4th Ashes Test 07.08.09 to 11.08.09

[Albion 4ever]

I totally disagree. We already have 6 batsmen, if you count Bopara.

Prior's currently got the second best average for us in the series and he's level with Collingwood in second place in runs scored.

Secondly, if we win this match we win the Ashes - surely you have to go for it? Matthew Hoggard said that sides have found it tough to take 20 wickets at Headingley this season, so if this is the case it's made a damn sight harder with only 4 bowlers.

Harmison's had dodgy feet this season, and if he pulled up lame we'd be completely f***ed.

Australia found it easy enough to bowl us out with four bowlers in 30 odd overs.

 

[Albion 4ever]

He's got 6 wickets, the same as Swann, one less than England's Best BowlerTM Andrew Flintoff.

Broad only gets rabbits. Flintoff IS England's best bowler. Australia would not have got off to a flyer if Flintoff was opening the bowling. Guaranteed.

 

[Storer68]

England 102

Australia 96/1 (21.3 ov)

Australia trail by 6 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

 

[vulture]

100-1 f***ing shit

 

[vulture]

aussies now in the lead on day 1...broad and anderson and onions have been total and utter shit......just harmy has bowled well

 

[vulture]

why the f*** are england bowling short 111-1

 

[Storer68]

England: 100 runs in 32.6 overs (202 balls), Extras 17
Australia: 100 runs in 21.6 overs (134 balls), Extras 8


111-1 Australia lead by 13 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings
Geoff Miller, the national selection, looks like he's on the lookout for a noose, poor bloke.
23.6
Harmison to Watson, no run, defended on the front foot

23.5
Harmison to Watson, FOUR, short. Wide. Cracked for four over point! Amazingly consistent from Harmison. This is dire and faintly embarrassing

"Pop quiz, hot shot," says the man with the scores on the doors, Andrew Miller. "What is remarkable about this match? (Apart from Rikki Clarke's allround performance)"

23.4
Harmison to Watson, no run, Harmison pitches it up and beats Watson. Simple game, really

23.3
Harmison to Watson, FOUR, brilliant - quite brilliant from Watson. Harmison's dug it in halfway down, and Watson's hammered him for four more with a pull in front of square. A pull of mighty, sweaty power

23.2
Harmison to Watson, no run, wide of the off stump and left alone

23.1
Harmison to Watson, FOUR, slapped with condemnation through midwicket. Horrid loosener from Harmison, a half-tracker with "spank me" written all over it. Watson gave it some tremendous humpty

Harmison into the attack, if you can call it that.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Australia found it easy enough to bowl us out with four bowlers in 30 odd overs.

Yes, but they are Australia with the best part of 20 years of superiority over the rest of world cricket ingrained in them. They have a different mentality. England need 5 bowlers because, as we've seen, 2 or 3 are usually shite.

At least Swann offers an alternative - I really don't think Trott would have got that many to be honest - and without that alternative where would we be?

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Yes, but they are Australia with the best part of 20 years of superiority over the rest of world cricket ingrained in them. They have a different mentality. England need 5 bowlers because, as we've seen, 2 or 3 are usually shite.

At least Swann offers an alternative - I really don't think Trott would have got that many to be honest - and without that alternative where would we be?

I agree to an extent but the conditions today lent itself to swing bowling. That has always been an English trait not an Aussie one. Conditions in this country dictate that swing bowling is our main way of taking wickets. The pitches tend not to offer much to seam, this contrasts to Australia, S Africa, W Indies etc. So what happens, our batsmen seem to be unable to defend swing and our bowlers play the pitch like its concrete and a hot dry day.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I agree to an extent but the conditions today lent itself to swing bowling. That has always been an English trait not an Aussie one. Conditions in this country dictate that swing bowling is our main way of taking wickets. The pitches tend not to offer much to seam, this contrasts to Australia, S Africa, W Indies etc. So what happens, our batsmen seem to be unable to defend swing and our bowlers play the pitch like its concrete and a hot dry day.

So, why the f**k did we win the toss and bat?

 

[Storer68]

- I really don't think Trott would have got that many to be honest -

But he might have got more than 8 which was the THIRD HIGHEST SCORE

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Never mind guys, that sound you can hear (over and above the noise made by a cricket ball being repeatedly smashed against the boundary boards) is the sound of the football season arriving to spare us any more ineptitude.

I am confident that the Albion, displaying a combination of passionate, steely defence and dazzling attacking panache will tomorrow take our minds completely off the cricket.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

So, why the f**k did we win the toss and bat?

Exactly, why?

Being 1-0 up, bringing in an extra bowler, which was a bold move it would have lent itself to bowl first.

 

[Storer68]

Never mind guys, that sound you can hear (over and above the noise made by a cricket ball being repeatedly smashed against the boundary boards) is the sound of the football season arriving to spare us any more ineptitude.

so you're not watching the Albion this season then?


PONTING OUT lbw b Broad 78:yahoo::yahoo::yahoo: 146-3

 

[The Spanish]

Exactly, why?

Being 1-0 up, bringing in an extra bowler, which was a bold move it would have lent itself to bowl first.

classic old school English mentality with conservative captaincy. Win toss and bat is what you are bought up with.

Ponting says he would have batted. Bollocks he is taking the piss.

Vaughan would have put them in. Nasser would have put them in. That's why we turned a corner under them. f*** me my mum would have put them in. An absolute disgrace.

 

[Uncle Buck]

4 down.

 

[Simster]

classic old school English mentality with conservative captaincy. Win toss and bat is what you are bought up with.

Ponting says he would have batted. Bollocks he is taking the piss.

Vaughan would have put them in. Nasser would have put them in. That's why we turned a corner under them. f*** me my mum would have put them in. An absolute disgrace.

I agree with your sentiment but am not convinced Ponting would have done anything different. His captaincy really isn't much better than Strauss's.

Of course, it was blindingly obvious to the rest of us, what with a f***ing great CLOUD over the pitch early on, and a forecast of blue skies for the weekend.

 

[Taybha]

cmon 2 more wickets tonight lads

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

cmon 2 more wickets tonight lads

Won't get Clarke out in a hurry

 

[Pavilionaire]

I agree Simster, Ponting's captaincy is, as the Aussie's say, "pretty ordinary".

I just can't understand why we batted first. ALL of the pundits agreed beforehand that its tough to take 20 wickets here so why not BOWL under the cloud cover and give us the maximum time to GET those 20 wickets.

Not so long ago Strauss was 4th choice in the captaincy pecking order behind Vaughan, Flintoff and Pietersen and now we see why that was.

Strauss is a top class batsman - there's no doubt about that - I just wish he had the captaincy ability of another former Middlesex opener and England captain - one Mike Brearley.