Virtual sports up date: 21 out of 641, as a league we are right in there!
with their "no-sense-of aggression-or importance-of the occasion" it is way easier to be more happily involved in fantasy than the actual Aus team.
Credit to England that they are delivering the goods, but shame on you Australia for not showing intestinal fortitude. They look to be laying down quicker than a gray street street walker!
Not everyone, but there just isnt anyone that walks in to their task like they own it...unlike Freddy who just reeks of sense of self importance; self belief makes a world of difference.
I'm not giving it away now, but with their current body language (fearful and desperate to just survive) Australian players look like they are giving it away.
i want swagger in steps. i want more than just staring back at a bowlers stare down, i want batsmen to run through a bowler that strays across the batsmans line in their follow through. I WANT ATTITUDE AND AGGRESSION!
And i want some BEFORE this is done and dusted.
stoph verismo
down the wicket
Well, the plan of watching Ashes from the beautiful scenic backdrop of Melbourne was circumvented by typical English summer weather but it was worth it!
ReplyDeleteFrom what I saw last night there are two fundamental differences between the two sides: England bowl and bat better than Aus. One can go over Rudi’s inability to umpire satisfactorily but if you can’t get numbers 8 through 11 out for under 75 total you will always struggle. The shine of Siddle’s commitment has been blunted by his expensiveness and the attack overall looks unbalanced. Unfortunately Hilfenhaus cannot be bowled from both ends. I fear that Clark needs to come in and I’d drop Siddle for this to happen now. It pains me to say this by the way.
We don’t get anywhere near the same swing that Anderson and Onions got and our batting is certainly less equipped to deal with it. The last day is an opportunity to show Lords was no fluke and that we can bat through a day against the swinging ball. Hussey, this is your chance to prove many of us wrong.
HUSSEY if there ever was a time to stand up and be Mr Cricket, IT IS NOW!!
ReplyDeleteYou are too right Lefty, we should be able to knock over the last 3 in an hour for bugger all. This all started Day 3 Boxing Day, Steyn.
Unfortunately the way we have played this series I can see England in before tea to knock off 50 or so.
Does anyone know the weather?
Clear blue skies I believe mate.
ReplyDeletesorry Lefty, i ordered all water to be brown for you, but it looks like blighty wasnt listening!
ReplyDeletedo you think Husses score was enough Nos?
i'm inclined to agree with LRO and say, "hey-diddle, your good, spend some time, in the backwood, tighten up for another go,
if you stop leakin runs, we'll give you another go!
boo! worst poetry ever!
ReplyDeletecan Aus survive off Pup forever?
ReplyDeleteDecent knock from the Pup. Placid pitch. Hussey did enough to be retained. Who else have we got? Like I said, if they had taken Hodge there would be a lot more pressure to perform.
ReplyDeleteThe best thing about day 5 was North proving me wrong. I’d said that he hadn’t really made runs under pressure and last night he and Clarke built a brilliant partnership when we needed it most. Effectively we were 4 for 59 when they got together so that was the window Eng had to force a result. Great stuff lads! Pity North decided he only had a few balls to make his ton!
ReplyDeleteI won’t go on too much about Clarke as I’ve pressed the point before but he looks to be close to the complete package now. Very patient, good shot selection, quick feet and full face of the bat.
We’ve seen the Eng attack can be a bit impotent if the ball isn’t doing much for them so there’s a lot to be positive about going to Headingly. I realise that the pitch yesterday was effectively a day 3 pitch but they are carrying Broad a bit (although he was quite economical) and Flintoff doesn’t look to me like he can go the distance. What would you guys do in Eng’s position? Swann gives a few too many easy run-balls too so they’ll need to tighten up and hope for some movement in the 4th test.
Hussey’s done enough I think. The stats they were showing for his last 20 tests didn’t look flash but he’s earned his place for the last two. I think the next test series is the summer against Pakistan and West Indies and I’d like to see a view of our test team for the next 5-7 years during that summer. I reckon we’ll say goodbye to Ponting, Hussey and Lee by this time next year.
Come on fellas – game on!
PS would any of you declared with say 25 overs to bowl at them? I think Waugh would have. Never satisfied.
I was just thinking what Tugga would have done Lefty. I reckon he would have declared earlier and given them a chance to lose it. Waugh was a totally different captain, but then again Waugh had a much better bowling attack than Ponting. Hard to see us getting 10 in 25 overs when we can't throw the ball to one S K Warne.
ReplyDeleteThat's right Nospmas but to me that's not really the point. One could argue about 'knowing your bowling' (or bowlers, and their capabilities) like a bloke said to me last night - valid point; also partly what I think you mean. One could also say 'look at the series not just the test' as in bigger picture. One could say 'you often risk losing by striving to win' which I think is valid too. The Waugh reference relates less to 'never give up' - which of course is sort of irrelevant here - and more to always trying to find a way to win. This applies to both the test and the series. If you can get 130 to 180 balls to get 10 wickets with the opposition needing 160 or 190 odd to get the win, back your bowlers to do the job and in doing so say to England, 'are you good enough?'. You never know what can happen.
ReplyDeleteOff the lecturn now :)
Sorry, forgot a central point.
ReplyDeleteThe basis for the more positive and optimistic alternatives for test 3 is the outcome of such an alternative.
We'd be 1 all with two to play.