Well, the Second Test gets underway on Friday, and I suspect that if the Poms win the toss on a road like Adelaide, Australia could be in for a bit of leather hunting. The First Test – until Day 4 – was a pretty lopsided affair, although it did throw up a few interesting conundrums.
This was mainly to do with overzealous security – aka ‘fun police’ – who decided that spectators from both sides needed a good touch-up. The Barmy Army were unable to sit together, making it difficult for them to sing. