Australia have an embarrassment of riches but I can’t see how England can dig their way out of the hole they’re in.
We’ve still got Josh Hazlewood to come back into this team but the Poms have already chopped and changed their side.
Only bad weather in Sydney or Hobart can save them now from a 5-0 whitewash.
I thought Australia would wrap up the third Test today to seal the Ashes but I didn’t think it would be done so quickly.
I’ve already described the English batting as mediocre but to get bowled out for 68 was humiliating.
Joe Root and Ben Stokes started the day well. Stokes had changed his set-up trying to find some form but how good was that ball from Mitch Starc to get rid of him.
Starc’s scrambled seam deliveries are an extra string to his bow he’s added.
The main advantage when you bowl with a scrambled seam is that you don’t know how it’s going to deviate off the pitch so what hope does the batter have.
They’re basically fast spinners. With scrambled seam you’re angling it for a cutter but you’re actually bowing it like you’re swinging it but it won’t swing because you’ve got the seam angled so acutely.
High-class batters can see swing movement in the air whereas scrambled seam moves very late.
There was nothing wrong with the pitch – England can’t blame that. It had a bit in it but it wasn’t one where you’d expect a team to get knocked over for 68.
I used to watch Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure back in the 1980s but this was Bolo’s Excellent Adventure today.
Scott Boland claims the inaugural Johnny Mullagh Medal. (Photo by Darrian Traynor – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
How good was it to see Scotty Boland tear through England in his debut?
To think he woke up Christmas Eve just loving being around the squad and by that night, Tony Dodemaide, who was the last Victorian to debut in a Boxing Day Test, is telling him that he’s in.
He bowled well in the first innings to get Mark Wood out. Unbelievably enough he had 1-48 which was the same figures Dodders had in his first innings. He finished his with six wickets in the second innings too but it cost him a lot more runs so there’s some symmetry there.
I thought getting two wickets in an over at the end of day two would be the highlight of Boland’s Test but there was more to come today.
He hardly bowled a bad ball, kept it in the challenging channel.
His spell today is up there with Dennis Lillee and Shane Warne among the best MCG moments ever. I thought he was going to end up with more wickets than runs conceded but you can’t be unhappy with 6-7.
He then wins the Johnny Mullagh Medal – as an Indigenous player, it was perfect.
It was a really good selection by Australia.
I don’t like rest and rotation but it looks like there’s a chance Mitch Starc will rest in Sydney. If Josh Hazlewood is good to go again he should come straight in and if he needs more time, bring back Jhye Richardson because he will be bursting at the seams after his five-for in Adelaide.
England made wholesale changes for this Test so where to now for them?
They had got their bowling selections wrong for this series, particularly in the first two matches but that’s irrelevant if you don’t have any runs to defend.
If it’s a flatter pitch at the SCG so their batters should be able to spend more time in the middle but I can’t see how they can avoid the series whitewash.
We saw none of the fight needed from the English batting. There’s no hope of scoring enough runs to win a Test match.
They just need to try to get little wins within these last two matches. To force the game into a day five is a win for them. Be competitive and try to rebuild for the future.
They’re in a world of hurt. It will be hard for them to take anything out of this series.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You can read my books.
Opps74
Roar Rookie
I query why someone with your evident intellect and extensive sporting and life knowledge that roar followers have not been rewarded with regular publications from you. You could enlighten and provide the answers we mere mortals fail to understand and look up to people like you to guide us through the journey of life.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
That's what most say when they lack substance
Opps74
Roar Rookie
He must be in contention for call up for ODI and T20 teams with his rich vein of form...petty responses and your need to reply with negativity appear to be stranger...anyway I've wasted enough time spending any further time responding in what appears your need for unnecessary confrontation...happy for constructive debate but doesn't appear possible with you
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
So he's back in form. You seem desperate to vilify him. Strange attitude.
Opps74
Roar Rookie
One test he top scored in!!! Mitchell Starc batting at no.9 averages 23...stat's don't lie...I do hope he does well in the last two tests...we back the same team so hoping he performs the best he can, if not, he needs to go back to shield and work his way back in, but if other recent openers have been dropped with better averages, consistency and fairness in selection needs to occur
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
He just top-scored in a low scoring test. Your argument has no leg to stand on.
