Glenn McGrath calling it 5-0 for Australia. There’s a surprise.
Honours even today. If England can get close to 400 they will be in a good position. Boycott on the radio reckoned 370-390 is a good score on that pitch.
EW have done well, KP’s a knob, playing for himself instead of the team as usual.
If the EW tail can stay in for a while, they’ll be in a great position. BUT - this wicket won’t turn for a while, so you would have to think there’s a big score coming from Aus in their first innings, the likes of Katich will love this ground.
Great to have it started. I cannot understand why anyone would want to watch 20/20 pyjama cricket, when test cricket is available.
Have lumped on Oz at 10/11 and Clarke top Oz run scorer at 5/1 before they decided not to pick him the cunts. England’s best chance is Cardiff pitch so if Ozzies can at least draw the series is theirs.
BTW Who misses Warney?
[quote=“Spidey”]Have lumped on Oz at 10/11 and Clarke top Oz run scorer at 5/1 before they decided not to pick him the cunts. England’s best chance is Cardiff pitch so if Ozzies can at least draw the series is theirs.
BTW Who misses Warney?[/QUOTE]
Er, Spidey, Australia didn’t pick Stuart CLARK, who is a bowler. Michael CLARKE, their vice captain, and an exceptional batter, is actually playing, so you may be safe.
That said, any further analysis from you will need to come with the proviso that you have made a serious schoolgirl error.
You having a party Dunph?
England won the tests in 2005 where they bated first, the same trend looks like continuing here unless the Aussies have unearthed a few Steve Waughs since. A lot of this team like Ponting, Clarke, Katich have failed in English conditions whilst the rest of the batting line up won’t have faced the swing you get in England.
Haveing said all that I still think the Aussies will do it, more with the heart than the head though.
[quote=“Fitzy”]Er, Spidey, Australia didn’t pick Stuart CLARK, who is a bowler. Michael CLARKE, their vice captain, and an exceptional batter, is actually playing, so you may be safe.
That said, any further analysis from you will need to come with the proviso that you have made a serious schoolgirl error.[/QUOTE]
That’s what I was thinking when I was reading the rest of the post.
We’ll need an explanation for the slip if we’re to take the pitch analysis seriously.
Before the start I backed Clarke and Hussey to top score (both teams) and backed the Aussies to win as well. You get cracking longevity out of cricket bets. 5 days of fun for your money.
Broad scored fairly quickly there for a couple of minutes but gone now. Bowled by Johnson.
355-8
[quote=“therock67”]Broad scored fairly quickly there for a couple of minutes but gone now. Bowled by Johnson.
355-8[/QUOTE]
He’s handy enough with the bat is Broad. Jimmy Anderson’s still sticking around there dabbing and blocking. Swann can bat a tiny bit but Panesar can’t really. They’re nudging up to a fairly competitive score all the same.
[quote=“Spidey”]
BTW Who misses Warney?[/QUOTE]
Certainly don’t miss the histronics and all the baggage that goes with Warne. Questionable morals, drug cheating and general all round loutish behaviour. He’s been badly missed by Australia in a cricketing sense though. Without McGrath, Gilchrist and particularly Warne they don’t have that aura of invincibility anymore. Its a long time since I’ve seen an England tail bashing around an Australian attack like this. Swann & Anderson have put on 68 for the 9th wicket at the rate of over 8 an over.
Hilarious stuff at the moment. Swann, Anderson and Panesar having a great laugh. Monty just tried to reverse sweep Hauritz apparently.
Some hitting there from Anderson and Swann in particular. Initiative back with England.
435ao and Hauritz was spinning it viciously. England and Wales will be thoroughly thrilled with their tailenders this morning.
Big test now for the Australian openers. Katich had an awful Ashes tour in 2005 and that has to be preying on his mind. There’s been a lot of hype about this Phil Hughes and I have to say I’m not convinced by him. He didn’t look to bad in the kind of conditions he’s used to against South Africa but batting in England is a different story. Harmison really worked him over in the warm up match bowling him out for 7 & 8. Its an awful pity Big Steve is not out there.
Jeez thats a good score, a really good score.
Aussies need a solid opening partnership of at least 80 now. The worst they can be at close is 200/4 ish.
I wonder who’ll open the bowling out of the 3 seamers? Jimmy Anderson’s swing will definitely get one of the spots and I’d actually like to see Flintoff work this Hughes lad over with some short stuff, the way Harmison did last week. Broad on then at first change before the spin twins take centre stage later.
Cracking start from Hughes but a shocking over from Broad to start his effort.
Like this graph on the Guardian Hawk Eye thing - shows the likelihood of the results as the game progresses: