***Official*** NatWest Series/Challenge

[FaaipDeOiad]

Shot!

Okay, so 30 off these last four, and England can win if they bowl well enough. It won't be easy obviously and Australia will be huge favourites, but possible.

 

[honestbharani]

yeah, plus Dizzy has a few more years left in him than Kaspa, IMO.

 

[aussie]

Good effort from Hussey

 

[sledger]

aus will stroll to that, although KPs innings will now renue the test selectors headache.

 

[honestbharani]

This Solanki substitution seems to be working now, but won't England be a bowler short?

 

[Pedro Delgado]

This Solanki substitution seems to be working now, but won't England be a bowler short?

Two bowlers short, Gough is playing.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

This Solanki substitution seems to be working now, but won't England be a bowler short?

20 overs from Giles and Collingwood, and I don't think this pitch is slow enough for Collingwood to be any good. Giles will do okay though, as usual. I don't think it matters too much, just a bit of a pain. The extra runs are more than worth it.

 

[wpdavid]

This Solanki substitution seems to be working now, but won't England be a bowler short?

Yup, but at least they'll have something to bowl at. Not that I can see Aus struggling though. I wonder if they'll look to score a few psychological points off Harmison, Flintoff & Giles and knock off the runs double quick time.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Anyone want to help start an imminent retirement fund for Gough?

 

[honestbharani]

yeah, and I think this is the first time either team has REALLY benefitted from this new rule.

 

[Barney Rubble]

Blowers: "Lee bowls, Solanki takes a slash outside the off stump"

Surely if Solanki wanted a toilet break, he could at least have left the field?

 

[sledger]

well even if they had, then australia will just put on katich and england will be a bowler short, which means solanki and vaughn and maybe even pietersen will have to bowl, match is now a foregone conclusion bar a horrible australian collapse which isnt very likely.

 

[Scaly piscine]

As decent an innings as it was, I don't really see what job Solanki can do as substitute batsman. He's not really someone to grind it out when the ball is moving all over the place, he's fairly poor batting at the death, he's not a pinch hitter, so basically all he's good for batting on a flat track when England are 5-6 down fairly early which is not the sort of situation England should look to be repeating for years.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Three excellent bowling performances from Australia today, and Kasprowicz was good after five poor overs to start too. Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Symonds and Kasprowicz were just brilliant in the field as well. Australia did put down three catches, but they barely missed a trick in the field aside from that, with Clarke in particular stopping everything at backward point.

Pietersen and Solanki made England competitive, with Solanki's substitution looking like an excellent move, but perhaps involving the wrong bowler. England's top order woes continue, with a mixture of poor shots, good planning and some great bowling. Strauss was a bit unlucky to get an absolute gem from Kasprowicz after a good start too.

229 should be pretty straightforward to chase on such a good wicket. It shouldn't vary too much in bounce or get slow as things go on, so Harmison and Flintoff will need to take quite a number of wickets to build the pressure. Is Australia are 2 or 3 down after 10 overs, it's game on.

 

[honestbharani]

228 is not all that bad a score and funny things have happened in the past. But it is obviously 80-20 Australia right now.

 

[GotSpin]

Thought kaspos catch on the boundry off the six was an absolute pearler

 

[Monty]

i would say pitersons innings makes him an instant selection for the ashes

 

[GotSpin]

i would say pitersons innings makes him an instant selection for the ashes

Nice spelling, but yes most likely

 

[aussie]

England battled back well to get up to 228, good innings from KP and good all-round bowling effort from the aussies especially Dizzy . England have a respectable total but Australia should win this with a degree of ease.

 

[wpdavid]

well even if they had, then australia will just put on katich and england will be a bowler short, which means solanki and vaughn and maybe even pietersen will have to bowl, match is now a foregone conclusion bar a horrible australian collapse which isnt very likely.

Barring a quite extraordinary spell from Harmison, you can't see Aus being remotely troubled Yes, Aus will benefit from being able to use Katich after also using their fulltime bowlers, but the game was up anyway due to England's abject batting. The rule may well be a nonsense, but it's not the reason Aus will probably win comfortably today.

You wonder what the selectors will do next. Everyone was demanding that Stauss gets pushed up the order to open instead of Jones, but he's done precious little against Aus, and KP, Fred & Collingwood have exposed to the new ball. I wonder if there's a case for Jones batting at 4 when we lose a couple of early wickets. Beyond that, there's no doubt that Tresco & Vaughan are in the side on reputation more than consistent achievement.