*Official* Fifth Test at The Oval

[Ikki]

Interesting stat that the Aus batting hasn't gotten past 200 in 3/5 first digs this series. And they're (likely) about to lose this series 2-1. Shows you how important it is to have blokes in the side who lead from the front and why, in terms of winning Tests consistently, the relatively poor 2nd innings records of Steve Waugh, Virender Sehwag, Rick Ponting, etc. really don't matter too much. 1st innings runs > 2nd innings runs.

Ponting doesn't have a poor 2nd innings record. Let's hope that means we'll get saved .

 

[pup11]

Ponting doesn't have a poor 2nd innings record. Let's hope that means we'll get saved .

We can only get saved if our bowlers bowl well today, if they fail to do that, Ponting might very well bat like Bradman, but still he won't be able to save us.

 

[howardj]

Hear Merv last night say that North, at six, is our allrounder - our Flintoff.

His words.

North is no more an allrounder than Katich or Clarke.

 

[Matt79]

Merv rarely does himself any favours when talking in the media - Symonds was selected as a batsman not an allrounder, etc etc

 

[BoyBrumby]

Hear Merv last night say that North, at six, is our allrounder - our Flintoff.

His words.

North is no more an allrounder than Katich or Clarke.

Disagree very slightly; I'd rate his offies as having more about them than either and would also reckon they were a factor in his selection initially.

His batting has proved itself worthy of a spot alone, but his overall FC record is inferior to pretty much every other candidate, isn't it? Not like he has youth on his side either.

To call him an all-rounder is a bit of a stretch tho, yeah.

 

[howardj]

I think they're getting a bit too 'cute' / 'funky' with some of their selections, the current panel.

Time for a clean out.

Bring in the two most straight forward, common sense men in Australian cricket - Tubbs and AB.

They go for the obvious and common sense solutions - like playing your spinner on a dry crumbling pitch.

 

[howardj]

Disagree very slightly; I'd rate his offies as having more about them than either and would also reckon they were a factor in his selection initially.

His batting has proved itself worthy of a spot alone, but his overall FC record is inferior to pretty much every other candidate, isn't it? Not like he has youth on his side either.

To call him an all-rounder is a bit of a stretch tho, yeah.

Just trying to highlight the weird stuff that comes out from the minds/gobs of our current panel.

Some of their comments amaze me.

 

[Matt79]

Taylor would be great as a selector IMO. Would love Warne to take it on, but he's obviously got too many other things to do.

 

[howardj]

I rate Tubbs so highly.

He's so straight-forward and plain.

 

[Son Of Coco]

This.

A month or two before the series started, I was so confident of Australia winning that I bet an English mate that if they won, I'd do a nudie run around college. Really, really not looking forward to this.

I was pretty confident before the series started too. We've been poor though at times, as have England. Never really in the same test though it seems. It's almost as if neither team wanted to get too far ahead in the series at any stage. Didn't think we'd see such a lacklustre start to the series from some players on both sides.

England and Broad (in particular) have done well to pick themselves up at the right time.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Just trying to highlight the weird stuff that comes out from the minds/gobs of our current panel.

Some of their comments amaze me.

Our muppets hardly covering themselves in glory, tbf. In fact I'd rate the "Harmison in for Flintoff" call as the biggest bollock dropped by either panel this series.

No Hauritz in this test looks ropey tho, but am holding fire lest Clark makes me look a tool with a bagful today.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Where's nnandos to defend his fanboyism/comments.

You must be delighted!

 

[zaremba]

Haha, get ****ed. Show me where you predicted England dismissing Australia in two sessions, and then you can gloat.

Good call - I was as pessimistic as the aussies were optimistic. So, Aussies, feel free to laugh at me too.

 

[howardj]

Our muppets hardly covering themselves in glory, tbf. In fact I'd rate the "Harmison in for Flintoff" call as the biggest bollock dropped by either panel this series.

No Hauritz in this test looks ropey tho, but am holding fire lest Clark makes me look a tool with a bagful today.

Yeah, it's a worry that these guys are meant to be experts, but make such howlers.

Fair enough, if it's Bob down the pub talking and selecting like rubbish.

But no, these guys are hand-picked experts.

Some of their work, from experts!, just floors me.

 

[pasag]

I think they're getting a bit too 'cute' / 'funky' with some of their selections, the current panel.

Time for a clean out.

Bring in the two most straight forward, common sense men in Australian cricket - Tubbs and AB.

They go for the obvious and common sense solutions - like playing your spinner on a dry crumbling pitch.

Spot on. The Hilditch regime should be living on borrowed time.

(that said, this has been one of their better series in recent times.)

 

[GIMH]

Ah look, England doing well and all the Poms back over us like a rash here. Don't mind Australia losing the Ashes as much as the gleeful gloating we'll have to put up from these ****s over the next 16 or so months.

You know what, you should try being an England fan. Whenever we lose a series everybody is always there to have a good point and laugh at us ("England ") and when we believe in our players there is a significant minority of Australians on CW who refuse to countenance the fact that these players could be any good. There has hardly been any gloating, god forbid comments like "Stuart Broad happened" and it's not like Jamee just popped up out of nowhere, he's been posting all series.

 

[zaremba]

Yep. Don't mind people digging posts but not when you've been quiet till then. Cheap, IMO.

TBF to me, I think I struck a pretty fair note of caution at the end of day one (about the time of the posts I dug):

Another under-performance by England. But it's still reasonably even because that was a big toss to win. Australia ahead obviously but not by as much as some might think. Fast outfield but a pitch with a bit in it; and it may develop into a good pitch for Swann and the tall England bowlers: if they can bowl straight they may benefit from some uneven bounce.

 

[aussie tragic]

Here's my prediction...

The Aussies will skittle England for less than 128, thereby keeping the target below 300

That will then require someone to get a century and 3 others to get fifties, which should be from Ponting, Hussey, Clarke, North and Haddin since they only scored 20 runs combined in the first innings

...and in Hussey's case, I think only a century will save his Test Career now.

ummm, just noticed that the highest 4th innings score to win at the Oval is 9-263, so the Aussies will also set another record

 

[zaremba]

Ah look, England doing well and all the Poms back over us like a rash here. Don't mind Australia losing the Ashes as much as the gleeful gloating we'll have to put up from these ****s over the next 16 or so months.

Crikey, having to put up with opposition fans with an inflated sense of their own team's ability and an insufferably arrogant attitude. I feel for you.

 

[pasag]

You know what, you should try being an England fan. Whenever we lose a series everybody is always there to have a good point and laugh at us ("England ") and when we believe in our players there is a significant minority of Australians on CW who refuse to countenance the fact that these players could be any good. There has hardly been any gloating, god forbid comments like "Stuart Broad happened" and it's not like Jamee just popped up out of nowhere, he's been posting all series.

Serious? You guys went 1-0 and we didn't hear the end of it till we levelled again.