The Ashes: Australia hangs on for draw

[davidc4430]

The Ashes: Australia hangs on for draw in second Test at Lord's to maintain 1-0 series lead

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-18/the-ashes-second-test-lords-day-five-live-blog/11365896

i watched as steve smith and then Labuschagne were felled by balls delivered by archer.

now i have watched cricket most of my life and seen many fast bowlers considered 'lethal' but this guy is the first i feel has earned that title.

to see someone like smith taken out like that (no one would say he doesnt know how to bat) then a second batsman also struck in the head is awful no matter who they play for.

can a bowler be stopped if its believed he could kill someone?

i cant believe the praise this guy is recieving, did we learn nothing from phil hughes death?

when these 2 players went down there was much concern for they welfare but as soon as they were 'not dead' it was back to normal!

and should the worst happen and archer does kill someone how will he live with that?

[repentatleisure1952]

Keith Stackpole would have flicked him over the backward square leg fence...while only wearing the baggy green for protection...and not taken his eye of the ball.

There have been plenty faster & more dangerous than this wearer of a grandfather clock on his left wrist &  when the back foot no ball rule was still in play they released from about 18 yards...and many were chuckers.

[not_for_sale2024]

What happened to Smith was sickening. But with the protection that is available these days it is regarded as part of cricket. Australia's Shaun Tait was known as The Wild Thing and both Mitchell Johnson and Jeff Thomson were terrifying to face. All three bowlers were faster than Archer and targeted the batsmen's bodies at times. Even Mitchell Starc is faster than Archer and may return for the next test.

Given what happened to Smith, one part of me would like to see something done about dangerous bouncers. But the other part of me can't wait to see Archer face up to Starc. I guess that makes me a hypocrite too, but the battle is on and is far from over.

[davidc4430]

i really love cricket but it should never be a bowlers aim to kill.

yes, ive seen lots of fast bowlers but in archer i see a guy who is aiming to hit the batsmen in the head.

the fact he did it twice in a matter of a few overs shows he has perfected it.

maybe his next victim will die

phil hughs was wearing a helmet btw

the ball that killed him was a fluke

[repentatleisure1952]

I disagree.. batters take their eye of the ball & duck into the ball.

Jeff Thompson did say he liked to see blood on the pitch.

[not_for_sale2024]

Jeff Thomson was one of a kind though. He had a temper like a bull, was very revengeful and had a long memory. I saw him interviewed by Crash on Cricket Legends and he had no regrets whatsoever. So it seems he hasn't changed much.

[joztamps]

Archer has a whole country's cricket supporters behind him and encouraging him.

Just listen to their commentators and their barely-disguised smugness.

Especially all the ex-captains who've had to cop it from WI and Auistralia over the years.

First truly and consistently scary fast bowler they've had since John Snow, more than 40 years ago.

There is going to be plenty more where that came from, you can count on it.

[go-tazz]

I've always seen it as a tactic used by a bowler because he's not good enough to get the batsman out so has to

resort to a type of bullying to try and do the job.

I've always hated bouncers as I got hit a few times and absolutely detested them after I got fitted for glasses).

I only played two games after that as my sight and life was more important than the ego of those nutcases (one

of my brothers was rushed to hospital with concussion after being floored by a rising ball).

Anything that could possibly kill or seriously injure a player in any other team sport is banned yet in cricket

bodyline is still accepted as a tactic even though it's regarded as being unsportsmanlike behavior and a ball

travelling at those speeds can easily kill.

[tasfleur]

I have to admit I know absolutely nothing about cricket at all.

What I do know though, is that there are certain sports that have metamorphosed from being good natured games and great sportsmanship into "blood sports".

I can only assume it is more to do with the kind of money involved;   added to that is evolving aggression that raises its ugly head from generation to generation at certain times.

A great shame really, but not surprising given where we are now in the history of mankind!

[martinw-48]

I stopped watching cricket the day Tubby Taylor picked up a ball off the grass and claimed that he had caught it.
I was disgusted by such blatant cheating in the so called gentleman's sport.
Wasn't surprised at all by the ball tampering.
I guess that Brit thinks he's within his rights to dish out a bit of grief for a cheater.
Not that I condone it but you can see where he's coming from