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[Vic Nicholas]

Relying on Smith AND Hughes...good grief!

[Wedge2408]

Relying on Smith AND Hughes...good grief!

Yeah, I really hoped it wouldn't come to this!! We are in a bit of trouble here...

[Vic Nicholas]

Sadly (from an Aussie perspective), this will be the tone of the northern summer...Aussie bowlers perform minor miracles, Aussie batsmen screwing it up royally.

We better get used to it.

[MJB3]

That revometer is getting on my tits already.  No need for it every ball! !

[Wedge2408]

Sadly (from an Aussie perspective), this will be the tone of the northern summer...Aussie bowlers perform minor miracles, Aussie batsmen screwing it up royally.

We better get used to it.

Totally agree there mate. Our batsmen will let down our bowlers immensely during this series. It is probably going to be a long summer...

[Jason_Yuan]

guys when swann was bowling, why is there this RPM thing on the bottom left screen of skysports???

[joeljonno]

Probably a new toy that calculates the revolutions per minutes that Swanny pits on the ball.

[rawpace]

Yeah it shows the revs the spinners are getting on the ball. Getting pretty annoying already, no need to show it every single ball....

Did this really require a new thread though?

[Number4]

After Harmison got Hughes with a beauty in the Aust vs Lions game, it was decided that Hughes had a weakness vs the ball at the body (more specifically, the chest).

When Flintoff dismissed Hughes for 36 at Sophia Gardens during the first test with an identical ball to Harmison's, it seemed to confirm it.

Hughes has NEVER been dismissed that way ever again!

At Lord's Hughes was caught behind for 4 strangled down the leg side (the unluckiest form of dismissal). In the second innings, Strauss claimed a catch at second slip that bounced nearly six inches in front of him and Hughes dismissed for 16 was on his way out of the test team (unfairly IMHO).

In Australia in teh fowllow up series, Katich damaged his achillies in the second test and Hughes was brought in even though he was having a nightmare summer being totally out of form. In those three tests, he went out in every concievable manner with no one dismissal following a pattern. Simply put, he was out of form and should not have been playing at all.

The NZers DID have a pattern though. Caught Guptill (second slip) bowled Martin...simply slanting across Hughes and letting Hughes do the rest.

Will be interesting what tactics are adopted to him in this series and how Hughes deals with it all.

Do you have a photographic memory Vic? Freakish lol

[Julesoak]

I'm not sure why, but I have a bit of a soft spot for Hughes. He has clearly got something. I wonder if he's a bit like Anderson - too many people trying to tinker with his technique rather than letting him get on with it?

I wonder what our Aussie pals think?

[procricket]

Natural eye for sure I agree he has something but it time to show what.

Smith I feel is dangerous he looks very average yet is resourceful and seems to have found his way of scoring

[Number4]

It's obvious Hughes has talent but his confidence can be broken quite easily. Smith can be very dangerous or just a bunny. He needs luck on his side during his innings as he is very unorthodox

[Nickauger]

Do you have a photographic memory Vic? Freakish lol

A man who knows his stuff certainly. Shame he disappears for longest periods. The conversation is always more fun when Vic is around! (Genuinely)

[Julesoak]

Great comment on Smith by Jarrod Kimber

"What Smith lacks in technical ability he does make up in three key areas. His eye is phenomenal. He could spot a raccoon a mile off on a foggy night in a dense forest. His confidence is remarkable. For a player that everyone else has written off, Smith just refuses to believe he isn't good enough. And his fight. There is a bit of the mongrel in him."

[ProCricketer1982]

Let's focus on the failings of the England batting...

Cook out to a ball he's got a known weakness against
Root got a jaffer
Trott out chasing a ball that he would normally just leave
KP got a good ball
Bell should have left it, no need to play it.. another innings where England needed him and he failed
Bairstow, played well but nasser hussain showed his weakness and bang.. it got him out
Broad is poo
Prior .... what a poor poor poor shot


We really need to bat properly and really put this aussie team under pressure. Yes they have also had a mare but this is almost a get out of jail free card today. Totally enjoyable day watching the action, game moving at a pace but my god England need to sharpen up.