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

[luckyeddie]

I guess the rain will save England from a defeat that IMO will have to be blamed to poor batting (how Strauss or Trescothick weren't out LBW each to Shane Warne in the 2nd innings I have no idea) from the top order, the no balls, and the dreadfull catching.

To be perfectly honest I think the one player in the England team that can walk away saying he has had a good performance and not a lot of luck is Simon Jones. Certainly one of the best spells of bowling I have seen from him.

Well, it's a big ask to have 2 successive days rained out, so I think the odds are still heavily in Australia's favour. In fairness to the umpires, could anyone ever give anyone out leg-before to Warne from any ball other than the slider with real confidence, the way he turns it?

Simon Jones for me was up there with Harmison as England's only 'plus' in the Australian second innings. The catching has been woeful and the batting for the main part sub-standard. Australia the best team definitely, but much of the margin between the two sides, worryingly, has been down to one appaling session of cricket by England - Friday afternoon. The other sessions where Australia outplayed England and to a certain extent vice-versa were down to brilliance on the part of the side in the ascendancy, but Friday afternoon was where England 'lost' this game for me as opposed to Australia 'winning' it. Heads dropped - and that must never be allowed to happen again.

 

[luckyeddie]

But how long will it take for the ground to be ready for play?

I must admit I do like watching the Channel 4 feed as it at least offers some variety and different opinions over the Sky Sports crew. Other then that it is pretty much the same IMO.

FREE GEORGE DAVIS.

Anyone got a shovel and a few buckets of oil?

 

[Craig]

Point taken I have the advantage of replays and Hawkeye and I have done some umpiring before and it isn't an easy job.

What got me was that Strauss and/or Trescothick would pad up to the ball and not offer a shot which to me is cricketing suicide. Ian Bell should be told to always use his bat unless it is pitching way outside off stump.

 

[Craig]

FREE GEORGE DAVIS.

Anyone got a shovel and a few buckets of oil?

I think I can get some motor oil from my garage.

 

[chalky]

Pietersen's batting (if not his catching) has to be a big positive. His ability to adapt his technique to the conditions and the bowling have been most impressive.

On the team selection is they are going to prepare seamer friendly pitches I would bring in Collingwood for Giles. I know Giles has done well with both bat & ball recently but lets be honest he hisn't going to trouble any of the Aussie top 7. Also they have worked out that he can't play the short pitched delivery & with Lee they have the perfect person to exploit it.

With the wicketkeeper issue if Jones has to be replaced (which I wouldn't yet) I belive Foster is a better choice than Reed.

 

[Barney Rubble]

To be perfectly honest I think the one player in the England team that can walk away saying he has had a good performance and not a lot of luck is Simon Jones. Certainly one of the best spells of bowling I have seen from him.

I agree. He did more than his fair share with the bat, too. Lashing Brett Lee through the covers for 4 isn't something the English batsmen did much of in the first innings.

 

[a massive zebra]

Can't beat a bit of panic, can you?

You start a post by berating the selectors for dropping Thorpe as the reason for losing the Ashes then you jump on the wicket-keeper bandwagon by bringing back Read (that at least is one area I do agree with you) - but the really strange move is dropping Simon Jones for Tremlett, yet you DON'T drop Flintoff or Hoggard.

You didn't just put names on a dartboard, did you?

First and firemost, a keeper needs to have the ability to do his job, but Jones truely is a real liability behind the stumps, and has been since the outset of his Test career. He has scored very few runs recently and this series could have given Read the opportunity to establish himself as a decent Test batsman.

I don't rate Simon Jones he bowls too many four balls that take hard earned pressure off the batsmen and struggles to even make the Glamorgan side while Tremlett looks a real prospect with a great future ahead of him.

Flintoff and Hoggard have done the business many times in the past and will do many times in the future, everyone has a bad match occasionally and we do not have anyone better, how could you even consider dropping them?

