Crap. This caught me on the hop- thought it started tomorrow. There goes tomorrow's German exam! Is the wicket doing a bit? There was talk of it going to be pretty green.
Warne is banging on about how Hadding should be in the side on Sky. He saying that if he was given compassionate leave then he should play next time he's available, and that it sends a "bad message" that Cricket Australia aren't willing to afford players time out for family reasons. He really went on about it, too - not sure what his problem is. It's pretty simple for me, if Haddin's in the side we lose the series, simple as that. We may yet, of course, but if we're going to have an inexperienced all-rounder at six, we can't afford a walking wicket at seven. He seems to have completely ignored the fact that Nevill's pretty obviously the better player these days.
Warne is carrying on about Haddin AGAIN! Apparently we're at a terrible disadvantage that he's not at the crease instead of Nevill. Not sure which players he's been seeing lately, but they're not the same as me!
The channel nine camera man has been misssing a lot this match. Many live shots have been missed due to showing replays and that one he was scanning the boundary to see where the ball was while it was back near the pitch in Voges' guts.
Lippy has bowled well this year. 23 wickets at under 27 is a good return for an Australian off-spinner. He's deserved the odd bit of luck like that freakish Voges catch as well - I can remember chance after chance being put down off his bowling from Matthew Wade when he was behind the stumps.
Well, that was a schemozzle. I thought we'd done very well to get 1-1 up but something like this was always on the cards, because it always is on the cards.
Dearie me, excellent bowling by Anderson in his favourite conditions but wasn't some of those get-out shots just rank?
Well, that is not a pleasant score to wake up to. Not expected, but not unexpected either. The magnitude is ugly even with our talent to collapse.
Another 4 day Test on offer.
The Valued Broadcast Partner (VBP) would be shitting itself in an Australian summer. Not so sure it has as much tied up for a night time ratings on a Gem telecast.
The best test wicket of the series easily, just what we all wanted. Win toss , bat just what we all wanted. Didnt want the rest. Jimmy comes back like a hurricane just as you would expect he would. Fragile is how this batting lineeup looks, but they are the same. Lippy best bowler on tour. Time for Mitch 1 2 and 3 to do some damage tonight. The haphazard, lack of committment batting seems the scourge of the world presently.
Apparently so, philsgone. As I said at the time it was plumber than plumb. Wonder what Rogers said to him as Warner looked pretty deflated and half-hearted when he did the T for review.
I went to bed when they were 9 for something so having the English 3/133 at close is better than we deserved. Not that bowling them out for <300 will help us any.
Clark vs Finn = Punter vs Jacques in Adelaide. As Graham Bonnet said so eloquently, "its all over now baby blue". Missing the pitched up medium pace delivery is the nail in the coffin
Lippy might have taken a while to develop into a fully fledged Test spinner, but he looks set for a long career, and if he'd had a bit more luck he could already be up around 200 wickets.
You know what the best outcome for the day would be?
Cecil the Lion and the five unknown elephants were resuscitated after three days in the grave and a dog line be dragged through Sydney west of my doorstep so that I can make a huge capital gain from Asian investors fleeing the collapse of the Beijing stock market, and all without any state tax because I waylaid the lot with carbon offsets in a windmill farm paid for by bogans in Ballarat.
I have to put myself in the shoes of the English, cheering on a moustache-less bearded muhammadan who represents the very antithesis of me, representing me.
It's a pitiful situation. It's a sight to be seen.
It's like watching in real time what ancient historians would be at their wit's end perplexed beyond comprehension to understand: how exactly did this people succumb to their demise?
Warner has gone to 56 off 37 deliveries and looked like he was barely breaking a sweat. Times gone by, those would have been an absolutely thrilling ODI statistics, but somehow he's made it look pretty routine. I guess England are in front and are setting attacking fields, so there's good value for your shots if you hit gaps and you're not really comparing apples with apples, but still.
Whilst I've enjoyed it, I can't help but think that it isn't really going to help much. Every single time he goes to plant one through the covers I worry about him edging to slip instead, and really, would we be suprised if he did? We need an innings of substance here, not an attacking cameo. I get the feeling that's all it will be.
This is the problem with the attacking all-rounder at six thing. Is Mitchell Marsh really the guy we want coming in when it's 77/4 and we're still behind?
You know what I'm looking forward to? Warner batting with the tail and going into Twenty20 mode to get quick runs to try and get some sort of a lead. A few head-in-the-air, down-the-pitch baseball shots will be fun to watch, and is about most we can hope to take from this match as Australian supporters. That is how poorly we've batted in this game.
Voges is gone, he's not good enough at this level. Mind you S Marsh isn't test cricketer either with his batting average. M Marsh or Watson are as bad as each other. Its a bit like being Poland with Hitler and Stalin on either side in 1939 when it was invaded. Keep Nevill over Hadden, would just throw wickets away now and get to the pub later without having too worry about bowling.
Right. Technically we have avoided being beaten inside two days. That said, in terms of actual overs bowled in the match we should still be somewhere in the evening session on day two. We still need to have another 22 overs before we play what would normally be two full days. We have also just managed to scrape past a full day's batting - we've now faced 91.4 overs for the loss of 17 wickets. Yay and woop.
Because I'm an eternal optimist, I'm still hoping that we can scrape a 60 or 70-run lead and take some of them down. A six wicket loss would be slightly less disgraceful than what we deserve. I suppose it's possible - all of Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon are capable of hanging around a bit, I suppose. It's unlikely though, and it makes very little difference anyway - we lost this match on day one.
I really thought we were going to get done for an innings at one point. Our middle order just had no answer to Finn. Thank Christ Johnson and Nevill dug in for awhile, I don't think we would have ever lived a result like that down.
Well, Smith's shot was worthy of the 'wtf' brigade at first innings Lords in 2009. Everybody went down cross bashing it, not just 3 or 4 of them.
Really, I can't get that horrible swipe of Smith's out of my head. It was that representative of all that is wrong with Aussies when faced with pitch movement and overhead conditions.
And like Obi Wan Kenobi, he's our only hope.
We don't want Mitch Marsh coming in at 77/4 but then we never wanted Watson coming in at that point either. I'm sure Watson will crawl his way back into the team again at some point. That particular fat lady hasn't sung yet, we all know it.
I was watching at work but every now and again had to turn it off as it was so awful. Much like the Aussies when faced with 'english conditions', I had no stomach for it.
I had no stomach for it even before it had started. So I went to bed. It's not as if what happened has never happened before and won't happen again and was certain to happen last night.
The news cycle is slaughtering the cricket writers. The AGB is only place for consistent opinion and analysis and for, ahem, pundits who don't fall prey to the whims and caprice of daily play.
In terms of batting, both teams are rating at least than 5/10. England managed a couple of +50 partnerships this game which is the difference in the first innings scores.
As far as bowling goes, OZ are throwing too much rubbish and getting roundly shown up by the discipline and patience of the English.
Watson should have been dropped last summer to allow Marsh to acclimatise as a Test player. Parachuting MM into the second Test of an Ashes was asking for failure.
After another summer of kidding ourselves, it's the (northern) summer of shitting ourselves.
I have just got momentum after connecting the set top box to free to air, huzzah!
What time's the first ball? 7pm?
Or do I have another hour and ten to drink more beer?
Posted by: The Racist Booer | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 06:48 PM
Friends is destroying the evening already.
Do people still watch this?
Boooo.
Posted by: The Racist Booer | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 06:55 PM
This was very funny.
Posted by: The Racist Booer | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 07:04 PM
Clarke before the toss said it was a no brainer to bowl first. Nek minnit win toss and bat. I approve.
Posted by: m0nty | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 07:48 PM
They don't come much plumber than that.
Posted by: The Racist Booer | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 08:12 PM
Still approve, Mont?
Posted by: Hangover Black | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 09:13 PM
Crap. This caught me on the hop- thought it started tomorrow. There goes tomorrow's German exam! Is the wicket doing a bit? There was talk of it going to be pretty green.
Posted by: Carrot | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 09:14 PM
Clarke time.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 09:22 PM
Booo, Clarke, boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Posted by: Racist Booer | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 09:28 PM
Any chance of someone chucking a spear at Clarke?
