***Official*** 2nd Test at the Adelaide Oval

[wpdavid]

At least you haven't been awake all night enduring this horror show. I will be going to no lengths whatsoever to watch the rest of this series, because I'm 100% sure we have no hope whatsoever of even remaining competitive in the remaining Tests unless we undergo a drastic change of approach and get some serious cricket under our belts.

We are about to lose an unlosable Test match, and I personally am thoroughly embarrassed by it. The players need to take a long hard look at themselves, and concentrate on getting whatever they can out of the remaining Tests. The Ashes are gone.

5-0 looks a certainty now. Got up at 6.00am to hear 5-Live replaying the wickets, and what a horror show they were. Stupidity & spinlessness in equal measure, afaics. They'll get roasted, and deservedly so. Bring on the rotten fruit & abuse, I say. Yes, of course, Aus bowled well, but that's what test sides are supposed to do. Shame about some of the commentators' whining about Aus overappealing, which totally misses the point.

Four years ago, Fletcher was slaughtered for taking Gough, Thorpe & Flintoff when they were les than 100% certain to play. I thought that was harsh at the time, but this year's selections have been far, far worse. Including three players who have hardly played any FC cricket in the last 6-12 months was always going to be madness. OK, Fred had to play, but there were alternatives to Giles & Anderson. Throw in terminal no-hopers like Harmison & Jones, and we're trying to play the best side in the world with half a team.

 

[PY]

Utter disgrace.

My mate is gutted. He's landing for the 3rd day at Melbourne and the series will be long gone by then.

The batting tactics were reminiscent of Sven Goran Eriksson's defensive genius. Surely they must have seen that runs were way more important than time before they got bogged down...

Gah. Oh well, least that means I don't have to stay up listening to it anymore and messing up my sleeping patterns! Well played Australia as always, your team = dynamite and ours = vinegar mixed with bi-carbonate of soda. After all the hype, what a shame England haven't been able to sustain any kind of form.

 

[pasag]

**** yeh!!! Amazing stuff, I'm crying here tbh, one of greatest things I have ever seen. Really, amazing, really this is why cricket is the greatest sport ever. Shane Warne, Mike Hussey, Ricky Ponting living legends.

AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE.

So proud right now.

 

[Craig]

Thought the first innings at the Gabba was dire, here's a new low for England.

If England have any excuses for this then they should be made to walk at knife point to Perth

 

[pasag]

Feel bad for Hoggard and Collingwood tbh, both had the match of their lives and it's a real pity they couldn't be on the winning side.

Also thankful to Nine for not cutting to the news yet.

 

[Adamc]

Must be a bittersweet celebration for Martyn, surely on the verge of being dropped now.

 

[Nate]

Ponting gets MOTM.

Haven`t seen celebrations like this from Australia ever tbh. Hooray!

 

[Matteh]

If England have any excuses for this then they should be made to walk at knife point to Perth

To follow up 551-6 dec with 120ao is just an utter shambles, pretty much the relatively worst batting collapse i've ever seen from England.

 

[Dravid]

It's over. Wow, the English should be banging their heads against the wall right now.

 

[Matteh]

Ponting gets MOTM.

Haven`t seen celebrations like this from Australia ever tbh. Hooray!

Should have been Collingwood tbh. 206 and 119 balls faced when everyone else was dire.

 

[Craig]

5-0 looks a certainty now. Got up at 6.00am to hear 5-Live replaying the wickets, and what a horror show they were. Stupidity & spinlessness in equal measure, afaics. They'll get roasted, and deservedly so. Bring on the rotten fruit & abuse, I say. Yes, of course, Aus bowled well, but that's what test sides are supposed to do. Shame about some of the commentators' whining about Aus overappealing, which totally misses the point.

Four years ago, Fletcher was slaughtered for taking Gough, Thorpe & Flintoff when they were les than 100% certain to play. I thought that was harsh at the time, but this year's selections have been far, far worse. Including three players who have hardly played any FC cricket in the last 6-12 months was always going to be madness. OK, Fred had to play, but there were alternatives to Giles & Anderson. Throw in terminal no-hopers like Harmison & Jones, and we're trying to play the best side in the world with half a team.

In 2004 you wouldn't of been saying that. He had every right to claim to be one of the best fast bowlers in the world at the time.

 

[Slow Love™]

Collingwood for mine. Played an excellent knock that really should have been match-winning by right.

Also was left standing amidst the destruction today. He might get attacked for being very defensive that innings, but it's hard to judge what to do in such a situation - he did put a high price on his wicket.

I probably lean towards Collingwood myself, though it's a close thing. Hoggard's performance was great. And hell, Hussey and Ponting show such nerves of steel when you need a job done - did it in both innings, too.

 

[Nate]

Channel Nine are bloody tops.

 

[Craig]

Ponting gets MOTM.

Haven`t seen celebrations like this from Australia ever tbh. Hooray!

Ponting getting MOTM if farcial IMO.

Other people who put in better efforts deserved it.

 

[Blewy]

Channel Nine are bloody tops.

Amen, Their coverage this summer has been SUPER!!! Some people have complained but i think its been Brilliant!! Full Cred to them..


Super win, great to see the centre of the celebrations as well..

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

What can you say? Seriously, one of the great test wins.

It was actually a great match in its own right. Pitch wasn't great, but it was slow enough and the bowling was good enough to make batsmen work for runs, and the players who made big scores genuinely batted well, rather than just making easy runs. Collingwood and Ponting in particular were fantastic. It was obvious from start to finish, despite England's poor batting today, that it was the best sides in the world playing. Unlike the last test, I don't think this was an anticlimax at all, and certainly falls alongisde a few of the 2005 tests.

Coming into the last day, even for Australia it looked like a pretty unlikely win, and Warne showed his matchwinning qualities again, and got some really great support from all the other bowlers. Ponting and Hussey then made a difficult chase look unbelievably easy. It's amazing that Australia even dropped a couple of catches and still managed 9/60 on the day, after the last four days had seen 17 wickets. You could see how much the win and the nature of it meant to the Australians with the post-match celebrations, and it's not hard to see why.

That's 9 test victories in a row for Australia now. If it wasn't for Jaques Rudolph they'd have 14 and be looking at the record again. Can hardly wait for Perth.

 

[pasag]

Ponting getting MOTM if farcial IMO.

Other people who put in better efforts deserved it.

Getting sick of you tbh.

 

[Complicated]

Amazing game, hard to believe Australia managed to come back and win.

Does anything think it's possible for England to bounce back? I think this match was pretty much a death blow.

 

[Son Of Coco]

That was incredible, what a day of cricket!

I feel sorry for Flintoff...and Collingwood, he put in a great effort. The rest of the team can please themselves really. It must be tough being Flintoff when the team's in a tough situation and looking around the field only to realise that the only way to win is to bowl from both ends.

I hope Giles goes now...for christ's sake Duncan, play a team that looks like it might be able to win a test match, not one who is carrying a couple of players who are there to 'strengthen' the batting.

Top effort by the aussies though.

 

[Craig]

Getting sick of you tbh.

Well that is your opinion and you are entitled to it.

I was just saying that there were better performances - Clarke's hundred, Hoogard's marathon bowling stint (42 overs is a pretty good effort), Collingwood's double ton.