The Ashes 2010/11 'down under'

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
If Mitchell Johnson is going to shave when he next gets a wicket he may end up looking like WG Grace.

Or take a catch.

quote:

As for Sir Alastair Cook's batting - never in doubt

I never ever doubted it, not for one second.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe Bibb:

quote:

Originally posted by Bruce Woodhouse:
If Mitchell Johnson is going to shave when he next gets a wicket he may end up looking like WG Grace.

Or take a catch.

Or score a run. or maybe just get a game....

After all that, a draw!! Should be able to play an extra day to get a result in matches like that.

Anyway, well batted South Africa (and Cook).

quote:

Originally posted by bazz:
Anyway, well batted South Africa (and Cook).

Kepler Wessels anyone? Oh no, he got fed up with being an Aussie.

In a Special Ashes edition of Mastermind, Ricky Ponting is in the chair...

Q. Can you name Batsman No.4 for England?

quote:

Kepler Wessels anyone? Oh no, he got fed up with being an Aussie

Went to try and teach poms how to play, but gave up in disgust

Throw in the coach and nearly half the current England outfit are South Africans, so perhaps a name change to South Englandfra?

All good fun though, and the only cricket worth watching these days I reckon, at least we know they're trying. But hang on, didn't a couple of Aussie players back England at 500/1 in a test match at Headingley, then mysteriously lose the match and collect the dough?

Ah well, couldn't happen again could it?

quote:

Originally posted by DenisA:
Ricky Ponting is in the chair...

And not out on the pitch much yesterday, he, he.

Still catching up on yesterday's play on the Sky box. Great toss to lose.

BTW - I think Mitchell Johnson was dropped when the selectors were embarrassed to discover he was related to Gabby



Olson Johnson: [after Gabby Johnson's speech] Now who can argue with that? I think we're all indebt to Gabby Johnson for stating what needed to be said. I am particulary glad that these lovely children are here today to hear that speech. Not only was it authentic frontier gibberish, it expressed the courage little seen in this day and age.

Cook's having his breakfast.

Glad I set my alarm early for the last couple of hours' play this morning. If I had stayed up and seen Strauss bowled in the first over I might have started to worry, but Cook, Trott and Pietersen have put us in a great position.
Interesting to hear the commentators talking about possible rain being the main stumbling block to prevent an England victory!!

Like I keep saying, Cook is vulnerable early on. After his first 150 for example....

Good to listen to the last 2 hours play this morning. I noted that the charmless Ponting still mananaged to have a go at somebody (the umpire this time) just as they walked off. Tiresome.

I am of course not confident of success. I can envisage a scenario where the England lower order are required to bat on the final day of the final test to secure the Ashes and collapse due to lack of match practice in the previous month.

Bruce

Going to the third day's play tomorrow. Planning to hurl abuse at my countrymen. Make a diamond duck, followed by a golden duck, and repercussions will follow. They need to know that.

Interesting that England have now scored 834 runs for the loss of 3 wickets since their 1st test, 1st innings collapse. Can't remember seeing that before.

Cor tricky decision now - thumping the Aussies with two days to go. Stick em in now, give us two days to get em out and possibly stick more runs on if time. Or, try and build more of a lead for say a session or two, then put 'em in? Grrrrr, bloody rain!

Easy decision. Put them in but just wait until the last ten minutes in order to tell them. I'm sure if they hadn't lost the session today they would have looked for 360 or so lead and bunged them in for an uncomfortable hour.

We probably have enough runs anyway. Take ten wickets and we win, even if there are a few to knock off later. But to make sure you get ten wickets you need bowlers who are not under time pressure or worrying about rain.

Joe

Message from my family in Adelaide ...........
WX (weather) is showers and thunderstorms over the next 2 days.

This is normally a dry morning & wet stormy pm. So it seems like it will end up a draw whatever, the Oz wont't fold in that time even if they have a bad day - will they ??.
My preference is to put them in 1st thing Monday, let rip @ full speed+ with the quick boys, then with the shine off the ball, Snow can have a good day in the rough that is now becoming quite pronounced at both ends.

Whatever, even if it is a weather result, the phyco pressure needs to be kept up & rubbed in.
According to the folks down under its becoming seriously good to watch; whinging Bruces, 'strewth.

The one plus with the rain is that it will push Strauss towards making the declaration and not being too cautious as he has been known to be in the past.

Good to see Pietersen well in the runs again, and having shaved his upper lip, which obviously was a major factor in his playing better the last two days.

Oh, how the shoe is on the other foot!

The very shoe which England have used to batter that shark about the nose.

I say shark, more of a mackerel really!

WX looks like it might give enough dry to do the job if it holds off until the afternoon.
New ball is available first over Tuesday, so we might get some quick early wickets, then Snow might be able to polish off the tail cheaply.
137 runs behind with 6 wickets remaining :-) might it be too much to begin thinking we might get a lunchtime finish with an innings to spare.

quote:

Originally posted by Chillkram:
Oh, how the shoe is on the other foot!

The very shoe which England have used to batter that shark about the nose.

I say shark, more of a mackerel really!

Sad but true. Ponting might as well be fish food for all he's contributed to the Aussie effort. But we're making a bloody good attempt at using the weather as a weapon. This humid thundery weather is unusual for Adelaide.

Well done England!

Gone

Gone gone gone

Erk, that was awful. Smashed in every area of the game.