3rd day
*** I don’t see the need for a Day 3 report. We’ve all seen it coming, and we’ve analyzed why it’s coming a million times. I’ll ignore the crickets and try to enjoy my weekend. I recommend everyone to do this. If you think this will help, feel free to vent in the comments below. I personally have had enough of this crap***
the next day
If you read the headline above and haven’t seen the result, you might think England have lost. Looks like we’ll have to wait until day 4 or 5.
I was referring to how our hopes of dominating this game were dashed today. That’s why after feeling so positive yesterday, I’m down.
Why should we try to raise our hopes?
At 368-4, England found themselves in a dominant position. Failure seemed impossible. Victory seemed quite possible. The whole momentum is in our favor. Yes, the pitch looks good for hitting, but the pressure on the scoreboard is a valuable ally. If the UK announces the 500, Australia will drop below that price.
Then came probably the most depressing cricket lesson I’ve seen in a while (and that says something). even an hour? Soon we were failing miserably. The momentum was gone and it felt like we had been kicked.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Because Australia’s attack speed is so fast, they can easily blow our tail off. By the time all seven of us are down, we’re basically all gone. Australian tails, on the other hand, can take on our bolter attacks without fear. You can add valuable runs and take the initiative. This gives them a huge advantage.
However, even a pessimistic pain like myself didn’t expect us to lose six wickets at 35. This is total surrender. A heartbreaking moment. If I’m being honest, this might be the moment to seal the 0-5 whitewash.
Obviously, this seems like an exaggeration. If you look at the scorecard, England are still in this game. But do we really pray? Really? Cricket is not played on paper. You have many things on your mind. England will now have to overcome some massive mental demons to leave with a draw.
Steve Smith made the batting look super easy on the night’s game and I wouldn’t be surprised if Australia easily beat our 403 – 50 runs short and 100 more in total I think.
What’s more, even if England say good morning tomorrow and knock Australia out by around 350 runs in the afternoon game, our batsmen will eventually have to face reality again. They will be under a lot of pressure, whether the team is narrowly ahead or seriously behind.
The key question, of course, is whether we can weather this impending hurricane. And I dare not say I don’t think we will. After today’s 6-35 win, the Australian Rapids will be at the top of the table. They’ll probably have a cozy little session at the end of the day where they can break in and bowl as fast as they can.
Cook was completely out of shape, Stoneman was shocked after being hit in the helmet, Vince was overwhelmed, Root was under a lot of pressure, Malan and Bairstow were tired and unlikely to repeat their first innings exploits, I can only see one outcome: England being knocked out in a degrading and brutal manner.
And don’t think we can defend a small total in the fourth, either. This course in Perth is so popular it’s unlikely to unravel. Not long ago, more than 400 were hunted here in South Africa.
Now, it’s very possible that I’m completely wrong about all of the above. England could certainly show backbone in the second dig. That’s the beauty of sports: No one knows exactly what to expect.
However, if the players are as traumatized as we fans are – and we’re not the ones who need to stand up to Australia’s 140km/h pace – then England are screwed.
Today is our chance to return to the Ashes series and avoid another potential whitewash. But we screwed up. This is an extremely disappointing day.