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

[Majin]

Bowled Hoggard with the last ball of the day, but he did his job, sort of. xD

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Nice way to cap off a wonderful day for Lee. Actually three of Australia's bowlers bowled very well today, they were just confronted by some bad luck, a heap of dropped catches and some good batting. Aside from the catching, and Gillespie who was pretty shocking, it was very high standard all round.

 

[marc71178]

Their batting isn't good enough for that.

Hence it isn't good enough to play 2 spinners.

 

[Slow Love™]

Lee's figures are actually pretty impressive, considering how the day's been for Australia.

5/341 ain't that great, but the score could have been worse, considering. Then again, the score could have been a lot better, too, if we'd held those seven missed catches. Hopefully Flintoff won't get going tomorrow, or things could get really ugly. Myself, I don't think I'd mind a bit of rain at all.

 

[marc71178]

To be fair he wont be the first or last player to not read Shane Warne that well, if thats the bar for being 'clueless' then most batsmen will be in that grouping too.

He battled away, nobody can take that away from him.

What I disagree with is people saying he's out of form when he's not realistically been able to deal with any of the balls that have dismissed him.

 

[social]

Honours with England after day 1

Top innings by Vaughan

Fortunate contributions by Tresco and Bell (horrible until 40, good thereafter).

Excellent bowling by Lee

Good by McGrath and Warne who both should have had more wickets

Absysmal Dizzy and catching (6 0r 7 in a day = deserve to lose).

 

[SpaceMonkey]

No-one else mentioned it yet, but a well earned fifty for Bell, England should really get 500 - 4 proper batsmen left they should get 150 extra between them.

Risky business calling Giles a proper batsmen but i agree well played Bell, funnily enough he seemed to get less nervous once Vaughan got out. You'd have thought it would have made him worse.

Hope he can make his 2nd hundred tomorrow.

 

[marc71178]

I can't see how any other team has managed to get this much luck in the history of cricket, let alone just Warne/Mcgrath matches.

Luck because Australia can't catch?

 

[marc71178]

It's because everyone knows how unconvincing and lucky it was.

Well from when I watched him he seemed to be playing Warne rather well.

Note that playing the ball with soft hands so it doesn't carry to fielders is a skill. It is not luck.

 

[nick-o]

dead happy with that for a day of test cricket -- 341-5 is so more entertaining than 407 all out.

nice for Bell-o to get his 50; I guess Hogg-o is the only name left with a case to prove for the 4th test.

be a shame if this is the test that gets ruined by rain...

 

[marc71178]

Pietersen gone, with only four overs to go! Silly shot so close to stumps.

Absolutely ridiculous shot - have to wonder why, after he'd realised that attacking the spinners was too risky.

 

[King_Ponting]

Pretty predictable ball by lee to get peitersen... I mean what else does a bowler bowl other than a bouncer after the batsman has forced him to run all the way in and then have to go all the way back and do it again. silly cricket by peitersen.

Nigh****chmen shouldnt be part of cricket as they serve no good purpose

 

[King_Ponting]

huh "watch" is a banned word?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

huh "watch" is a banned word?

No, but one of the other words in there is. Night watchemen aren't useless imo, they just look it when they get out. Gillespie helped save a test as a night watchman in India, for example.

 

[Slow Love™]

huh "watch" is a banned word?

Tw@t.

I think night watchmen can be handy in certain circumstances. Hoggard getting out when he did doesn't mean he didn't do his job. He saw out the evening, in a period where England had very little to gain and possibly a lot to lose.

 

[Shane Warne]

Hence it isn't good enough to play 2 spinners.

It is if you don't leave out a batsman, like I said.

 

[Shane Warne]

Luck because Australia can't catch?

I'm not talking just about that.

All the little things adding up such as balls falling just short or flukily falling into the only space between fielders etc.

 

[tooextracool]

Very much doubt he will get dropped, and I actually think he will go okay. He's looked like making a score a few times on this tour and hasn't quite held it together. If not this test, then maybe the 5th one at The Oval.

i'd be extremely surprised if he doesnt get dropped by the oval(remember slater?), if he fails in this and the next test to be honest. i think chappell got it right when he said that some of the batsmen have failed to treat the bowlers with enough respect, haydens definetly one of them, hes played the england bowlers as though they were those mediocre bowlers that hes thrashed all over the park in the last 3 years.

 

[simmy]

He has been awful... Keeps failing against England because he just cant be bothered to stay and graft it out. The golden duck was terrible... it was a new ball, his first ball, and there were THREE fielders waiting for the shot. The commentators werent harsh enough on him... an England player would have got roasted in similar circumstances.

 

[Shane Warne]

Well from when I watched him he seemed to be playing Warne rather well.

Note that playing the ball with soft hands so it doesn't carry to fielders is a skill. It is not luck.

Warne yes, Mcgraths slower ball no.