Things are looking very good at lunch, England are 132 for 1. However, the best news is that Mr McGrath fell over an hour before play and tore his ankle ligaments :hihi: i know i should'nt laugh but what a muppet!

I think we may end up with a draw looking at the pitch, we need some swift scoring in the afternoon session to stand a chance, about 375 for 5 at the end of today would do me.

What do you all think?

Who are England playing?

Originally posted by Guderian
Who are England playing?

Err....is that a serious request? Well, on the off chance - England are playing Australia for the Ashes.

I take it you are on about cricket?

Originally posted by Guderian
I take it you are on about cricket?

Indeed i am. Not sure of many other sports i would be hoping for 375 for 5 at the end of the first day! :hihi:

Oh, I remember. Thats the sport where our players/press think we are good because we beat Bangladesh, and everything is rosy, then we play quality and the press call for blood after abject humiliation, including the captain trying to sweep Warne?

How could I forget?

Originally posted by Guderian
Oh, I remember. Thats the sport where our players/press think we are good because we beat Bangladesh, and everything is rosy, then we play quality and the press call for blood after abject humiliation, including the captain trying to sweep Warne?

How could I forget?

True - watch this space though. Things are looking good for England at the moment.

3 down! The collapse begins! All so predictable........

Originally posted by goose
True - watch this space though. Things are looking good for England at the moment.

Oops 170 for 3 - here comes the collapse...........

A possible collapse on the cards!

191-4

Lets hope Freddie and Pieterson can get a good partnership going!

Originally posted by ianbrownfan
A possible collapse on the cards!

191-4

Lets hope Freddie and Pieterson can get a good partnership going!

Its make or break time now. I fear that we need steady progress at the moment rather than all-out hitting, prepare for fireworks.

Can someone remind me the point of Ian Bell as a number four batsman - clearly hes not a batsmen.

He's not really been consistent has he. I don't think he should be there. Not sure if Vaughn should have played really, he must still be in pain after yesterday.

Might know Kasprowiz would come in and get some wickets since McGrath is out. Just our luck!!!!!!!

Originally posted by ianbrownfan
He's not really been consistent has he. I don't think he should be there. Not sure if Vaughn should have played really, he must still be in pain after yesterday.

Might know Kasprowiz would come in and get some wickets since McGrath is out. Just our luck!!!!!!!

The trouble is that he is consistantly bad! Im sure that Mr Thorpe would have faired much better.

Kasprowiz's economy is rubbish though, we have been throwing away our wickets! We should have reached 200 for the loss of one, maybe two at the most.

Lets just hope these two stay in for the rest of today, if they do we could be looking at a big score........

Yeah lets hope so! I was gutted when Thorpe was left out. He's a class batsman. Bags of experience and you know he'll stay there and annoy the hell out of the bowlers.

Lets have some 6's from Freddie!!

Originally posted by ianbrownfan
Lets have some 6's from Freddie!!

He delivers on queue! Although Freddie looks to be in trouble against Warne, apart from that last six.

Originally posted by goose
He delivers on queue! Although Freddie looks to be in trouble against Warne, apart from that last six.

He causes everyone problems. Still a class bowler. Do they look comfortable or just goin for the slog?

Originally posted by ianbrownfan
He causes everyone problems. Still a class bowler. Do they look comfortable or just goin for the slog?

They look quite good at the moment - i think they both believe in the 'attack is the best form of defence' line. At this rate we will be at 400 at tea!

Ive got a feeling its going to end in tears though.

Originally posted by goose
They look quite good at the moment - i think they both believe in the 'attack is the best form of defence' line. At this rate we will be at 400 at tea!

Ive got a feeling its going to end in tears though.

Yeah hope not!! We need to beat those damn convicts!!!

At tea England 289-4 v Australia after tea all out for 295
:mad:

Originally posted by Jon
At tea England 289-4 v Australia after tea all out for 295
:mad:

nah....ive a good feelin about these two! I think they're annoying the hell out of the bowlers....especially Brett Lee. Hate that bloke, needs Harmison to bowl a beamer at him!

Originally posted by Jon
At tea England 289-4 v Australia after tea all out for 295
:mad:

Can't believe it! Straight after tea Flintoff gets out!!!

England 316-6 v Australia so for
:)

407 all out is a pretty good start, but let's see how the Aussies bat today before we get carried away.

I know yesterday wasn't a good day for the cricket purists but it was certainly good for the soul, let's hope today is as entertaining.

YES!!!!!!!

0-1!!! Hayden gone for a duck!

What's everyone thinking? Aussies reaching about 450???

Originally posted by ianbrownfan
What's everyone thinking? Aussies reaching about 450???

At least - they are playing the sort of cricket that we should have done yesterday.

Originally posted by goose
At least - they are playing the sort of cricket that we should have done yesterday.

Yeah...Clarke's gone though. A possible window!

