Cricket Thread

[abigsmurf]

130 from the partnership so far. Poor bowling.

Just stop playing now, it's a draw.

[ezee ryder]

Surely some credit should go to the Aussie batsmen?!

Clarke and North have batted with great responsibility and care to prevent England from winning. You have to remember there are two sides playing here, not just England.

Also not everyday of a test match is gonna be amazingly entertaining, you are going to have some days where it is a bit slow. I think people are looking back at 2005 at expecting something exactly like the events that took place then. Fact is that something like that was never going to happen as both sides are not as strong as they were back then.

[Jebus]

Don't get me wrong, fair play to them, but it's been very dull television.

[ezee ryder]

Yeah it's not captivating stuff but I think the weather and the pitch are at fault for that a little otherwise I think we would have had a result, probably an England win.

It is very easy to say "poor bowling" and so on but the pitch hasn't given the bowlers much assistance since the first day when we actually got some play. It so happened on that day the England bowlers got the best of the conditions and bowled out the Aussies quite cheaply. The ball was swinging and there was a bit of turn for Swann there too. As the matched progressed though the pitch didn't offer the bowlers much assistance at all hence it got better and better to bat on.

Now I'm not saying the bowlers (for both sides) have bowled to the best of their abilites but I will say that the pitch hasn't helped them much either. Just because the England bowlers didn't cheaply dismiss the Aussie batsmen again doesn't mean they bowled poorly at all. At the end of the day you have to remember there are two sides playing here and Australia are the number one ranked test team for a reason.

[abigsmurf]

I say poor bowling because I don't believe Australia set out to score runs like they did, the sensible thing would've been to make their innings as long as possible rather than risk quick wickets.

It's a bit of a shame the weather spoilt that game as we should've really won it. But this Ashes has been a bit dissapointing so far anyway (despite us winning). The only real excitement for me has come from that tense first draw where it looked like a certain loss

[Big Seany]

I have been loving Boycs on 5 Live. Awesome.

[Kieran76]

Used to live near a place called Durkar next to Wakefield. A lass I went to uni with used to to serve him at her local fish and chip shop. She then went onto be some sort of t.v presenter and married some bloke from Radio 1.
How's that for a story.

[Big Seany]

LAME TO FAME! That is almost as celeb-tastic as when I verbally assaulted Chris Packham in front of his family in Currys at Hedge End.

[ShadowDancer]

Still 2 tests to go. This could turn out to be very good. It hasn't been all bad.

Salvaged a draw, Won! and the rain spoiled the 3rd test, although that wasn't without excitment.

I've enjoyed the series so-far anyway. I cried at the 2005 Edgbaston Ashes Match. It was tears of joy and relief. I just broke-down and sobbed for about 10 minutes. It was tense. I love me Cricket. 20+ years of following International cricket, God, I've watched us with decent players fall short match after match.

Judging by a few of the comments in this thread..I am far from alone.

[Kieran76]

No Flintoff, so Harmison comes in. England have won the toss and decided to bat first. I love tests at Headingly, you never know what will happen and the crowd is nuts.

[Jebus]

Reaaaalllly weak batting lineup imho...

[Kieran76]

It's alright as the Aussie's bowling line up is rubbish.*

*I am preparing to remove egg from my face.

[Big Seany]

Bloody hell, Strauss was out plumb lbw first ball.

[Jebus]

Bloody hell, Strauss was out plumb lbw first ball.

Yup, totally.

[Big Seany]

Jebus just text me saying England will get bowled out today. Seeing Clark in the lineup and the way Hilfenhaus is swinging it, I would tend to agree. I think if I was selecting I would have dropped Broad for this test and played Ryan Sidebottom, who is used to the place and the conditions, and would create havoc imo.

Apparently Prior spasmed his back playing football before the game, and Straussy was nearly in the situation where he would have had to ask Ponting to allow Collingwood to go behind the stumps until a replacement could be found.