The Ashes 2013

[Llama]

Agar from the colonies seems to have really gelled with his team mates and is set for a memorable first Ashes with both bat and ball. My wife thinks he's kind of petrie, a dish even.

Seriously though, I've been impressed with the 19 year old, and with a deteriating pitch he could pick up a five-for this innings...umpires willing...

PS - an amazing test match so far, who would watch T20 crap over this???

 

[Orac Zen]

PS - an amazing test match so far, who would watch T20 crap over this???

Only complete and utter cretins with the attention span of a gnat.

IMO, of course.

 

[Botany Bay]

England 215 & 375
Australia 280 & 28/0 (7.0 ov)
Australia require another 283 runs to win.


Our session, with the England tail knocked over cheaply the first hurdle of getting to lunch with the openers intact cleared.


The acid test will be Swann after lunch, those footmarks outside the left handers off stump look nasty.


As for T20 versus tests, well, it's no contest. I can remember incidents from probably 100 test matches I've watched over the years, but I would be struggling to remember a single T20 game.


I will be very interested in how night tests rate in Australia. I have no doubt they will pull some serious numbers, and could lead to an expanded test program, which would be nice. T20's won't go anywhere with the dollars involved, but 50/50 cricket fans should savour the next World Cup, I think Kerry Packer's brainchild will be the format to make way if night tests take off.

 

[Llama]

Not sure i like the idea of night tests, but then I'm a bit of a purist (I also like my footy on Saturday arvos). But if they make test cricket more popular with the great unwashed then let's give it a try.

Re: this test, we got the Poms out for about as few as possible given yesterday, although I would have preferred to be chasing less than 300 just for the psychological aspect. I still think the total is a (Trent)bridge too far, but the openers have gotten us off to a good start (well they didn't go out before lunch at least)

 

[Botany Bay]

Tea, Day 4 :
England 215 & 375
Australia 280 & 111/2 (36.4 ov)
Australia require another 200 runs with 8 wickets remaining.


The session was ours till a nervous Cowan played a horrible drive to get caught off part-timer Joe Root. I feel for Cowan, he was arguably our best player in India, but he's long odds to get another test for Australia if we go down here, and he batted like he knew it.


Watson, it seems, is a very slow learner, reviewing an LBW that he didn't hit and wasting a review so early in the chase. There have been some jaw droppingly bad umpiring decisions - would prefer to still have both reviews intact. Twatto looked good today, but, alas, big hundreds win tests, not attractive 40's.


Thrilled to see Rogers bring up his maiden test fifty at the age of 36. He is now so vital. Must bat well into tomorrow and score a big hundred.


Sliver of hope : Swann has bowled a lot of four balls (for him), and the turn he's getting is deathly slow.

 

[Botany Bay]

Stumps, Day 4 : AUS 174/6 (71.0 ov) Australia require another 137 runs with 4 wickets remaining.


Another session, another selfish, wasted decision review from an Australian, this time from Clarke who fell to Broad for 23, caught behind by Prior. Seriously someone needs to sit him, Haddin and Watson down and explain that it is there to save you from a shocking decision, not for gaming the system, like he tried to do here. Seriously, how he could do this after the Broad incident yesterday just beggars belief. He and Watson may be elite cricketers, but all the evidence points to them being selfish brats and as thick as two planks of wood. Frustrating beyond belief.


Rogers was outfoxed, spooning an Anderson slower ball to midwicket after a fighting fifty. Smith and Hughes both fell LBW to cracking deliveries from Swann, but to my eyes the Hughes one was pitching outside leg, however "Hawkeye" disagreed, and Australia's promising chase was in ruins.


So, we have Agar, Haddin, and no reviews left, and need 137 with four wickets left, and the new ball looming. Lehmann promised Australia would play entertaining cricket on his watch - maybe he will let Agar swing from the hip when the ball is hard - that's about our best chance now.

