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Aug 2015
12:46am, 1 Aug 2015
5,356 posts
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Badger
Who was it confidently predicting this would be Bell's last Test, again?
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Aug 2015
7:41am, 1 Aug 2015
56,820 posts
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Gobi
Now I hope he plays like that and better for the rest of the Ashes.
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Aug 2015
7:52am, 1 Aug 2015
367 posts
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Cheg
The Bell prediction wasn't me. But the backers of players always win. You have 20 duff innings and any other sensible country would have dropped you. England persist and then they have one good innings and the backers say I told you so.
Those doubting Bell weren't wrong. I think everyone agrees Bell is a classy player and in form not many look better. But his head had seemed to have gone and he was a walking wicket.
I hope his form continues because a quality bell at 3 really helps the top order.
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Aug 2015
9:59am, 1 Aug 2015
5,357 posts
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Badger
I don't entirely disagree. And I wouldn't have been complaining if he'd been dropped for this test, which in the end was all about the bowlers; the batters did enough, and I'm not complaining about that either, because often they haven't done enough, even when the bowlers have.
But I'm still going to argue that that was *two* good innings, not one 
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Aug 2015
10:04am, 1 Aug 2015
369 posts
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Cheg
The second innings was low pressure and he got a big drop. Good on him for taking the opportunity. The amount of English batsmen that have stepped up to the plate on their last chance is incredible. Collingwood, Strauss and Bell come to mind.
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Aug 2015
10:10am, 1 Aug 2015
4,881 posts
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Too Much Water
Cook arguably as well and more than once
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Aug 2015
10:28am, 1 Aug 2015
5,358 posts
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Badger
It was low pressure for Cook, to, and he didn't really take advantage of it. Not so much for Lyth. That really is a worry.
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Aug 2015
10:38am, 1 Aug 2015
560 posts
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Crash Hamster
Root was dropped on nought at Cardiff...
Fact is, we've seen England bottle it spectacularly on losing an early wicket or two and Bell came in and played aggressively to snuff out any Australian thoughts of victory, then milked the bowling as they went more defensive; it was very well done.
Also, there's noone setting the County Championship aflame with weight of runs for a place in the batting line-up; this may give Lyth another go. His hundred is looking more like the outlier and 12 his long-term average. It was a big mistake not to play him against the Windies. Compton's 'score 30 and get horribly bogged down' is starting to look more appealing...
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Aug 2015
11:27am, 1 Aug 2015
2,624 posts
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postieboy
Cook was unlucky in both innings. Freak catch in the first and bowled by a jaffa in the second. Anyway, he's captaining the team with the sort of flair and imagination we thought he didn't possess which has taken the pressure right off him.
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Aug 2015
11:35am, 1 Aug 2015
2,735 posts
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Bru-Bru
Lyth really not looking happy, though, and it would be doing a favour to drop him for a bit. Not sure who could replace him. Daniel Bell-Drummond is highly rated, apparently, and scored runs against the Aussies in a tour match, but a bit soon. I think Michael Carberry was unlucky to be dropped so quickly on the last Ashes tour: it's not like the others were scoring any runs either....
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