*Official* Second Test at Lords

[NUFAN]

I find the whole roller situation funny. Reckon the groundsman should just use the same one all the time.

Has a captain ever said that the choice of roller cost his team the victory.

 

[superkingdave]

Only because play was rescheduled I guess. No matter, if England fail to win this it won't be because Strauss declared too soon before the start of play.

Obviously not. Still not warming to Strauss' captaincy though. Will be interesting to see if Broad opens...I'd have Fred and JImmy with Onions replacing Fred after a few, that's not what we will see though

 

[Athlai]

Open with Broad, I dare you.

 

[.matt]

Please please please don't open with Broad. Please Strauss, use your head.

I reckon England should open with Jimmy and Onions and tell Jimmy just to try swing it and bowl as quick as he can and make it as uncomfortable for the Australian openers as possible.

If he goes for a few runs, tell Onions to just keep it on a 20c coin and keep it as tight as he can.

 

[JBH001]

Nah, Fred has to have first dibs at Hughes, backed up by Jimmy.

If Fred gets Hughes early, then I think Strauss bowls Broad with Jimmy.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I've just had a txt from a mate on his way to the game who's stuck in traffic two miles from St Johns Wood and it's absolutely peeing down there.

I was playing in Wycombe yesterday and the weather was fairly bizarre. Cloud bands left, right and centre around the ground but nothing that would bother a rain gauge until after we'd fallen over the finish line. On the drive back to Oxford it was then torrential - clear - torrential - clear - torrential - clear. So we might get an uninterrupted day today, or we might be on-off-on-off-on-off...

 

[Uppercut]

Yeah. Man, luck can be such a part of the game. 95% chance of clouds and the rain forecast is minimal in terms of showers - so nothing major. Still, if Australia have had the worst of Lady Luck in this series, after all they lost part of day 4 in Cardiff too due to rain, it may turn back around as the series progresses.

The thing about luck is, even though you can point to plenty of obvious pieces of it after a game, it's extremely rare that you can say that "the better side lost".

 

[Pizzorno]

In a weird way on-off-on-off-on-off benefits us a bit; would be very hard for the batsmen to settle themselves with constant interruptions.

 

[JBH001]

Yeah, but sometimes helpful conditions, that is luck, can help you look the better side, no?

 

[pasag]

chak de rain

 

[NUFAN]

Fairly sure I would have a leg slip if I were bowling to P Hughes.

 

[Pizzorno]

Ball's not swinging. I'm worried.

 

[Jakester1288]

We need rain.
We need a good start.
We need batsmen getting centuries.
We need luck.
We need more rain.
We need Broad to bowl lots of overs.
We need more rain.

Hoping Hughes and Katich ton up, then Ponting and Hussey ton up. I seriously think we can do it.

 

[Richard]

If there's anyone in this match who need to prove they're worthy of being there, it's the batsmen. Some testicular fortitude would be nice on what is still by all indications a decent pitch. Stand up, FFS and make the English bowlers get you out because there wasn't one in the top 7 who was actually gotten out in the first dig (harsh on Huss I know but it wasn't a great leave).

Ponting was, TBF. Just not in the way that might be expected. The rest, though, it was just throwing away of wickets against no-more-than-decent bowling.

 

[Athlai]

Really excited to see how Australia plays in these first 20 overs or so, will they go for it?

 

[JBH001]

Knew it, Fred it is.

 

[Richard]

Ball's not swinging. I'm worried.

At least Flintoff's opening rather than Broad.

 

[Craig]

Well at least Flintoff is opening the bowling.

 

[NUFAN]

8 runs per over x 66 overs = 528. That'll do.

 

[JBH001]

Ball's not swinging. I'm worried.

Jimmy was finding his line that first over. His length was a little on the short side too.