A Summer of Cricket – SPOILERS

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?)

Terrible decision to discard him in the first place given how bare the cupboard is. It’s hard to understand that the Australian selectors think they don’t need him – hardly a left field call, more like what they should have done in the first place.

I expect to see him playing at Old Trafford 😉

The bogans should bring back David Warner. He’s just made 6 and 11 against Zimbabwe.
🙄

I’m surprised Kevin Pietersen’s got a calf injury – I thought it might be to his brain after last night’s shot [caught at point for 5]. He’s destroyed attacks all over the world but you wonder what he’s thinking sometimes. You could hardly have reached that ball with a sweeping brush.”

As further reasons

The two today are batting it away from Austrlai – if they ever had a chance

Good to see root getting a score.. hundred on for him and a fifty from bresnen them cut loose and play some big shots?

will be interesting to see the Bell decision

Does seem bad form to not accept the players word and another addition to the bad feelings

Will the Aussie tweet carry the same weight as the Larwood letter?

Well done Root.

Does seem bad form to not accept the players word

Like Ramdin’s?

Is a player any more likely to admit they just grassed it than to walk?

Australia now require a record 4th innings chase. Clearly they have the top order batting you’d back to achieve that.

What was this tweet? Link or quote anyone?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/23391621

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/cricket/that-decision-sucked-a-ca-tweet/story-fni2fnmo-1226682565740

Highest 4th innings in a 5 day test now required.

No slips. Have Australia just conceded?

Declare if Root gets 200 or is out ? Or at end of play today (last over now) ?

Like Ramdin’s?
Is a player any more likely to admit they just grassed it than to walk?

I take your point and it obviously has some merit but on balance lets not go there again and just enjoy the cricket.

I would let Root go for 200 it wont affect the game one way or the other so why not young lad home of cricket 22 short …think I would be royally pissed with my captain if he declared under these circumstances.

England to bat for an hour or so until Root is out or gets his double. I wonder if we’ll have a result by stumps tomorrow?

England to bat for an hour or so until Root is out or gets his double. I wonder if we’ll have a result by stumps tomorrow?

Surprised if it makes it to tea, sadly.

think I would be royally pissed with my captain if he declared under these circumstances.

Surely a double isn’t anything like as big a deal as a ton – he makes it onto the same honours board whether he gets 199 or 200. It’s not like he’d be left stranded on 98 (like Atherton did to Hick).

Have now seen the replays of the catch, and I have to admit it does look like it was clean, but the umpire is supposed to give the benefit of the doubt to the batsman, and you couldn’t be sure, could you? It’s not as if the Aussies even appealed that certainly.

Australia’s deficit is only a few less runs than the number of posts on this thread at the minute.

Surely a double isn’t anything like as big a deal as a ton

Given they are rarer than tons I would assume it is a bigger deal

15 at Lords and 220 test centurions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_international_cricket_centuries_at_Lord’s_Cricket_Ground#Test_centuries

So, anyone feeling sorry for Australia yet? It is a shame after the tension of Trent Bridge that this has been so one-sided.

10-0 still on the cards?

So, anyone feeling sorry for Australia yet?

Why should we be? They were bad winners and sore losers for so long.
Instead of looking at their failings and addressing them its just more bluster about how settled they are as a squad, the drs and walking/not walking issues are the perfect excuse to have something to moan about except the cricket they play.
Which is mediocre at best.

Given they are rarer than tons I would assume it is a bigger deal

Yes I get your point – but in the usually quoted stats a double is just another century. I doubt he will be gutted if England declare on him.

Do you reckon Australia felt sorry for England in the 90s?

I feel sorry for Michael Clarke. And Peter Siddle actually.

Both of them deserve to be in better teams.

You have to ask who in the bogan side would get in the England team?
I can’t think of any player apart from perhaps siddle for Finn depending on the wicket the rest just aren’t good enough to displace any of the current squad.

I am interested to hear opinions on how Australia have become so poor. (Not wanting to to take anything away from England). It appears that perhaps an all conquering team of legends has clung on too long, stifling the next generation, whilst England really have pulled their socks up. I managed to go to one of the tests in 2002 and there was a feeling it was men against boys back then. Things have come full circle.

Time and no team dominates for ever
Used to be the Windies before them

To turn that around then JY, what have England done to turn things around? In 2002 they were a pretty poor test playing nation, now they are vying with India for No 1 spot. Seem to be playing with real purpose.

