*Official Third Test at Edgbaston

[BoyBrumby]

Wasn't implying it (luck, karma, whatever) evened itself out, rather disagreeing with the suggestion that it was the worst decision since Kurt Cobain chose his wife.

 

[Faisal1985]

Bopara flopped again......................Warny was right about him...........He is not Ashes material

 

[Uppercut]

The Bell decision really rubbed it in. Gotta feel sorry for Midge, when it's not going your way...

The teams are a lot more closely matched than appears to be the case at the moment. Australia need something to spark off a change in momentum from somewhere, and fast.

 

[Uppercut]

Wasn't implying it (luck, karma, whatever) evened itself out, rather disagreeing with the suggestion that it was the worst decision since Kurt Cobain chose his wife.

Yeah, the umpires have been sub-standard all day. Rudi Koertzen in incompetence shocker.

 

[BoyBrumby]

The Bell decision really rubbed it in. Gotta feel sorry for Midge, when it's not going your way...

The teams are a lot more closely matched than appears to be the case at the moment. Australia need something to spark off a change in momentum from somewhere, and fast.

Still v much a live game, IMHO. Our middle order looks fragile and, unless our lead extends beyond 150, Oz right in it.

I'd favour us by no more than 60/40 just now.

 

[Uppercut]

Still v much a live game, IMHO. Our middle order looks fragile and, unless our lead extends beyond 150, Oz right in it.

I'd favour us by no more than 60/40 just now.

Classic English pessimism.

From an Australian point of view, it would be hard to see where another 8 wickets are coming from. Hell, it's hard to see where the wicket of Strauss is coming from.

 

[Ikki]

Classic English pessimism.

From an Australian point of view, it would be hard to see where another 8 wickets are coming from. Hell, it's hard to see where the wicket of Strauss is coming from.

Depends on the weather and if the swing returns. If it does, I would back our boys. If it doesn't, then there will be runs scored.

 

[Uppercut]

Depends on the weather and if the swing returns. If it does, I would back our boys. If it doesn't, then there will be runs scored.

"The swing" isn't a mystic aura that comes and goes as it pleases, it's down to the team's conditioning of the ball and the ability of the bowlers. England could make the ball swing effectively, Australia couldn't. Maybe tomorrow will be different, but even then, eight wickets for less than 150 runs is a difficult ask.

 

[GIMH]

"The swing" isn't a mystic aura that comes and goes as it pleases, it's down to the team's conditioning of the ball and the ability of the bowlers. England could make the ball swing effectively, Australia couldn't. Maybe tomorrow will be different, but even then, eight wickets for less than 150 runs is a difficult ask.

This. A bit annoying to see it just dismissed as a bit of bad luck that plagued Australia's innings. Not that everyone has said that, but it seems to have been alluded to in parts.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Classic English pessimism.

From an Australian point of view, it would be hard to see where another 8 wickets are coming from. Hell, it's hard to see where the wicket of Strauss is coming from.

A pessimist is never disappointed, as the cliche goes.

Seriously tho, we're going into day 3 in a worse position than Oz were going into day 2 and could (and should) have been 3-down. Wouldn't be ordering the champers or counting unhatched farmyard fowl just yet

 

[GIMH]

A pessimist is never disappointed, as the cliche goes.

Seriously tho, we're going into day 3 in a worse position than Oz were going into day 2 and could (and should) have been 3-down. Wouldn't be ordering the champers or counting unhatched farmyard fowl just yet

Too simplistic IMO. You could argue we are in a better position than they were on the back of knowing what we need to score, and from the momentum our bowlers have achieved for us.

Not ordering the champers here either, but do feel optimistic. it is me we're talking about though.

 

[Uppercut]

This. A bit annoying to see it just dismissed as a bit of bad luck that plagued Australia's innings. Not that everyone has said that, but it seems to have been alluded to in parts.

Indeed.

The one example of things just not going their way that hasn't really been mentioned is the innings of Marcus North. North played the swinging ball flawlessly, didn't play a single false shot or miss anything, but his first mistake, he nicked. When the force is with you, you miss those and carry on batting well.

