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

[Slow Love™]

50 for Langer - well done, mate.

 

[Burpey]

Well done up until tea. 2 hr 30 min final session scheduled now ... not much sleep for me tonight

 

[BoyBrumby]

Think Langer has looked Australia's "man most likely to" all thru the series. Just hope Strauss's shell isn't a turning point.

First session we've lost all game til now. Hmmmm.

 

[Slow Love™]

I haven't checked the scorecards, but it feels like we've been 1 or 2 down for 100 a few times this series so far. We just seem to get these massive collapses once the third and fourth go down.

Hopefully it won't happen this time.

 

[andyc]

I haven't checked the scorecards, but it feels like we've been 1 or 2 down for 100 a few times this series so far. We just seem to get these massive collapses once the third and fourth go down.

Hopefully it won't happen this time.

Aye, good point. Good session for the Aussies, sensible play, well batted by Langer for a fifty.

 

[Slow Love™]

I swear Deano forgets everything he's said about an hour after he says it. He was talking about Australia having no chance whatsoever in this match a couple of hours ago, and now he thinks we'll make 450+ and it could be difficult for the Poms. Not the first time he's completely reversed his opinion within a short time, either.

Not only does he rarely make any sense, but his sentence construction is just dreadful. He makes Greg "Yeah yeah" Matthews sound like McGilvray.

 

[luckyeddie]

That was gold ... Australia has got to 100 fairly easily whereas they were already 5-down in the first innings at this stage. Repeat boys, "Concentration and application"

I've counted 20 or so play and misses, three inside edges and a dropped catch. If that's fairly easy, I'd hate to see your definition of hard.

Australia have toughed it out, and Langer has played superbly.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Think Langer has looked Australia's "man most likely to" all thru the series. Just hope Strauss's shell isn't a turning point.

First session we've lost all game til now. Hmmmm.

Australia won the first evening I think. England were on top for most of the day, and it finished even as Australia got three wickets at the end.

Certainly the best session for Australia though. Another just like it needed next.

Quite true from SL though that Australia have had fair starts only to collapse a few times. Australia's wickets down when reaching 100 so far in the series are 5 & 2, 2 & 3, 3 & 2 and now 5 & 1. From getting there with 2 or 3 down five times, Australia's best score in the series is 384 at Lords, or 9/371 at Old Trafford.

 

[social]

Some of the most sensible batting of the series by Aus against some very good spells by Flintoff and Harmy.

Anyone else think that the English, whilst excellent bowlers against left-handers, are merely "good" (Jones probably excepted) against righties. Jones has the away swing at pace to trouble the right handers whilst Harmy and Flintoff bowl mainly in-slant and Hoggard (except for one spell) has just been plain average all series.

Maybe it's because Ponting and Clarke have looked comfortable at times in the series whilst none of the lefties have.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Anyone which CW member predicted Hayden would fail again in this this Test a while back? I forget.

Oh, that's right, it was me.

(and either marc or TEC, I can't remember)

Although admittedly it's the first of my out and out predictions that has actually come true - although I think I predicted the Welsh Dragon to do well, and that turned out alright.

 

[jlo33692]

Is anyone else hearing anything on the fred flintoff drama at the minute?

 

[social]

Dont know why batsmen choose to sweep Giles.

About his only chance of dismissal is turn and bounce out of the rough.

As Ponting showed in the last test, play carefully and wait for singles into the well-spread field and 4 balls come reasonably regularly.

 

[andyc]

Nice over there off Hoggard for the Aussies. They just need to make sure they don't get too carried away with a good over like that and go for more runs.

 

[andyc]

Bugger it.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Swing for Hoggard again, and again it's a key period. Martyn must play an innings now and support Ponting who is looking pretty good. If Australia can make it to stumps without losing another wicket, or at most one more, they are still somewhat in the game. There's always the prospect of a collapse though, given the out of form middle order.

 

[Slow Love™]

Langer very frustrated - almost a carbon-copy of his first-innings dismissal.

Hard to tell what form Martyn's been in recently, what with some of the lousy decisions he's copped, but he's certainly due. And is it just me, or is this whole thing with the diagrams of where batsman's heads are at when they play their shots a little unconvincing? It seems like they draw the arrow to tell the story they want to tell, regardless of which angle the player's head is actually at. Seems very hokey.

 

[luckyeddie]

That was top bowling by Giles. The two previous balls were well wide and Langer played them off the back foot. The wicket ball was appreciably fuller and just a bit quicker - top quality slow bowling.

 

[aussie]

Ponting needs to play a even better knock than OT now, Come on Australia....

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Phil Jaques offering a timely reminder with 172 against Durham. And, just quietly, 92 to Mike Hussey in the same game. Regardless of the outcome, there's a chance of sorts that Hayden will be dropped before the next test. I don't think it will happen just yet, but it's possible, and even if it doesn't he won't last long if he doesn't make runs very soon.

 

[aussie]

Phil Jaques offering a timely reminder with 172 against Durham. And, just quietly, 92 to Mike Hussey in the same game. Regardless of the outcome, there's a chance of sorts that Hayden will be dropped before the next test. I don't think it will happen just yet, but it's possible, and even if it doesn't he won't last long if he doesn't make runs very soon.

well if Australia lose here it wont make much of a difference if he's dropped or not because the aim will be to sqaure the series, but imo i rather Hussey to replace him but Jaques isn't doing to babdly so its really up to the selectors....