0-0 and the most thrilling way to end a series 0-0 too.

Hopefully some better to come from this lot!

I was there. Fantastic! Fully expected England to lose at some point during the day today after Cook and then Finn went late in the day yesterday. What fight from Root, Bell, Broad and Matt Prior today. The Draw feels like a win.

the cricinfo & bbc updates fell off a cliff with 2 balls to go!!

Not read the full reports yet – how many balls did last man have to face? Really couldn’t have been closer. Fantastic.

I found a NZ radio station that had the balls to broadcast internationally. The NZ commentators were pretty gracious actually – nothing like having to put up with Kerry O’Keiff’s whining on the ABC.

And yes – blows T20 into a crocked hat!

blows knocks T20 into a crocked hat!

Its bad enough the Americans destroying The Englsih Language but for the colonials to do be doing it too! *shakes head*

What an amazing day’s cricket though 😀

Its bad enough the Americans destroying The Englsih Language but for the colonials to do be doing it too! *shakes head*

I may be going native down here, but at least I can still spell the name of the language you’re wishing to defend 😉

pfft, only half way though my first coffee this morning. I imagine you’re already on your first VB of the day…

pfft, only half way though my first coffee this morning. I imagine you’re already on your first VB of the day…

VB?!? Are you stark raving mad?!?!?

Only the Mexicans drink that foul stuff. I’ll have one of these when I finally get in from work, thanks!

Monty’s the perfect man for this situation. Just good enough to survive, bad enough to make you think that he won’t. In the same way that the Army regiments list glorious last stands on their colours, there should be a board at Lords for Monty’s rearguard actions.

Got to admit that the fact this thread exists is probably a spoiler in itself, however, were it not for this thread I wouldnn’t have even checked the outcome, so thanks!

Great last day performance by the lower order and tail enders. Prior was superb.

Shouldn’t mask what’s been a terrible set of performances though. Need to regroup and get it right against NZ at home before the Aussies arrive for their bi-annual pasting in July.

So I’m not the only one who got no sleep last night? Kept meaning to go to bed and catch the result in the morning, but couldn’t tear myself away. Who’d have thought 61 balls without a scoring stroke would be so exciting (I’m still disappointed he scored runs – at the point he got his first two he’d just taken the record for the longest innings by time without scoring, and he goes and throws it away)?

Shouldn’t mask what’s been a terrible set of performances though. Need to regroup and get it right against NZ at home before the Aussies arrive for their bi-annual pasting in July.

Compared to Australia’s recent performances we’ve been world beaters though. On current form the home series against NZ looks rather tougher than the Ashes.

I agree. Perhaps we should contest the ashes against the Kiwis in the future

Can’t wait for the Aussies to arrive! Don’t care how rubbish they’ve been, I want to see them on green, seeming & swinging pitches that take masses of spin on days 4 and 5. 😀

Can’t wait for the Aussies to arrive! Don’t care how rubbish they’ve been, I want to see them on green, seeming & swinging pitches that take masses of spin on days 4 and 5.

Remind me what pride comes before, again?

History making performance, Monty flopping about 😆 and some back to the wall defending. Got to love test match cricket which is something I would never thought I would say 20 years ago. 🙂

Remind me of your predictions before the last couple of Ashes series, zokes? 😉

I do think we ought to import a couple of curators from India though – or maybe even a couple of drop in pitches. Would love to see the Aussie top order against Swann and Monty on a bunsen – I suspect Hughes, Watson et al would far rather face Anderson on a green top.

Remind me of your predictions before the last couple of Ashes series, zokes?

Moderately bricking it in the UK.

Definitely bricking it here in Oz, especially after the gabba. It all seemed far too familiar!

Cricket, especially where England are concerned, is a game only to be bragged about after the fact…

They all seem to be bricking it down here. All the more reason for us to be cautious and professional. We need to be as ruthless to them as they were to us in 2007. Anything less, and there’s another old prover about beasts being at their most dangerous when they’re down, and we’ll be the ones facing back-to-back pastings.

Remind me what pride comes before, again?

In terms of recent ashes history, it’s usually followed by a big hundred by one of the top four, jimmy taking 5 fer and Australia following on. 😀

Depends how recent, this was only six 1/2 years ago:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7Y6T44tzIc&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

And this last time…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLxv4mb0sqw&feature=player_detailpage[/video]

We’re not the team we were in 2010. Too many new faces, injury worries, and inconsistencies.

I do think we ought to import a couple of curators from India though

Why? Have you been to the Lord’s museum recently? It is excellent. There is a wonderful new portrait of Sir Viv there.

I should add – the stakes are somewhat higher for us expats down under. England lose the ashes then you guys back home get to be grumpy for a little while then forget about it. We get a whole world of hurt for the next 2 1/2 years…

Play the plastic Aussie card then herr zokes. 🙂

I should add – the stakes are somewhat higher for us expats down under. England lose the ashes then you guys back home get to be grumpy for a little while then forget about it. We get a whole world of hurt for the next 2 1/2 years…

This also applies here in NZ which is why Prior & Broad et al, did such a great job yesterday.

We were terrible but brilliant too in the last test match. Don’t think England would have been capable of performances like this in the past.

And we were on top quite comfortably in the second test so not all NZ, but yes they were better through the series than us generally.

Prior really did have a brilliant tour only surpassed by Billy the Trumpeter of the Barmy Army. Ride of the Valkyries when Wagner bowled – superb. And when the score was 123-5, or 12345 – Sense is Working Overtime – Sublime.

Prior really did have a brilliant tour only surpassed by Billy the Trumpeter of the Barmy Army. Ride of the Valkyries when Wagner bowled – superb. And when the score was 123-5, or 12345 – Sense is Working Overtime – Sublime.

Genius – anyone youtubed those?

Broad needed a performance in this game, and has delivered. However, I still question his place. His bowling is piss-pace and mostly gun-barrel straight. Any swing with the new ball is ‘from the hand’ rather than worrying for a decent batter. His batting had been crap for a long time.

The problem for England is that their best attack contains Finn, Anderson and Onions. Freakish rearguards notwithstanding, that’s a long tail. Add Panesar on a Turner and we’re into the same territory as the infamous Mullaly, Malcolm, Tufnell and Giddins tail from 1999.

The key to putting totals on the board against the crims will be to get through the new ball. Pattinson and Siddle will be a real handful if they pitch it up in England (assuming they are fit). After that, I can’t see too much else. Gone are the days when Warne could bowl 45 overs in an innings for just over two an over and take wickets as well.

We were terrible but brilliant too in the last test match. Don’t think England would have been capable of performances like this in the past.

Oh I don’t know – even in the dark years we were quite good at pulling off memorable draws when we were supposed to lose – ie Johannesburg 1995.

Play the plastic Aussie card then herr zokes.

I don’t often swear on here, but in the politest possible way, go **** yourself 😉

Genius – anyone youtubed those?

Not that I am aware of, the Countdown theme for referrals is great fun too.

Moderately bricking it in the UK.

Definitely bricking it here in Oz, especially after the gabba. It all seemed far too familiar!

My apologies – getting you mixed up with psychle. I did find this gem from him when I was trying to work out who I was thinking of:

“Good effort from your lads though, winning in India is never easy (though I do feel they’re well and truly on the downward slide, India that is…)”

😆

That’s amazing! What’s happened to him – we seem to be missing his blind faith in Australian cricket…