***Official*** Australia in England (The Ashes)

[Slow Love™]

This is so infuriating being stuck at work serving the great unwashed!!

Did Ricky read the pitch very wrongly? Is it a 190 job?

It's probably academic, 'cause I think Ponting has only sent the opposition in once in his time at captain. Vaughan did say at the toss that he would have batted though.

However, It might have been worth a stab for Ponting to have sent them in. It would have been a really great opening to the series if the Aussies could have pressured their top order from the get-go.

 

[superkingdave]

And that's tea, im glad that Strauss faced all of Lee in that spell

 

[Monty]

he's given them up before, and its never worked, he can try anything, patches, tearing them up, whatever, he'll always go back to puffing away

lol very funny
but he will get some wickets after tea

 

[Scaly piscine]

warnie will tear em up after tea

I expect he'll do quite well against Strauss, but I hope I'm wrong.

On a separate note if by some miracle all the overs are bowled then England will have batted longer (in terms of overs) than Australia today.

 

[Monty]

i hope to see warnie bowl pietersen

 

[King_Ponting]

I expect he'll do quite well against Strauss, but I hope I'm wrong.

On a separate note if by some miracle all the overs are bowled then England will have batted longer (in terms of overs) than Australia today.

Well it doesnt get dark till late? is that right? Cause it might be a possibility if thats teh case

 

[Top_Cat]

I'm quite worried by what I'm seeing from Lee. It's deja vu; he was picked to play the home series against India after bowling so well in the ODI's and FC cricket and proceeded to lose his head and bowl short crap, hence lack of success on the WACA deck and subsequent harsh treatment by the batsmen on the SCG.

Already, forgetting that which made him successful in the ODI's, at least 60% of his deliveries have been in his half. At what point, I really wonder, will he switch his brain on and forget that just trying to bowl quick ALONE earns him a belting from Test-class batsmen??

 

[aussie]

Australia need to get at least 5 wickets in this final session for me to be satisfied.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Can someone gimme a yell when SBS goes back to the Ashes? Thanks.

 

[superkingdave]

Well it doesnt get dark till late? is that right? Cause it might be a possibility if thats teh case

Due to the new regulation they are only allowed to play for half an hour after the scheduled close which is 5:30 so they can only play to 6pm or 3am your time i think. Thats if no time is lost, but it depends on whether they can give extra time for the aussie injuries.

 

[Monty]

i thought ponting was stupid for batting on with his face injuired i would have retired hurt got the stitches and come back one when some one got out

 

[King_Ponting]

nah mate, that'd be a sign of weakness. Ponting did the courageos thing and kept on batting.

 

[Monty]

good point

 

[chalky]

I'm quite worried by what I'm seeing from Lee

I would if was an Aussie. I believe people have got carried away with Lee's ODI form. But if you at his wickets a lot of them are caught deep third man, deep mid wicket, deep long on. I don't think he is going to get many test wickets that way.

 

[King_Ponting]

I would if was an Aussie. I believe people have got carried away with Lee's ODI form. But if you at his wickets a lot of them are caught deep third man, deep mid wicket, deep long on. I don't think he is going to get many test wickets that way.

Not really actually alot of his wickets are caught behind, bowled, lbw or caught within the 30 metre circle

 

[vic_orthdox]

Not really actually alot of his wickets are caught behind, bowled, lbw or caught within the 30 metre circle

Yes, in the first 15 of a One Dayer with a white ball that swings more than the red. After that, he gets token wickets in the last 10 of a one dayer as Chalky described. Have a look at his 5/41 - Pieterson and Collingwood playing typical ODI shots, never see them played in Tests. Then he got three blokes out in the last 5 overs having a slog - big deal.

I'm happy for him to be in the side, but I just think that people were reading a bit too much into ODI form.

 

[Top_Cat]

would if was an Aussie. I believe people have got carried away with Lee's ODI form. But if you at his wickets a lot of them are caught deep third man, deep mid wicket, deep long on. I don't think he is going to get many test wickets that way.

For sure Tests and ODI are quite different games but when you bowl completely differently in Tests compared to that which actually made you successful, well you make it even harder for yourself.

Anyway, people were carried away in the Pieterson hype apparently so both sides could potentially have a 'liability player'.

 

[aussie]

I'm quite worried by what I'm seeing from Lee. It's deja vu; he was picked to play the home series against India after bowling so well in the ODI's and FC cricket and proceeded to lose his head and bowl short crap, hence lack of success on the WACA deck and subsequent harsh treatment by the batsmen on the SCG.

Already, forgetting that which made him successful in the ODI's, at least 60% of his deliveries have been in his half. At what point, I really wonder, will he switch his brain on and forget that just trying to bowl quick ALONE earns him a belting from Test-class batsmen??

well thats your view mate, i think he has looked pretty good so far in his 1st 3 overs to date.

 

[Slow Love™]

Anyway, people were carried away in the Pieterson hype apparently so both sides could potentially have a 'liability player'.

And you wouldn't be one of those people, would you?

 

[Top_Cat]

well thats your view mate, i think he has looked pretty good so far in his 1st 3 overs to date.

Indeed, he's bowled a couple of ripper bouncers to Strauss but let's see how he goes when the ball gets soft. I hope I'm wrong. Australia can't carry a 'carried away' Lee AND an out-of-form Dizzy.