The Ashes 2013
- Thread starter Botany Bay
- Start date
Good performance from Australian bowlers on day 1 of the test. Looking forward to tomorrow and my first ever cricket at the G. Buying a ticket at the ground, so getting there early for the day.
Haven't seen any play other than the first few overs this morning but today seems to have panned out much as pretty much everyone expected the series to eventuate. 9-164 is pretty pathetic by any reckoning.
Since Elim was actually at the MAFLG he can tell us more about the day's events.
Since Elim was actually at the MAFLG he can tell us more about the day's events.
A fun day ... first off. Everyone should attend a test match at the MCG. It was probably around 65000 people.
The first few overs from Australia were great. Johnson deserves his fiver.
It was a long day. For all the batsmen (except Haddin) found it slow, as the English bowlers were very good. Broad bowled with lots of pace.
With Watson - he should be moved from number 3, as he isn't working well there.
The first few overs from Australia were great. Johnson deserves his fiver.
It was a long day. For all the batsmen (except Haddin) found it slow, as the English bowlers were very good. Broad bowled with lots of pace.
With Watson - he should be moved from number 3, as he isn't working well there.
So...231 to go 4-0 up in the series.
Given the general brittleness of our batting over the past several years I won't be at all surprised if we fall in a screaming heap. I hope not, though; our bowlers deserve better after working us back into the Test (aided to a small extent by another assortment of...curious shots by a few opposing batsmen).
Really pleased to see Lyon pick up five wickets. Surely his place in the side is finally secure, for as long as form, fitness and his own motivation allows. He's played as big a part in the series win as anyone.
Given the general brittleness of our batting over the past several years I won't be at all surprised if we fall in a screaming heap. I hope not, though; our bowlers deserve better after working us back into the Test (aided to a small extent by another assortment of...curious shots by a few opposing batsmen).
Really pleased to see Lyon pick up five wickets. Surely his place in the side is finally secure, for as long as form, fitness and his own motivation allows. He's played as big a part in the series win as anyone.
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Quite the reverse of falling in a heap for a change, and even more incredibly Watson actually produced a decent innings in a pressure situation in a Test match. Wonders will never cease. Rogers batted particularly well and got a just reward, which was nice to see. Haddin was dudded out of yet another player of the match award, IMO. He's been the only batsman to consistently stand up over the course of the series; things would have been very different without his contributions, and his keeping's been outstanding as well. He remains the clear player of the series for mine.
The less said about England's insipid effort today the better, really. They seemed uninspired and clueless, and Cook's captaincy was just bizarre at times. It's hard to see how they can turn things around before the final Test at the real G, but I suppose stranger things have happened.
Surely no one could possibly have envisioned the series turning out like this. I know I didn't. I'm pleased I was wrong.
The less said about England's insipid effort today the better, really. They seemed uninspired and clueless, and Cook's captaincy was just bizarre at times. It's hard to see how they can turn things around before the final Test at the real G, but I suppose stranger things have happened.
Surely no one could possibly have envisioned the series turning out like this. I know I didn't. I'm pleased I was wrong.
So everyone else has lost interest at this point, apparently. No matter.
End of day two and we're already over 300 ahead. Not an unpleasant situation to be in. We bowled well, especially before lunch, but Stokes aside the majority of the England batting was terrible; surely they won't be as charitable in the second innings.
And South Africa definitely won't be.
If Haddin isn't named player of the series it'll be a travesty. He's the prime reason our bowlers have had something to work with in every Test. It would have been a very different series without him.
End of day two and we're already over 300 ahead. Not an unpleasant situation to be in. We bowled well, especially before lunch, but Stokes aside the majority of the England batting was terrible; surely they won't be as charitable in the second innings.
And South Africa definitely won't be.
If Haddin isn't named player of the series it'll be a travesty. He's the prime reason our bowlers have had something to work with in every Test. It would have been a very different series without him.
No love for Michael Johnson?
How is it that we came to win so comprehensively when we did so poorly in England not long ago? Our form couldn't have changed that quickly, surely.
South Africa will be a better challenge for this team. England were very poor, except for Broad and Stoke. Cook should resign as captain ... he had a shocker of a series.
I went out around 1pm, and was a little surprised that it was over when I got home at 5pm. Australia were the dominate team during most of the series.
I went out around 1pm, and was a little surprised that it was over when I got home at 5pm. Australia were the dominate team during most of the series.
5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0.
