***Official*** 1st Test at The Gabba

[nightprowler10]

pics if you do????????????????

 

[Craig]

9 made a mistake, unless I'm going mad which is quite likely tbh.

Both IMO

 

[chalky]

Modesty is spared

 

[Slow Love™]

So that's stumps, 3/53.

Gilly's dismissal the only real negative today, apart from Ponting not quite getting the 200.

The manner in which he went (and how quickly) would have to be playing on his mind.

 

[chalky]

Excellent cricket by Australia fully deserve to be where they are probably game over.

Australia to win in the 1st session of the 4th day by an innings & 100 runs.

Remember where you heard it 1st.

Good day of cricket to watch for my 1st all nighter fell asleep at tea last night

 

[Craig]

Considering you live in the States your probably familar with the program Oz (for those who don't know it is a program based on a prison but it makes Prison Break look like a kids program) I have seen far worse (like seeing an Aryan tryng to cut his own gums out because they come from a black man).

 

[pasag]

Keeping the clothes on here.

3 for 53 at stumps. Tomorrow will be an awesome day. Can't watch though, went and bought 5 hour tapes, so hopefully I'll get the whole thing on LP for Sat night. Can't wait.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Warne bowled a pretty poor over, but it was funny to see him send down the flipper first ball. Seemed a bit disgusted with himself after it anyway, so I'm sure we'll see more from him tomorrow.

Can't say how great it was to see McGrath bowling like that. After everyone writing him off again, he always picks the best occasions to stick it to his critics. Could well have had Bell out as well. Clark was excellent and complements the rest of the attack perfectly, and Australia were on the ball in the field. Australia will be batting again by stumps tomorrow, unless England get all out before tea, in which case it'll be England again.

 

[Slow Love™]

I still can't believe Bell is still out there. Like a few others, I was sure it was him gone when Collingwood edged it, and besides copping a lucky decision when he was plumb, he's looked distinctly ordinary.

I remember feeling similarly about him during the last Ashes, and he did go on to make a couple of fifties, so he obviously has it in him to grind out an innings when he's troubled early. Still don't rate him much though.

 

[greg]

I still can't believe Bell is still out there. Like a few others, I was sure it was him gone when Collingwood edged it, and besides copping a lucky decision when he was plumb, he's looked distinctly ordinary.

I remember feeling similarly about him during the last Ashes, and he did go on to make a couple of fifties, so he obviously has it in him to grind out an innings when he's troubled early. Still don't rate him much though.

At least he's still there. Did you watch any of his batting last summer?

 

[Laurrz]

what a magnificent last session... my favorite session of the series so far... so exciting... this is why i love watching us bowl...... more than we bat... [unless its Gilchrist]

McGrath and Clark ..what a treat to watch both of em... initially i was concerned coz we NEEDED wickets BEFORE stumps and these two think more on restricting batsmen first... but now im stoked....

looking forward to tomorrow a lot... key battle once again will be Warne and Pietersen... i can't wait biggrin.gif Warnes second flipper was pretty good... just inaccurate.. if he gets it accurate it can be so dangerous and can easily go through someones defence

as for the batting i was a bit upset because England did well a bit and got some swing... and they got some big wickets... and maybe that will give their bowlers confidence heading to Adelaide... i don't like these signs coz remember after Lords

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Bell's obviously a capable player, but I'd be pretty surprised if he had a good Ashes as well. Not sure why, but neither he or Collingwood inspire any confidence in me at all. I can see them making the odd 50, but unlike Strauss or Pietersen I can't see them actually being successful.

He just doesn't look comfortable against any of the Australian bowlers, and batting at 3 is clearly too high for him against this attack. I'd really want him getting a start against the old ball to get the nerves out of the way, rather than coming in at 1/12 and having people move the new ball away from him.

 

[oz_fan]

Another great day for Australia. Too bad Hussey didn't get his century and Ponting didn't get his double. All the Australian bowlers were great, Clark and McGrath in particular. Looking forward to tomorrow, hopefully Australia will get KP early.

 

[Slow Love™]

At least he's still there. Did you watch any of his batting last summer?

No, though I followed it, so I'm aware of how well he did against Pakistan. But what I saw today only increased my doubts.

 

[aussie tragic]

Some 1st Test milestones so far:

Ponting: goes past Miandad & Gooch to be the 7th highest Test run scorer (12 more to go past 9000 runs)

Gilchrist: goes past Rodney Marsh with 356 dismissals (40 more to pass Healy as World Record holder)

Still to come:

McGrath: to get 550 wkts (he needs another 6 wkts)

Warne to go past 3000 runs (he needs 25)

 

[Matt79]

England certainly came back at Australia a bit today - when Gilchrist went for a duck they were in with a shout of wrapping us up for under 500 and going in with some good momentum, but then, a woeful performance letting Warne, Lee, Clark, and McGrath collectively add 100 runs, plus what Clarke scored in partnership with them.

People cite the amount of wickets Warne has taken wrapping up the tail as somehow detracting from his record, but this afternoon showed the value of having a bowler who CAN be relied upon to wrap up the tail cheaply.

The batting of Ponting, Hussey and the rest was put into perspective in the final session when McGrath and Clark showed that while this pitch is a good batting track, you can succeed as a bowler if you are accurate and prepared to bend your bat.

When we declared I thought we might be heading to a draw, but now England are massively under the pump. Bell's demons must be getting bigger - he knows that so far as the public and media in England are concerned, he can score shed loads of runs against lesser teams, but the sole benchmark people are going to judge him by are is he continues to be a bunny against Australia.

Finally, I'd like also like to eat some more humble pie (after my dose for questioning Langer) and apologise for questioning McGrath - just an absolute class act. I was driving home listening on the radio when he got Strauss and Cook - after nearly tail-ending the car in front when they initially thought Lee had done his knee, I then nearly drove off the road when he got Cook - its hard to appeal, point the way to the pavillion and negotiate a round-about at the same time!

 

[Matt79]

Some 1st Test milestones so far:

Ponting: goes past Miandad & Gooch to be the 7th highest Test run scorer (12 more to go past 9000 runs)

Gilchrist: goes past Rodney Marsh with 356 dismissals

Still to come:

McGrath: to get 550 wkts (he needs another 6 wkts)

Warne to go past 3000 runs (he needs 25)

McGrath must be homing in on 1000 combined Test/ODI international wickets...

 

[social]

I still can't believe Bell is still out there. Like a few others, I was sure it was him gone when Collingwood edged it, and besides copping a lucky decision when he was plumb, he's looked distinctly ordinary.

I remember feeling similarly about him during the last Ashes, and he did go on to make a couple of fifties, so he obviously has it in him to grind out an innings when he's troubled early. Still don't rate him much though.

Jury is still out IMO

Doesnt move his feet early on and is distinctly dicey outside off-stump because of it

However, his record indicates that it's only the top bowlers that can take advantage of it so he's obviously talented.

Absolutely dead to McGrath but he's still there obviously which is more than u can say for 3 others

 

[aussie tragic]

McGrath must be homing in on 1000 combined Test/ODI international wickets...

Nah, he has 886 combined so he won't do it this year

 

[Sir Redman]

What's this rubbish about Bell being plum lbw? You couldn't say for certain that was going to hit the stumps, and if it was it would have only just clipped the top of the bail. Doubt about whether it hit him in line too - givable, but givable in the same way that Ponting's yesterday was givable. Not 'plum' by any stretch of the imagination.

And while we're on that decision, I see Warne was doing his usual over-appealling rubbish. Wonder if anyone will ever have the balls to fine him for that.