Posted by: Racist Booer | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 09:29 PM
Warne is banging on about how Hadding should be in the side on Sky. He saying that if he was given compassionate leave then he should play next time he's available, and that it sends a "bad message" that Cricket Australia aren't willing to afford players time out for family reasons. He really went on about it, too - not sure what his problem is. It's pretty simple for me, if Haddin's in the side we lose the series, simple as that. We may yet, of course, but if we're going to have an inexperienced all-rounder at six, we can't afford a walking wicket at seven. He seems to have completely ignored the fact that Nevill's pretty obviously the better player these days.
Posted by: Carrot | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 09:54 PM
Is Finn chucking?
Posted by: Tony Tea | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 10:23 PM
Warne is carrying on about Haddin AGAIN! Apparently we're at a terrible disadvantage that he's not at the crease instead of Nevill. Not sure which players he's been seeing lately, but they're not the same as me!
Posted by: Carrot | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 11:26 PM
Where's Ashton Agar when you need him??
Posted by: Carrot | Wednesday, July 29, 2015 at 11:54 PM
Good English bowling in home conditions. It is bound to happen. We just have to hope the pitch doesn't flatten out and the weather doesn't dry out.
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 12:11 AM
I thought all these English articles about what a disgrace etc etc the Poms were in nthe second test were over the top.
This is just the way Test cricket is now. Slaughter the opposition one week and you're just as likely to get slaughtered yourself the next.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 02:15 AM
This has Melbourne 2010 written all over it. All England need to do is be very, very boring from here and they'll sew up a series lead.
Posted by: Carrot | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 02:29 AM
Poms look like they're playing on a different pitch and have fairly smashed their way to 1/72.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 02:34 AM
Lol! What a "catch"!!
Smashes it straight into the cringing Voge's guts.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 02:36 AM
The channel nine camera man has been misssing a lot this match. Many live shots have been missed due to showing replays and that one he was scanning the boundary to see where the ball was while it was back near the pitch in Voges' guts.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 02:37 AM
...... or instead of being boring, they could just flay us everywhere.
Posted by: Carrot | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 03:12 AM
Hazlewood just doesn't seem to be getting the hang of the pitch. Every time he tries to pitch it up he strays down leg and gets carved for runs.
Without his normal control we are unable to close down one end and apply any sustained pressure.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 03:18 AM
Lippy! Gets the breakthrough again.
Bell cements his place in the side, with an innings I thought was fortunate for him and fortunate for us.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 03:27 AM
3:33 am with the Poms 3/133 and the covers go on.
Hopefully the tide is about to turn for Oz.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 03:36 AM
Well, hopefully the tide turns tonight because that's all for today.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 03:46 AM
Lippy has bowled well this year. 23 wickets at under 27 is a good return for an Australian off-spinner. He's deserved the odd bit of luck like that freakish Voges catch as well - I can remember chance after chance being put down off his bowling from Matthew Wade when he was behind the stumps.
Posted by: Carrot | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 04:30 AM
Well, that was a schemozzle. I thought we'd done very well to get 1-1 up but something like this was always on the cards, because it always is on the cards.
Dearie me, excellent bowling by Anderson in his favourite conditions but wasn't some of those get-out shots just rank?
I hope the List has been updated...
Posted by: lou | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 04:55 AM
Well, that is not a pleasant score to wake up to. Not expected, but not unexpected either. The magnitude is ugly even with our talent to collapse.
Another 4 day Test on offer.
The Valued Broadcast Partner (VBP) would be shitting itself in an Australian summer. Not so sure it has as much tied up for a night time ratings on a Gem telecast.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 05:05 AM
By the way, notwithstanding the day one score, our batting looks incredibly ropey.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 05:59 AM
Clarke looks ropey. Not swafty, just slow, low and heavy about the soles of the feet.
Posted by: lou | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 06:22 AM
The best test wicket of the series easily, just what we all wanted. Win toss , bat just what we all wanted. Didnt want the rest. Jimmy comes back like a hurricane just as you would expect he would. Fragile is how this batting lineeup looks, but they are the same. Lippy best bowler on tour. Time for Mitch 1 2 and 3 to do some damage tonight. The haphazard, lack of committment batting seems the scourge of the world presently.
