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Australia's day - just. Great start, good recovery by Bell (again) and support by trott and bairstow, but those 3 wickets at the end plus not having a batter left in swung it back. Interesting tactics at the night watchman, was that almost leg theory? I can feel a strong telegram coming on. Hopefully Broadly will take exception to seeing his mate Jimmy being pelted, and hand out some retribution later. If only we had another 90mph beanpole to do the same from the other end.....
I always say in test cricket, you don't know if it's a good score until both sides have had a go. My suspicion is that if England make another 30-40 to get around 325, they'll consider that at least 75 light, but let's see what the Aussies make of it later before deciding if that's a critical issue.
Aye another cracking days play with swings to both teams
I think both sides will be happy with that - England would have taken it when 30 odd for 3 and australia when Bell was cruising along but the last three wickets makes it Australias day
As said above the real proof of anything is when they bat solet hope the tail does some wagging first
Interesting tactics at the night watchman
Interesting tactics to use a nigh****chman - I really hate the way England [b]always[/b] do that almost as a knee jerk reaction. Exactly what is the point of bringing in a nigh****chman at #9? I mean normally the nigh****chman is a #8 or #9 batter protecting the top order - in this case they've promoted the worst batsman on the team to protect the normal #9! Or are England trying to copy Australia's tactic of having a big 10th wicket stand? Maybe Swanny is after the record for the first #11 to make a ton before somebody else manages it against England - his best is after all only 15 runs short.
😐
England's tail need to take some lessons from Australia's. 🙁
300 up is not that bad although all the momentum is with the Aussies, they will feel right on top even though there is a long way to go.
The nigh****chmen decision was a bit strange but you can look at it in various ways. Anderson had a nice little bat, pushed the score on and then can go in and rest ready to bowl. However as Bresnan got out it looks a bit silly – and he isn’t going to have much of a rest the way this is going.
at 28-3 yesterday I'd have taken circa 350. Still 100 or so short of a good score but it will be interesting to see how the australian top order approach the innings.
There is a theme developing of inconsistent batting by both sides – the score cards are peppered with poor scores with the odd brilliant knock but there is also some reasonable scores from the tail as well. You feel a good showing by the top order from any of these teams would shift the whole series in their favour, Aussies have a real chance today.
Tail wagging a bit...! 🙂
twenty/20!
just arrived back from the airport, i'll take 400!
well done mike 🙄
😉
361 is just about par. Not all the Aussies way today. Come on Jimmy!
And I'm back... Australia was lucky to end up just in front yesterday, once again a bit of a freak occurrence keeps/gets us back in the game (you'd never tip Smith to take 3 wickets like that normally!), good start this morning, but yet again an 11th wicket partnership swings things back towards the batting team...
Good game so far, evenly poised despite Australia having the ascendency early on and again this morning, in fact with our potentially fragile batting lineup I'd go so far as to put England in the hot seat for a first innings lead
Having said that, it looks to be a perfectly fine pitch (as evidenced by Swann & Broad), so absolutely no friggin reason our top order shouldn't score well... here's hoping 🙂
I think I'd actually put England marginally ahead at the moment - runs on the board and Australia have to bat last. As discussed earlier, batting last is almost always a disadvantage.
Welcome back Psychle – Friday night for you lot, are you all on the Beer?
Aussies not learnt the DRS lessons from the 1st test then 😆
Stupid bloody review Watson! Bugger to lose that wicket at lunch, poor shot to play to the second last ball before the break - yet another solid dominant start from Watson that's not gone on with... he does this too often 🙁
😀
Contender for "Worst ball ever to take a wicket"? And our shocking use of the DRS continues, Watson to blame for Rogers not reviewing...
😆
Umpire reviews remaining Australia 0 (0 successful, 2 unsuccessful); England 2 (0 successful, 0 unsuccessful)
I expect Clarke is actually relieved that he doesn't have to make any DRS calls.
Sigh... Unlucky for Hughes, could of very easily been given not out by the on-field umpire, and I don't reckon it would've been overruled by DRS... Going back to Rogers, how on earth was that given out by Erasmus??
🙂 Yay
And on that note I'm off to bed, night all... Perhaps I'll dream of the days we had a top order that could actually score runs... 😥 Back when I were a lad 🙄
If Rogers' dismissal was that obviously not out, why didn't he review?
Oh and before I forget, Phil Hughes, Phil Hughes, dirt dirty cheater. Can't believe he didn't walk.
Calypso collapso!
😀
is that another?
86-5! Or, in [s]upside down[/s] Strine, 5-86.
Nasty reading whichever way you look at it!
Certainly is, i'm getting worried about my 4th and 5th day tickets at Old Trafford
Psychic - we've had your pain in the past, you can't really blame us for singing just now 🙂
Perhaps the aussies will send their guys in in reverse order next test? Or next inningis. Follow on?
Swann
Swann will tear you apart
Again
Follow on
More like follow through the way they're batting!
Oh dear.
Well that's the easy bit done. Will be a bit tougher now the proper batsmen are coming in.
What's the follow on score?
Well nearly time for bed here can they keep it up?
Mike, one word away from being an overshare there...! 😉
Cheers Captain, always been too lazy to find that out. 😀
I should imagine that even if they are able to, the chances of the follow on being enforced are extremely slim. With another 3 days to go and a good weather forecast, the correct tactic is surely to bat them out of the game and bring the bowlers back fresh.
Tour and test keep going guys
Just got back from a meeting.
<checks score>
LOLCATS!
Hope psychle enjoys his breakfast tomorrow morning 8)
deary me.
Hardly even worth watching the highlights, I'd say.
