THIRD TEST: WINDSOR PARK

Home computer, Foxtel, blogging from my laptop, but still there's the Demons.

Name: Polly. Born: 17th Apr (same day as Murali - now there's karma). Weight: 3.02 kg. Height: 50.5 cm.

Comments

[Carrot]

Polly? As in Shaun Pollock?

Is she yours, Tone? If so, many congratulations.

In fact, many congratulations to whoever was responsible to bringing her into the world, but particularly if it was you.

[Lou]

She looks very sweet but uncannily like a budding quick bowler staring down a batsman.

Congratulations if she's yours.

[Tony]

Polly is indeed mine (and Boynton's).

Polly as in Lady Leopoldina Hampton from Love in a Cold Climate.

Polly was a name we both agreed on.

Polly Taylor has fetching euphony.

(My other favourite name was Bebe - pronounce Bee Bee.)

[David]

Congratulations :)

And she looks more like the solution to our wicket-keeping woes than any fast bowling problems. But ... we'll find a spot for her on the team.

[Carrot]

Fantastic! Great news.

I love the way you've announced her arrival on your cricket site, too - the AGB's spiritual home!

[Nick]

Well done!

[Hangover Black]

We're expecting a littleun any day now too.

Congrats on little Polly!

[Sid Smith]

Brilliant, Tone.

Well done.

[Carrot]

.... Early signs are that this deck could be what we were hoping for for this series. Quicker, harder and seaming around.

[Carrot]

105/3, Warner gives his wicket away to Shillingford.

More good cricket today so far. The Windies have dropped two catches, but the rest of it has been great. I can't remember seeing a Windies side this disciplined for a long time. The fielding, lengths and lines have been excellent. You get the feeling that once they learn how to win, as opposed to being NZ-esque plucky losers all the time, that they'll keep doing it. Can't wait for the English tour, I think they'll do really well, particularly with the ball.

[Lou]

They've been ridiculously unlucky in the first 2 sessions but making up for it now.

[Carrot]

164/6. This could get messy. I worried about the turn and particularly the bounce that Shillingford was geting pretty much from the moment he took the ball.

[Carrot]

175/7 now. You'd have to wonder why everyone is propping forward or playing back to Shillingford. Surely given the turn and bounce he's getting, a good method would be to use their feet?

[Tony]

Interesting picture on the Crooky match report. Is Shillingford a chucker?

[lou]

I've got a suspicious mind-set. Any spin bowler with long sleeves...

[Tony]

Soon as I see an offie bowling front on...

[Tony]

Bowled, Shane?

[Tony]

Eddie Cowan has been LBW 6 times in 11 innings. That must be some sort of record. And how many has he left?

[Carrot]

You'd have to wonder what Simon Katich thinks every time there's a false dawn and we discard ANOTHER Test opener. You'd wonder if they'll discard Edith just yet - that was his first genuine failure, so at least he's getting starts - but it's certainly in the post if he keeps this up.

Also: how do we keep producing these fast bowlers who can bat? And I don't mean hang around, I mean properly BAT. Johnson, Cummins, Pattinson, Harris, and now Starc. With the exception of Harris, they all seem to be made of the same mould as well - long-limbed and clean strikers.

[Lou]

I've seen Starc bat in shield before. He looks alright with the bat in his hand. If he can turn himself into a decent bowler and not a in-the-main-shite-thrower like the last Mitchell, he'll end up an excellent 8 or 9.

[Lou]

Lyon bamboozling the Windies now, dear oh dear. The ball is spinning for him.

And there is Shiv - for about the trillionth time - left to bat with the tail.

[Tony]

Koo is bowling some big no balls...

[Carrot]

Aren't low-scoring matches fantastic? Twenty runs here and there can change the complexion of the game. The Windies looked down for all money only an hour ago, and now they've knocked up a 45-run partnership for the ninth wicket, and at a decent clip, too. They're actually not that far away from where we were at a similar stage, and another hour or so like that tomorrow and they're right back in the game - particularly with a question-mark over whether Fast Eddie Edith will bat or not.

One bad shot or some bad luck and they're completely screwed, mind you.

PS, I thought that Harris' successful elbee referral was a no ball. Where does the benefit of the doubt lie in that situation?

[lou]

I thought he landed ok but slid forward. I never know if that is legit or not.

[Tony]

That's legit.

[Tony]

There's no benefit of the doubt anywhere in the rules... sorry, Laws. The ball is legit if any part of the bowler's foot lands behind the popping crease, or is in the air behind the popping crease. (Return crease issues, excluded.)

[Vindicate]

Congrats to you and the missus on the little one Tones, is she your first bub?

And from the sublime to the rediculous... ONE! F**CKING! POINT! F*****************K!!!!

Bloody fluro maggots robbed us.

[Tony]

Yep, first baby.

The best thing about Collingwood Essendon is that one team has to lose (unless it's a draw).

[Tony]

Wish the radio news bulletins would stop saying Australia is in a dominant position after batting the West Indies out of the Test.

[Paternal Pat]

Well done to you and Boynton Tones. Having a child is an indication of faith and hope in the future.

Now, if you bring her up right, I will consider her for marriage to one of my boys. Start preparing the dowry now is my advice. 5 egg laying Australorps, 1 brood mare, 2 heifers and a sow with litter is the starting price. Should you and Boynton own a brewery, 50% share is enough.

