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

[Pedro Delgado]

'Cos today seems to have a pretty high flamebait quotient!

And the ones baiting the English over the last few weeks weren't? You know what I mean.

Double.Standards.Rule.Okay.

 

[Langeveldt]

Interesting to see Ponting preaching to us about the spirit of the game..

Its like listening to a human rights lecture from Pol Pot..

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Interesting to see Ponting preaching to us about the spirit of the game..

Its like listening to a human rights lecture from Pol Pot..

What England are doing has been going on for donkey's years, this is the first time I've heard anyone moan about it. Smacks of sour grapes it has to be said.

 

[Neil Pickup]

And the ones baiting the English over the last few weeks weren't? You know what I mean.

Double.Standards.Rule.Okay.

That's cos I was away for the last week at a residential summer school trying to a) teach 29 eleven year olds about the future of electricity generation and b) get them to go to sleep at a sensible time and not keep the tutors up.

That, or now that I'm officially old I'm less in the mood for tripe. Pick one!

 

[Pedro Delgado]

You've just done it again!! You...you...you beast!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

What England are doing has been going on for donkey's years, this is the first time I've heard anyone moan about it. Smacks of sour grapes it has to be said.

Brearley moaned when Lillee went off for a quick shower after a spell. Greig moaned when Bedi went in for a nap when he wasn't bowling. I don't see why Ponting shouldn't moan when England's quicks dart off for a quick rubdown before they bowl or when Vaughan goes off to have a chat with Duncan or whatever else, particularly when (unlike in the previous two cases) they are replaced not by the named 12th man but by a specialist fielder. Yes, England have been switching the 12th man for a long time, but they haven't been bending the rules to get the specialist fielder from the county team on the field for as long as possible.

 

[luckyeddie]

That's cos I was away for the last week at a residential summer school trying to a) teach 29 eleven year olds about the future of electricity generation and b) get them to go to sleep at a sensible time and not keep the tutors up.

That, or now that I'm officially old I'm less in the mood for tripe. Pick one!

You're officially old? Does this mean you're going to try to blag the pensioners reduction as well as the student one?

 

[greg]

Brearley moaned when Lillee went off for a quick shower after a spell. Greig moaned when Bedi went in for a nap when he wasn't bowling. I don't see why Ponting shouldn't moan when England's quicks dart off for a quick rubdown before they bowl or when Vaughan goes off to have a chat with Duncan or whatever else, particularly when (unlike in the previous two cases) they are replaced not by the named 12th man but by a specialist fielder. Yes, England have been switching the 12th man for a long time, but they haven't been bending the rules to get the specialist fielder from the county team on the field for as long as possible.

Well we can argue about whether Ponting has got anything to moan about until the cows come home, but surely the Australians on the forum can see that what is going on here is only partly to do with substitutes. (not least because as has been repeatedly pointed out this only blew up after Ponting was run out by a perfectly valid substitute) The fact that it seems that every Australian player you care to mention seems to have a quote on the situation seems to suggest that what is going on is a desperate media management campaign designed to get them through to the start of the 5th test without a campaign to make changes having gained a head of steam and forced the selectors hand.

It's right out of the Alistair campbell(British Lions tour) playbook.

 

[djwolf]

It's quite possible that England are trying to make out Jones won't be fit for The Oval to try and surprise the Aussies by declaring his fitness at the last minute. I believe the Aussies did this with McGrath before the Old Trafford test. Not that it will affect the Aussies that much anyway, they'll be concentrating on themselves.

 

[luckyeddie]

It's quite possible that England are trying to make out Jones won't be fit for The Oval to try and surprise the Aussies by declaring his fitness at the last minute. I believe the Aussies did this with McGrath before the Old Trafford test. Not that it will affect the Aussies that much anyway, they'll be concentrating on themselves.

They're working out how to make Jonty Rhodes an Australian, then they're going to select him as second tea-boy.

Oooh, oooh - Duncan, I've got a sugge.... (voice fades into distance)

 

[greg]

They're working out how to make Jonty Rhodes an Australian, then they're going to select him as second tea-boy.

Oooh, oooh - Duncan, I've got a sugge.... (voice fades into distance)

I read somewhere that there are actually no nationality restrictions on sub fielders.

 

[luckyeddie]

I read somewhere that there are actually no nationality restrictions on sub fielders.

I'm sure you're right - I seem to recall one side 'lending' a fielder to another (not first-hand - probably in the 1890's but I'm sure I've read it).

 

[superkingdave]

Brearley moaned when Lillee went off for a quick shower after a spell. Greig moaned when Bedi went in for a nap when he wasn't bowling. I don't see why Ponting shouldn't moan when England's quicks dart off for a quick rubdown before they bowl or when Vaughan goes off to have a chat with Duncan or whatever else, particularly when (unlike in the previous two cases) they are replaced not by the named 12th man but by a specialist fielder. Yes, England have been switching the 12th man for a long time, but they haven't been bending the rules to get the specialist fielder from the county team on the field for as long as possible.

Small point, but there isn't a named 12th man for England, and their hasn't been for a long time, so it's never a case of switching the 12th man. Tremlett was never named as twelth man.

 

[Neil Pickup]

I read somewhere that there are actually no nationality restrictions on sub fielders.

Well Fredrik Klokker (Danish, ask Hakon if you want his life story) sub-fielded for England at Lord's against the Kiwis at Lord's last summer, so that suggests you're at least half right...

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Small point, but there isn't a named 12th man for England, and their hasn't been for a long time, so it's never a case of switching the 12th man. Tremlett was never named as twelth man.

Aye, we always say "who's your best fielder" to a county, and he plays as 12th man. I always thought they did it to encourage the youngster, so he'd get a taste for Test cricket and would go on.

You know, like Trevor Penny.

Seriously though, I never thought anything sinister in it until Ponting's shenanigans.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Well Fredrik Klokker (Danish, ask Hakon if you want his life story) sub-fielded for England at Lord's against the Kiwis at Lord's last summer, so that suggests you're at least half right...

Incidentally, Mr Klokker ran out Michael Vaughan as a sub fielder in a county OD game last year. Strange coincidence.

 

[maxpower]

Ponting's quote on sub fielders "It's within the rules of the game but it's just not within the spirit of the game, which is what we're all trying to uphold." Hmmmmm now I wonder what other team during one world cup game tried to deliberately play at a slow rate so NZ could not qualify further in the tournament ???? hmmm I think they said it was within the rules of the game so it was ok, atleast at that time i guess.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Ponting's quote on sub fielders "It's within the rules of the game but it's just not within the spirit of the game, which is what we're all trying to uphold." Hmmmmm now I wonder what other team during one world cup game tried to deliberately play at a slow rate so NZ could not qualify further in the tournament ???? hmmm I think they said it was within the rules of the game so it was ok, atleast at that time i guess.

Well brought up! I think Ponting was actually batting at the time wasn't he? He made 40 off 100 balls or something - Aus were chasing a low total against WI, and WI needed a higher net RR than NZ to qualify so they asked Aus if they would mind scoring the runs as slowly as possible.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Well brought up! I think Ponting was actually batting at the time wasn't he? He made 40 off 100 balls or something - Aus were chasing a low total against WI, and WI needed a higher net RR than NZ to qualify so they asked Aus if they would mind scoring the runs as slowly as possible.

Hmmmmmm...

 

[Barney Rubble]

Hmmmmmm...

What?

Either that or Aus said "OK, we don't like NZ, so we're going to go slow and make sure they don't qualify". Either way it's out of order.