Warren Hughes wrote:I think Cook was absolutely right not to enforce the follow-on. Even with the wickets that have fallen I still think we can bat them out of the game tomorrow. I fancy Root to come of age as an opener, hopefully Bresnan can stay in with him as long as possible and then we've got Bell to come afterwards who is in outstanding form. The lead could be 400-500 by the end of the day and Aussie would need a miracle even to rescue a draw.
The England cricket fan - ever the optimist.
So, call me a prophet, or...
Nico Rosberg wrote:Break me down mentally? Good luck with that one.
East Londoner wrote:Root finally gets his century. Well played by the lad, even if he looks like he should still be at school.
Indeed. Now if England can take advantage, and stay in until or declare at lunch tomorrow, that will give the Aussies a mountain to climb, that hopefully will prove insurmountable.
For our batsmen, anything above 200 is a step too far. That's how awful they are.
Biscione wrote:"Some Turkemenistani gulag repurposed for residential use" is the best way yet I've heard to describe North / East Glasgow.
East Londoner wrote:Root finally gets his century. Well played by the lad, even if he looks like he should still be at school.
Indeed. Now if England can take advantage, and stay in until or declare at lunch tomorrow, that will give the Aussies a mountain to climb, that hopefully will prove insurmountable.
For our batsmen, anything above 200 is a step too far. That's how awful they are.
East Londoner wrote:Root finally gets his century. Well played by the lad, even if he looks like he should still be at school.
Indeed. Now if England can take advantage, and stay in until or declare at lunch tomorrow, that will give the Aussies a mountain to climb, that hopefully will prove insurmountable.
For our batsmen, anything above 200 is a step too far. That's how awful they are.
It does seem like your pessimism was well judged - Clarke and Khawaja at least managed moderately respectable scores of 51 and 54 respectively, but the rest of the team haven't judged their shots well. For example, the fact that Watson has been drawn into three lbw's in the four innings of the first two tests by England, who know that he is prone to making such mistakes (he has more dismissals due to lbw's than any other test level cricketer on record), shows both that England have been focussing on how to attack Australia and how the Australian players are struggling to adapt their playing style to the conditions. OK, they've had a few lousy umpiring decisions go against them that have perhaps rattled and angered them (including one just now for Agar that has seen him dismissed on dubious grounds), but the players just seem to lack the patience and ability to knuckle down and patiently build up their score.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
If anything, I feel sorry for the punters who've got tickets for Lords tomorrow, as it's gonna take a miracle for there to be any play on Day 5 at this rate.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
mario wrote:For example, the fact that Watson has been drawn into three lbw's in the four innings of the first two tests by England, who know that he is prone to making such mistakes (he has more dismissals due to lbw's than any other test level cricketer on record).
Speaking of Watson and his propensity of getting out lbw, here's a good piece about that, and his wasting of reviews when he does get out.
On another subject, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't David Warner supposed to be coming back for the third Test? And if so, what sort of impact would he have?
Honestly I don't think it'll matter much what he does unless the rest of the team can step it up, which they have collectively been abject failures at so far, this series.
"If you don't like it, overtake or f**k off!"- Niki Lauda responding to complaints of his Brabham BT46 'fan car" throwing debris in drivers' faces.
tzerof1 wrote:On another subject, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't David Warner supposed to be coming back for the third Test? And if so, what sort of impact would he have?
As long as he doesn't have the same impact on Joe Root's face that he had only a few weeks ago...
4:40 and it's 162/8 as Haddin perishes. Siddle and Pattinson to get a century each? Somehow, I suspect not.
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time: "...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
These are going around on Twitter at the moment if you search "Shane Watson DRS".
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
tzerof1 wrote:On another subject, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't David Warner supposed to be coming back for the third Test? And if so, what sort of impact would he have?
As long as he doesn't have the same impact on Joe Root's face that he had only a few weeks ago...
4:40 and it's 162/8 as Haddin perishes. Siddle and Pattinson to get a century each? Somehow, I suspect not.
Siddle's already lost a stump after just 18 runs, so now it is 208-9 and now looks more like a question of whether or not they can close it out tonight or not. At least Pattinson and Harris seem determined to work something from the end of this day, but it sounds like they're playing a fairly risky game to do it (already a few dropped chances).
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
tzerof1 wrote:Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't David Warner supposed to be coming back for the third Test? And if so, what sort of impact would he have?
Honestly I don't think it'll matter much what he does unless the rest of the team can step it up, which they have collectively been abject failures at so far, this series.