 

[Llama]

Well Agar's only 99 runs from his first test century. No one thought we'd post a first innings lead, so who knows what's possible?

Got to admit I was pleasantly surprised that the game has made it to the fifth day.

 

[Orac Zen]

So again we work ourselves into a useful position, then fall in a heap within a few overs.

I reckon it'll all be over within an hour this evening.

 

[Angel4576]

Given how close the opening test has been, I wonder how Beefy's feeling about his 10-0 prediction.....?!

 

[Llama]

Until we lose our first wicket tonight, I chose to be optimistic

 

[Venardhi]

It is interesting reading this thread with no concept whatsoever of who these people are, how cricket works, etc. This must be what normal people feel like when nerds are talking.

 

[Orac Zen]

^
Cricket has a quite unique nerdity, really.

Decent half-hour of proper Test cricket so far. Sooner or later, I fear, Haddin is going to do something stupid. He usually does. And once he does, we're stuffed.

 

[Llama]

Wow that must have been one hellava big stone in Broads shoe for him to carry on like that just before lunch.

When we resume play the Aussies only need 20 more runs with 1 wicket in hand. Do we dare to dream the impossible dream?

 

[Llama]

Oh how appropriate. The game is determined by a controversial DRS decision. It's really kinda funny.

For the next test I say we play 10 bowlers and a wicketkeeper. This test match shows we don't need batsmen...

 

[Angel4576]

After everything, it had to end on a review didn't it?

Thrilling test. Some poor batting, some great bowling, some woeful decisions, and a terrific surprise package in Agar.

Looks like this might just be a competitive series after all......

 

[Jax]

controversial DRS decision

Whats controversial about it? hotspot shows a hit and the sound backs it up. Thin edge is an edge none the less

1-0 4 to go.

 

[Angel4576]

Not controversial at all that one. Thinnest of edges and an audible snick.

What's proven the decisive factor was the way that each team used the referral system. Clarke wasted reviews and ended up not being able to do anything about Broad, but Cook played it sensibly and ended up being able to overturn Haddin's non-dismissal.

It'll be interesting to see Clarke's approach towards DRS going forward. Seems that he didn't learn anything from the Broad situation given that he threw a referral away on trying to get his own dismissal overturned in the second innings.

 

[Jax]

Despite the win I hope to see Bresnan back in over Finn and god I would love to see Bairstow replaced. Also something my Dad said to me during game caught my eye, England should move Root to number 3 and let Trott open with Cook. Joe Root is very young to be opening the order.

 

[Llama]

Controversial in that the Poms didn't really look like they thought it was out, but called for a strategic review - which paid off.

One stat I read is that the Aussies had 2/9 successful reviews to the Poms 3/4. A lesson to be learnt from that?

Overall a very enjoyable test, looking forward to the next 9 if they're all going to be like this

 

[Botany Bay]

England 215 & 375
Australia 280 & 296 (110.5 ov)
England won by 14 runs.


I reckon that would be the first test I have seen where more intelligent use of the DRS system won the game. It was that tight - what a classic.


I really feel for Haddin, I was sure he would get us over the line when Anderson limped off at lunch, but it was not to be, with the champion coming out after lunch and finishing Australia off. I wonder what impact that spell (13 overs straight ), will have on him heading into the next test in just four days. All bets are off if you lose Anderson to a niggle, you would be stuffed without him .


Losing a game like that definitely sucks, but the good news is that Australia are going to be more competitive than I expected.



It won't happen, but if we could just swallow our pride and add Katich for the second test, and bring in Bird somewhere, we are really in business for this series.


England aren't the side of two seasons ago in Australia. Bairstow did not look convincing at all, the jury is out on Root, Swann bowls plenty of four-balls these days and Finn looks mentally shot. The hosts look far from invincible - this really should be a great series from here.


Anyway, that was a cracking game, well played to both teams. Now : to sleep for more than four hours for the first time in a week