removing the others first. Dickens fell for 87, but Martin and Lynn both fell cheaply, as England staged a fightback. Until they let them back in. Again.
Poor bowling at the tail saw Pattinson and Starc get runs. Finally removing them for 376, England needed nearly 400 to win the second test.

Australia - 2nd Innings
----------------------------------------------
D Warner        lbw b Broad               3
J Burns         c Cook b Wood             3
S Smith         lbw b Stokes              175
D Dickens       c Buttler b Stokes        87
J Martin        b Wood                    1
C Lynn          c Lyth b Broad            6
S Whiteman      c Lyth b Wood             7
M Starc         lbw b Stokes              32
J Pattinson     lbw b Dyke                30
B Wheatley      lbw b Wood                14
J Hazlewood     not out                   1
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb4,w4,b4,lb5)                   17
TOTAL: (all out, 93.4 overs)              376

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
S Broad         23      1       59      2
M Wood          26.4    2       120     4
J Anderson      24      0       97      0
R Dyke          9       1       46      1
B Stokes        11      0       45      3
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-7  2-8  3-203  4-219  5-244  
6-269  7-315  8-344  9-374  10-376

England were 4 down at the close, and it was basically all over. Poor shot selection had led to wickets yet again. It only took half an hour to finish the game on Day 5, and Aus had won. They continued their dominance at Lords, and leaves England in serious trouble for the series.

England - 2nd Innings
----------------------------------------------
A Lyth          lbw b Starc               63
A Cook          c Martin b Pattinson      4
J Taylor        b Pattinson               24
J Root          c Whiteman b Wheatley     0
D Sharpe        c Smith b Hazlewood       14
B Stokes        c Lynn b Starc            32
J Buttler       c Lynn b Starc            0
R Dyke          b Pattinson               0
M Wood          c Whiteman b Starc        8
S Broad         lbw b Pattinson           4
J Anderson      not out                   3
----------------------------------------------
Extras: (nb2,w1,b4,lb7)                   14
TOTAL: (all out, 37 overs)                166

**********************************************

                O       M       R       W
----------------------------------------------
M Starc         12      3       59      4
J Pattinson     13      0       62      4
B Wheatley      6       1       17      1
J Hazlewood     5       1       17      1
----------------------------------------------
Fall of Wickets:
1-30  2-76  3-77  4-103  5-135  
6-135  7-136  8-157  9-162  10-166

There were serious questions to be asked though. Wood, Broad and Stokes had all been appalling with the ball. The batting had let Lyth down at times. Would there be wholesale changes, or will England stick with the players they know well?

The other problem is that of Steven Smith. With 600 runs in two tests, he is the deciding factor this series. Can England stop him?

Series State: Eng 0-1 Aus

Batting has let Lyth down??? Also try peppering Smith with spin as soon as he gets in, even try using two spinners.

[DaveK93]

Batting has let Lyth down??? Also try peppering Smith with spin as soon as he gets in, even try using two spinners.

Lyth has performed, the rest haven't. Spin is something I've tried, but he's completely unstoppable currently.