England are 129 for 1 at lunch and looking good. We need to turn the scrws on the Aussies in this next session, come on Vaughan and Tresco!! :banana:

blummin rain!!!

The damned stuff is forecast on and off all day :mad:

http://www.met-office.gov.uk/weather/europe/uk/midlands.html

What a day :D

Eng 477 all out

Aus 99-5 COP on the 2nd day..

Yes its a bit amazing score.

Flintoff again, and Jones,

Just let hope the rain stays away

Well we want 128 runs to win.

We can only throw it away, but Australia did in 1981 when they wanted 131 runs.

I dare not watch

Halfway there but we can still bugger it up

well we nearly buggered it up, won by 3 wickets, gosh this series has been a struggle on the old pacemaker.

Its gripping stuff.

Where's the valium.
I'm hoping london has the worse weather on record during the next test. 4 solid days of wind, rain, snow, sleet, tornados, thunderstorms and everything else would suit me fine.

They don't like it up 'em these fuzzy wuzzies.... :clap:

Oh no, what's happened to my fingernails?

Man, these games get more and more tense!!

I dread to think what the tension at the Oval will be like.

Part of me thinks that we let the Aussies off the hook at Old Trafford, and they are hence almost bound to come back strongly and salvage the Ashes, but logically we are a better all round team and should hold it together.

Whatever happens at least we have avoided defeat for the first time in 18 years and that is an achievement in itself.

What I want to know is, if my team [ England of course! ] continually beats the best team in the world. Who's the best team in the world? ? ?

Even sir Geffory Boyks of Yorkshireshire had a tear in his eye tonight, just like me. What a great time we are living in:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :thumbsup: :clap: :D

I really couldn't watch this game

Hidden behind the sofa once 'Freddy' Flintoff was out!

Originally posted by muddycoffee
What I want to know is, if my team [ England of course! ] continually beats the best team in the world. Who's the best team in the world? ? ?

I'm not sure that winning one series in 18 years (if we do) could quite be considered "continually" beating them!

We need to learn to close out matches better, we have totally dominated the last 3 matches and just sneaked a win in two of them and only drawn the other one.

having said that I think England are currently the best team in Test Cricket in the world, and I never really imagined I'd be saying that!

Originally posted by Yodameister
We need to learn to close out matches better, we have totally dominated the last 3 matches and just sneaked a win in two of them and only drawn the other one.
Fantastic, we have a forummer who is a member of the England cricket team. I assume you are Mr Vaughan, well done sir.




having said that I think England are currently the best team in Test Cricket in the world, and I never really imagined I'd be saying that!

I only follow cricket no other sport, and I knew that one day they would sort out their gremlins, Test cricket seems to be about strength of character as much as talent, and people like Gough, Flintoff Warne are able to lift the team sometimes to a higher level.
How I have held my head in my hands when Atherton stood on his wicket, or England's bowlers were clattered to all four corners. Now it seems that England have been able to make the old enemy do this too. Maybe their time is finally coming.

I cringe at the time when England just collapsed in batting after the top few were out, now Flintoff is in the team he has given us a new "Botham" and not only can he bowl but he can bat as well.

With Harmison, Jones, Flintoff, Giles and that blond fella we actually have a good bowling lineup.

Win or lose the last test next week England have done us all proud in a brilliant display of cricket.

Is it just me or is Boycott the most annoying commentator in cricket.

Originally posted by muddycoffee
Fantastic, we have a forummer who is a member of the England cricket team. I assume you are Mr Vaughan, well done sir.


hehe!

Originally posted by muddycoffee
What I want to know is, if my team [ England of course! ] continually beats the best team in the world. Who's the best team in the world? ? ?


Can I assume that you run the ECB then?

Originally posted by peter41
Is it just me or is Boycott the most annoying commentator in cricket.

Boycott used to be a right old misery guts, but since his recovery from serious illness and the improvement of England I really enjoy his comments.

Do you ever listen to TMS on the radio, that is the greatest cricket commentry there is, Especially with Henry Blofeld, who manages to include the comings and goings of pigeons, butterflies and the movements of all the busses etc.

Sometimes they have Fred Truman on but there were loads of complaints when he was on because the bloke was always pi$$ed. It seems he makes a fortune doing speeches at dinners, and always has an "extremely good lunch" - so to speak!

I guess Boycott's commentary style might not suit everyone but I personally love listening to him. His knowledge of the game is second to none and he isn't afraid to tell it like it is.

If a player can't protect his wicket, or bowls short of a length; if a fielding position is wrong or whatever, he says so. IMO he is rarely wrong, pointing out that a fielding position needs changing only for the team captain to do so a moment later.

Best of all though is Richie Benaud. He is due to retire soon and is totally irreplaceable. His calm, assured commentary and the fact that he knows when to shut up, along with a subtle humour - and from an Aussie at that - make him a hard act to follow.

The fact that his last Ashes commentary will coincide with the Ashes coming home is quite apt.

Boycotts voice irritates me, he makes my skin crawl..

:gag:

I like all the C4 commentators apart from that Mark Nicholas, and maybe Atherton (though I've never forgiven him for his treatment of Hick, which might be prejudicing me).

Boycott and Richie Benaud are usually spot on. Tony Greig has an uncanny knack of predicting the result (e.g. on about day 2 at Edgbaston he was saying it might be tied, if I remember rightly - wasn't far off! And early on the Sunday at Trent Bridge he was saying it'd be all over before stumps with an England win - wish I could have been so confident!), and he has an amusing turn of phrase sometimes. I like Slats for the passion he has for the game, and Simon Hughes' contributions are usually interesting.

One good thing about Benaud is that he doesn't prattle on unnecessarily - though he is a sight less reticent than he used to be on the BBC, when he could go for overs on end without saying anything at all!

Tragic that we won't be able to watch any test cricket on TV ever again as of a week on Monday (apart from highlights or lining Murdoch's pockets).

On TMS I particularly like CMJ and Aggers, and still miss John Arlott - interesting that maybe the best commentators didn't play much, if any, first class cricket. Though I'm not a big Blofers fan, which shows that every rule has an exception.

Well guys its here... well tomorrow...... the final test.

Can we do it ?, will the aussies win when they dont deserve to ?

Lets hope it rains / snows/ earthquakes / tornados happen at the ground.

Shame the bowler Jones isnt playing, and lets hope they change the wicket keeper as well.

I shall be watching all 5 days if it goes that far. Are we in for yet another nerve jangling finale ?

we dont want weather to stop the test,we wanna win it and stuff em fair and square with the same team if possible