WORLD CUP/ASHES - TALK ABOUT CRICKET RIGHT HERE!

[AussieSteve]

Day 4..a total disaster..Aus 674-6 dec
four of the team made centuries and another apologised for ONLY scoring 83
Eng..20-2
it looks like a draw is wishful thinking

Congrats Vectis and Rokkerr,

Your guys did great on Day 5 to get a Draw in the first Ashes Test. The Aussies managed to throw away certain victory though. Wishful thinking indeed, LOL. England needs bowlers who can apply pressure and batsmen who don't play stupid shots to have any hope of winning the series.

[vectis]

It's not easy being an England fan,or maybe I'm getting too old to be on a rollercoaster.
Day1 England after being 222-2 slumped to 364-6
Day2(today)we closed at 425(a wag of the tail) then reduced Australia to 156-8.
After being hammered in the first game this is welcome news.

[vectis]

On the ther hand this could be a rollercoaster ride I enjoy
Day3 ..Aus 215
Eng 311-6
At this point Aus need 521 to win.

[vectis]

Day 4 England declare overnight and with Australia reeling at 128-5 it looked like it was all over,but a determined stand saw them close at 313-5.We've all day tomorrow to win the match but it doean't seem as easy as it was.

[vectis]

Day5..it had to happen England win by 115 runs,Fredie Flintoff in his last test match at Lords was man of the match.He is retiring from test cricket after this series and will be hard to replace.

[rokkerr]

Day5..it had to happen England win by 115 runs,Fredie Flintoff in his last test match at Lords was man of the match.He is retiring from test cricket after this series and will be hard to replace.

What retire? Why? http://www.cricinfo.com/england/content ... 14514.html

So any new ashes predictions now?

[AussieSteve]

Day5..it had to happen England win by 115 runs,Fredie Flintoff in his last test match at Lords was man of the match.He is retiring from test cricket after this series and will be hard to replace.

What retire? Why? http://www.cricinfo.com/england/content ... 14514.html

So any new ashes predictions now?

England deserved to win the Lord's Test, can't believe that Steve Harmison doesn't get picked for England, he's better than Broad or Onions. Not sure about Bopara as #3 batsman as well.

The Aussies need another bowler such as Stuart Clark to improve the bowling attack. Some of our batsmen are going OK though improvement is needed.

The series could still go either way; a 2-1 series result to either team the most likely outcome. (the Aussies should have won at Cardiff)

[JasonH]

anyone watch today? great day of cricket especially after yesterdays wash out.

thought england batted extremely well, good to see a bit of sledging aswell from the england lads.

[vectis]

I posted else where that I thought a draw was a likey result but England are in a good position to get a win.
The 5th day could produce some fireworks.
We need some early wickets.

[WalterB]

I would watch, but I don't get that channel here. Rokkerr posted it once, but it's not on my cable line-up. I like the updates, guys.

[vectis]

Well it ended in a draw but England had high hopes at the start of play,having Australia at 88-2 overnight.but some resolute batting saw thm force the draw.The stand between Clarke & North being particularly good.Australia declared when Clarke reached his century(103 n.o) ,North was unlucky to fall to a superb catch on 96.
with the declaration the game ended.
Start again at Leeds on Friday,we need just one more win.

[olly1977]

yeah it fizzled out a little today after the fireworks of yesterday!! broad and swann getting right in mitchel johnsons face, good to see some firey banter out in the middle!!
So off to Headingly for the fourth test, very much a result ground as well, got tickets for the monday and tuesday so hoping to wrap the ashes up!! cant underestimate the AUSSIES, Johnson bowled so much better with confidence and accuracy. Need a big game from Freddie and Sir Ian Bell and bopara needs to justify selection.

thoughts??

[AussieSteve]

yeah it fizzled out a little today after the fireworks of yesterday!! broad and swann getting right in mitchel johnsons face, good to see some firey banter out in the middle!!
So off to Headingly for the fourth test, very much a result ground as well, got tickets for the monday and tuesday so hoping to wrap the ashes up!! cant underestimate the AUSSIES, Johnson bowled so much better with confidence and accuracy. Need a big game from Freddie and Sir Ian Bell and bopara needs to justify selection.

thoughts??

England need to win another Test to win the series so they're a real chance of doing that. To do so I think they need to do the following:-

1. Get Harmison into the team, he's an aggressive bowler like Flintoff. Since Flintoff struggled to bowl well in this game, he's needed to put pressure on our batsmen.
2. England needs another aggressive batsman to attack our bowlers because Pietersen is not there. Flintoff batted well so another hard-hitting batsman to go with the stodgy guys (Strauss, Bell, Collingwood) is needed. Don't think Bopara is good enough.