Originally posted by ianbrownfan
Yeah...Clarke's gone though. A possible window!

Langar is the key.

YES - another wicket. We cant let Gilchrist stay in for long. He is on a par with Freddie and KP.

Signs from the previous test is good though, i think our bowlers have him worked out.

308 all out.. Hope we don't lose a wicket coming in to bat at this time :?

Oh..........

(But what a ball from Warney!)

Originally posted by Guderian
Oh..........

(But what a ball from Warney!)

Yep, just when we were thinking of a nice cosy end to the day up pops good old Shane...what a class act he is.

RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN god damn you.......

This is a brilliant game 139-7 and Flintoff is fantastic.

Originally posted by robbie
RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN RAIN god damn you.......

Take That Back,Robbie.

COME ON ENGLAND.:clap: :clap: :clap:

C'Mon Umpires-Give Us Another 30 Minutes.


Yes! C'mon England Finish 'Em Off!:clap: :clap: :clap:

Well,What Can Ya Say?
They Don't Come Closer Than That.Fantastic Entertainment All Round.Tough Luck,Aussies.Well Done England!


:clap: :banana: :clap: :banana: :clap: :banana: :clap: :banana:

:clap: :clap: :clap: ENGLAND HAVE WON :clap: :clap: :clap:

Wow, that was exciting stuff, won by 2 runs,

Edge of the seat stuff, one stage thought we had blown it, then a dropped catch, next ball a 4 and a no ball.

Thought it was all over then.

But wot a catch by the wicket keeper (quite nice as well)

Crikey, after that I need a drink tonight. :thumbsup:

It would have been embarrasing if England had lost this test!

For many years now I have had to suffer a torrent of p**staking every time that Australia wipe the floor with an English cricket, rugby (union or league), and recently football team. In fact any sport that Australia get the better of the Poms- the reason for this sad state of affairs is that two of my father’s brothers emigrated to Oz soon after the end of WW2. They both married over there and I’m afraid to say that I have a total of 8 Australian mickey-taking cousins and a legion of other 2nd cousins and the like.

The upside of this however is that as much as they love lording it when they beat us, Aussies are probably the sorest losers in the human race. This means that for the past two hours my taunts over the telephone have been met with some of the foulest language imaginable, cries of ‘You Pommie t**t’ following which the receiver is slammed down.

Their passion for sport, correction Australian sport, is unparalleled. I remember being there at the time of the Sydney Olympics, watching the men’s 5000 metre final on TV and witnessing the splendid performance of the Australian participant as he finished 23rd or something like that. The winner of the actual race was a total afterthought as far as Aussie TV was concerned and this was the case throughout the games.

Well done England, the nation is proud of you and this particular citizen is very grateful to have been given the opportunity to get my own back slightly. Now can we please win the Ashes, that would be heaven!

PS for those of you interested I’ve attached a picture of one of my Antipodean cousins and his wife
Click Here (http://home.tiscali.be/cartoo/RealB/husband%20of%20year.jpg):thumbsup:

I was so sure the Aussies were going to win. Thank God for that.....:clap:

What a test match, must be one of the best in history.

Only four days until Old Trafford.

Originally posted by alisha18
It would have been embarrasing if England had lost this test!

Why ? The Aussies last 3 Batsmen stuck it out in there and I for one would love to see England lower order be as passionate as Warne, Lee and Kaspythingy were!

Great nail biting finish though :clap: :clap: :clap:

yeh i was pleased... had a bet just before finish.... so odds will a little more giving :clap:

Originally posted by steelcitybab
yeh i was pleased... had a bet just before finish....

3 runs later my housemate would have lost £20 :hihi:

He won £110 in the end :rant:

Originally posted by goose
What a test match, must be one of the best in history.

Only four days until Old Trafford.

I can't believe how good that actually was! Ful lcredit to the tail enders mind!

Bring on Old Trafford!

We came uncomfortably close to blowing it, which would have been typical - though there was that dodgy lbw decision which maybe should have ended it quicker. Hauling Simon Jones up and fining him on the Saturday night can't have exactly worked wonders for morale - couldn't that have waited until after the match?

But a fantastic result/match all the same! And shows how much weaker the Aussies will be when McGrath and Warne are both retired.

Brett Lee is in hospital with a dodgy knee.

About time Vaughan did some serious net practice - especially in the vicinity of the off stump.

We need our class batsman to give us a some big scores and anchor the innings - otherwise we could still be in for a 3 - 1 defeat (assuming one test must get rain affected, this being England in the summer).

But that must be the most thrilling test since about 1981...cricket is still well capable of holding its own in the sporting drama stakes.

Originally posted by Longcol
About time Vaughan did some serious net practice - especially in the vicinity of the off stump.

We need our class batsman to give us a some big scores and anchor the innings - otherwise we could still be in for a 3 - 1 defeat (assuming one test must get rain affected, this being England in the summer).

