* * * The Ashes - Official Thread * * *

[Marc]

Don't get me wrong I would like him to stay as well but he has a young family and may want to take time off at some point or call it a day as it really does take its toll on family life.

That said didn't he miss a tour once and was allowed to ?

he took alot of time off earlier this year to "prepare for the ashes and 2011" so he's already used that excuse, plenty left in him yet.

 

[Leekbrookgull]

Stick with the same XI as of Melbourne or bring Morgan in ?

 

[jakarta]

Hello All, thought I would bounce this as I'm here in Sydney, went out for a drive into the Southern Highlands yesterday to the Cricket Hall of Fame and it was 41.5 degrees Centigrade!

Thankfully much cooler down here on the coast. Convicts are still all over the place with their team selection which is hilarious - even more so McGrath predicting a win for them....

 

[seagurn]

Hi all whats the best site for live sky sports streaming? cheers .

Come on England

 

[Beach Hut]

Looking forward to the morning session tonight from 23:30 - TMS with Sky on mute.

Hopefully Australia will bat first.

 

[Marc]

already on Ashes time for this one, got pissed yesterday afternoon and slept until 1am then watched tele 'til 4am. Same again today then up at 11:30 for the start...NICE!

 

[Marc]

just checked the weather and it looks shit for Day One and Day Four

 

[Sheebo]

So to confirm this starts 11-30 tonight our time. Hows the weather looking?!

 

[8ace]

So to confirm this starts 11-30 tonight our time. Hows the weather looking?!

@Aggerscricket: G'day everyone. Lots of rain last night. Very cloudy morning. Its a bowl first. On air 2300

 

[Beach Hut]

@Aggerscricket: G'day everyone. Lots of rain last night. Very cloudy morning. Its a bowl first. On air 2300

So are we bowling first ?

 

[vegster]

The weather app on my phone saying Cloudy 19C for Sydney, good toss to win and put the convicts in methinks ?

 

[8ace]

So are we bowling first ?

If we win the toss!

 

[Mackenzie]

So are we bowling first ?

Depends if we win the toss. Agnew thinks its a bowlers day.

 

[Beach Hut]

Strauss has already got in early on Clarke advising him test match captaincy is very different from a first class game.

Weather update:

BBC Weather | Sydney

 

[vegster]

Although a poor team overall, they do have the bowlers to exploit helpful conditions. The Cons won't win this test by batting first but they could win it by bowling first.

 

[Lady Whistledown]

Let's finish 'em off

 

[Peter Grummit]

Anyone got a recommendation for a P2P site?

PG

 

[pottert]

history says win the toss & bat first in sydney but no batting team has scored more than 300 batting first this series.
Having said that this is a bat first wicket all day long.Will be interesting to see what happens at the toss.

 

[pottert]

live threads anybody

 

[BensGrandad]

Generally we have been better when we have bowled first. Based on that we should put them in if Strauss wins the toss but based on other aspects that teams that win the toss bat first at Sydney they might bat first if Clarke wins the toss. All we have to do is set our minds to make a big score in the first innings by batting for a day and a half at least and then let the game develope as it does.