 

[Barney Rubble]

By the way guys - I'm in Dorset, midway between Lord's and where the rain is supposed to be coming from, and it's been dry for the last 45 mins of here. We even got a bit of sun poking through the clouds.

Cause for optimism, perhaps. Or pessimism, whichever way you look at it. I just want to see some cricket, personally.

 

[age_master]

I guess the rain will save England from a defeat

Englands 12th man comes to the floor again.

 

[Top_Cat]

I don't rate Simon Jones he bowls too many four balls that take hard earned pressure off the batsmen and struggles to even make the Glamorgan side while Tremlett looks a real prospect with a great future ahead of him.

Yet he looked England's best bowler in the second innings after his first spell and had three catches dropped off his bowling?

Sorry but all the changes you advocate are definitely panic-stricken changes, with the possible exception of Geraint Jones. Even then, changing a 'keeper after the first Test does seem very panicky.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Englands 12th man comes to the floor again.

Err yea, cos it's saved England so many times in the past few years hasn't it?

 

[chalky]

We're owed a bit of luck since the 2nd test in South Africa and the bad light fiasco.

 

[a massive zebra]

Yet he looked England's best bowler in the second innings after his first spell and had three catches dropped off his bowling?

Sorry but all the changes you advocate are definitely panic-stricken changes, with the possible exception of Geraint Jones. Even then, changing a 'keeper after the first Test does seem very panicky.

I voiced all the same opinions before the start of the first test, so they are hardly panic-striken, but if panic-striken changes will improve the side then im all for them.

 

[luckyeddie]

Englands 12th man comes to the floor again.

Run that one past me one more time....

 

[shaka]

This is classic from sportinglife.com commentary: "1230: As heavy rain continues to pour at Lord's, the atmosphere in a frustrated Australia dressing room must be not unlike a bored infant school class. Brett Lee will currently be working off excess energy by chasing Michael Clarke around the corridors while Shane Warne pulls Jason Gillespie's hair and John Buchanan looks wistfully out of the window muttering"

 

[Top_Cat]

I voiced all the same opinions before the start of the first test, so they are hardly panic-striken, but if panic-striken changes will improve the side then im all for them.

And we've seen time and again that they don't.

 

[luckyeddie]

I voiced all the same opinions before the start of the first test, so they are hardly panic-striken, but if panic-striken changes will improve the side then im all for them

So that's you and TEC on the CW selection panel now - and I make that 8 changes the pair of you would make.

Anyone else like to join? If you co-opt Richard then Harmison goes, of course, and Flintoff too, so that leaves us with, er, Vaughan of the original first-test line-up - not bad to say we're only on day 4 of the Ashes series. Personally, I have my doubts about the skipper (Scallywag talks such a lot of sense sometimes) so if I come on as senior member and chairperson, I'd get rid of him right from the start.

So a new-ball attack of Cork and Tremlett with Plunkett first change - yeah, this is the stuff. Anthony McGrath, anyone? Has anyone got Crofty's phone number?

 

[luckyeddie]

This is classic from sportinglife.com commentary: "1230: As heavy rain continues to pour at Lord's, the atmosphere in a frustrated Australia dressing room must be not unlike a bored infant school class. Brett Lee will currently be working off excess energy by chasing Michael Clarke around the corridors while Shane Warne pulls Jason Gillespie's hair and John Buchanan looks wistfully out of the window muttering"

Yay! Wet towels, inky pellets and Chinese Burns all round.

 

[Top_Cat]

So a new-ball attack of Cork and Tremlett with Plunkett first change - yeah, this is the stuff. Anthony McGrath, anyone? Has anyone got Crofty's phone number?

Had to sneak Corky in there, didn't you?

 

[a massive zebra]

And we've seen time and again that they don't.

As they have not picked 6 batsmen in the past, how have we seen time and again that this doesn't work?

If we drop G Jones for Read how have we seen time and again that this will be a mistake?

If they replace S Jones with the uncapped Tremlett how have we seen time and again that this would be an error?

If something has never even been tried we could not possibly have seen time and again that it does not work.