On other business, I see that Champagne Chanders has fallen in the last over to low carb Clarke. This Battle of the Light Weights has been enthralling. Matter of fact, every time I've been watching it's been a dull affair but when I awake I see I've missed all the exciting stuff. Example, watched Wade get his 50 and fell asleep.

[Big Ramifications]

Punter left the perisccope up. Pure Ashley Mallet. Pure Craig McDermott.

1 point is the most common winning margin in AFL football.

If I believed in phrenology, then I would say Dane Swan has the head of a criminal.

[Big Ramifications]

I hid you car keys, Pat.

[Tony]

Thanks, Pat.

Will run your proposal past The Boss, but I wouldn't get your hopes up.

Your car keys are in the freezer, in the ice cream. I can read Biggy like a Little Golden Book.

[Tony]

Coincidentally, I was looking for a picture of Ponting's periscope (Matron!) just before I read Biggy's comment.

[Big Ramifications]

TO ALL THE GIRLS I'VE LOVED BEFORE...

[Lou]

Pat's right. This series been enthralling in a peculiarly dull way.

[Russ]

I only ever see the last hour. As far as I can tell, only Hussey, Wade, Chanderpaul and the bowlers are actually batting. The scorecards seem to bear that out. Still, a low scoring series is a good series. That last over dismissal - Clarke's curse - seems to have tipped the game permanently Australia's way.

[Tony]

Hopefully Australia taking wickets in the last over, rather than the other way around, presages a return to the old good days when we were good and used to regularly pinch wickets late in play.

I'm inclined to agree with Mikey, though, who said we will get beaten in England next year. Our batting, which have been brittle, will get spiflicated by the Pommy quicks.

[Soups]

Tony Cozier needs to remember he's a commentator and not a cheerleader. He didn't offer an opinion whether Deonarine was in or out when you could clearly see the bowl pitch, then get hit back to Clarke (the bowler). 4 more wickets required. By the way, congratulations on the bub. Sleepless nights huh?

[Big Ramifications]

That was supposed to be Dane Swan. Did you like my Foo?

Well done Michael Forrest Gump Clarke!

[Tony]

Always thought Cozier is a pretty solid commentator, but he has a tendency to barrack.

Fair win by Australia despite the Windies tail knocking up a few. Did we drop the field back?

Fair series win too. Awkward conditions, injured bowlers, poor batting.

Only the Windies, but.

Reckon we would have been smashed by a good side.

Dane Swan?!?

Liked the Foo.

[Tony]

"Kemar Roach saying he didn't hit it, and he should know best." Risible commentary. I mean, batsmen NEVER claim they didn't hit it, right?

[Tony]

Good catch by Clarke to get rid of Kemar Roach.

[Tony]

It always feels odd when batsmen get outside edges to balls which turn back into them.

[Tony]

It always feels right when Cow Corner Warner fields at cow corner.

[Big Ramifications]

Tone Loc - I saw your tweets re: Perth Glory being robbed. Clearly a penalty. I got about 5 hours of "ROBBED!!!" from all and sundry before I got to see it with my own eyes.

What a lamentable sport.

a] That such an important game could be decided by one play, b] that a correct decision could cause so much wailing and gnashing of teeth, c] then there was the whole "who's r00ting who?" allegations. What a joke.

He scored the decisive late first goal against Germany in the 2006 World Cup semi-final, and completed a game winning dive in the box against Australia. Good doogz to the bloke who snuck that one in!

[Tony]

Grosso means "large" in Italian, which always made me go "Fabio's getting laaarrrrrgggerrr".

[Lou]

Brilliant, Big Rammers. I saw that dive, er I mean match, and was one of the mad-eyed hysterics screaming blue murder at the end of the game. Along with most of England I might add. Everybody wanted Aus to beat Italy in that game it seemed to me. Apart from me strangely enough... till that happened. You see, I had a fiver on Italy to win the Comp at good odds and was a massive fan of theirs.

I can be fairly calm about most sports but footie/soccer has been created to turn sane people into complete nutjobs MAINLY due to the aforementioned diving/acting/rolling around on the ground in the agonies of death thing. One of my friends who is one of the most reasonable people I know and rarely gets worked up about much spends entire games calling whoever is playing against England, 'cheating bastards'.

[Big Ramifications]

Interesting to hear before the match a lot of Italian Australians were cheering for Oz, too. Most of them adding that they wouldn't mind too much if Italy won.

[Big Ramifications]

Grosso means "large" in Italian, which always made me go "Fabio's getting laaarrrrrgggerrr".

That would have been one of those jokes that would have been funny, then annoying, then funny again. And it would be yours. You would OWN it. Sorry, PWN it! Any n00b tries to horn in on your gig and there would be much murmuring and rolling of eyes.

[Professor Rosseforp]

Tony, belated congratulations on the birth of Polly and best wishes to Mrs Tony.

[Tony]

Thanks, Prof.

[Big Ramifications]

Boynton rhymes with Ponting.

[Tony]

Ramifications rhymes with Ponting.

[Cameron]

Shit, congratulations Tony an Mrs. Tony.

Sorry for the belated comment, been a tad busy with work, boozing, chasing tale, an unsuccessful coup d'état in a small West African nation and what not.

[Mark Thatcher]

Jesus, Cameron.

Ix nay on the oop kay.

[Tony]

Busy with work?!? Now I know you're joking.