Cheers Captain, always been too lazy to find that out. 😀

I should imagine that even if they are able to, the chances of the follow on being enforced are extremely slim. With another 3 days to go and a good weather forecast, the correct tactic is surely to bat them out of the game and bring the bowlers back fresh.

Tour and test keep going guys

Just got back from a meeting.

<checks score>

LOLCATS!

Hope psychle enjoys his breakfast tomorrow morning 8)

deary me.

Hardly even worth watching the highlights, I’d say.

Id like to see them stretch this to an hour of tv 🙂

I’d like to see them stretch this to half an hour of tv

FTFY. 104-9!

😀

A perfect time to use an Australian phrase.. strewth their batting has been woeful!

.. goes off to throw another aussie on the barbi 😉

Right, just got in from the pub. wtf is going on? And who won the tdf?

And who won the tdf?

Not on this thread, please! Spoiler alert here is for cricket only!

OK, well, what’s going on here. Have I been out so long I’ve missed an entire day?

i’m wondering how long losstralia will peddle the ‘we are a settled side’ ‘the mood in the camp is positive’ ‘i back my batsmen to deliver a performance’ ‘we can win the ashes’ etc etc and they face the reality that they are a side lacking in talent and application.

What happened here is: I have had two back to back meetings and missed the last 4 hours. Of course nothing would happen would it? I’m back now so expect at least another 100 for the last wicket.

I’m back now so expect at least another 100 for the last wicket.

Yeah, a week ago I missed most of their innings, up until seaweed man walked in…

\o/

Australia end their first innings with a lead of 19 over Ian Bell.

😀 @ CaptJon!

No follow on. Get in, get runs. Get lots of runs, quickly. Then, get after ’em tomorrow.

+1

can someone sharper than me explain why not making Oz follow on?

It’s not like the pitch isnt doing anything.

I guess because England want to avoid the (very slight) prospect of batting last chasing 150 – 200 odd. This assumes the Aussies would have made a decent score second time in 😆

Is it poor form for a bit of footie style chanting?

“are you England in disguise?!”

Plenty of time, get a big lead then bowl them out. Given England’s own batting frailty, if oz managed a 100 run lead in the follow on it could have been itchy bottom time…

Is it poor form for a bit of footie style chanting?

Not bad form, just outdated. We were singing it at them at 5/3 in Adelaide in 2010. Some bright spark shouted back that not even England were that bad! 😆

ffs – someone needs to show our top order some videos of Atherton and Boycott playing nice and patiently.

Wtf is going on with the top order – have they been told to “just go out there, have a bit of fun, don’t take it too seriously”?

Time to drop KP ?

Maybe someone has a spread bet on the number of wickets…

We have it all wrong what it is is truly world class and utterly unplayable bowling from both sides the like of which we have never seen

FFS it is like neither side want to win

Pietersen…sometimes he needs to be told as he is often a liability when he goes in to dominate when England are in trouble and he has not even played himself in…imagine the scores he would have if he was patient as well

Well what a day.

I haven’t actually enjoyed it a great deal, other than in the context of retaining the ashes. Australia batted like bloody amateurs. England bowled ok, but not really better than that. It’s a shame that a game could hinge on a poor performance rather than a good one.

A lead of anything over 450, which we should achieve by tea tomorrow will be decisive, probably in the context of the series too.

I’m pleased but not really entertained.

Mind you it is v Australia so 😆

Just when we could have ground their faces in the dirt we show signs of weakness again.

Should still win this easily though.

I had the pleasure of being there today and I have to say that England’s bowling was good (apart from a few loose overs from Bresnan) & the Rogers decision was roundly rubbished. Had it not been for the poor batting in the last dozen overs tonight, it would have probably been the best Ashes day at Lords since WWII.

Time to drop KP ?

Why him in particular? And, for whom?

Dear oh deary me, nice news to wake up to and digest with the morning cornflakes… I went to bed when Khawaja danced down the pitch to send some catching practice Cooks way, had a forlorn hope that I’d wake up to find Clarke sitting on a century and Haddin not far behind, not to be (wishful thinking of course!) No rearguard action to save face this time unfortunately 🙁

I think this series may well end up being the last Test series for quite a few of our batsman, if they continue to fail, too many of them have been given chance after chance after chance; and there are players in the wings that should be given their shot, even if they do fail then they’ll have done no worse than this lot… Something just seems to be lacking in this squad, on the batsman’s side anyway, I think the bowlers have heart, passion and determination still, though how long will that last with the continual failure of the bat?

Why him in particular?

His main job when he went out was to be there tomorrow. he did not even try to achieve this and went all Gung Ho as per usual. Aussie tails are up and a 7 over flurry was unlikely to change the course of the game. he plays one way and it is not always the best or a prudent choice.

And, for whom?

My granny with a Rhubarb stick obviously

there are players in the wings that should be given their shot

156ao vs Zimbabwe?

The other reason not to enforce the follow on which hasn’t been mentioned is that bowlers get tired. Especially so in the current heat. Far better to give them a bit of rest (and let the opposition get tired in the field before they have to bat again). With over 3 days to go it’s a complete no brainer to bat again – even if you do get to 31/3.

10-0?

there are players in the wings that should be given their shot

Warne, McGrath, Ponting…..

Katich, Hussey (both varieties)…

156ao vs Zimbabwe?

Yeah, just saw that scorecard, not ideal is it? Australian cricket really is in dire straits 🙁

But… having said that, there are names there that are worth a go – Henriques & Maxwell are two (though whether they’re Test cricketers is debatable, but then, none of this lot appear to be either!). Shaun Marsh is another name out there as well

Katich could be a left-field recall for this series and the next, would be interesting to see him back in the team to be honest, he’s been very hard done by over the years (due to Clarke I think?)

Henriques & Maxwell are two (though whether they’re Test cricketers is debatable, but then, none of this lot appear to be either!)

Honestly they couldn’t be any worse, there was a point where if it had been a horse they would have taken it round the back of the stands and offered everyone Tesco Burgers….

Still chin up there is still time for England to wrestle defeat from almost certain victory, would be worse if you had tickets for Day 4 though.