England's radical shake-up confirmed as forgotten quick one of three third Test inclusions, veteran rested

I'm okay with resting or dropping Green this game

Crazy to drop Tongue

If they perform to the best of their ability they are.

Fair points, but Wood is a great addition to their bowling lineup, as he has genuine pace...something England has been lacking.

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :shocked:

I can understand bringing in Wood for Anderson, that's a good call. But you're on the money with their continued weakening of the bowling. Woakes is only decent on green wickets, so unless they're producing one of those, he's just fodder. Ali is always fodder. If they felt they needed five bowling options, and therefore they wanted to bat Woakes OR Ali at seven, fine, but still pick four real bowlers.

Wood was their best last series, but that's not saying much. He's still a 33 year old bloke who averages 30 at test level, hardly earth shattering stuff.

Stokes basically said as much, so I don't think we can expect him to bowl unless they're desperate. Mind you, unless it's a more bowler friendly wicket, I wouldn't expect Woakes to be too threatening.

I'm not sure it's the biggest problem but it's certainly up there. Bazball type hitting doesn't work unless you're playing on a road because batsmen can't simply hit through the line of the ball. If the Poms serve up pitches that do a bit, Boland, Hazlewood and Cummins in particular will do a number on them. We saw a bit of that at the start of England's second innings at Lords when Root & Pope couldn't put bat on ball and they're arguably England most correct batsmen.

That's how the bazball philosophy rolls..

Opeo I have the same feeling as you. They will most probably make the cricket pitch in Headingley like a zoo playground.

“Secondly, the cricket world will be watching whether England will be showing its utmost respect for the “ Spirit of the Game”” I am expecting the opposite. Australia should be very cautious of Bairstow run-outs, and mankads. Everything is on the table now. To be clear, England put everything on the table in the first place when Bairstow attempted to run out Labuschagne. They are not going to back down now that the Aussies have retaliated.

Bazball is becoming like a starving person that resorts to eating their own hand. They have a strong emphasis on batting so they ordered flat wickets which left them unable to defend a fourth innings target of 280 and has all but ended the career of perhaps their greatest ever bowler. They dropped a wicket keeper for a batsman. Their spinner got injured so they replaced him with an all-rounder. Now they have dropped two bowlers for two more all-rounders. For every challenge they face, their solution is to strengthen their batting at the expense some other part of their game. By the end of the series they are going to have someone at 11 that averages 30 with the bat and Harry Brook and Joe Root are each going to be bowling 20 overs in each innings.

The 2023 3rd Test of the Ashes will be considered in modern cricket history as most pivotal and compelling Test for England and for Australia. Why is that! 1. With all the “controversies and brouhaha” on the last day, happening on-field and off-field, also during the game and after the game ( what an understatement), and to top it all, with one English player saying Australia’s win at Lords was void because Bairstow got stumped off, England MUST walk the big talk by winning the 3rd Test. 2. Secondly, the cricket world will be watching whether England will be showing its utmost respect for the “ Spirit of the Game” or 3. The cricket world will witness the unfolding of the greatest English Hypocrisy since the day the cricket game was invented by the English themselves. 4. Whether Australia can weather the ugly onslaught of the English stormtroopers in the stand and the sniping and trickery by the English cricketers onto the Australians as a vengeance for the embarrassing loss at Lords. 5. If Australia wins the 3rd Test convincingly, it will be a crowning glory of Australian cricket surpassing even Don Bradman’s glory days. It will be seen in cricket history as a win by Australia against extreme adversity on all fronts ( on hostile ground, in a hostile country to the cricketers and their families, on a pitch surrounded by English players who literally want, if they could, a pound of flesh from the Australians). The Australians have decided: “ Bring it on, mate!”

Their biggest issue is the pitches they have served-up. It's taken away their one and only advantage, home ground swing. Anderson is being 'managed' for mental health issues directly associated with having to bowl on roads. It's amazing England have been so dumb this series.

They could bring back Freddie, Beefy, Swanny and Strauss, and it still wouldn't help. Australia are too good.

I think that was Islamic too, the Ottoman Empire :laughing:

Well sarcasm sucks, and I actually don’t hate it, just swap Starc for Green and it’s still a very strong batting and enough bowling.

England are losing because they've racked up so many extras. They've scored more runs.

I'm not serious. The lineup was to bat for 2+days and upset the Poms.