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

[Shane Warne]

now that we move to old trafford, i really cant see australia playing without macgill, and to be honest i cant see england winning, given that giles hasnt exactly sent shivers down the aussie batters. i'd be extremely interested to see if swann or batty(i hope not) get picked for the next test,.

Keedy and Udal are both better than Swann and Batty.

 

[superkingdave]

well the last pitch at OT was hardly a bunsen, produced especially to nullify Danish Kaneria, but it was hardly a fast bouncy affair either.

Lets hope Peter Marron has something up his sleeve

 

[greg]

The problem England had this morning was they bowled as if Australia needed 30 to win at the start. They gambled with bowling their best two bowlers at the start but this meant when it went wrong they had no plan B - the runs had come too fast for Vaughan to want to risk Jones or Hoggard. I don't think there would have been a problem had he done it conventionally - opened with Harmison and Hoggard/Jones with the others kept in reserve if one was too expensive early on.

 

[greg]

Keedy and Udal are both better than Swann and Batty.

You've been reading too many of your namesake's columns in the Times. Udal hardly even bowls in first class cricket these days.

 

[superkingdave]

and Keedy is injured atm

 

[luckyeddie]

You've been reading too many of your namesake's columns in the Times. Udal hardly even bowls in first class cricket these days.

I'm beginning to wonder whether it's his dad (not really).

 

[Shane Warne]

I'm beginning to wonder whether it's his dad (not really).

I'm his bro/ agent, Jase.

 

[greg]

I'm his bro/ agent, Jase.

Ah, so you actually write his column in the Times. Thought it was rubbish.

 

[Shane Warne]

Ah, so you actually write his column in the Times. Thought it was rubbish.

I ghostwrite it, Shane translates.

 

[Scaly piscine]

The problem England had this morning was they bowled as if Australia needed 30 to win at the start. They gambled with bowling their best two bowlers at the start but this meant when it went wrong they had no plan B - the runs had come too fast for Vaughan to want to risk Jones or Hoggard. I don't think there would have been a problem had he done it conventionally - opened with Harmison and Hoggard/Jones with the others kept in reserve if one was too expensive early on.

I thought England bowled like Australia needed 2 to win all the way through to be honest, they tried to blast out the tail-enders out for the best part of two hours without ever really bowling a consistent line and length or showing any degree of patience.

 

[greg]

I thought England bowled like Australia needed 2 to win all the way through to be honest, they tried to blast out the tail-enders out for the best part of two hours without ever really bowling a consistent line and length or showing any degree of patience.

Agreed - although they actually bowled better when there were genuinely 2 runs required

 

[simmy]

All this "if Bowden had made the right decision" is rubbish. Rudi gave Bell and Pieterson out and neither were even close to touching it. Another hour of Pieterson and the whole game would have changed.

England were bowling short ALL BLOODY DAY to generate the ball that eventually got Kasper out. In hinds sight a stupid ploy but it worked.. so who cares! England deserved it despire Lee's heroics.

 

[greg]

I've got to admit bowling a side out in a close game in the fourth innings was the one thing which concerned me about England before this series. They have repeatedly got their tactics wrong, sometimes getting lucky sometimes not - from the Champions Trophy final (ironically a plumb LBW was turned down early in that one as well) through to the Durban and Johannesburg test matches. (although of course all were somewhat different circumstances)

 

[luckyeddie]

I ghostwrite it, Shane translates.

Ouija boards, I find, are best for ghost writing.

 

[marc71178]

I ghostwrite it, Shane translates.

And who translates it into English?

 

[Scaly piscine]

And who translates it into English?

Claudio Ranieri?

 

[Shane Warne]

And who translates it into English?

Billy Jean King.

 

[aussie]

well the last pitch at OT was hardly a bunsen, produced especially to nullify Danish Kaneria, but it was hardly a fast bouncy affair either.

Lets hope Peter Marron has something up his sleeve

I was at the ground today after the match & went onto the ground & the pitch looks pretty hard & flat pretty similar to that county match againts Essex the other day, which would say it could be high scoring draw but ya never know.

Has i've been saying all along if Tait has a go he could be a handful with that slingy action of his since none of the englishmen haven't seen him before. Edwards & Malinga the other 2 bowlers in world cricket who have similar slingy actions proved a handful on their respective debuts i dont see why Tait couldn't do that as well.....

 

[age_master]

you know its reasons like these why ive said all along that technology must be introduced. if england miraculously manage to win the series, we'd have to go through a fair few years of, 'if only bowden had given so and so out the game would be different'.
fact is that if we had technology there'd be no whining, no crying over spilt milk, and we'd know by now for certain who deserved to win that test match.

or people could just accept that Umpires make mistakes both ways and it all evens out in the end, Pieterson might have got a bad one in the 2nd innings but he got a good one not that long ago. get over it and dont whinge unless you can prove that you can do a better job

 

[greg]

The use of technology in this match:

Pietersen "caught down the legside" - Technology inconclusive (we didn't see the angle that usually sorts these dismissals out ie. the view from behind)

Gillespie LBW - Technology inconclusive (Television looked dubious, Hawkeye said out)

Bell dismissal - Technology inconclusive (TV angle from behind gave some suggestion of a nick, Snickometer said zilch)

Pietersen dismissal - Technology says NOT OUT

Kasparowicz dismissal - Technology inconclusive (Definitely hit his glove off the bat but quite possibly hit the shoulder of the bat first)

Seems like a recipe for little more than even slower over-rates to me