[rokkerr]

yeah it fizzled out a little today after the fireworks of yesterday!! broad and swann getting right in mitchel johnsons face, good to see some firey banter out in the middle!!
So off to Headingly for the fourth test, very much a result ground as well, got tickets for the monday and tuesday so hoping to wrap the ashes up!! cant underestimate the AUSSIES, Johnson bowled so much better with confidence and accuracy. Need a big game from Freddie and Sir Ian Bell and bopara needs to justify selection.

thoughts??

England need to win another Test to win the series so they're a real chance of doing that. To do so I think they need to do the following:-

1. Get Harmison into the team, he's an aggressive bowler like Flintoff. Since Flintoff struggled to bowl well in this game, he's needed to put pressure on our batsmen.
2. England needs another aggressive batsman to attack our bowlers because Pietersen is not there. Flintoff batted well so another hard-hitting batsman to go with the stodgy guys (Strauss, Bell, Collingwood) is needed. Don't think Bopara is good enough.

Are you converting to the English side Aussie?

[AussieSteve]

yeah it fizzled out a little today after the fireworks of yesterday!! broad and swann getting right in mitchel johnsons face, good to see some firey banter out in the middle!!
So off to Headingly for the fourth test, very much a result ground as well, got tickets for the monday and tuesday so hoping to wrap the ashes up!! cant underestimate the AUSSIES, Johnson bowled so much better with confidence and accuracy. Need a big game from Freddie and Sir Ian Bell and bopara needs to justify selection.

thoughts??

England need to win another Test to win the series so they're a real chance of doing that. To do so I think they need to do the following:-

1. Get Harmison into the team, he's an aggressive bowler like Flintoff. Since Flintoff struggled to bowl well in this game, he's needed to put pressure on our batsmen.
2. England needs another aggressive batsman to attack our bowlers because Pietersen is not there. Flintoff batted well so another hard-hitting batsman to go with the stodgy guys (Strauss, Bell, Collingwood) is needed. Don't think Bopara is good enough.

Are you converting to the English side Aussie?

Rokkerr are you serious??

I'm just offering constructive criticism since your best player (Flintoff) may not play out the final 2 Tests meaning the Aussies will retain the Ashes.

[vectis]

Bopare has been good in the one day game,where aggression from the word go is needed ,but seems to lose in in the 5 day tests.
Rain is the perennial enemy of an Enlish summer,the loss of over a day helped Australia,but to be fair on the last day they gave a demonstration of test cricket, it's up to the bowlers to get them out.
p.s it's great to have more contributors to this thread,thx.

[WalterB]

I just wanted to say, several years ago I was searching to try to find a picture of an old gravesite at Thule, Greenland that I had seen when I was stationed there in the 60s. I ran across the EMADD of someone who worked there. I sent them an EM, asking if there was any way I could get them to go take a picture of the gravesite for me.

The next day, I got a reply from them from Denmark. That just amazed me, that I could send an EM to Thule, Greenland, 800 miles from the North Pole, and get an answer from Denmark. What I'm trying to say is that "World Wide Web" is just that, and I think that it is so fantastic that we can come together from all over the world to this one place, meet each other, chat, and have such great fun together - and sometimes even meet.

We've had members from Saba (in the Carribean,) Greece, Italy, Spain, and who knows where else. I really enjoy meeting all of you folks from everywhere, and am simply just glad to know you.

[JasonH]

Bopare has been good in the one day game,where aggression from the word go is needed ,but seems to lose in in the 5 day tests.
Rain is the perennial enemy of an Enlish summer,the loss of over a day helped Australia,but to be fair on the last day they gave a demonstration of test cricket, it's up to the bowlers to get them out.
p.s it's great to have more contributors to this thread,thx.

That has always been bopara's problem imo, he gets himself nicely settled but never kicks on in the test format, its a problem that has plauged englands number three recently with Bell having the same problem of never setting up a big score.

Its shaping up to be a good end to the series with two tests left to play

[vectis]

Steve wrote that England need another hard hitting batsman ,unfortunately Strauss is the only England player in the top 5 averages for this series so far.Prior and Flintoff
have done well but the contribution from 6&7 is a bonus normally.
Hard to see where the batsman will come from so the bowling needs strenghening,Harmiston ,on his day could be the answer but he's been hot and cold in test cricket.

[vectis]

4th test..a total disaster.
We won the toss and elected to bat,then raised a miserable 100 runs.
The Aussies scored 400plus and we are now at 85-5 on the same wicket...pathetic.
I feel sorry for Olly,he has tickerts for Moday and Tuesday,It'll be allover by then . On this performance they need only to turn up to win the 5th test and the series.
With Flintoff and Pietersen missing it was time for somebody else to step up ,no one has.