**Official** Tour Matches

[Top_Cat]

Wish the same applied to other guys who've been out 5+ months.

Predictable. Completely different situations but cbf doing this yet again.

 

[scorpiogal]

God. Wtf is wrong with Cricinfo?

 

[scorpiogal]

Predictable. Completely different situations but cbf doing this yet again.

Huh? Not at all, but you know I'm enjoying this so far. Hope Lee keeps it up.

 

[Top_Cat]

Huh? Not at all, but you know I'm enjoying this so far. Hope Lee keeps it up.

Well at least we're on the same page there. I'd be delighted if Lee was fit, firing and took 25 Ashes wickets in the series.

 

[Andre]

Corey, in a nutshell so far:

Johnson is rolling the arm over without too much fuss, feeling his way back.

Clark looking back to self, getting a bit of bounce and not giving anything away. I'd lock him in.

Lee is a shot duck.

 

[Top_Cat]

Lee is a shot duck.

How's he not getting spanked?

 

[Andre]

Sweeper out on both fences, and not making the batsmen play all that much. If any bowler, in theory, would get something out of a dead wicket it's Lee (because he's express, a strike weapon, bla bla etc.). But it all looks pretty friendly to me. He's got some decent shape back in towards the batsmen but he's starting it too wide to be of much use. He didn't swing the new pill one iota, either. Neither did Johnson, but he is holding back, his career isn't exactly on the line.

Basically, Lee has looked ok and bowled reasonable areas (ie. not really at the stumps but not too wide, must be the most overrated term in the cricket vocab)... but I just don't really think it's in him anymore to threaten.

 

[pup11]

Yeah but he's only going for just over 2/over?

Not bowling "hit me" balls either as he has bowled pretty straight so far, but clearly not bowling the kind of length that's required on this sort of a pitch.

Wish the same applied to other guys who've been out 5+ months.

Lee could virtually be fighting for a spot here, and given his history in English conditions, bowling like this isn't going to help his cause, as the team's most experienced fast bowler, he is expected to learn from his previous mistakes, and not repeat them, but that's hardly been the case here, though atleast its good to see, that he hasn't bowled a no-ball so far.

 

[Top_Cat]

Yeah that's interesting. Didn't take any new-ball wickets in the other game either. If the selectors are really desperate to pick him, maybe avoid giving him the new nurry at least.

Sweepers out is a bit of a sign from Ponting, I reckon. Hasn't been a regular field for the Aussies for a while. Obviously Lee isn't getting much seam. Anyone who doesn't seam it in England is really in trouble (unless their surname is Younis).

 

[scorpiogal]

Now Johnson's having some NB woes. When will they stop with the darn over-stepping?!

 

[BoyBrumby]

FWIW Lee's looked a lot more threatening than Johnson so far today, IMHO. Johnson bowling good lick, but not really bringing the ball back into the right-handers (guessing he hasn't had the Duke too often), whereas Lee swung the new ball and reversed the older one.

Clarke has a trundle and it's 50 for Denly. Been good knock; chanceless, unlike his partner's.

 

[Andre]

Yeah that's interesting. Didn't take any new-ball wickets in the other game either. If the selectors are really desperate to pick him, maybe avoid giving him the new nurry at least.

Sweepers out is a bit of a sign from Ponting, I reckon. Hasn't been a regular field for the Aussies for a while.

If he gets picked he'll take the new ball - imagine the petulant tandtrum if he didn't get it...

Sweepers out for everyone to be fair. Deck is reeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllll dead. Also got that silly mid-on thing happening to a few of the quicks, you know the fielding position which hasn't taken a catch since the under 7's.

Come to think of it, it's almost like a field he'd set in India.

 

[wpdavid]

Ha, jesus. 90mph bouncer from Lee and Denly has all the time in the world to pull it for 4.

Flat as a witch's tit this. Whatever life it had has gone; Punter's insertion looking duffer by the minute, tbh.

Didn't Aus bat first?

 

[pup11]

Sweeper out on both fences, and not making the batsmen play all that much. If any bowler, in theory, would get something out of a dead wicket it's Lee (because he's express, a strike weapon, bla bla etc.). But it all looks pretty friendly to me. He's got some decent shape back in towards the batsmen but he's starting it too wide to be of much use. He didn't swing the new pill one iota, either. Neither did Johnson, but he is holding back, his career isn't exactly on the line.

Basically, Lee has looked ok and bowled reasonable areas (ie. not really at the stumps but not too wide, must be the most overrated term in the cricket vocab)... but I just don't really think it's in him anymore to threaten.

Tbh, had he been bowling on a wicket with more pace and bounce, he could have had a few wickets to his name by now, but conditons like these have never suited him, and won't at all be surprised to see him struggle in this series.

 

[Andre]

FWIW Lee's looked a lot more threatening than Johnson so far today, IMHO. Johnson bowling good lick, but not really bringing the ball back into the right-handers (guessing he hasn't had the Duke too often), whereas Lee swung the new ball and reversed the older one.

Clarke has a trundle and it's 50 for Denly. Been good knock; chanceless, unlike his partner's.

If Lee swung it, it was straight out of the hand - nothing that looked remotely threatening or late.

 

[scorpiogal]

Not bowling "hit me" balls either as he has bowled pretty straight so far, but clearly not bowling the kind of length that's required on this sort of a pitch.



Lee could virtually be fighting for a spot here, and given his history in English conditions, bowling like this isn't going to help his cause, as the team's most experienced fast bowler, he is expected to learn from his previous mistakes, and not repeat them, but that's hardly been the case here, though atleast its good to see, that he hasn't bowled a no-ball so far.

He's bowling quite well. He should've has a wicket already. He's going great. In other words, you're not giving him credit. But what's new, anyway?

 

[Andre]

Tbh, had he been bowling on a wicket with more pace and bounce, he could have had a few wickets to his name by now, but conditons like these have never suited him, and won't at all be surprised to see him struggle in this series.

He is supposed to be an express, strike bowler. He's in the team exactly for conditions like these - where he is the bowler who can offer something that no one else possesses, raw pace and intimidation factor.

He ain't got it anymore.

 

[Hoggy31]

Lee could virtually be fighting for a spot here, and given his history in English conditions, bowling like this isn't going to help his cause, as the team's most experienced fast bowler, he is expected to learn from his previous mistakes, and not repeat them, but that's hardly been the case here, though atleast its good to see, that he hasn't bowled a no-ball so far.

No way does he hold any chance, think that was pretty clear before the match even started.

Clark, Johnson and Siddle went past him some time ago.

 

[scorpiogal]

No way does he hold any chance, think that was pretty clear before the match even started.

Before the match? Why, because the press said so?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Didn't Aus bat first?

Quite so. Chose to in fact, which was the error I was attempting to point out in my arse-about-face way.

If Lee swung it, it was straight out of the hand - nothing that looked remotely threatening or late.

Nah, can't agree. Tucked Denly up with a couple of yorkers that swung late the young bloke did well to keep out. If one was watching the bowlers today with no prior knowledge I reckon you'd think Johnson was the bowler returning from injury.