But that must be the most thrilling test since about 1981...cricket is still well capable of holding its own in the sporting drama stakes.

Yes - not sure why Vaughan is bringing his bat down from outside off stump, rather than straight. Maybe it's deliberate - if so, it's not working.

And yes there needs to be some graft from the specialist batsmen. All very well smacking them round the park like it's a 20/20 match, but more often than not that'll lead to an early dismissal and not many runs. Trescothick and Strauss showed how it should be done in the 2nd innings at Lord's.

And yes! That's about as exciting as sport can get. Pity that it's going to be consigned to the subscription channel ghetto after this series - just when interest in the game was reviving.

Surprise surprise....both Lee & McGrath are fit to play in the 3rd Test at Old Trafford - didn't see that one coming, did we...!!??

Highlight Of The Series So Far:
Vaughn Being Dropped Behind & Then Being Bowled Off A No-Ball On Two Consecutive Balls.Had Me In Stitches,Especially When He Went On To Get 166.:D

Fingers crossed we will make 400+ Just need Flintoff to make a few runs and Jones to take it steady

Any bets on this being Gillespie's last Test?

[Edit] **** spoke too soon!

May have just prolonged his stay in England by removing Jones...then again!!

I play against better bowlers than Gillespie week in, week out! He is poor, good to see Freddy battering him all over the place again!

Gerriant Jones has to be one of the worst players to ever play for England.

Get rid of him and let Trescothick keep wicket and bring Collingwood in.

Originally posted by robbie
Gerriant Jones has to be one of the worst players to ever play for England.

Yes he's dreadful, so dreadful he just smashed 16 of 3 balls from Glenn McGrath..

He's not the best batsman but is an excellent wicket keeper..

Jones loved his short time today, McGrath should have stayed ill and at home.

What about Warne taking no wickets in Englands innings.

Originally posted by D2J
Yes he's dreadful, so dreadful he just smashed 16 of 3 balls from Glenn McGrath..

He's not the best batsman but is an excellent wicket keeper..

he's the worst test wicket keeper I'm ever seen.

Think I'll pop along to the LCCC in the morning. £10 in isn't too bad a deal at all. Even though I think a draw is on the cards (I'd love to be wrong!)

Phone in sick and just hope my face dosen't appear on the tv.....

Anyone else going?

Come On England.Do The Business Today And Really Put The Pressure On The Aussies For The Rest Of The Series!:thumbsup:

Anyone think we'll do it??? Draw seems likely.

Typical.

We are in with a good chance, as long as we stop letting Giles bowl. He really is rubbish - if we had a half decent spinner we would have breezed this test.

Originally posted by goose
We are in with a good chance, as long as we stop letting Giles bowl. He really is rubbish - if we had a half decent spinner we would have breezed this test.

He hardly turns it! Still...he's got a few wickets for us!

265 - 7 at the moment 77 overs left.

Ricky Ponting-I Salute You.Fantastic Display.:thumbsup:

Lovely To See The Aussies Celebrating.........A Draw?:confused:

Originally posted by Freebird
Lovely To See The Aussies Celebrating.........A Draw?:confused:

Not just a draw.. 2 things to celebrate

1. They survived against a team that has dominated them for 3 days..

2. Warney has yet to beaten in Test Cricket at Old Trafford (But wasn't his wicket a peach of a catch :clap: )

:D

England didn't lose the match yesterday; it was effectively lost by the weather on Saturday. I am in absolutely no doubt that had we got a full day's cricket in on Saturday we'd be 2-1 up in the series.

I do however worry somewhat about our problems in bowling out so-called tail-enders. Having said that, the Aussies aren't the best in the world for nothing. Warne has shown what a tremendous player he is with two great innings. Likewise, Brett Lee is pretty good with the bat.

But let's take nothing away from this England side. We're just about competing with the Aussies in every department. The crowds are flocking to the game and it's impossible not to watch the match on tele.

My only hope is that we don't reflect on Kevin Peiterson's dropped catch as being the turning point in deciding who wins or retains the Ashes.

NB: The only change I'd make before Trent Bridge would be to remove Geraint Jones and insert the more dependable Chris Read.

Gutted.........

Well it was very close, which is fair enough as the teams are very closely matched, which is something in itself. As Ousetunes says, we outplayed them for most of the match and probably would have won without the intervention of the weather - which seems to be the only way Tests can be extended into a meaningful fifth day these days.

England didn't do too much wrong apart from 1 fairly difficult dropped catch and, arguably, some insufficiently attacking field settings. Jones and Flintoff both bowled very well. Just shows how tenacious the Australians are. I've lost count of the number of times England have been required to bat out the last day to save a match, but I'm struggling to remember the last time they actually managed it.

Come on England! Any thoughts for the test? Good thing we won the toss and batted. There must bea god if McGrath is injured again!

:clap: