The Ashes 2009
- Thread starter Botany Bay
- Start date
Me and the rest of Australia can only hope 
Poor old Athers - he'd be wondering why he never got to face an Aussie attack like this one 
I might go to bed based on your latest forecast...though every time I give up on this wretched series I miss the one session of drama that redeems the whole test.
One more hour - come on Birmingham, show us some blue sky.
I might go to bed based on your latest forecast...though every time I give up on this wretched series I miss the one session of drama that redeems the whole test.
One more hour - come on Birmingham, show us some blue sky.
^I did. For complex reasons I'm currently off work, so I decided on a early lunch and a nap. Woke to the sounds of thrilling cricket from Edgbaston. Sadly, it was only the '05 replay.
TMS has incurred the Wrath of Wiki as bored listeners changed history. And twitter threatened meltdown. with Anderson and Swann having a 'twit off'. (
) The english get antsy if they miss their cricket. Which is most summers.
TMS has incurred the Wrath of Wiki as bored listeners changed history. And twitter threatened meltdown. with Anderson and Swann having a 'twit off'. (
) The english get antsy if they miss their cricket. Which is most summers.
Kasprowicz on Edgbaston '05 : "I single-handedly revived interest in Test cricket."
I have a horrible feeling we're gonna be seeing a lot more of that excruciating last hour played over and over in the next week.
As interesting as the twit-off sounds, I might call it a night.
I'm sure I'll miss a hat-trick or something incredible.
Hope you get some play Revd
I have a horrible feeling we're gonna be seeing a lot more of that excruciating last hour played over and over in the next week.
As interesting as the twit-off sounds, I might call it a night.
I'm sure I'll miss a hat-trick or something incredible.
Hope you get some play Revd
Play finaly starts.
Bad news for the Aussies. Right after the toss, after the team sheets have been swopped, Brad Hadin breaks a finger. You really need to take better care of your players in warm up. England have generously allowed a change, in the spirit of the game. Not that we mind you having a sub keeper.
Bad news for the Aussies. Right after the toss, after the team sheets have been swopped, Brad Hadin breaks a finger. You really need to take better care of your players in warm up. England have generously allowed a change, in the spirit of the game. Not that we mind you having a sub keeper.
Imagine the historical irony if the sub runs-out Strauss, though.
Imagine the historical irony if the sub runs-out Strauss, though.
Hopefully before that he scores a century.
Woken up by the 2 y.o. boy...just in time for some cricket.
This tour is really unravelling - Haddin breaks a finger just before the toss? Poor guy must be devastated.
Man, we've been handing out some baggy greens in the last 12 months.
My faith in Australian cricket dips a little more seeing Watson out there as opener...truly bizarre
This tour is really unravelling - Haddin breaks a finger just before the toss? Poor guy must be devastated.
Man, we've been handing out some baggy greens in the last 12 months.
My faith in Australian cricket dips a little more seeing Watson out there as opener...truly bizarre
England are looking decidedly ordinary this evening. Lacking the bite and aggression of Lord's. Don't think they fancy the pitch much. Watson so far has justified his selection.
The commentators are completely confused and keep refering to the session as 'this morning'.
[edit]Swann has finally made a breakthrough. That's better. [/edit]
The commentators are completely confused and keep refering to the session as 'this morning'.
[edit]Swann has finally made a breakthrough. That's better. [/edit]
Watson's on 62?? The wicket must be as dead as the dodo. If he can make runs on it there isn't much chance of a result, even without the weather.
Crappy news for Haddin (let's not play any more Tests in Birmingham
), but from all accounts Manou is a better 'keeper so hopefully he'll come to terms with English conditions quicker than Haddin has managed thus far. Big hit to the batting lineup, though.
Still can't really come to grips with Hughes' axing. Gutless stuff on the part of the selectors. Johnson will need to do some remarkable things to make it up to Hughes.
The wicket must be as dead as the dodo. If he can make runs on it there isn't much chance of a result, even without the weather.Crappy news for Haddin (let's not play any more Tests in Birmingham
), but from all accounts Manou is a better 'keeper so hopefully he'll come to terms with English conditions quicker than Haddin has managed thus far. Big hit to the batting lineup, though.Still can't really come to grips with Hughes' axing. Gutless stuff on the part of the selectors. Johnson will need to do some remarkable things to make it up to Hughes.
Absolutely silly decision to axe Hughes ... but he can bounce back and will bounce back. Johnson must perform, or at least not get smashed around.
Hopefully with day 2 the Australians can built a big lead.
Hopefully with day 2 the Australians can built a big lead.
Watson's on 62??
That wicket looks like the biggest featherbed of all time, bad bowling will get murdered out there - might have been an ideal wicket for Hughes to make some easy runs. Pity we have a team heirarchy incapable of seeing the all too obvious.
I am so irrationally mad at Hughes' axing. I mean I have never interviewed him, let alone know him personally, but I feel he is the victim of the worst selection decision probably since the days of Border. For god's sake who in the world can play Flintoff at his best? Anyone's gonna look outclassed facing that quality of bowling. This is a guy who scored over 400 runs in three tests against the Sth African attack, and was being touted as a left handed Bradman two weeks ago. He's been dudded.
I can only assume a clique dominates that team. Some are given every chance despite endless mediocrity/bad form/outright failure (Hussey, M. Clarke, Johnson, Watson), some get shafted without a second thought (Kreja, Hughes, McGain, MacGill, Casson).
I find it hard enough to get behind this current incarnation of the Aussie team - this sort of stuff makes it even harder.
Anyway, sorry, but I'm glad I got that out of my system
To today's play, and credit where it's due to Watson, his pulls and drives against some bad bowling were very easy on the eye last night.
England's attack looks to be in for a long day. Broad is out of his depth, Onions looks like he needs assistance to have any impact, Anderson struggles when it's not swinging, and Flintoff bowled poorly last night. Leaving out Harmison looks a huge mistake.
Ponting should take over from AB as our leading test runscorer. One more good home series and he'll easily have Tendulkar's all time record - maybe for a long time if the domination of 20/20 continues to crowd out real cricket from the schedule.
To be honest, I don't think Watson needed to face Flintoff at his best. The entire English attack looked as if it had gone off the boil waiting in the dressing room. Add to that a field where the wicket is flat and hard, while the outfield was better placed for mud wrestling than cricket.
Hughes went because they wanted Watson to bolster the problem they weren't admitting Johnson has. An extra bowler at the price of a bat, I'm afraid. Fortunately for them, Watson has not made an idiot of himself by going out early.
While I'm typing, Onions has Done the Biz with his first ball taking Watson out LBW. Second ball sends Hussey's stumps cartwheeling. A hat trick??
Hughes went because they wanted Watson to bolster the problem they weren't admitting Johnson has. An extra bowler at the price of a bat, I'm afraid. Fortunately for them, Watson has not made an idiot of himself by going out early.
While I'm typing, Onions has Done the Biz with his first ball taking Watson out LBW. Second ball sends Hussey's stumps cartwheeling. A hat trick??
Onions on a hat-trick
Can't take your eyes off this series for a second...
Hours and hours of ordinary cricket then a moment of major drama seems to be the script.
Full credit to whoever decided Onions would get the ball this morning ahead of Anderson. Onions was dreadful last night.
Hours and hours of ordinary cricket then a moment of major drama seems to be the script.
Full credit to whoever decided Onions would get the ball this morning ahead of Anderson. Onions was dreadful last night.