His return will be dependent on what the selectors decide. Unfortunately, since they haven't got a brain between them, he'll stay in Africa.
As for impact, well, considering he barely scraped 20 runs in two innings against Zimbabwe (of all teams), he'd do sod all anyway. But at least he won't waste our reviews...
Awful performance by Australia and England finally showing what they can really do in their 2nd innings. Root, Bell and Swann were all superb in this test. You could pick the Aussie batting order out of a hat, its impossible to tell who's meant to be an opener and who's meant to be a tailender. Stop playing Big Bash and start learning cricket Convicts!
the Masked Lapwing wrote:I'm starting to think the Indians are on to something with the DRS, that was f***in ridiculous.
Mind you, it appears that the conventional umpires are leaving much to be desired too - it appears that Hill has made a similarly big gaffe by missing a very clear lbw call against Smith (the replays of the shot and Hawk Eye show, rather clearly, that the ball was striking the middle stump about two thirds of the way up it).
I would have to say that the bigger problem is not DRS in itself, but the fact that the umpires are applying the tools available to them so poorly - the information that was available, with a visible gap between Khawaja's bat and the ball and audio evidence strongly suggesting he'd struck his pad rather than the ball, should have been more than enough to overturn the decision. I would suggest that it's mostly been human error, or a reluctance at times for the third umpire to overrule the umpire on the field, that is the bigger problem rather than the system in itself.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
Who was watching today and thought the same thing?
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time: "...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
Aw piss, I get home, put the cricket on just as Jonny Bairstow gets caught out ridiculously easily. 277-6 now, still 250 behind the Aussies.
Good century by Pietersen though.
EDIT: Pietersen falls to an LBW having made 113.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
East Londoner wrote:Aw piss, I get home, put the cricket on just as Jonny Bairstow gets caught out ridiculously easily. 277-6 now, still 250 behind the Aussies.
Good century by Pietersen though.
EDIT: Pietersen falls to an LBW having made 113.
It's created a rather interesting dilemma for the Australians given that the chance of rain today is quite high - with England having avoided the follow on (having now reached 368 all out), Australia know that they have to rack up a solid lead quite quickly to give themselves enough time to attack England and win the game in order to keep their chances alive. It's going to be interesting to see what score Clarke reckons might be strong enough for him to risk declaring - with England still 159 runs behind, my feeling is that Clarke is going to aim for a lead slightly over 400 (say, 420), hope that the score is low enough to tempt England into attacking, that the rain does not interrupt play for as long as feared and that his bowlers still have something left in the tank.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
One down already, Aussies... it's not Warner, unfortunately.
Tell me this, though; is it completely wrong that the idea of "politically correct Ashes crowd chants" spun round my head in the style of Spitting Image's politically correct football chants? Imagine the fun that wouldn't be...
The Barmy Army never wrote:He bowls to the left, he bowls to the left... that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is still better than any of us could ever manage so why he's been dropped from the Australian Test squad doesn't make sense...
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time: "...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
dinizintheoven wrote:One down already, Aussies... it's not Warner, unfortunately.
Tell me this, though; is it completely wrong that the idea of "politically correct Ashes crowd chants" spun round my head in the style of Spitting Image's politically correct football chants? Imagine the fun that wouldn't be...
The Barmy Army never wrote:He bowls to the left, he bowls to the left... that Mitchell Johnson, his bowling is still better than any of us could ever manage so why he's been dropped from the Australian Test squad doesn't make sense...
It was a fairly fast and furious game that was played by Australia, but with poor light and eventually rain halting proceedings, not to mention heavy rain predicted for pretty much the whole of tomorrow, it looks like Australia are not going to be able to force the win that they need. With a lead of 331, I wonder if Australia will declare tonight and hope that there are enough gaps in the rain to go for it tomorrow - I don't think that they have that many other options left now.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
Now that the Ashes has been decided by the rain (congrats England ), we have 2 Tests with the potential to be quite exciting, now that the pressure is off both sides mostly.
In selection news, Graham Onions has been picked to the England side for the Durham test. Good on Alastair Cook for that choice, in my view, given Onions' solid form for the Durham county side this year.
"If you don't like it, overtake or f**k off!"- Niki Lauda responding to complaints of his Brabham BT46 'fan car" throwing debris in drivers' faces.
Test at Chester-le-Street plus a 3 day break only between tests means it makes sense to play Onions. Have always rated him as a good bowler (and Ryan Sidebottom!).
