Who says cricket's boring?

I'd actually settle for two boring draws from here onwards!

We will see how it pans out but I sense Australia are about to have a spell of clearing out the old wood (batsmen especially), and are anxious about just who is waiting in the wings. They usual in your face self confidence looks seriously punctured for now. Harris, Haddin, Watson, Rogers and maybe Clarke all going or gone by the end of this summer. Johnson one more series at most?

England inconsistent but with perhaps more confidence in this generation and squad. They seem positive about making mistakes and learning too.

Never in doubt!

Roll on Nottingham now!

Really looking forward to the Trent Bridge test now.  England will miss Jimmy A but in Wood have a decent replacement. Lyth will probably be replaced, rightly. Buttler hasn't really delivered with the bat but the lack of good alternatives will probably save him.  So England aren't without one or two problems but their confidence should be sky high.

The Aussies on the other hand,  oh dear........Where do the selectors begin?  

I'm envious, Wat. The memory of being there on Day 3 when victory was secured should be one you'll treasure for very many years.

Mike 

Aus 27 for 5!

Good news for Clarke-he is top score so far. With 9.

Bruce

Nine wickets fall in first 13 overs
Broad takes 7-11 in 42 balls  .......  & counting  

54-9  might be all out & an early lunch  !!!!  

Edit - Aus 60 all out    

Still time for us to grab defeat from the jaws of victory 

England 34 for 2.

152-3 at mo

Bell got 1 so I guess he won't make it to the Oval

60 is the lowest Auz defeat to England since 1936,  but 18.1 overs is the shortest 1st innings ever by any team

Pity we lost Bairstow before close of play but England have had a magnificant day.

Great day.

When Yorkshire play well England play well... Well done England 

My oh my.  What can you say?  'Extras' top scoring for the Aussies seems a good place to start 

Could this Test be all over in two days?

I'm lovin' it!

Well done England, should all be over soon.Now NZ have to beat the Aussies in the rugby, and I think their rugby team may be a bit tougher than their cricketers right now.

Good toss to win, and the weather even improved pretty much on command for us to bat. We made the best of it too. Just perfect for Buttler to find their natural form and flay them today.

Clarke just looks empty as captain and the whole Aussie side appeared bemused  in the field. A side looking mentally beaten as well as showing up poor technique with both ball and bat. It is a long way back from here, and the flight home is going to seem an eternity away. Very odd selection too, drop one all rounder who looked in moderately decent nick for an extra batsman who is untested. No Peter Siddle either and yet he seems more suitable for English conditions than Starc. I sense a serious clear out of coaching and playing staff looms...

Bruce

And a declaration by Cook with a lead of 331. This should be interesting.  

the forecast is good. Australia going to have to bat a very, very long time to make anything of this game. Can we enforce the follow on if they get close and give them a third go to make it interesting?

Sorry, just gloating now

I agree, Wat.  Terrific series. Must confess to enjoying some of the gloating but that said I thought Michael Clarke showed great dignity in the aftermath in admitting that England deserved their victory and that he had not delivered at captain.  Rare candour and genuine emotion.  While I'd like to see us win at the Oval and secure an emphatic 4-1 series victory, I'd like to see Clarke get a century and go out on something of a high. He's a gentleman and genuine 'sportsman' worthy of that description.

I'm not quite taken in by the 'Clarke as gentlemen' thing myself. His comments in defeat were good (but hey, he's getting practice doing this over here), as was his behaviour in the aftermath of the death of Phillip Hughes but an awful lot of the time I think the story of Clarke has been rather more about him than about cricket. Not many gentleman tell an incoming batsman 'get ready for a  broken ****ing arm' either. In Australia he is either loved or loathed depending on your angle.

At his best an enormously talented and free scoring batsmen, perhaps reduced prematurely by his injuries as a player. As a leader and 'bloke'; not so sure.

I hope the Oval is a good game. This England team is well short of the finished article, fragile in places and seriously missing a decent spinner which seaming wickets have rather covered up. The management team has seemingly found a way to get the young'uns firing without fear. I think a lot appears due to the positive effect of Paul Farbrace in the transition from last winter. Cook has everyone onside it appears, and has become a better captain too.

I'd imagine some Aussie changes. maybe not Siddle now (who does seem a thoroughly decent guy) but perhaps Cummings as one for the future? Freed of the pressure will the Aussies bounce back? I'd also like to see Butler get some form before the ODI's. That series will be lively I think.

Bruce

Oooh, you're a hard man, Bruce.  In victory we can afford to be magnanimous 

Mike

Ps I think you're right about Siddle.  The Aussies should have played him from the start.

This exciting Test match malarky seems to have crossed the globe looking at the result of the first Test between Sri Lanka and India. Sri Lanka trail by almost 200 runs after the first innings; India set an easily achievable 172 to win and are then bowled out for 122! Who needs ODI?  

Couple of cracking One Dayers by England

What are the odds on James Taylor being the next captain in 50 over or test match cricket ? He is a very astute reader of the game. I have watched him for several years at Trent Bridge and have been impressed with his ability to turn games around either with the bat or leading the players. 

Possibly, though he'll have to rise above the gimmee that is the short leg jibe

You realise that a cricket team's "performance" is a random outcome of largely random performances by the members of both teams, don't you? It can statistically shown that there is no correlation between team members' performances in a match, nor is an individual member's performance correlated to their recent performances. The best single predictor of a batsman's score is their career average. The prediction can be improved by considering the career averages of the bowlers they will be facing, and adjusting for pitch and weather conditions. Even then, the randomness of the whole thing makes precise predictions of single scores impossible. There are no "hot streaks" or "form" (other than in the long-term career average sense). There is no measurable effect of "team spirit" and there is little that any player can do that will influence the performance of their teammates.

I'll get slammed for thread jumping/spoiling here. But get it back on track, and in answer to the OP's question in the title: "I do"

Winky, that's a grand job of describing why it's such a fine game. And further, why so many sensible nations and their citizens find it rather a pleasant pastime to which one can lend one's time.

if only the rest of the world played, or at least watched the occasional game of cricket, I'm convinced there would be fewer wars.

However, the colonies are clearly divided into two, those that 'get' it. And those that are best not mentioned.