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[petehosk]

The toss makes a difference!
On those wickets the team taking advantage of day 1 and 2 have an advantage!
Plus Swann bowling in day 4/5 would make a difference too!

But if England lose all three tosses then they still need to bat well in their first innings, and they haven't!
I will be interested to see if England bat well when(IF!) they do win a toss and bat first!
Plus, would it make a difference now? England will have very little confidence and the Aussies will be full of confidence!

Lets face it, England have batted badly and therefore put all the pressure on the bowlers!
And on top of that, they have dropped catches, missed fielding and stumping opportunities, and looked well below par!
So having to field and bowl for longer periods its little wonder that the bowlers are looking tired!

Would it have made any difference if England had of win the toss? Of course!!
Would it still be 3-0? Probably!
It would have been closer but I still think that the Aussies are batting better, fielding better, and bowling better!
So the lead is deserved!!

[Nickauger]

Don't agree. He's been consistently defensive with his calls this tour and ignores the weather, team and conditions when making the heads/tails shout. He's been a bit of a flat track bully in that sense - he owned the coin toss in the Summer on the home grounds, though as soon as he steps foot overseas he loses his supposed coin management talent.


Tbh I love him as a batsman, though I think if we'd have a better man doing the coin toss we wouldn't be in this sorry state.

Sorry, but what the heck do external conditions have to do with calling a coin? Last time I checked (and incidentally it was in my year 8 maths probability lesson yesterday), calling heads or tails is still a 50% call, whether its blowing a hooly, or still as a millpond!

[uknsaunders]

Tbh I love him as a batsman, though I think if we'd have a better man doing the coin toss we wouldn't be in this sorry state.

Totally agree. If we have a captain who lost that many tosses we would replace him with an expert (No Swearing Please).  Flower should have Cook working 24/7 on his tossing calls.

[Gerry SA]

If you've watch Swann since his debut the most obvious problem with his bowling is he's never developed an arm ball to right handed batsmen.

If a right hander goes after him, he goes straight on the defensive and it's very one dimensional.

Swann's thrived on umpires being more trigger happy in the modern day.

Had he been around in the 1990s he's have been axed after 5-10 Tests.

[Alvaro]

Quickest offspinner to 250 Test wickets

[Gerry SA]

Quickest offspinner to 250 Test wickets

DRS can do that for modern day spinners...

And anyway England average 11 Tests per year, so it's a rather irrelevant fact.

[Manormanic]

If you've watch Swann since his debut the most obvious problem with his bowling is he's never developed an arm ball to right handed batsmen.

erm, since he has one to left handed batsmen in your argument, I believe you may have stumped yourself...

[Gerry SA]

erm, since he has one to left handed batsmen in your argument, I believe you may have stumped yourself...

Left hander from around the wicket, the ball comes in with the drift...

He hasn't got an arm ball to right handed batsmen.

[The_Bird]

Sorry, but what the heck do external conditions have to do with calling a coin? Last time I checked (and incidentally it was in my year 8 maths probability lesson yesterday), calling heads or tails is still a 50% call, whether its blowing a hooly, or still as a millpond!

Heads when it's overcast, tails when it's sunny. Everyone knows that.


That is one of the most bizarre things I've ever read. Haha

[Alvaro]

DRS can do that for modern day spinners...

And anyway England average 11 Tests per year, so it's a rather irrelevant fact.

Then why aren't there a pack of them?

[Gerry SA]

Then why aren't there a pack of them?

Australia normally average 7-9 Tests per year.
South Africa 6-8 Tests per year.
India average 6-8 Tests per year
Pakistan average 6-8 Tests per year

So by process of elimination if Swann's playing more Tests than most other spinners, he'll take more wickets.

Not exactly rocket science...

[Alvaro]

I understand that, but where are the offspinners dominating modern cricket? That's my point. DRS-less Ashwin playing mostly on dusty decks? Not really, Ojha cleans up. Narine? Mendis? Duminy?

[Gerry SA]

I understand that, but where are the offspinners dominating modern cricket? That's my point. DRS-less Ashwin playing mostly on dusty decks? Not really, Ojha cleans up. Narine? Mendis? Duminy?

DRS has effected umpires even when it's not used in all series.

Umpires are more bowler favoured. Umpires could be considered 'braver'.

Lots of front foot LBWs in modern day cricket off spin bowlers.

In the 1990s, if a batsman came forward and was hit on the pad, there's no way in hell an umpire would consider giving the batsman out.

[Alvaro]

But it's not a simple as that though - conditions and rule parameters change from era to era. In the 90s more than an odd pitch may have grass on it. There is no contemporary of Swann in a true offspin sense who has consistently offered such a defensive and attacking benefit to a side.

He has also got people out in manners other than left hand LBWs.
 

[Gerry SA]

But it's not a simple as that though - conditions and rule parameters change from era to era. In the 90s more than an odd pitch may have grass on it. There is no contemporary of Swann in a true offspin sense who has consistently offered such a defensive and attacking benefit to a side.

He has also got people out in manners other than left hand LBWs.

Obviously he gets wickets in different matters

But in terms of %, Swann's LBW ratio is the highest of any spinner in Test history.