*Official* Fourth Test at Headingley

[andyc]

Perfect session for Australia there, loving all of it. Good to see the selectors took heed of the email I sent to them on Wednesday telling them to pick Clark.

 

[Burgey]

Early morning start means I will not watch anymore of the match tonight but will listen to it in bed on TMS, which is very good, am I the only one who enjoys the GLY?

Enjoy it too mate.

Hope to see you around a bit more soon mate. Thought you might have been crook or summat.

 

[oitoitoi]

Yet more edged runs for Prior...

 

[Redbacks]

Stuart Clark :

 

[BoyBrumby]

We win the toss and bat, could be pretty much decided by tea. Can't see England saving this test.

Prescient.

Sadly.

Amazing it's taken us until the fourth test to collapse, really.

Been worth the wait tho, it's a proper, old-school, 90s, "why the **** do we even bother turning up" ugly mangled heap of a collapse.

I know I'm late on this, but seriously, what kind of batting line up have we got today? Selectors should be made to swallow hemlock.

 

[tooextracool]

Haven't you been saying since before the series started that Clark is unthreatening and just goes for 0/20 off 15 overs and so on?

Really though, the decision not to select him until now looks astonishingly poor. Admittedly the likely victim at Cardiff would have been Hilfenhaus who has been very good, but Clark brings so much stability to the attack, even when he's not taking wickets. There's no way he's not part of the best Australian XI.

Cant believe it took 3 tests for people to figure this out tbh.

 

[BoyBrumby]

From the "Yes, hindsight is a wonderful thing" dept...

Clark overrated at this stage for mine, he was in my starting XI before the series and I'd still have him in the side but before his injury he'd become somewhat ineffective (even before India). If he'd have played I don't know that he'd have done any better than Siddle tbh and it's not the error of epic proportions some are making it out to be.

 

[Jarquis]

Just out of curiosity, before the toss what sort of first innings score were people expecting?

 

[King Pietersen]

This is going well then. Swann out as well. What a way to throw away a series. I knew the XI was wrong as soon as it was announced. Trott should clearly have been in.

 

[Nate]

Haha, epic post by EWS before.

Not much else needs to be said really. Our selectors are so, so good in regards to choosing our batting, so it's nice to see the other half come along. Just love having our best XI on the park.

EDIT: Oh, and our catching has been superb.

 

[tooextracool]

Amazing it's taken us until the fourth test to collapse, really.

With the batting that we have, you are right, this should have happened a lot earlier. The England selectors tried their hardest to make sure it happened before the series was out though.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Harmy at #9? Jimmy's batting to sue for slander.

 

[Jarquis]

Just out of curiosity, before the toss what sort of first innings score were people expecting?

So glad I didn't add the "I reckon with Prior and Swann in we can get to some sort of respectable total, maybe 180+." Not only would it have been optimism to the highest degree, it would've been quite silly considering Swann's instantaneous dismissal.

 

[superkingdave]

Sad thing is, pretty much everyone predicted this would happen at the start of play. Makes you wonder about the selectors

 

[Manee]

There has been great bowling from Clark and good bowling from the rest but I believe that England have thrown away the majority of their wickets with irresponsibility. I see this as currently a 300 surface and I think Australia would be lucky to get a lead of above 100 looking at the comparitive quality of England's bowling attack.

 

[NUFAN]

Harmy at #9? Jimmy's batting to sue for slander.

My thoughts exactly.

Jimmy amazingly still hasn't made a duck yet.

 

[Manee]

Sad thing is, pretty much everyone predicted this would happen at the start of play. Makes you wonder about the selectors

There is an innate fear of looking defensive. This fails to recognise the reality that The Ashes is all about the series win and that a 6-4 team composition is not an overly negative tactic.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Haha loving Nass getting into Athers.

 

[Jarquis]

My thoughts exactly.

Jimmy amazingly still hasn't made a duck yet.

As if on cue Cricinfo pops up with this little nugget :

Harmison has 19 ducks for England. Only Atherton made more (20)

 

[tooextracool]

This is going well then. Swann out as well. What a way to throw away a series. I knew the XI was wrong as soon as it was announced. Trott should clearly have been in.

Trott would have been alright, but if we were looking for a 'smart' selection, I would have sent an SOS for Ramprakash as early as last test actually. With Pietersen out, this England side was crying out for an experienced cricketer to bolster the middle order and irrespective of Ramprakash's international record, he is the sort of player who is not just in form but also the sort of player who has seen it all and done it all.