Posted by: philsgone | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:39 AM
does Dave Warner now get the auto review opton now papercut is gone?.
Posted by: philsgone | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:23 AM
Apparently so, philsgone. As I said at the time it was plumber than plumb. Wonder what Rogers said to him as Warner looked pretty deflated and half-hearted when he did the T for review.
Posted by: Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:35 AM
I went to bed when they were 9 for something so having the English 3/133 at close is better than we deserved. Not that bowling them out for <300 will help us any.
Posted by: 2BarRiff | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:45 AM
Also, fail to see how having Watson or Haddin in the line-up would have made the score any better.
Posted by: 2BarRiff | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:46 AM
when Anderson is on song he will flatten any opposition.
Bell through away a possible ( only possible ton).
Root is a class player.
Egbaston crowd easily the best in test cricket.
I have commented on Adan Goodes if anyone is interested at my place.
Posted by: nottrampis | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 12:04 PM
When Anderson is on song he is irresistible.
Root is definitely a class player why Bell through away his innings is beyond me.
Edgbaston crowd is the best in the business.
I have commented on the Goodes boos at my place.
Damn wordpress to hell for not allowing me to use Not Trampis. Only Tonee picked up why the name is what it is!!
Posted by: I am and will always | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 12:51 PM
won't even print this name!!
Posted by: I am and will always Not Trampis | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 12:52 PM
Clark vs Finn = Punter vs Jacques in Adelaide. As Graham Bonnet said so eloquently, "its all over now baby blue". Missing the pitched up medium pace delivery is the nail in the coffin
Posted by: philsgone | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 01:36 PM
Why have I not got this on?!
Kids, that's why!!!
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:07 PM
For Studdsy, today.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:09 PM
Would be amazing if Studsy keeps firing and we knock them over for sub-200.
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:19 PM
Boooo, m0nt, booo.
Keep your White Supremacist tendencies to yourself in case you ruin the magic cast here at Edgbaston.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:28 PM
Don't start me, Pat.
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:31 PM
Yes, yes, m0nt, feel the anger course through your veins and soon you, too, will be like me.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:39 PM
The force has left Koo.
Nothing but wide rubbish down legside now.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:54 PM
Rooter!
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:56 PM
That's it. Play with the force, Koo. Feel the anger and hatred well within you.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:57 PM
When dealing with the left there's no place for cuckservatives.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 08:59 PM
You're nothing if not predictable, Pat.
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:02 PM
Time to get revenge for the rape of the Sabines, Maureen.
Posted by: Angry Outcast Racist Booer | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:06 PM
Enough of this wide and full rubbish, Starc. Go in for the kill!!!
Ozzie ozzie ozzie, oy oy oy.
Posted by: Tim Soutphommasane | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:11 PM
Thank Buddha Pup got Starc off. He was bowling like an asian driver confused by a red light and a no right turn.
Posted by: Tim Soutphommasane | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:16 PM
What is it with this blog and Social Race Warriors?
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:18 PM
Stupid lazy review.
Posted by: Tim Soutphommasane | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:20 PM
Gawwwn!
Ozzie ozzie ozzie, oi oi oi.
Posted by: Tim Soutphommasane | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:22 PM
The Buttler didn't do it.
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:28 PM
Kill the POM! Kill Broad guai lo!
Posted by: Tim Soutphommasane | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:30 PM
Warnie absolutely rips into the random inaccuracy of Hawkeye. Well done, couldn't agree more.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:30 PM
Steady on there, Tim.
Aren't you supposed to be the race commissioner, whatever that is?
Please, if you can't at least make a right turn at a T intersection without causing an accident at least refrain from your race based obscenities.
Posted by: The Goodes' Son | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:33 PM
"Warnie absolutely rips into the random inaccuracy of Hawkeye. Well done, couldn't agree more."
Yes. Caught that too. Well said Warney. Hawkeye is a fucking joke.
