Doesn't look great for play today does it? 🙁 So I'll just rabbit on about the Aussie team selection, most unusual news!

So we drop Phillip Hughes but keep Mitchell Johnson… I guess Hughes has lost his spot because of Mitch's current waywardness and inconsistency, the selectors have obviously felt we need another bowler to turn to, so in comes Shane Watson. And he's to be opening the batting as well?? Good lord, that is a gamble and a half!

What do you chaps think about Ian Bell's chances of a good result? He seems to struggle aginst the Aussies?

What do you chaps think about Ian Bell's chances of a good result? He seems to struggle aginst the Aussies?

Not half so much as Johnson seems to struggle against the Poms 😉

I think Hughes needed to post decent scores both times round in the tour match to keep his place, rather than failing once (again). Not that Watson seems the most obvious opening batsman.

I think the Aussies hasve fallen into the England trap – selecting your bowlers according to how well thy bat. They are short of a bit of class as well.

As for bell – too brittle – he will get some score and he will also continue to fail.
I think both teams are rather mediocre atm. Half the england side are not test players IMO

Not half so much as Johnson seems to struggle against the Poms 😉

touche

So… looks like there'll be a couple of hours play this evening, excellent. Australia wins the toss and elects to bat, let's see how Mr Watson goes in his new openers role 😀

Marvellous! Play starts at 1700….!

From cricinfo:

The players are getting the ball to swing around corners on the side wickets

Last minute change with the gloves for Australia. Hadden with a broken finger after the toss (fnaar)

A very strange first day all round.

The Watson thing seems to be going well for Oz, and as is are usual fault the bowlers don't seem able to keep to a decent line & length

Hughes is unlucky, despite not making a score yet, he's young and highly rated. He's out of the side because Watson's bowling can cover Johnson's erratic performance with the ball (difficult to drop him as his batting is pretty good) Watson opens in the one day games so the new ball won't be to much of a problem as already proved. As for Bell i'd love him to do well and he's talking like he's learnt alot since being dropped. I guess we'll find out sometime on Saturday. (his figures against Australia aren't that great (possibly because of Warne and McGrath?). England bowlers couldn't find their length or direction today and Oz have a got a good start. I'm a firm believer in scoreboard pressure so a big first innings score and lots of interuptions for the batsmen could be on the cards for England.

Going a bit better this morning!

Well that does change things a bit. Especially as Australia don't bat so deep without Haddin.

😆

ONIONS!

Bye, bye Ricky!`

I just watch cricket, so I'm far from being an expert, but why do batsmen hook? Given how many seem to get out to that, and that you could just duck instead, why not just ignore the bouncer?

Not that I'm complaining, mind.

'Why do batsmen hook'

1/ A lot of batsmen play the shot very well and score lots of runs from it.

2/ The ball the bowler is often trying to bowl isn't an out and out bouncer but one that would hit the batter in the armpit where it is tough to avoid, tough to just block and hence if you don't have a counter to it, you make yourself a sitting duck to be peppered (look at KP in the Ashes test at the Oval last time round, or Graam Swann this series. Both were worked over and then decided to counter attack with far better results). If you never attempt to score off it, it effectively allows the bowlers a guaranteed dot ball even if they screw it up, and if they bowl it right it's real pig to deal with.

Am in tears of laughter here!

I *was* hoping for rain around Brum tomorrow – not so sure now!

whoooooooooooooooooooooooo

Am in tears of laughter here!

Why? quite tough batting conditions really, ball is swinging all over the place! Though this is a rather dramatic collapse I do agree 🙄 I just hope our bowlers will get the same this afternoon…

just watched the replay of Johnsons LBW… bit of a tough call!

Does Johnson swing the ball well? Could really get his confidence back the amount the ball is doing at the mo.

Gwan England!

cracking ball that 😀

thunk.
🙂

And another down!

203-8!

203-8

I think they need some lunch 🙂

Does Johnson swing the ball well?

Yep, it's what he's known for (along with inaccuracy at the moment :roll:)If he can get his radar in then he will be difficult to play if it swings like this for us as well!

Yeah they'll need to feed up at lunchtime so they're ready to be standing out in the field this avo.

It was all going well until TMS started their feature on Edgbaston 2005 with Daniel Bedingtwat…

psychle – Member

Does Johnson swing the ball well?

Yep, it's what he's known for (along with inaccuracy at the moment :roll:)If he can get his radar in then he will be difficult to play if it swings like this for us as well!

Pie chucker…! 😉

What a cracking lunchtime, pint of beer, chip buttie and an Australian batting collapse of almost English proportions.

We did notice that that when England bowl short, the Aussies hammer it, they're struggling to deal with full length balls

we shall see Cpt FH, we shall see 🙂

On Cricinfo…

The Ashes battle is hotting up on the airwaves as well as the pitch after a falling out between Matthew Hayden and Geoff Boycott on the opening day at Edgbaston while working for Test Match Special. Hayden, who has joined for the rest of the summer, said Boycott's batting style "emptied cricket grounds" and Boycott promptly stormed out of the commentary box saying "don't need comments like that at my stage." They shook hands later, but the atmosphere is likely to be deliciously frosty

Ha ha… go the tailenders! Add a few more runs, make it harder for a England 1st innings lead 😆

Looks like the ball has stopped swinging quite so much? Guess it's getting a little older…

Not a great 1st innings score from Australia, but some very good bowling does the job for the Poms. Now let's see if our lads can do the same!

Was 'good' to see batsman (mostly) getting out to excellent deliveries rather than seeming to throw their wickets away…

That'll do…

anyone else nervous? a nasty little session before tea, I'd be happy to get through without having a clatter of wickets…….

anyone else nervous? a nasty little session before tea, I'd be happy to get through without having a clatter of wickets

Well… it wasn't the clatter of wickets you needed to be nervous about 😀

Hmmmm – very tense

ohh dear 🙂

Ain't this fun – we're just toying with the convicts though…