England collapsed yet again this morning, 238 all out. But the good news is that Broad's taken two early wickets, leaving the Aussies currently on 49-2
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
East Londoner wrote:England collapsed yet again this morning, 238 all out. But the good news is that Broad's taken two early wickets, leaving the Aussies currently on 49-2
Relax, the Aussies will be all out for 150. That's the way we roll
East Londoner wrote:England collapsed yet again this morning, 238 all out. But the good news is that Broad's taken two early wickets, leaving the Aussies currently on 49-2
Relax, the Aussies will be all out for 150. That's the way we roll
Well, England have now managed to get Clarke out very cheaply after tempting him into a very poor shot - it's 75-3 at the moment and shaping up in a very interesting manner, as Rogers, having survived a marginal review (he was mistakenly given out as caught behind, but whilst the review showed that the ball hadn't hit the bat, there was a question mark over whether he could have been given out on the grounds of an lbw call), seems to be trying to dig in as best he can. Either way, it is plausible that we could see fairly low scores on both sides - I believe that one commentator noted that no side has scored more than 300 runs in Durham this year.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
Why is the curry I made last night like the England cricket team?
It has no Onions in it.
*drumroll* *symbalcrash*
James Allen, on his favourite F1 engine of all time: "...the Life W12, I can't describe the noise to you, but imagine filling your dustbin with nuts and bolts, and then throwing it down the stairs, it was something akin to that!"
Smith edges a delivery from Bresnan straight into the hands of Prior. 76-4 now.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
takagi_for_the_win wrote:Presumably the Aussies have gone for the "Sod it, they've taken one of us, lets all get out and go to the pub" approach. Again.
Well, Watson's now batting, so we can expect him to get lbw'd shortly, and then waste one of the two Aussie reviews on it.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
takagi_for_the_win wrote:Presumably the Aussies have gone for the "Sod it, they've taken one of us, lets all get out and go to the pub" approach. Again.
Well, Watson's now batting, so we can expect him to get lbw'd shortly, and then waste one of the two Aussie reviews on it.
"You shall not pass!" And promptly sticks his leg between the ball and the stumps
A mixed day indeed. The Aussie batting order collapsed spectacularly in the morning, just when everyone thought they were gonna post a big total, but England's bloody openers did their usual trick of getting dismissed on low scores. Thank heavens Ian Bell is playing like an absolute demon at the moment, otherwise I don't know where the team would be. Another brilliant century from the man before the close of play.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
East Londoner wrote:A mixed day indeed. The Aussie batting order collapsed spectacularly in the morning, just when everyone thought they were gonna post a big total, but England's bloody openers did their usual trick of getting dismissed on low scores. Thank heavens Ian Bell is playing like an absolute demon at the moment, otherwise I don't know where the team would be. Another brilliant century from the man before the close of play.
Bell's form right now is really impressive, and more than once he has dug the team out of a very difficult situation with very impressive and methodical batting.
To put in perspective how well he is playing right now, if I have added up the totals correctly, then in the first three tests he has scored 381 of the 1705 runs in total that England have racked up. To put it another way, about 22% of England's runs from the first three tests have come from Bell alone (if you include his runs in this tests as well, that rises to 492 from 2173, or about 22.5%), which really does show how he is dominating proceedings at the moment.
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
England's batting really hasn't been very impressive this series aside from Bell, who has looked world-class. Cook, Trott and Prior in particular (I'll forgive Bairstow) haven't turned up at all. Old Trafford showed that once Australia found their own feet with their batting, they were more than a match for England. I think England will still pinch the win in this test, but a 3-0/3-1 series victory would be papering over some cracks in the England team that might be far more exposed on Australian soil.
Bathplug sake, Bell and Prior both just got bowled out by Harris in consecutive balls. Great bowling by the Aussies for once.
Fetzie on Ferrari wrote:How does a driver hurtling around a race track while they're sous-viding in their overalls have a better understanding of the race than a team of strategy engineers in an air-conditioned room?l
East Londoner wrote:Bathplug sake, Bell and Prior both just got bowled out by Harris in consecutive balls. Great bowling by the Aussies for once.
Bresnan did manage to salvage something from his innings though, and with Swann putting on a respectable 30 before Anderson was bowled out, it means that England are all out for 330, leaving Australia with a target of 298 (which, on a pitch that seems to be fairly tricky to bat on, is not quite as easy a task as it might seem).
Martin Brundle, on watching a replay of Grosjean spinning: "The problem with Grosjean is that he want to take a look back at the corner he's just exited"
That's for sure!
), we have 2 Tests with the potential to be quite exciting, now that the pressure is off both sides mostly. 
