*Official* Fifth Test at The Oval

[Viscount Tom]

Worse Aussies to have as your avatar though Aders tbf. least they didn't saddle you with Hayden.

 

[Hooksey]

Worse Aussies to have as your avatar though Aders tbf. least they didn't saddle you with Hayden.

He could play a bit that Hayden

 

[wiff]

oh great another self-righteous article from Ian Bell Ian Bell: Winning the Ashes unbeaten has been the fulfilment of a boyhood dream | Cricinfo Magazine | ESPN Cricinfo.

"As we sat on the pitch long after the conclusion of the Oval Test, an appreciation of what we had achieved began to settle upon us."

I'm wondering just what it was that was settling on them . . .

 

[Ruckus]

ha so they sat in their own piss apparently

 

[swede]

look I'm not going to pronounce Cook to be a good captain because I think he's ****, but there's nothing wrong with "not losing" as your first priority when your strength is winning by grinding teams, day by day, test by test into the ground.

Asking Trott, Cook or Root to bat anything other than their natural game of eliminating risk (Ian Bell might even fit into this category lately) is just stupid. Root, Bell, driving against fast Harris away swingers would end in disaster for them.

Instead they chose to recognise good bowling and play to the situation and their skill set.

But who sets that situation?

I think there is far to much criticism of how England played at times and far too little criticism of those awful pitches they deliberately prepared.. .

The oval test was ittle more than a joke. A contrived final day doesnt change the fact that this was an impossible surface made for mindnumbingly dull cricket which will no doubt lead to the death of test cricket if continued. The truly sad thing was, that England did this on purpose..

Of course they should play to their advantages but its not ok to set up conditions that ruin the game. If England are playing football against brazil they dont run a plow through the Wembley pitch to negate their opponents skills.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Apparently this happened Day 3, post tea? Can't be arsed digging through the thread to verify, someone will have posted it before no doubt... but anyway:

God-dammit! - Imgur

 

[Cabinet96]

Wrong year

 

[benchmark00]

How could you not know it was against SA? Most played cricket moment of the year. Haven't got TV in Durham yet?

 

[Furball]

Isn't that Strauss?

 

[Scaly piscine]

Thought it didn't sound right, if it was against SA that would explain why I don't remember it...

 

[uvelocity]

hahahahahah you **** ****