The Ashes - 2010-2011 Thread

[MrB]

Amazing how much every little partnership actually counts when your opponents make 98!! Great partnership from Trott and Prior, Prior is nursing an injury but hopefully he can see Trott through to his ton.

 

[MrB]

Ok, it's Trott nursing the injury but he made his ton and it couldn't look much better, 378-5.

 

[MrB]

290 ahead and going strong, lovely!

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

Happy with that, exactly where I'd hoped they would be come the end of the day. I reckon Prior will be given licence to kill tomorrow morning; would love him to get a ton after the aggro he got at Perth.

Glad to see Ponty Piggy Eyes making a knob of himself again; his pain excites me.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Not that i want to tempt fate but they seem to have settled themselves down a bit now. It has made me laugh being out here since the end of November. After the first two tests, watching the news you wouldn't have known the Ashes was even on. After the test at the WACA which i was fortunate enough to go to (even though i basically saw us totally collapse) it was front page news in the papers and the first story on the news.

Back to yesterday and sitting in the pool with the radio on, the news reporter came on and uttered 'at the MCG Ponting has recently got himself out'

That was it, no score, no information about anyone else. Nothing. By then i knew we were doing well.

Worst thing was at the WACA Johnson was fielding right in front of us and the idiot Convicts sitting in front of me might as well have got on the pitch and sucked him off. Good to see in this test he is back to his usual bowling towards mid off.

If we could bat until lunchtime tomorrow i feel we will win it. I also have a sneaky feeling Colly may get a decent score here.

They've been spoilt ****ing rotten, its good to see them getting behind their side when the going gets tough eh!

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

[video=youtube;NIffBiVUKds]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIffBiVUKds[/video]

Alf Stewart gives his verdict on Ricky and the boys.

 

[Manchester Shrimper]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/9322256.stm

"However, Ponting can consider himself lucky he was not charged with a Level 2 offence, which refers to "dissent [which] contains an element of anger or abuse which is directed at the umpire or the umpire's decision or where there is excessive delay in resuming play [or] there is persistent re-reference to the incident over time". A Level 2 offence can lead to a 100% fine and/or a suspension."

With Ponting being in the form he's in at the moment, I'm actually quite glad he won't be suspended for the Final Test!!

 

[canveyshrimper]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/9322256.stm

"However, Ponting can consider himself lucky he was not charged with a Level 2 offence, which refers to "dissent [which] contains an element of anger or abuse which is directed at the umpire or the umpire's decision or where there is excessive delay in resuming play [or] there is persistent re-reference to the incident over time". A Level 2 offence can lead to a 100% fine and/or a suspension."

With Ponting being in the form he's in at the moment, I'm actually quite glad he won't be suspended for the Final Test!!

Overall I'm pleased that Ponting was fined, I would have hated to see him end his career banned. While I think he's a very average captain, anyone who averages over 50 in 150+ test matches should be considered one of the "greats". I suspect the piggy eyed one may give it up if (as I hope) the convicts are crushed in Melbourne.

I think probably have enough, but the stage is set for Prior to unleash in the morning, as per Adelaide Strauss will be cautious before he declares and if England can bat on he'll declare around 550, a lead of 450, and 2 and a bit days to bowl them out.

 

[Bluesmanager]

How we managed to salvage that I'll never know. Another 100 on today and we're home and dry I think.

 

[The Big Dady]

"English Lion Roars, While Skippy Skips"

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Disgusting display from Ponting, it was so blindingly obvious the hotspot on KPs bat was him hitting his pad he should be ashamed of himself

It was a desperate act of a desperate bloke who will be sacked/quit as captain after this match

So far each day i've managed to stay up till lunch, grabbed some sleep and then got up at 10am for the first set of highlights but i'm going to try to stay up for this one, pity we can't win the series as well as retain the urn in one hit but a friend of mine is jetting out for the Sydney test so hopefully she'll be able to witness first hand us claiming the series

 

[canveyshrimper]

I'm going to grab some Z's and set the alarm for 2.30, I can't see England declaring before lunch, although they could be bowled out chasing quick runs. Then I hope we can bowl them out quickly, but I reckon they'll show a bit more heart with the bat in their second innings. If England win this I think we'll go on to the SCG and take the series 3-1.

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

Big dilemma chaps, it seems I'm stuck on 111 reps, can someone for the love of God green/red me before the start of play; I don't want to put the mockers on it when we're so close to victory. In the meantime I'll be standing on one leg.

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

Big dilemma chaps, it seems I'm stuck on 111 reps, can someone for the love of God green/red me before the start of play; I don't want to put the mockers on it when we're so close to victory. In the meantime I'll be standing on one leg.

Oops that'll be my fault for your Alf Stewart piece, and technically speaking asking for green is a surefire way of securing red so i don't think you'll be on Nelson for long :winking:

 

[Dick Bate's Protege]

Oops that'll be my fault for your Alf Stewart piece, and technically speaking asking for green is a surefire way of securing red so i don't think you'll be on Nelson for long :winking:

Thought it was a risk worth taking.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

You can tell Ponting is past his best: as much as I enjoyed his strop today (and then him quietly fuming as Trott escaped being run-out by a lack of enough frames in the slow motion camera) it's not a patch on his Pratt moment in 2005. With his standards slipping, it's clearly time for him to call it a day, particularly as the selectors and match referee seem strangely unwilling to call time on it for him.

Anyone up for a spot of Botham Bingo this evening?

Phrases to look out for include:
* "England have surely got enough runs, what are they waiting for?"
* "England [or player name] really should be getting a move on here"
* "hit out or get out" - bonus points for anecdote about running out Sir Geoffrey.
* "England have already got the runs on the board to set attacking fields"
* "the weather forecast is uncertain and England need to factor that into their thinking when it comes to the declaration" - bonus points if the sun is shining at the time
* "how many more runs do they want? They bowled them out for 98 in the first innings"
* "what team X would be doing in this position is looking to wrap it up early with some quick runs/a declaration"
* "it's a sign of weakness batting on" - with bonus points if he mentions in the next sentence either "England have the best spinner in the world" or "Swann's ranked no.2 in the world by the ICC rankings" with double bonus points if he then adds "whatever that's worth/means"
* "they bowled them out for 98 in the first innings here, they bowled them out for 268 in Perth, they bowled them out for 245 in Adelaide" - worth half if he then says that they were all in the first innings or mentions the 481 at Brisbane.
* double points for "about time too, England have declared"
* treble points for the all time classic "I really don't know what's going on out there"
* Bonus points for any comparison to back in his day (when as captain he drew 8 out of 12 matches, losing the other 4)
* double points if he's already used the phrase once before today
* quadruple points if he says he's hoping to go fishing/visit a vinyard/go to an old friend's party if they finish early.

 

[Shrimper]

Prior out, 15 short of a century. Shame, get 500 then declare I say. That'll be a lead of 402.

 

[Bluesmanager]

There goes another one. Bresnan caught behind off Siddle. 465/7.

 

[BLUEBLOOD]

I was starting to feel really disappointed by Englands lack of impetus this morning when it dawned on me i'd made a schoolboy error .. i was thinking we'd go out all guns blazing this morning (obviously losing our most attacking lower order batter in Prior throws a huge spanner in the works here) add 70-80 in the first hour and then have 5 1/2 sessions to bowl them out, but of course the game is moving forwards so quickly due to their dismal effort first time around that we still have 2 full days even if we bat all day again

 

[Bluesmanager]

513ao. Trott runs out of partners.

415 the lead. England by an innings is my bet. Even if it isn't, I can't see Aus getting much of a lead.