I feel sorry for Michael Clarke. And Peter Siddle actually.

This. Clarke is a very talented batsman, and Siddle is a player who if you needed him to bowl every over, he would. The rest need to take a long hard look at them selfs in Sheffield shield and remember that they’re supposed to be representing their country. For all his faults, ponting actually gave a crap, and made his players do so also. The one major problem with Clarke is his captaincy.

You have to ask who in the bogan side would get in the England team?

I think we’d happily take Clarke as an injury replacement if Pieterson is out. As you say, Siddle would probably also walk into the team as a 3rd bowler instead of Finn/Bresnan.

Luck you get the best players you are the best team
No marginal gains were involved here 😉

Trott and Anderson are amongst the best bowlers England have ever had
Broad can have his day as well

A number of batsman are world class as well and may go on to be amongst the greats

Just luck and the cycle of things

Put Warne, Mc Grath and any three of there best batters and it would be a lot closer.

I am interested to hear opinions on how Australia have become so poor. (Not wanting to to take anything away from England). It appears that perhaps an all conquering team of legends has clung on too long, stifling the next generation, whilst England really have pulled their socks up. I managed to go to one of the tests in 2002 and there was a feeling it was men against boys back then. Things have come full circle.

For a start, there’s zero public interest in Sheffield Shield (first class) cricket. It’s played in front of hundreds, rather than tens of thousands of supporters. You try making an atmosphere at the g with only 200 people in! I think whilst their bowlers are ok, it’s their batting that’s poor at this level, and a lot of that comes down to too much t20 and not enough learning to protect your wicket. I see very few names mentioned who could replace their current batters, and the fact that Hughes is still there after several years of never delivering at this level sums it up

The one major problem with Clarke is his captaincy.

Indeed – to be fair it didn’t seem to have done much harm to his batting form before this series. The problem Australia have at the moment is if not him who else? Very few other players are guaranteed their place on the team – probably Siddle, but in general it’s not done to have a strike bowler as captain (and FWIW I agree the Australian policy of bowler rotation is sensible given their resources in that area, so he’s not guaranteed a start). About the only other certainty at the moment is Watson – for all his failings he’s doing better than most of the rest and certainly not the first person you’d drop – but personally I doubt he’d do a better job than Clarke. I suppose they could go really left field and have Rogers as captain – now he does actually look a class act, and I expect England would be happy to have him as backup, but I think he’d be behind Compton in the pecking order.

I see very few names mentioned who could replace their current batters, and the fact that Hughes is still there after several years of never delivering at this level sums it up

Yep – for all the talk about bringing in fresh blood to replace those failing, who would actually do a better job. Remember 156ao vs Zimbabwe?

It is the progress of Anderson that has surprised me the most. I remember seeing him in previous Ashes tests as back up to Steve Harmison. Seeing him bowl at Trent Bridge with such confidence was a breath of fresh air.

You also have to credit the long term game England selectors have played for years now. Bell has had some rubbish form but they stuck with him when he was learning the game, similarly Anderson was around the team for years learning the game, others have been brought in early on and in general they stick with the players who they know will come good.

It is the progress of Anderson that has surprised me the most

Where have you been for the past 5 years? He was poor in 2006/2007, but one of the best in the world since 2008 or so, and one of the players of the series in the last Ashes.

You also have to credit the long term game England selectors have played for years now.

You could probably argue that they’ve been lucky – for every Bell there’s a Bopara (he seems to have found his mojo in ODIs but I doubt he’ll get another test), for every Anderson there’s a Dernbach (thank god our cupboard isn’t so bare that he got a test).

I admit aracer although I like cricket I have not managed to watch a lot. I don’t have Sky and am Scottish so cut me some slack. 🙂
I remember Jimmy Anderson’s bowling being a bit wild, feels like yesterday.

I remember Jimmy Anderson’s bowling being a bit wild, feels like yesterday.

Yes, I remember the good jimmy / bad jimmy bets we use to have. But, all in the past, he’s not far off becoming the best quick England have ever had, and steyn excepted, he’s pretty much the best in the world on his day, and not far off it when it’s not his day…

Thanks Zokes. I may be tainted by 2002. Managed to get to one of the test days in Brisbane. Australia were rampant then with a high degree of justified arrogance. Only really got to see bits of following two Ashes series. It is refreshing to see such a turnaround in fortunes without the overbearing arrogance with the exception of possibly KP.

Headline of the week:

‘Australia folded like napkins once again’