*Official* Third Test at the WACA

[Spark]

Oh no, didn't you hear the coaches talking about Johnson ? There's no point sending test quality players back to Shield cricket to get form against players who aren't of international standard.

Hmmm... not the best example

 

[Rant0r]

I really like the way Tremlett plays his cricket, apart from being a rap on his bowling, I mean he doesn't get involved in sledging, and when he takes a wicket he doesn't even look at the batsman he just celebrates with his team mates. Some might say he lacks mongrel but I don't subscribe to that. It IS still a gentleman's game isn't it ?

 

[pasag]

200 lead, really top batting from Watto. Excellent leaving and IMO he'd be a certain 100 if we had another session. Will be a lot tougher having to start again tomorrow.

 

[vcs]

Well if Australia win this Test and go on to win the Ashes, Mitch's effort in this Test will be remembered like Botham's back in the day. What a turnaround.

 

[Spark]

200 lead, really top batting from Watto. Excellent leaving and IMO he'd be a certain 100 if we had another session. Will be a lot tougher having to start again tomorrow.

Big call with him

Runs coming very freely at the fag-end of the day. 5RPO last 10.

Cheers Finn for bowling wide dross at the end

 

[GIMH]

Not at all...or are you saying seeing a guy struggles against the short ball and then pinning him with it a couple of times is the same as wafting at one a foot and a half outside off?

If that's where you think you can get them out then yeah...and lo and behold...it worked

Double standards.

Australia really killing this off here, surely, meanwhile.

Need a real burst from Anderson in the morning. Can easily see Australia taking our target to 450 or so though and killing it off completely. Dunno, who knows. Who'd have foreseen this, this time yesterday?

 

[Rant0r]

The idea of moving Watson down to the middle order is a bit stupid to be honest. Think about it. Australia have a struggling number 3, 4 and a number 5 that has only just come into form in this series. Why would you then replace a proven opener with a new guy. That would just risk exposing those struggling players early on.

Fingers crossed he actually gets past the fifties this time though.

Still don't understand this really. Apart from not converting a lot of his starts, he looks like a genuine opener. He defends when he needs to, leaves when he needs to, attacks. He is one of the rare Australian batsman at the moment who looks capable of playing adeptly when conditions might not be in his favour.

Hmmm... not the best example

They still said it, bit of a slap in the face to the Shield, the breeding ground for future test cricketers

 

[GIMH]

Well if Australia win this Test and go on to win the Ashes, Mitch's effort in this Test will be remembered like Botham's back in the day. What a turnaround.

Steady on

 

[Spark]

If that's where you think you can get them out then yeah...and lo and behold...it worked

Double standards.

Australia really killing this off here, surely, meanwhile.

Need a real burst from Anderson in the morning. Can easily see Australia taking our target to 450 or so though and killing it off completely. Dunno, who knows. Who'd have foreseen this, this time yesterday?

Quite a few of us actually. Me and a few others said that if Johnson got it right today, which based on his two overs last night looked possible, bowling England out for 150-200 was definitely on the cards.

 

[Ruckus]

Excellent day for Aus. Watson is the rock in this side. Without him we would be nothing.

 

[social]

Whilst I wouldnt want to see him start against spin, Watson is a really high quality player these days

If he starts converting his starts, he'll be right up with the best batsmen in world cricket

 

[Spark]

Still don't understand this really. Apart from not converting a lot of his starts, he looks like a genuine opener. He defends when he needs to, leaves when he needs to, attacks. He is one of the rare Australian batsman at the moment who looks capable of playing adeptly when conditions might not be in his favour.



They still said it, bit of a slap in the face to the Shield, the breeding ground for future test cricketers

Well yeah but it sure worked, didn't it?

 

[Son Of Coco]

If that's where you think you can get them out then yeah...and lo and behold...it worked

Double standards.

Australia really killing this off here, surely, meanwhile.

Need a real burst from Anderson in the morning. Can easily see Australia taking our target to 450 or so though and killing it off completely. Dunno, who knows. Who'd have foreseen this, this time yesterday?

Not at all, I'll just remember that every time a ball gets a wicket then it was a good one, because it was somewhere you could get someone out. Finn's ball to Ponting was a blinder, wouldn't say otherwise. You won't find me disappointed in our batsman's efforts again this series.

Don't know how many times I've said this series that England have bowled much better than us. Would definitely prefer our guys spend most of their time bowling the lines they have.

 

[GIMH]

Quite a few of us actually. Me and a few others said that if Johnson got it right today, which based on his two overs last night looked possible, bowling England out for 150-200 was definitely on the cards.

It was a rhetorical question FFS

I actually said st my Step Dad and brother that I was far from confident about today's play.

But my point is really that it's a Test match, and they can turn so quickly. An hour into today and we looked right on the money.

 

[Pizzorno]

I knew all this media ****iness would come to bite us on the arse. I don't care what anyone says about this Aussie side, it's still Australia. They simply don't just lay die down and get walloped, and especially at home too. It really irritated me when our commentators and press said we had another brilliant day when in actual fact we didn't; we had them 69/5 and let them off the hook.

All in all, this could very well be the day England lost the Ashes. I'm not saying it will be, because we can still even win this Test and we can also bounce back from defeat to win the final two. But I just had to make a point as to how arrogant it was to suggest that Australia just had nothing left in them and we'd just walk all over them. People forget we're still England.

Oh, and Mitchell Johnson you're still a ****

 

[Rant0r]

Well yeah but it sure worked, didn't it?

Hmmm, not the best example

 

[Pizzorno]

Who'd have foreseen this, this time yesterday?

Me!

 

[vcs]

Steady on

Why not? It's a stretch right now, but there's a huuuge change in mood between yesterday and today. But England are a strong side with plenty of character, so they'll definitely make Australia earn it all the way through, if it happens.

 

[Jacknife]

If England can't get the rest of the Ozzies out for less than a 350 lead, then I fear it's 1-1 going into the 4th test and then it's as you were. Then even 350 even though they will probably be batting on day 3 and 4 will be quite tough and it will again fall on Johnson.

 

[Jono]

Shattered I missed all of today's play.