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

[honestbharani]

Yeah, that was a PY special. *cries*

It is frustrating though, when the umps decide to wait until the end of an over when they've decided the conditions are too wet to play on.

I remember the CT final in 2004 when Lara kept complaining about the light and having to face Flintoff and Harmison in that light. They kept refusing it and then, right after he was dismissed, they went off. Ian Chappell said that was amongst the worst things that can happen to a batsman and criticized the umpires heavily.

 

[Demolition Man]

Sure, so long as you're 80 and you've found nothing on TV really hits the spot since "Murder She Wrote" got the axe.

Turn it up, totally different. Muder she wrote is crap, diagnosis murder is good .

 

[Slow Love™]

Someone has been listening to deano

It's true, though.

 

[Slow Love™]

Turn it up, totally different. Muder she wrote is crap, diagnosis murder is good .

LOL, OK, you win.

 

[PY]

It isn't looking good from what I just saw of The Oval (Channel 4 are At The Races).

Heavy downpour just happened?

 

[PY]

Whoa, massive puddles all over the bowler's runups and looks like it's nailing it down.

 

[Jdz]

Isn't a heavy down poor better than light showers constantly interrupting play.?

 

[Pedro Delgado]

This is it for a while I think. It's going to take ages to soak all that up, and it's still raining.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Get your thinking cap on, Mr. Ponting, there's a few decisions to be made.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

One can't help but feeling that Australia are going to have to have some very good luck with the weather and play brilliantly from here. Assuming there's not much more play today, that means Australia have to basically bat to parity tomorrow, bowl England out in two sessions or so and then chase quickly. Not an easy ask.

 

[six_and_out]

Great innings from Alfie

Justin Langer is a quality batsmen. He seems to have been type-cast (at least in Australia) as a 'scrapper' - think Mark Taylor. In fact, his batting is truly elegant. He can score runs anywhere around the ground. He isn't too heavily set on his front foot (like Hayden) nor too dependent on playing square for all of his runs (like Martyn). I like the way that he even brings the anachronistic late cut into his game - what more would the purists want?!

With 7000 Test runs and 22 Test 100s (6th most 100s for an Australian batsman), I don't think he minds too much about being type-cast or under-rated. He'll just keep on making his quiet - albeit significant - contribution. He's my favourite player.

My club has twice been honoured to have him come to our training sessions over the years. Not only a good batsman, he's a fantastic bloke too.

 

[Tom Halsey]

If eithher team manages to win from here then they'll have done a fine job. I hope it happens because it'd carry on the already amazing series.

 

[Barney Rubble]

One can't help but feeling that Australia are going to have to have some very good luck with the weather and play brilliantly from here. Assuming there's not much more play today, that means Australia have to basically bat to parity tomorrow, bowl England out in two sessions or so and then chase quickly. Not an easy ask.

Not by any means. Australia need to reach parity by mid-afternoon tomorrow (with a 40-over afternoon session, that's around another 50 overs at 4 an over, assuming there's no more play today). Then if they declare at parity, we'd have about another 50 overs on Sunday, plus another 100 (give or take) on Monday, meaning we'd be in for a 75-over one-and-a-half-day game, for all intents and purposes, but with England batting as much of that as they can.

The weather may actually make this match more intriguing as it turns out - it will test how daring Vaughan is willing to be in terms of setting Australia a target. He might just try and bat out the last day and forget the target, but one wonders if he might set Australia 250-300 in 40 overs on the off-chance England will bowl them out, knowing that they probably won't make it.

 

[Slow Love™]

If we lose the rest of today - we're around 200 down with six sessions to play. We're going to use the best of two of those to draw level. It's very hard to see us having the time to chase down whatever England make on top of that, should we a) make it to their total and b) declare at that point. Perhaps our strategy could be to try and get a 150 or more advantage (rather than declare, should we be able to achieve it) so that the English bats will feel a bit more pressure (with the outside chance that we might be able to chase 50 or so late in the day if necessary).

We're very close to screwed, though - I don't really know what Ponting will do, or should do, under the circumstances.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Cricinfo says the covers are coming off, meaning we could be playing within the next 45 minutes or so. Can't help thinking we'll be off again later, though - that is, if we ever get on.

 

[Slow Love™]

The weather may actually make this match more intriguing as it turns out - it will test how daring Vaughan is willing to be in terms of setting Australia a target. He might just try and bat out the last day and forget the target, but one wonders if he might set Australia 250-300 in 40 overs on the off-chance England will bowl them out, knowing that they probably won't make it.

I don't know why Vaughan would do that though - the consequences of him messing this up are far greater than a few grumblers annoyed that he didn't go for the big win. Why muck around inviting fate when you can make the Ashes safe?

 

[PY]

Why muck around inviting fate when you can make the Ashes safe?

Because it gives England a way of losing the Ashes.

 

[SpeedKing]

Yep Langer is class. Him and Punter have been the only Aussies close to consistent this summer. All could see in the last test how determined he is. All grit, he reminds me alot of Gary Kirsten and Graham Thorpe, nimble little determined lefties. Its quite amazing how he seems to forget every play and miss so easily, like Tony Greig says, "like water off a ducks back" not to mention those blows he has recieved from Grevious Bodily HARMison. Top player he is.

 

[social]

Most important thing about Harmy's last over was not the wicket - it was the rain.

 

[Barney Rubble]

I don't know why Vaughan would do that though - the consequences of him messing this up are far greater than a few grumblers annoyed that he didn't go for the big win. Why muck around inviting fate when you can make the Ashes safe?

I don't actually think he will do that - but it will be interesting to see how far he is willing to take this "positive attitude" that he's been talking about all summer.