Posted by: The Goodes' Son | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:34 PM
So the pattern for Lyon seems to be...
Come on for an over,
Take a wicket and then
Come off.
This has happened THREE times this innings. But now he's been given a second over. Very generous of you, Pup.
I remember Rodney Hogg taking himself off in an Ashes test with similar figures. But Hogg was a fast bowler. And Yallop wanted him to stay on.
Posted by: The Mongrel | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:36 PM
That was at the WACA in 78/79. Let England off the hook.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:42 PM
Lippy might have taken a while to develop into a fully fledged Test spinner, but he looks set for a long career, and if he'd had a bit more luck he could already be up around 200 wickets.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:47 PM
You know what the best outcome for the day would be?
Cecil the Lion and the five unknown elephants were resuscitated after three days in the grave and a dog line be dragged through Sydney west of my doorstep so that I can make a huge capital gain from Asian investors fleeing the collapse of the Beijing stock market, and all without any state tax because I waylaid the lot with carbon offsets in a windmill farm paid for by bogans in Ballarat.
Posted by: Peter FitzSimons | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:54 PM
Again, Moeen is taking this game away from us.
Posted by: m0nty | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 09:58 PM
Dirty bearded bastard.
Hasn't even paid his union dues for the working visa.
Posted by: Tanya Plibersek | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 10:01 PM
Cecil the Lyon.
Posted by: Big Ramifications | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 10:04 PM
Phew, that session was pretty wild in parts.
Poms lead by 85. Gotta get the last 3 for less than 50 and then settle in for a day and a half.
Great Test.
(Is this what "The Don" was talking about when it came to entertainment?)
Personally, I feel the whole thing has been down and dirty so far. And have enjoyed the lot of it.
Posted by: William Joseph "Bill" O'Reilly | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 10:19 PM
I have to put myself in the shoes of the English, cheering on a moustache-less bearded muhammadan who represents the very antithesis of me, representing me.
It's a pitiful situation. It's a sight to be seen.
Posted by: The State of England | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:00 PM
You've got to admire this. 1,400 English girls raped yet sport forgives all.
It's like watching in real time what ancient historians would be at their wit's end perplexed beyond comprehension to understand: how exactly did this people succumb to their demise?
Thank. Fuck. Fuck off Broad, you cuck.
Posted by: The State of England | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:14 PM
Get fucked, Maureen.
59 more than you deserve..."Pom".
Posted by: The State of England | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:21 PM
Whoah. 145 run lead. This is gunna be a 3 day victory to England by 8 wickets.
Posted by: The State of Oz | Thursday, July 30, 2015 at 11:26 PM
Anderson looking really good, here. We've done well to keep him out so far, but when he bowls like this it's usually only a matter of time.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 12:24 AM
Smith WTF?????
Posted by: 2BarRiff | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 12:30 AM
Shit shot, Smith. What were you thinking.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 12:34 AM
Warner has gone to 56 off 37 deliveries and looked like he was barely breaking a sweat. Times gone by, those would have been an absolutely thrilling ODI statistics, but somehow he's made it look pretty routine. I guess England are in front and are setting attacking fields, so there's good value for your shots if you hit gaps and you're not really comparing apples with apples, but still.
Whilst I've enjoyed it, I can't help but think that it isn't really going to help much. Every single time he goes to plant one through the covers I worry about him edging to slip instead, and really, would we be suprised if he did? We need an innings of substance here, not an attacking cameo. I get the feeling that's all it will be.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 12:54 AM
FUCK!
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 01:13 AM
This is the problem with the attacking all-rounder at six thing. Is Mitchell Marsh really the guy we want coming in when it's 77/4 and we're still behind?
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 01:18 AM
You know what I'm looking forward to? Warner batting with the tail and going into Twenty20 mode to get quick runs to try and get some sort of a lead. A few head-in-the-air, down-the-pitch baseball shots will be fun to watch, and is about most we can hope to take from this match as Australian supporters. That is how poorly we've batted in this game.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 01:48 AM
We're going to lose by an innings within two days, here. Unbelievable.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 02:14 AM
Voges is gone, he's not good enough at this level. Mind you S Marsh isn't test cricketer either with his batting average. M Marsh or Watson are as bad as each other. Its a bit like being Poland with Hitler and Stalin on either side in 1939 when it was invaded. Keep Nevill over Hadden, would just throw wickets away now and get to the pub later without having too worry about bowling.
