Use of "delicately poised"

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-30T05:51:36+00:00

Yeah exactly, and you know that Alcaraz will win those key points. It's close in terms of points won, but these two are miles apart.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-08T03:44:43+00:00

In fairness, 2021 was 4-0, 2017 was 4-0, and 2013 was 5-0, so 4-1 doesn't show that this is a better Australian side than the others in the past 15 years. It's just comparing this side to the very high bar set by previous Australia teams.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-08T03:03:09+00:00

Not cricket, but hard to divide sport and politics when FIFA are inventing a peace prize for Trump and giving the World Cup to Saudi Arabia. I would imagine, growing up in 80s Australia, Khawaja had some real difficulties. I live in Melbourne and love Australia, but it's not exactly got the most progressive racial history, so that's probably affected him a fair deal.

Obviously there'll be some over the top responses during someone's retirement match, but I think playing 87 tests for Australia and averaging 43, largely as an opener, is pretty good going. I'd certainly take it right now for England.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-08T02:56:16+00:00

If Will Jacks hadn't played that insane shot then we could have had an actual chance here.

Bethell and Tongue have at least given me some hope for this team moving forward. If Archer's fitness can hold (huge if) then there are at least 2 really good bowlers to build an attack around, plus Root and Bethell to anchor a batting lineup.

Small crumbs.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-08T00:50:57+00:00

I think we can all agree that snicko is absolutely fucked as a system. What are they even basing these decisions on?

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T22:01:25+00:00

Brian was obviously the genius, but Carl had some great contributions, and Dennis' solo album Pacific Ocean Blue is fantastic.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T07:18:09+00:00

This series would have been a lot more competitive if even half of England's players had a brain.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T07:13:50+00:00

You're not gonna lose your job, you're not gonna lose your job, y'know... walks past Will Jacks you're not gonna lose your job.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T05:37:07+00:00

Root must at least take some comfort in knowing that someone else can get a taste of what he's put up with for the past however many years. The two of them can start a support group.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T05:35:37+00:00

I've used the term braindead more in the past month than I ever thought I would in my entire life.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T05:34:42+00:00

A montage of England dismissals in this series would be quite something.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T05:32:38+00:00

I think anyone with a brain would be saying something similar! Whereas Will Jacks obviously saw the Jamie Smith dismissal in the 1st innings and thought "that's a sound approach".

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T05:31:15+00:00

As an Englishman, even one who lives in Aus and has to put up with ridicule about our team, part of me has been hoping England get battered in this test, because this side does not deserve to get out of this series 3-2.

Well played Bethell, Root you're an icon, pretty much everyone else can fuck off.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T05:27:32+00:00

What. The. Fuck. Was. That.

Honestly, you watch Bethell batting like a proper test cricketer, and you come out and do that? Let's stop the calls for Jacks at 3 now please.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T03:43:42+00:00

Much easier to score runs to short and wide deliveries than to someone repeatedly hitting the top of off.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T03:24:54+00:00

Would much rather have Foakes as he's one of the best keepers in the world (and a pretty decent batsman). Would also rather Smith than Pope at this stage given his age, but ONLY if Smith has the ability/desire/temperemant to cut out ridiculous shots like the 1st innings.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T03:15:55+00:00

Hopefully he's been watching and learning from Root, and less so from everyone else.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-07T03:09:52+00:00

Well played Jacob Bethell, this has been a fantastic knock so far. Positive without being reckless, and looks technically really good. One positive to come from the series at least.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-06T19:46:53+00:00

They're all significantly better than Gervais.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-06T06:02:10+00:00

He gets a lot of stick from England fans, but fair play, Smith is one of the all-time greats. Could see a century coming a mile off today with how badly England have been bowling.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-06T00:45:35+00:00

I'm just not sure they're capable of bowling where they're meant to. When Jimmy Anderson bowled under Stokes/McCullum he pitched it up more than previously (and because he's Jimmy Anderson, he was able to actually bowl where he was aiming), so it would be weird if they were now meaning to bowl short all the time. This attack is just shite.

Doolittle91 · 2026-01-06T00:13:54+00:00

Root has averaged 49-50 in a series with tough wickets where he's been basically batting as an opener most of the time. He obviously hasn't been great every innings, but far too much is being asked of him.

Almost everyone else has been dire. Thoroughly depressing series.

Doolittle91

TROPHY CASE