It's The Ashes

[MikeH]

I think maybe they are a bit better with the bat. Flintoff was certainly giving Lee a battering. It's a fair point though. England had a 100 last wicket partnership in their second innings too, if you'd knocked them over quickly it would have been a very different game.

[lightblue]

Think the bowlers are better with the bat now. They were saying how Warne had 2 county centuries this year, and Kasper had 12 first class 50's. Lee has a batting average of 20+ as well i think, so i think they're no mugs.

[duke o' york]

To use a footie chant totally out of context: "Can we play you every week?"

A wonderful spectacle and hopefully setting things up for Old Trafford.
Does anyone think that these two teams could ever draw a match? I don't. My brother has tickets for next Sunday - I'll be jealous if it lasts that long. Bloody disgrace not bringing the Ashes to Headingley.

[MikeH]

Even if we lose this series it's the first time for absolutely ages I can remember it being competitive. Which is really good for cricket. I'm sure the Aussies would rather win a close exciting series in which they triumphed over a good side rather than walking all over a bad side and winning easily.

[lightblue]

Well a draw was definitely possible yesterday Different kind of draw though.

[MikeH]

Technically that would have been a tie, which is different to a draw.

[*End Is Forever*]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse


It was a great test and the crowd shots were priceless - people with heads in hands, biting their nails, grimacing, groaning but as a former bowler it really makes me cringe to see tailenders get so many - both bowling attacks were guilty of lacklustre tactics. Its offensive and embarrassing to see bowlers last that long.

The art of blasting out the tail seems to have been lost. The bowlers of yester year would get rather cross of the tail wagged. They'd work over the tail - one at the head, one at the toes, one in the ribs, one on the hand, one on off stump going away and one spearing in at the stumps. The tailenders would soon start thinking of the dressing sheds and a hot shower. Maybe they are better batsmen today.

I think - as Mike said above - that the batting has got better. I don't think you could argue that Lee (in particular) didn't get a good working-over. England's last-wicket partnership was clean hitting and good manoevering the strike by Freddie, with a dose of poor captaincy from Ponting. Whoever would have thought that an Australian captain could set a field of nine men on the boundary...?

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

The pitch was bizarre. On Saturday it was turning like the light-bike race from "Tron". The next day there wasn't the slightest hint of turn. That's just not right.

[lightblue]

Lee supposedly out for the next Test (as well as McGrath). Not many seamers left then is there?

[Alexander's Horse]

Originally posted by Lazarus and the Gimp
The pitch was bizarre. On Saturday it was turning like the light-bike race from "Tron". The next day there wasn't the slightest hint of turn. That's just not right.

Although we are comparing apples and oranges if the contrast is between the turn our Shane extracted and your bloke. Shane is a leggie and they always get more and Shane is a freak anyway who could get turn from a polished floor. Your bloke got a lot of turn and bounce in the last session but couldn't capitalise on it.

Those 2 balls Warnie bowled to dismiss Bell in the first dig and Strauss in the second were extraordinary. The second is being called the millenium ball. The nation forgave him for marital infidelity after that ball.

[lightblue]

Guessing he means swing off the seamers? Not sure though. Giles doesn't do "magic" balls really i think

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse
Trescothick played a terrible shot to get caught.

He keeps on getting out like that. Standing there, no footwork, and waving the bat outside off stump like a number eleven.

[Cort Haus]

Originally posted by Alexander's Horse

Those 2 balls Warnie bowled to dismiss Bell in the first dig and Strauss in the second were extraordinary. The second is being called the millenium ball.

The Straussbuster delivery turned about 9 feet . Gilo's lucky to turn it 9 inches, bless 'im. Warne'll be lethal at Old Trafford.

[Alexander's Horse]

just for fun it looks like we'll bring in another leg spinner to pair up with Warne

[TheStinger]

The big difference is that England have players that would get in the Aussie side, before we had good players who wouldn't have disgrced themselves in an Aussie 11 but wern't on the whole good enough to replace anyone. I would think the Aussies would take Freddie, Harmy and Pieterson straightaway.