*Official* Second Test at Lords

[Scaly piscine]

Pretty ridiculous declaration by Strauss, however you look at it.

Basically Australia would actually reach the total before you get anywhere near the last 20-25 overs of tomorrow - obviously the scoring rate has been high, but then you'd set aggressive fields anyway. Losing a few overs this morning would actually have given England *more* time to bowl Australia out strangely enough, as well as making it a lot less likely they'll lose obviously.

 

[Redbacks]

Proud that we have refused to lie down

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Pretty ridiculous declaration by Strauss, however you look at it.

Basically Australia would actually reach the total before you get anywhere near the last 20-25 overs of tomorrow - obviously the scoring rate has been high, but then you'd set aggressive fields anyway. Losing a few overs this morning would actually have given England *more* time to bowl Australia out strangely enough, as well as making it a lot less likely they'll lose obviously.

I think most people are coming to that realisation now. How many did at 11am is questionable though.

I guess it's only excusable if the weather is factored in. There were showers forecast today and tomorrow, so we could quite conceivably have lost a session's worth of cricket. And even if there were no interruptions, England had enough to defend. So while the weather shouldn't really have been taken into account, we were in a good enough position to afford the luxury of doing so.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, can only imagine what Botham would have had to say if we had carried on batting this morning

 

[Burgey]

4 day Tests seem like a good idea now.

Oops

 

[GIMH]

Confident ahead of tomorrow Burgey?

 

[zaremba]

I think most people are coming to that realisation now. How many did at 11am is questionable though.

I guess it's only excusable if the weather is factored in. There were showers forecast today and tomorrow, so we could quite conceivably have lost a session's worth of cricket. And even if there were no interruptions, England had enough to defend. So while the weather shouldn't really have been taken into account, we were in a good enough position to afford the luxury of doing so.

I've never understood why people say that you shouldn't take weather forecasts into account when taking a decision such as the timing of a declaration. Seems to me a perfecty rational, and indeed often essential, thing to do.

 

[Scaly piscine]

I think most people are coming to that realisation now. How many did at 11am is questionable though.

I guess it's only excusable if the weather is factored in. There were showers forecast today and tomorrow, so we could quite conceivably have lost a session's worth of cricket. And even if there were no interruptions, England had enough to defend. So while the weather shouldn't really have been taken into account, we were in a good enough position to afford the luxury of doing so.

That's the thing though, England have regularly made bad declarations. Most of the time it won't make any difference, but once in a while it will and the effects will resonate beyond that one result.

 

[Burgey]

I can't help but feel ridiculously pessimistic about this. I said at the start of play that I thought England were the only team capable of losing to a 500 run chase and I realistically thought there was a strong possibility that we'd get beat. It's just the English way.

But for the love of God England, the entire series is on the line tomorrow. If we lose tomorrow then that's it; there's no way we can come back from such a demoralizing way of defeat.

I'm on 40 posts-per-page here. Set yours to the same, then trawl back to the early-mid 90s pages. You and everyone else were pretty ****-a-hoop then.

I wouldn't worry though, this is a bridge too far IMO. Great fighting effort though.

Re. the declaration, must say I'd thought it gave us a chance given the time left, but didn't realistically think we'd get to even where we are now. Can't be harsh on Strauss IMO, he set his declaration with the sole idea of winning, not just batting Australia completely out of it (which they'd realistically done by then anyway) and ensuring hs didn't lose. Combined with the weather issues, I think it was well and truly a good declaration. He has to win the Ashes, not draw the series to retain them.

Been a good match for him, with a big ton, some good bowling changes and his finally proving himself a true Englishman with his "catch" of Hughes. Well done him .

 

[Burgey]

Confident ahead of tomorrow Burgey?

Nah mate, just a bridge too far imo (as I just noted), but a fine effort by these two nonetheless. First hour will probably tell the tale.

Did they take the new ball last night?

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, have bowled six overs with it. Couple of half-chances came from it from haddin IIRC. Richard to kill me for using the term half-chance

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, have bowled six overs with it. Couple of half-chances came from it from haddin IIRC. Richard to kill me for using the term half-chance

Ah yes. Well, I wouldn't worry mate. I think it's just a little too many for us, but if they get through the first hour there'll be a few nervous nellies around.

Other thing is, with Lee not playing our tail isn't quite as strong as it might be (it's not the worst though).

I'd expect your fellas to win this by about 100


Edit: having a quiet chuckle now at Richard's "nothing an Aussie batsman does here will tell us a thing about how thay go under pressure" just after Clarkeh came in

 

[GIMH]

I'm hoping they do it in the ssecond hour - gonna try and get myself to a boozer on my lunch break

 

[Burgey]

I'm hoping they do it in the ssecond hour - gonna try and get myself to a boozer on my lunch break

Hoping either side get on with it tbh. I've got to move that Pommie dinner guest's body out of the backyard

 

[duffer]

Texts I woke up to from English colleagues:

"They've blown it" and "I might be the one praying for rain after all."

Suffice to say I was shocked at the time and got onto cricinfo asap.

 

[zaremba]

Pretty ridiculous declaration by Strauss, however you look at it.

Basically Australia would actually reach the total before you get anywhere near the last 20-25 overs of tomorrow - obviously the scoring rate has been high, but then you'd set aggressive fields anyway. Losing a few overs this morning would actually have given England *more* time to bowl Australia out strangely enough, as well as making it a lot less likely they'll lose obviously.

Very interesting point. I think that given the weather forecast Strauss was probably justified though; that and the fact that 521 is a flipping massive lead

 

[Redbacks]

Oh well at least if England somehow lose their fans are more well versed at dealing with adversity

 

[duffer]

Just saw Swann's press conference. Was excellent.

 

[JBH001]

So what was it? Went to bed last night just befor the North dismissal, and I wake up to this.

Was it just really good batting on a deck that is still good for batting? England slack off a little with the ball and in the field? Or a combination of the two?

England still have the edge though, with really only Johnson to come. But, iirc, the forecast is clear for Monday which means less swing conducive conditions.

Btw, think Strauss made the right decision - too easy to second guess. If Australia pull this off though, they 100% deserve to.

Damn it, looks like another late night.

Edit/ Clarke seems to have played the innings of a lifetime.

 

[Burgey]

Kidding, obv's. But I can't help but feel that your status as the most England-hating of all Aussies on here has something to do with your half-British parentage. If someone else can offer me an explan'o, please do.

Re-reading these pages from last night and I'm more than a little embarrased tbh. OTT on my part.

Got a bit too caught up in it all, so apologies to all concerned.

FTR my England-hatred is purely sporting and almost exclusively cricketing. Certainly not in any way personal towards CWers.