Id like to see them stretch this to an hour of tv 🙂
I'd like to see them stretch this to half an hour of tv
FTFY. 104-9!
😀
A perfect time to use an Australian phrase.. strewth their batting has been woeful!
.. goes off to throw another aussie on the barbi 😉
Right, just got in from the pub. wtf is going on? And who won the tdf?
And who won the tdf?
Not on this thread, please! Spoiler alert here is for cricket only!
OK, well, what's going on here. Have I been out so long I've missed an entire day?
i'm wondering how long losstralia will peddle the 'we are a settled side' 'the mood in the camp is positive' 'i back my batsmen to deliver a performance' 'we can win the ashes' etc etc and they face the reality that they are a side lacking in talent and application.
What happened here is: I have had two back to back meetings and missed the last 4 hours. Of course nothing would happen would it? I’m back now so expect at least another 100 for the last wicket.
I’m back now so expect at least another 100 for the last wicket.
Yeah, a week ago I missed most of their innings, up until seaweed man walked in...
\o/
Australia end their first innings with a lead of 19 over Ian Bell.
😀 @ CaptJon!
No follow on. Get in, get runs. Get lots of runs, quickly. Then, get after 'em tomorrow.
+1
can someone sharper than me explain why not making Oz follow on?
It's not like the pitch isnt doing anything.
I guess because England want to avoid the (very slight) prospect of batting last chasing 150 - 200 odd. This assumes the Aussies would have made a decent score second time in 😆
Is it poor form for a bit of footie style chanting?
"are you England in disguise?!"
Plenty of time, get a big lead then bowl them out. Given England's own batting frailty, if oz managed a 100 run lead in the follow on it could have been itchy bottom time...
Is it poor form for a bit of footie style chanting?
Not bad form, just outdated. We were singing it at them at 5/3 in Adelaide in 2010. Some bright spark shouted back that not even England were that bad! 😆
ffs - someone needs to show our top order some videos of Atherton and Boycott playing nice and patiently.
Wtf is going on with the top order - have they been told to "just go out there, have a bit of fun, don't take it too seriously"?
Time to drop KP ?
Maybe someone has a spread bet on the number of wickets...
We have it all wrong what it is is truly world class and utterly unplayable bowling from both sides the like of which we have never seen
FFS it is like neither side want to win
Pietersen...sometimes he needs to be told as he is often a liability when he goes in to dominate when England are in trouble and he has not even played himself in...imagine the scores he would have if he was patient as well
Well what a day.
I haven't actually enjoyed it a great deal, other than in the context of retaining the ashes. Australia batted like bloody amateurs. England bowled ok, but not really better than that. It's a shame that a game could hinge on a poor performance rather than a good one.
A lead of anything over 450, which we should achieve by tea tomorrow will be decisive, probably in the context of the series too.
I'm pleased but not really entertained.
Mind you it is v Australia so 😆
Just when we could have ground their faces in the dirt we show signs of weakness again.
Should still win this easily though.
I had the pleasure of being there today and I have to say that England's bowling was good (apart from a few loose overs from Bresnan) & the Rogers decision was roundly rubbished. Had it not been for the poor batting in the last dozen overs tonight, it would have probably been the best Ashes day at Lords since WWII.
Time to drop KP ?
Why him in particular? And, for whom?
Dear oh deary me, nice news to wake up to and digest with the morning cornflakes... I went to bed when Khawaja danced down the pitch to send some catching practice Cooks way, had a forlorn hope that I'd wake up to find Clarke sitting on a century and Haddin not far behind, not to be (wishful thinking of course!) No rearguard action to save face this time unfortunately 🙁
I think this series may well end up being the last Test series for quite a few of our batsman, if they continue to fail, too many of them have been given chance after chance after chance; and there are players in the wings that should be given their shot, even if they do fail then they'll have done no worse than this lot... Something just seems to be lacking in this squad, on the batsman's side anyway, I think the bowlers have heart, passion and determination still, though how long will that last with the continual failure of the bat?
Why him in particular?
His main job when he went out was to be there tomorrow. he did not even try to achieve this and went all Gung Ho as per usual. Aussie tails are up and a 7 over flurry was unlikely to change the course of the game. he plays one way and it is not always the best or a prudent choice.
And, for whom?
My granny with a Rhubarb stick obviously
there are players in the wings that should be given their shot
156ao vs Zimbabwe?
The other reason not to enforce the follow on which hasn't been mentioned is that bowlers get tired. Especially so in the current heat. Far better to give them a bit of rest (and let the opposition get tired in the field before they have to bat again). With over 3 days to go it's a complete no brainer to bat again - even if you do get to 31/3.
10-0?
there are players in the wings that should be given their shot
Warne, McGrath, Ponting.....
Katich, Hussey (both varieties)...
156ao vs Zimbabwe?
Yeah, just saw that scorecard, not ideal is it? Australian cricket really is in dire straits 🙁
But... having said that, there are names there that are worth a go - Henriques & Maxwell are two (though whether they're Test cricketers is debatable, but then, none of this lot appear to be either!). Shaun Marsh is another name out there as well
Katich could be a left-field recall for this series and the next, would be interesting to see him back in the team to be honest, he's been very hard done by over the years (due to Clarke I think?)
Henriques & Maxwell are two (though whether they're Test cricketers is debatable, but then, none of this lot appear to be either!)
Honestly they couldn't be any worse, there was a point where if it had been a horse they would have taken it round the back of the stands and offered everyone Tesco Burgers....
Still chin up there is still time for England to wrestle defeat from almost certain victory, would be worse if you had tickets for Day 4 though.