* * * The Ashes - Official Thread * * *

[Seagull over NZ]

What a disappointing first day. Haven't seen all the wickets fall but what I did see was poor shots from Strauss, Cook and Collingwood. What happened to Prior and Broad can happen but overall such an opportunity missed. We aren't out of this game yet but lost the chance to exert pressure on the Aussies from day 1. Will have to bowl well and hope we can restrict them to 300-350 on what will probably be the best day for batting tomorrow. Australia are clearly going to go after Swann as they showed in his one over but I don't mind that, and nor does Swanny.

 

[ROSM]

Peter Siddle, he's a VICTORIAN

Get him up here, I wanna Boof him

 

[CHAPPERS]

I am SO tired.

Bell looked really good this morning when I awoke (about 5:35 after going to bed at 1:30). Not great from the othe guys but good that Cook and Pietersen got runs. Strauss shouldn't have played at the ball he got in my mind, you leave everything that first over. Prior got a good one as did Broad.

Need to get at them, Anderson didn't bowl great first up.

 

[8ace]

That wasn't very good and they stopped serving beer at five

 

[keaton]

Lasted till one, and got up at 5.

Lucky we've got such gritty and mentally strong cricketers as Cook and Bell otherwise we'd be proper f***ed.

looks like it's gonna be hard to score quick runs, and with their poor batting form I think we could get them out for a similiar total if we bowl with any brains. Ie Anderson vaguely near the stumps

 

[clarkey]

IF the pitch is going to quicken up, its not going to be an easy day for the Aussies tomorrow. Just need to get the bowlers pitching it up.

 

[8ace]

Terrible shots from Prior and Strauss.

 

[Mendoza]

we were cruising easily until Siddle's hat trick. The Aussies didnt really look a threat, the crowd was quiet and we went about knocking off 3 or 4 runs an over. Cook played a bad shot, then the wheels came off as they got their tails up.

We saw Siddle take 6 wickets, pitching the ball up, yet the English bowlers failed to do so, apart from one ball which Broad appealed for LBW against Watson, despite him hitting it first

They need to learn and FAST

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

Siddle was class today and the main difference

 

[mikeyjh]

Siddle was class today and the main difference

He was, and this was no disaster - In fact compares favourably to previous Brisbane Day1s.... I think alot of you are being very generous to Prior, not a great shot.

 

[sten_super]

Well played to the all-nighters. I watched the first session and then headed bedwards at 2:00ish.

Disappointing first day, mainly because expectations were so high. Strauss and Trott both threw their wickets away to careless shots, and it sounds like the same could be said of Cook and Prior, which is really not good enough.

They said before the start of play that they expected the pitch to quicken up tomorrow, in which case it could be difficult for the Aussies. I think we've got to be looking to knock them over for 300ish ideally and then get a big total 3rd innings, which doesn't look impossible. For me, Cook, Pietersen and Bell all look to be in good nick (didn't think I'd be saying that about Pietersen!), so a score of 400 in the third innings is not an impossibility. Asking the Aussies to chase 350 on a pitch with a decent amount of turn and lateral movement on the fourth and fifth days wouldn't be easy.

 

[Iggle Piggle]

He was, and this was no disaster - In fact compares favourably to previous Brisbane Day1s.... I think alot of you are being very generous to Prior, not a great shot.

Boycott had it right for me. Prior is a form player and he doesn't look anything like in form at the moment.

194-4 to 260 all out. I thought we had stopped that sort of collapse under pressure. Still early days and I can't remember tha last time we started the 1st test well home or away.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

(didn't think I'd be saying that about Pietersen!),

Sorry, am I getting confused here? I thought the Ashes were traditionally played between Australia and England....not Australia and bloody South Africa!!!

To paraphrase your quote sten_super: "I DID think I'd be saying that about Pietersen!"

 

[Seagull over NZ]

Just feels like a real opportunity missed. Australia had been under presure before this test and had England had a good day and been 300 for 4 or something like that they would have been under more pressure. Now that pressure is released, the Aussie public will be behind their team and we have a real struggle on to get back into this match.

 

[sten_super]

Sorry, am I getting confused here? I thought the Ashes were traditionally played between Australia and England....not Australia and bloody South Africa!!!

To paraphrase your quote sten_super: "I DID think I'd be saying that about Pietersen!"

Oh gees, not this again. From a quick google search;

Basil D’Oliveira (Cape Town, South Afica)
Allan Lamb (Cape Province, South Africa)
Robin Smith (Durban, South Africa)
Graeme Hick (Salisbury, Zimbabwe)
Devon Malcolm (Kingston, Jamaica)
Gladstone Small (St. George, Barbados)
Phillip DeFreitas (Scotts Head, Dominica)
Nasser Hussain (Madras, India)
Tony Greig (Queenstown, South Africa)
Derek Pringle (Nairobi, Kenya)
Dermot Reeve (Kowloon, Hong Kong)
Chris Lewis (Georgetown, Guyana)

 

[Gwylan]

Oh gees, not this again. From a quick google search;

Basil D’Oliveira (Cape Town, South Afica)
Allan Lamb (Cape Province, South Africa)
Robin Smith (Durban, South Africa)
Graeme Hick (Salisbury, Zimbabwe)
Devon Malcolm (Kingston, Jamaica)
Gladstone Small (St. George, Barbados)
Phillip DeFreitas (Scotts Head, Dominica)
Nasser Hussain (Madras, India)
Tony Greig (Queenstown, South Africa)
Derek Pringle (Nairobi, Kenya)
Dermot Reeve (Kowloon, Hong Kong)
Chris Lewis (Georgetown, Guyana)

...or Andrew Strauss or Matt Prior in the very same team.

 

[sten_super]

...or Andrew Strauss or Matt Prior in the very same team.

Indeed, I forgot to mention them. Both Johannesburg-born.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Good points made about actually bowling as Siddle did. Anderson bowling wide of the stumps for the first over was pretty f***ing stupid.

 

[simmo]

Oh gees, not this again. From a quick google search;

Chris Lewis (Georgetown, Guyana)

Chris Lewis (Georgetown, Guyana and now residing at Wormword Scrubs)

 

[sydney]

Gladstone Small has almost NO neck
Peter Siddle NEEDS one straight in the forehead(s)