Opps74
Roar Rookie
Big call on what type of person you think I am...just call the cricketcomment constructively rather than petty trash comments...we all have different opinions but you can be respectful...I like Harris but I think he's out of his depth...his stat's I'm more interested in...24 innings, three 50s, zero hundreds and averaging 24.63...if mediocrity is the standard then keep him in...has had ample opportunity and maybe worth a look of who else might be worth a shot... Recent openers: Matt Renshaw 20 innings, one 100, three 50s ave 33.47, Usman 77 innings, 8 hundreds, 17 fifties, ave 40.66, Joe Burns, 40 innings, four 100s, seven 50s, ave 36.97...how many more opportunities does he require
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
“Shyte just how bad is England’s batting minus joe Root?” Hmm. Pretty damn bad I think. .. You're right though. He hasn't really been hit off his line and/or length at any stage by the poms. Would be interesting to see what happened if he was.
Fox
Roar Guru
Starc often becomes wayward when he tries to bowl too full to get swing when there isn’t any or very little and also when he is getting hit around. The latter has not happened in this series but lets not forget the Indian A- /B+ team beat Australia not so long ago so maybe we should be thinking “Shyte just how bad is England’s batting minus joe Root?”
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Small sample size. Negligible.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
I believe it is 7. I said it is an excuse to rest him- i.e. if they have workload concerns, and to give one of the others a go. I have no idea what you mean by the pitch has nothing to do with bowling. It can certainly affect how player’s perform and whether or not its easier for some players to take wickets. Cummins and Hazlewood average low 20s at SCG, Harris, McGrath, Siddle, Anderson, Hilfenhaus, Johnson, Bollinger and Bichel all average 30 or below.
Fox
Roar Guru
Yes and the secret weapon angle is bit farcical when bowlers like Jimmy Anderson and Tim Southee have been using it for years with great success. Southee has it down to fine art. What is his next secret weapon – changing his angles at the crease? Oh hang on the above two bowlers have been doing that for years as well. I mean Southee and Anderson – once they realised they couldn’t sustain their careers bowling at full pace or there was little to no swing – had to come up with ways to be effective. Seems to me that Starc and his trainers are just a wee bit slow on the up-take if you ask me. Secret weapon? Oh please com’on Roar, you cannot be serious ? The headline should have read ” Starc wakes up” . To his credit he has bowled better in this series than he has for a while but let’s not get too carried away – India and NZ both beat England at home just recently where their frail batting was also exposed, so they were never going to fair well in Australia. Root is the only stand up batsman with any consistency. Too much focus on white ball cricket in England – and maybe globally – has seriously affected batsmen in the red ball game. I mean Australia’s batting line up hardly set the world on fire in this test either and to be fair the pitch had great seam movement and bounce throughout most of the game but that is better than the ridiculous roads Australia produced for several years to cater to TV networks – I fear a return to that nonsense is also coming after this rating and advertising disaster. Watch this space! I fear batting roads are coming……
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
And Steketee in form. Meredith back from injury. Behrendorff about to return to red ball cricket. Worrall, who moves it both ways at pace.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
That average is just a stat. How many Tests are you counting in that average? The pitch has nothing to do with bowling. The player does.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
This line of argument staggers me. The Poms look like they do because of how the Aussies are playing. This Aussie side is relentless. Joe Root came here as #1 batsman in the world but the Aussies demolished him. Root got that ranking batting against those other sides. How come Anderson and Broad haven't dented our batting? We are the best team in world cricket...in all 3 formats.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
You need a Snickers here, Rowdy. This is a very, very good team with excellent depth, especially considering recent upheaval.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
I have a hunch you are in the 5%, Michael. You do stats like the Poms play cricket.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Thankfully, the players, selectors and cricket-savvy public cares more than you do. He played Leach easily. I get that you might not like a player but you sound like the man who wants the "expurgated version" of Olsen's Standard Book of British Birds; the "one without the gannet in it". (Monty Python)
Chris Love
Roar Guru
I was one saying he should play the first two and be rested for the G. With no Hazo they had to pick him and that 11mm green top was always to his advantage.