Yawn
any tickets for monday? might still be Australia's 1st innings
about time for another
Turn up on the day for Monday...
Montyyyyyyyyyy!
Great timing, back to evens?
p'raps. p'raps not...
So close to being England's day, you'd have bet your house on Carberry there!
Jeez, that is one slow, horrible wicket! 22 yards of weetabix.
Absolutely critical that England basically bat once. Ok so maybe chasing down a hundred in the last dig might not be too bad against an attack with only one spinner, but no more than that. Finish them off for less than 350, take our time and post a big total. Then nick one or two out with the new conker before Swann and Panesar take over.
That's the theory anyway.
Strangely, this is the kind of surface where England miss someone of real pace who can reverse it. Anderson is merely ok with reverse. Someone like Flintoff or Jones would be ideal. It just goes to show what absolute gods Waqar and Wasim were!
1st session critical, if they can get among them early then it could go Englands way, if not then Australia could end up totting up a total and be up at 400 without anyone doing anything special.
The big test is how England go with the bat, there will be pressure on everyone after Brisbane, Australia already have runs on the board regardless of the pitch.
I'm worried. Next session is crucial. I can't see this being a draw, with the pitch turning as it is already, and I can't see us chasing a big total in the last innings. We need to get these last wickets for not many to give us a chance to make a lead that's big enough to put pressure on and let Monty and Swanny to do their thing. If Aus score enough to take a lead, I would then worry we'll be 2-0, a tough game at the WACA to come, and the series and ashes slipping away.
The 2 spinners is a bold call and looks like England want to win, Australia don't want to loose. A win on a draw pitch would be a very good result.
We've picked the bowlers to win the game for sure. But you also have to score more runs than the opposition. I've been defending the batters for a while now as having too much talent to continue to fail, but we need that faith repaid now by a daddy ton or two.
I KNOW cooky, belly, kp, and co have the capability but I'm less confident each day they don't do it. I know it's only day 6 out of 25, but time's already running out.
aye its the batters who have let them down for sure and need to step up to the plate. the problem is none of them are in form.
well no wickets yep and it's back with Australia for now, could do with seeing the back of Clark
It'll still be Australia's first innings by the time I get there on day 4 at this rate...
Stokes finally gets his maiden test wicket. And Clarke is finally gone...
And MJ also...
Declare for 550?
Siddle...
EDIT: Mike, I'd be bloody annoyed if it got to 550 now!
Trying to work out when to leave the tv and have an afternoon beer... Going to get a few comments on the score
It's just not happening for Swanny 🙁
Or anyone really time for tea
Finally!
570/9d FFS
Oh dear.
Johnson looks unplayable
****ing lost this for sure!
FFS. So that's what happens when you drop catches.
Catches win matches, drop them at your peril...
But WTF was Cook doing?
I think Joe root needs another dinner partner tonight.
I think Joe root needs another dinner partner tonight.
Bloody Carberry had two lives there. Would have deserved to be run out for not being awake, then should have been out LBW but wasn't given.
Not being awake? If he'd been in shorts and running spikes that was still a tight one, and I'm pretty sure it was among the last thing he expected with 2 balls left in the day.
Not being awake?
He was leaning on his bat watching the ball. He should have already been on his way when the call came.
He should have expected it. The object of the game is to score runs. He's an opening batsman, not a tail-end bunny who needed sheltering.
listened till the out on th eno ball then it was obvious what was going to happen
Aussie were precarious for a while but they turned it round
England need to bat and under pressure
i doubt anyone has much faith in that happening
They cannot win this match from here anyway that much is certain
They cannot win this match from here anyway that much is certain
Well, they can. But they need to bat and bowl like they did last time they were here.
Even that won't produce a favourable result on this pitch. What they need to do now is bat for two days and take the edge of Mitchell Johnson's confidence. Can't see that happening either, but hey ho.
But WTF was Cook doing?
Harsh, to say the least
Johnson bowled him with a 93MPH ball, that moved from middle to off. I'd say that was as unplayable a ball as you're likely to see.
If he'd been in shorts and running spikes that was still a tight one
He went, hesitated then went again. If he hadn't of hesitated he would have been in by a mile.
Harsh, to say the least
His earlier gropings and flashings prior to that ball don't exactly lead me to conclude that it was solely Johnson.
He also knows how fast Johnson bowls, and is one of the best opening batsmen in the world. I don't doubt that it was a good ball, but it certainly wasn't unplayable by a player of that calibre. And he did seem to lose the will to bother in the field.
His earlier gropings and flashings prior to that ball
oh, no doubt, some very half hearted wafting going on, and it was only a matter of time, but I thought that ball was an absolute peach.
Draw should be possible but really it looks like win for Australia. Can't see England coming back from 2-0 down. Maybe time to drop Swann for Month especially given the number of right handers in the Australia team.
This threads gone awfy quiet. The casual observer might believe the English only sing when they're winning.
Which has been on a regular basis in recent years. You need a break now and again.
Confidently predicting two hundreds tomorrow. There, I've gone and done it now 😕
Think Swan was calling it quits after this tour anyway?
stevenmenmuir - Member
This threads gone awfy quiet. The casual observer might believe the English only sing when they're winning.
Just that the cricket has finished for the day, I escaped to the LBS/pub to listen to the evening session, not really worth it. Going to be the day we see if England are in this series today.
I haven't seen Cook's dismissal yet, so perhaps too early to comment but the picture I have seen has his back foot in front of his front foot, but still only just on the crease. Tends to suggest he got squared up by a ball that moved from leg to off. Probably a good'un, but Cook is a good enough (and analytical enough) player to realise that he probably ought to be taking guard on middle and off to Johnson and looking to get a stride in. Sometimes you have to do all you can to load the odds in your favour. He is a good enough player to be able to rock back if necessary.
Anderson is a little over quick medium these days, so the comparison is not entirely valid, but the way Rogers played him and Broad was an example. He was punch-driving waist high balls on the front foot. Not something you can do on a quick wicket. This would have made Johnson have to think a bit more, but he does have a very decent slower off cutter if memory serves, so perhaps he could have used that on Cook if he had been 'coming at him'.
Anyway, England need to play proper bloody test cricket for a day and a half. Daft shots completely in the locker and any run outs should be a capital offence. You should never, ever be run out in a test match unless you are in a last ditch run chase, or looking to score quick runs to declare! You have to make the opposition TAKE your wicket at all costs.
Wonder if England can bat for three days (probably using both innings) - 3 days in the field could tire the Aussie's out a bit, especially Harris and Clarke who are about as strong as Aussie lager, hopefully put them out the next match. Next test follows straight after.......clutching at straws I think unless KP knocks in a quick double ton!