 

[superkingdave]

Ball only started to swing in our innings after about 30 overs...and it was starting to go late in the day for Australia. First session could again be a collapsefest (completely unavoidable obviously...)

 

[GIMH]

Ah you reminded me of something I was saying today. Cracking catch from Prior, good in a way that he backed himself to catch it, but he really ought to have left that for first slip. Don't really have a point either way, he's in good form, as long as he keeps holding onto things I don't mind, but if he had shelled that there would have been uproar.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Too simplistic IMO. You could argue we are in a better position than they were on the back of knowing what we need to score, and from the momentum our bowlers have achieved for us.

Not ordering the champers here either, but do feel optimistic. it is me we're talking about though.

You pays your money, I suppose.

Clearly half-empty tho:

 

[GIMH]

You pays your money, I suppose.

Clearly half-empty tho:

Half-full IMO, England FTW

 

[pskov]

Play stopping for bad light is a bit of a shame. No floodlights but surely we could've just asked Warney to stand up on one of the camera gantries and get someone to shine a torch at his teeth.

 

[subshakerz]

Disagree, Steyn is the better bowler overall, but given conditions when the ball is swinging around corners, I'd take Anderson over Steyn 10 out of 10 days a week if only because Anderson gets the ball to go both ways which Steyn has yet to show in international cricket. Anderson is quite brilliant when the ball is swinging because he gets it to go very late, gets it to go both ways and gets it to go a long way. Possibly only Zaheer Khan can compete with him in that regard.

The ball today that he got Manou out with from wide of the crease, that has to be one of the best balls I have seen in years. I don't care how good you are, the only way you play those is with your off stump.

Why is it that you are a better swing bowler if you can only swing the ball when conditions are right? Steyn is miles ahead of Anderson overall, and slightly ahead of him even in swinging conditions. See what he did to India last year in Kanpur when conditions were right.

On another note, Johnson's performance in this series shows how premature is was to call him the world's best after his SA success. If Steyn were Australian, pundits would be hailing him as the best in the business, but for some reason his name doesn't seem to come up.

 

[Ikki]

"The swing" isn't a mystic aura that comes and goes as it pleases, it's down to the team's conditioning of the ball and the ability of the bowlers. England could make the ball swing effectively, Australia couldn't. Maybe tomorrow will be different, but even then, eight wickets for less than 150 runs is a difficult ask.

If it were simply Siddle or Johnson, ok, but when Hilfenhaus isn't getting any joy there the conditions were obviously not as good. Even for the English bowlers towards the end they were swinging it less and resorting to seaming it more. Of course the lacquer had to go and the ball used before it would start swinging and Australia had less of the favourable overcast conditions by that time.

 

[zaremba]

Evening all,
Sorry I've missed the thread for the last couple of days on account of being at the game. And what a day it's been! Quite incredible stuff.

Spirit of Cricket News: Pleased to see Strauss allowing Ye Crims a substitute for Haddin (I reckon Australia would have done the same). Disappointed to see Ye Crims choose not to applaud Bell for his 10,000th FC run (particularly when St Ricky had been generously applauded both for reaching his 20,000th and for becoming leading Aussie Test run scorer)

Whinge Watch: Doubtless there will have been some bleating about Johnson's and Clarke's dismissals, but frankly the convicts have had their fair share of chances in this game. Not least Clarke

Golden duck of the day: From a field of two, The Batsman Formerly Known As Mr Cricket. Balls faced: 1. Shots played: 0. Runs: 0. Cheers, Mike, thanks for turning up

Crowd Chant of the Day: the Hollies stand, to Macdonald and Clark walking round the boundary (to the tune of Bread of Heaven): "Even Mitch, Even Mitch, Even Mitch is better than you!" Closely followed by "Super, Super Mitch, Super Mitchell Johnson" from the Barmy Army

Rain will save our antipodean friends this time, as it helped save us in Cardiff. But good to see that Strauss was dead right to talk about the Aussie aura going. Going, going, gone.