This is even better than 06/07. That Australian side contained some of our (and world cricket's) most outstanding players; this side has only Clarke who's ever even remotely likely to be considered in that sort of company. Yet these eleven blokes have achieved the same result. It's brilliant and I'm particularly pleased for Clarke, Haddin (both of whom have been derided, if not vilified, in the past) Lyon and Harris.
As someone who sincerely hoped Johnson would never play any kind of cricket for Australia again, I'm gnawing on some humble pie as I type. I kept waiting for him to fall in a heap and it didn't happen. Unexpected, but most welcome. Even the so-called Barmy Army's relentless childish sledging didn't seem to have an effect. (Funny how it's okay for them and for English players to sledge but when we do it we're "ugly Australians" or some such bullshit. Hypocrisy and double standards in action, I suppose.) Kudos to him. Haddin was the player of the series IMO but it's hard to argue with 37 wickets at around 14.
The wheel always turns in sport - although I'm sure no one imagined it would turn quite so rapidly after the last Ashes series - and so we shouldn't get too carried away with this result. We remain a flawed side and a better opponent will point up those flaws even more clearly than England managed. But that can be bothered with later. For now, I for one intend to enjoy this result.
Not much to be said about England, particularly in this Test where they were just awful. Several of them looked to be...I was going to say just going through the motions but it was even more abject than that. One or two of them have emerged from the series with some credit but in general they were resoundingly poor. I read a good article the other day that suggested cooking the wickets for their home series helped set them up for failure here when they were confronted with a series of varied, actual cricket wickets. It's as good a theory as any, in my view.
Just a few months ago former captain Michael Vaughan was saying that this England team "could dominate their era". Now he's calling for all sorts of changes. Several other former England players who were gloating only a few months ago are now in a very different place. It's nice to see that sort of arrogance properly rewarded.
Hopefully we won't succumb to that sort of hubris. It's embarrassing and pathetic and it always ends up biting such people on their arses sooner or later.
On to the less interesting aspect of the summer. Hopefully we can put together a one-day side that will keep the foot on the throat for a while longer.
5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0.
Johnson wouldn't have been able to attack the opposition with anything like the same effectiveness if he'd had the sort of mediocre totals to bowl at that our batsmen were on track to provide without Haddin's efforts. But no matter, really.
This is even better than 06/07. That Australian side contained some of our (and world cricket's) most outstanding players; this side has only Clarke who's ever even remotely likely to be considered in that sort of company. Yet these eleven blokes have achieved the same result. It's brilliant and I'm particularly pleased for Clarke, Haddin (both of whom have been derided, if not vilified, in the past) Lyon and Harris.
As someone who sincerely hoped Johnson would never play any kind of cricket for Australia again, I'm gnawing on some humble pie as I type. I kept waiting for him to fall in a heap and it didn't happen. Unexpected, but most welcome. Even the so-called Barmy Army's relentless childish sledging didn't seem to have an effect. (Funny how it's okay for them and for English players to sledge but when we do it we're "ugly Australians" or some such bullshit. Hypocrisy and double standards in action, I suppose.) Kudos to him. Haddin was the player of the series IMO but it's hard to argue with 37 wickets at around 14.
The wheel always turns in sport - although I'm sure no one imagined it would turn quite so rapidly after the last Ashes series - and so we shouldn't get too carried away with this result. We remain a flawed side and a better opponent will point up those flaws even more clearly than England managed. But that can be bothered with later. For now, I for one intend to enjoy this result.
Not much to be said about England, particularly in this Test where they were just awful. Several of them looked to be...I was going to say just going through the motions but it was even more abject than that. One or two of them have emerged from the series with some credit but in general they were resoundingly poor. I read a good article the other day that suggested cooking the wickets for their home series helped set them up for failure here when they were confronted with a series of varied, actual cricket wickets. It's as good a theory as any, in my view.
Just a few months ago former captain Michael Vaughan was saying that this England team "could dominate their era". Now he's calling for all sorts of changes. Several other former England players who were gloating only a few months ago are now in a very different place. It's nice to see that sort of arrogance properly rewarded.
Hopefully we won't succumb to that sort of hubris. It's embarrassing and pathetic and it always ends up biting such people on their arses sooner or later.
On to the less interesting aspect of the summer. Hopefully we can put together a one-day side that will keep the foot on the throat for a while longer.
5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0, 5-0.
I don't think he was a Test cricketer.
Johnson wouldn't have been able to attack the opposition with anything like the same effectiveness if he'd had the sort of mediocre totals to bowl at that our batsmen were on track to provide without Haddin's efforts. But no matter, really.