Posted by: Waz | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 02:19 AM
Glimmer of sunshine - Anderson might have done an intercostal. We could do without him in the next match!
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 02:47 AM
OK, we've avoided the innings defeat. Phew. Let's see if we can take it into a third day!
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 03:16 AM
Right. Technically we have avoided being beaten inside two days. That said, in terms of actual overs bowled in the match we should still be somewhere in the evening session on day two. We still need to have another 22 overs before we play what would normally be two full days. We have also just managed to scrape past a full day's batting - we've now faced 91.4 overs for the loss of 17 wickets. Yay and woop.
Because I'm an eternal optimist, I'm still hoping that we can scrape a 60 or 70-run lead and take some of them down. A six wicket loss would be slightly less disgraceful than what we deserve. I suppose it's possible - all of Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon are capable of hanging around a bit, I suppose. It's unlikely though, and it makes very little difference anyway - we lost this match on day one.
I really thought we were going to get done for an innings at one point. Our middle order just had no answer to Finn. Thank Christ Johnson and Nevill dug in for awhile, I don't think we would have ever lived a result like that down.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 04:12 AM
Time to recall Shane Watson
Posted by: Professor Rosseforp | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 04:45 AM
Well, Smith's shot was worthy of the 'wtf' brigade at first innings Lords in 2009. Everybody went down cross bashing it, not just 3 or 4 of them.
Really, I can't get that horrible swipe of Smith's out of my head. It was that representative of all that is wrong with Aussies when faced with pitch movement and overhead conditions.
And like Obi Wan Kenobi, he's our only hope.
We don't want Mitch Marsh coming in at 77/4 but then we never wanted Watson coming in at that point either. I'm sure Watson will crawl his way back into the team again at some point. That particular fat lady hasn't sung yet, we all know it.
I was watching at work but every now and again had to turn it off as it was so awful. Much like the Aussies when faced with 'english conditions', I had no stomach for it.
Posted by: lou | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 06:06 AM
I had no stomach for it even before it had started. So I went to bed. It's not as if what happened has never happened before and won't happen again and was certain to happen last night.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 09:14 AM
The news cycle is slaughtering the cricket writers. The AGB is only place for consistent opinion and analysis and for, ahem, pundits who don't fall prey to the whims and caprice of daily play.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 09:34 AM
In terms of batting, both teams are rating at least than 5/10. England managed a couple of +50 partnerships this game which is the difference in the first innings scores.
As far as bowling goes, OZ are throwing too much rubbish and getting roundly shown up by the discipline and patience of the English.
This series will not end well.
Posted by: 2BarRiff | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 10:51 AM
Watson should have been dropped last summer to allow Marsh to acclimatise as a Test player. Parachuting MM into the second Test of an Ashes was asking for failure.
After another summer of kidding ourselves, it's the (northern) summer of shitting ourselves.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 11:49 AM
Interesting to see how we go against the Back Claps.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 12:00 PM
Tonee they have their head in the ground!!
I just love consistency in sport.
The Aussies are odds on to win in two days in the 4th test
Posted by: I am and will always Not Trampis | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 01:26 PM
Tonee,
They have their head in the ground!
Are we FINNished?
I just love the consistency!
I bet the Ozzies win in two days next test!
Posted by: I am and will always Not Trampis | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 01:28 PM
I'll bet they don't.
Posted by: lou | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 04:08 PM
200 up. This is going better than I'd hoped.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 08:24 PM
And the 50 partnership. Our first of the match. Another indication of how badly we've batted in this match.
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 08:26 PM
Dig in, Josh....
Posted by: Carrot | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 08:50 PM
With Anderson out and Lyon the best spinner, England will be in a quandary about how to doctor the next pitch.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 09:02 PM
Australia setting up one of its all-time great wins.
Posted by: Tony Tea | Friday, July 31, 2015 at 09:02 PM