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

[tooextracool]

The same selectors who wisely selected Pieterson over Thorpe. The English selectors are doing quite good actually!

wisely?
if that move hadnt been made thorpe would be playing at the oval. and contrary to popular belief, pietersen hasnt exactly been a stand out success in this series either, he had 3 good innings to start off with and then has gone quiet. and lets not even talk about how many catches hes taken in this series.

 

[Pratters]

wisely?
if that move hadnt been made thorpe would be playing at the oval. and contrary to popular belief, pietersen hasnt exactly been a stand out success in this series either, he had 3 good innings to start off with and then has gone quiet. and lets not even talk about how many catches hes taken in this series.

Ah the selectors truly have a thankless job. They pick a player who performs and they are still slacked off.

 

[honestbharani]

I would like to see England make 400 to reach a relatively safe position in this test. That said, I think even 350 would be more than competitive and hopefully, from England's point of view, the rains will come down as per forecast.

 

[sqwerty]

I would like to see England make 400 to reach a relatively safe position in this test. That said, I think even 350 would be more than competitive and hopefully, from England's point of view, the rains will come down as per forecast.

So if 350 is good enough why do you need it to rain?

 

[shaka]

the only sure thing in this match, is that there is no way England will declare.

 

[honestbharani]

So if 350 is good enough why do you need it to rain?

I did not say 350 is good enough, I said it would be competitive and given how Australia have been dismissed for less than 300 in the first innings of the last 3 tests, I think it is a reasonable guess. But the pitch looks really flat and there is no Simon Jones, so 350 does not guarantee safety for England in this match. The rains, on the other hand, do.

 

[SJS]

Wonder how many people still feel Bell is a good replacement for Thorpe ?

 

[Blaze]

I cannot get a good read on the weather. I have been to 5 different web sites and they all suggest different weather. uk.weather.com suggests that the rain shouldn't hit til 5pm which would be good but it says it should rain all of saturday.

Whereas the bbc says it is going to rain today and be fine for the rest of the test.

I don't know what to believe!

 

[honestbharani]

Wonder how many people still feel Bell is a good replacement for Thorpe ?

I never did. The guy looks like a nudger type of player. I just don't see how he will succeed against good attacks, given that he only looks to nudge the ball and almost never plays any real stroke at the ball.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Did it not hit him on the full though, which then changes the rules?

That only changes the rules for spinners, where the umpire must assume the ball won't turn. If you are playing a shot and get hit outside the line, it's not out. The only question would be whether or not Collingwood was attempting to hit the ball, as he was clearly outside the line.

 

[luckyeddie]

You're Norwayan and you've got 5,000 posts on a cricket forum. I would have thought that should have been sufficient to raise initial concerns...

He's just fishing for compliments. I hake people like that - he's just a trawl;

( )

 

[luckyeddie]

Here's a little prediction to consider - both Bell and Collingwood will take at least one wicket each in Australia's first innings.

If they do, we're going to be chasing a big total to make Australia bat again - and looking at the clouds whilst doing funny dances containing the words "wai, hai, hai and hai".

(actually, why don't we all do one now, just in case?)

 

[sqwerty]

the only sure thing in this match, is that there is no way England will declare.

I don't think they'll have to worry about making that decision

 

[luckyeddie]

Ah the selectors truly have a thankless job. They pick a player who performs and they are still slacked off.

Well, TEC won't thank them, even if England win the Ashes.

After all, a 2 year-old could do better.

 

[Gloucefan]

Wonder how many people still feel Bell is a good replacement for Thorpe ?

In the longrun I think people will be eating their words over this one, Bell is a quality batsman and much more than a nudger. Imagine the selectors having the same attitude as many seem to have on here. Were Flintoff and Harmison overwhelming succeses early on?

 

[luckyeddie]

In the longrun I think people will be eating their words over this one, Bell is a quality batsman and much more than a nudger. Imagine the selectors having the same attitude as many seem to have on here. Were Flintoff and Harmison overwhelming succeses early on?

Very good point.

After the previous Ashes series, people were ready to decry Harmison as a no-hoper - a poor man's Nantie Hayward.

As far as Flintoff was concerned, I was as guilty as the next man in suggesting that he had been found wanting on just too many occasions.

Incidentally, one utterly staggering Flintoff statistic (two if you like) - he has to date taken at least one wicket in each of the last 26 innings he has bowled for England, and 39 times in the last 40.

 

[Nate]

Awesome Warne. Great Strauss. Good Flintoff.

Finish `em off Tait!

 

[luckyeddie]

Finish `em off Tait!

I admire your persistence

 

[howardj]

Harmison is the key for the rest of this Test. I really think he's got to bowl more deliveries at the stumps. In the absence of Jones, he's really go to step up, if England are going to win.

 

[Nate]

I admire your persistence

It was so frustrating to watch!

Ball One: Good ball
Ball Two: Four
Ball Three: Great ball
Ball Four: Four
Ball Five: Mad ball, no-ball (called incorrectly by Bowden )
Ball Six: Four
Ball Seven: Decent ball