I'd like England to reach some 600 runs and declare then. It'd be the [yankee]maddafakkaov the cowm baak[/yankee].
psychle, you can always win it, collapse England in 5 overs, bat 500+ and then kill England again.
May the prettier WAGs win!
I reckon this is it!
Bowling maidens won't help your cause, the bowlers will be shattered, the fielders cold.
Just watching the highlights from yesterday. Can't believe Punter only got a 40% fine - surely they should have given him a 1 match ban, so that he could retire sometime tomorrow or the day after. I have a certain respect for his achievements, but right now he's showing his ugly side - if he hangs on as captain it will only be because the obvious replacements are in rubbish form themselves.
Prior, you silly sod!
Oh burger - we're struggling here with only a 361 run lead /6.
Time to go to bed soon? Just like yesterday?
maybe, could be here a while yet. 8)
Do you realise as soon as we all went the Aussies became England-of-the-90's Mk.2?
god we're awful. 465-7. 🙄
Creepers! Another wicket gone, any more South Africans in the line up?
At this rate we'll be lucky not to win....
[img] 
[/img]
Stoner, don't doubt the powers of determination.
Time to go to bed soon?
Nah - I reckon we'll be all out soon, so then it'll be time for Punter to fail again.
house!
I AM off to bed now.
Here's to a 580 total/declaration and Oz 150-4 by close.
G'nite then!
400!
500!
Declaration anyone?
With almost 3 days of play left?!?! And 7 wickets down...
WHY? 😕
Those 3 wickets will probably only last another couple of hours tops, given that we're now into the England tail. Maybe we might get another 100 or so runs on the board. That will then give us 2 1/2 days to bowl the Aussies out for less than about 500 runs, giving us another innings victory.
Better to totally demoralise a team, and take away any chance of them even holding on for a draw IMO, than to declare early and give them a slim chance to get back into it, just cos you're impatient...
Anyway... Anyone want to take a punt on the margin of the English victory? I'm going to stick my neck out and go with an innings and 250 run victory... I reckon the boys have got it in them! 😀
Phew - lucky escape for Trott there. We could have been in big trouble.
Demoralising Australian bowlers. Nice.
With almost 3 days of play left?!?! And 7 wickets down...WHY?
Those 3 wickets will probably only last another couple of hours tops, given that we're now into the England tail.
Depends whether you'd describe Swann as a tailender (better average than MJ who's mooted as an all-rounder). For sure once he's out there's not much left, but if he keeps going I can see us declaring mid-afternoon after Trott gets his double, or maybe at 600. Put them under a bit of pressure to avoid a 3 day defeat.
mboy +1. Give them something to chase. 😉
Trott for a double?
🙁 spoke too soon. No chance of a declaration now.
Wickets clattering - looks tough for the batsmen out there 😉
There you go then, England all out with a lead of 415, enough? Aussies out by tea?
[url= http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=1;filter=advanced;innings_number=2;orderby=lead;template=results;type=team;view=innings ]All 25 2nd innings leads of over 394 have resulted in a win[/url] Well all except one, where the lead was 415 :roll:[url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63762.html ]Though that was rather a silly high scoring game on a totally dead pitch[/url]
The only other draws in the leads of over 363 were weather affected matches in the 1930s.
Well if the last few wicket were anything to go by then some good bowling after lunch could destroy the aussies.
...in fact I got bored working back down the list to 330 or so lead having not found a game not resulting in a win for the team with a lead apart from those badly affected by weather or on totally flat pitches (if we exclude the [url= http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/225258.html ]Darell Hair incident[/url])
So, who's the new Aussie captain then? Surely Ponting won't last, will he?
Here's to a 580 total/declaration and Oz 150-4 by close.
Australia 1st Innings
98 all out (42.5 overs)
Australia 2nd Innings
169 for 6 (66.0 overs)
England 1st Innings
513 all out (159.1 overs)
I could [i] almost[/i] do this for a living 🙂
Yep like most of you warblings it is almost accurate 😉
Without biblical weather no hope for them now...it has been so bad I almost feel sorry for Ponting
Utter Joy
Can never feel sorry for punter I'm afraid. This test has been the best Xmas present ever!
I almost feel sorry for Ponting
How does that work?
Sorry not really following the cricket.
Are we, the English(and welsh) hammering the Aussies? 8)
There are few better ways to wake up than to read such a scoreboard in the morning. I had one of those better ways before reading the score this morning....!
Might have a spring in my step today!
Butler back on duty after the holidays was he ? 😉
So, who's the new Aussie captain then?
That's a very fine question. Clarke is averaging just over 21 this series, so not really justifying his place. North has already been dropped. The only definite picks right now would seem to be Haddin, Hussey and Watson, and 2 of those are almost certainly too old.
That was a slightly better than average performance for 3 wickets for Australia - they've now improved their series average to 82 (England are averaging almost 277).
You beauty! I'd love to be in oz now. i lived there during the glory generation(warne and co) and how id love to rub it in my gloating mates faces...off to write some emails. cant feel so smug they are on the beach in the sun and riding dusty trails.
Is psycle still [s]pretending to be[/s] on holiday in Morocco ?
🙂
So, id you were captaining Australia, what would you say to motive the remaining batsmen?
So, id you were captaining Australia, what would you say to motive the remaining batsmen?
Got any plans for your testimonial match?
It's going to be such a lovely evening/night tonight 🙂
Aye...got some of the lads coming round to watch the Oz heads drop, kinda hope it takes a while..but is a pointless stand. Will be very good whatever.
WIN
Is there anything else in sport as satisfying as an ashes victory?
The pub at the end of my road are having a sneaky ashes lock in. I shall be heading round later 8)
I hope we don't ease up, must must must win the series 3-1 to ram home our superiority.
So, id you were captaining Australia, what would you say to motive the remaining batsmen?
Shouldn't that be batsman singular? MJ's a bowling all-rounder, and the other two genuine tail-enders.
"If you don't save this, you'll get Clarke as captain" might do it though.
Despite a quality performance from England chances are the aussies are going to write off this victory as a non-event due to poor leadership.
Well blaming it all on Punter won't help. They probably do need a change of leader though.
Get in!!!
Are we celebrating already? What with? A proper cuppa here 🙂
I'm starting to think the next Aussie captain will be Mr Cricket - despite the fact he's only 1 year younger than Ponting. Clarke should be being demoted out of the team rather than promoted to captain right now, and there's a distinct lack of other obvious candidates (unless they think outside the box and recall White as captain).
I may be in for an early night after all!
Now it's almost over. Couple of overs to go?
Hmmm...
200 runs required to make England bat again, only 2 wickets to get (assuming Harris can't bat as he's being operated on), and there's only a couple of close catchers for Graeme Swann? 😕
Seems a bit odd! I'd want to make the batsmen so scared to do anything except defend the ball, I'd have them totally surrounded!
Maybe Strauss is trying to give the spectators some value for money and make the game last a bit longer... 😉
Is it a practice session but without the nets?
Finally. 1 to go.
FINISH THEM
We win 🙂
Hurrah! An innings and 157 runs!!!
Largest margin of victory for any team touring Australia since 1912.
Get in.
😆
lol - Aussie commentator - 'spare a thought for Ricky ponting' - not bloody likely!
Only thing that could improve this would be for Aggers to do 'the sprinkler' in the middle of the MCG!
WHoooooT!
Great news don't you think, psychle?
woot
How long before the Aussies rehash this one (the whinging amused me no end at the time, so I thought it worth reposting)?
Stayed up till 2am to watch most of the first session, was slightly overjoyed to see Strauss out 3rd ball! The look of anguish, disconsolation and disbelief on the face of the England Captain warmed the cockles of my heart at midnight! You could almost see the cracks appearing in the carefully prepared mental walls, lovely way to start the toughest tour he'll ever face
Went to bed at 1:30ish with the score at 2-43 I think, wasn't much happening, though I did think that the batsmen didn't look all that comfortable with the bounce, but our bowlers weren't doing much with the ball or off the deck either.
Wake up this morning to find that one of our 'two average opening bowlers' had taken a sensational hat-trick, on his birthday no less! Really happy for Siddle, he's a proper Aussie cricketer, all heart and passion and a real character for the side. He reckon he'll be our bowling talisman this series, much like Flintoff was for England. To think that the Aussie press and pundits were questioning his inclusion in this team! Idiots... Warne likes him for much the same reasons I do, he's got the 'mongrel' air about him, and that's what an Australian team needs!
All in, a pretty awesome opening day for Australia, and a much needed reality check for the Englander's I think: this is not going to be easy for you, you're in enemy territory now and the natives are hungry!
POSTED 1 MONTH AGO #
What a difference a month makes eh psychle? 😀
🙂
England's celebratory "sprinkler" post-victory for the barmy army.
[img] 
[/img]
Quality
Over exuberant celebrations for a series which could still (just possibly) be drawn.
You gotta love cricket fans.
I am of course delighted for England and Wales.
Yes highlights for me beside the Cricket was Bumble talking about his dad's and dogs ashes and ripping it out of Vaughns shirt
But 30 odd years of watching English sport has made me think we'll lose the last test in Sydney 🙁
Over exuberant celebrations for a series which could still (just possibly) be drawn.
I take it you do know why they were celebrating ?
Like duh!
Odd that you think the celebrations are OTT then 🙂
Like I said, bitter aussies turning it into a 'non-event' 🙂
I'm neither Aussie, English nor bitter. Simply a neutral immigrant (who has always supported England in cricket). I'd say that the celebrations are best left till the series is won. It's just a comment, that's all. The English as a nation are probably the most dignified in the world in defeat. Time to show some now.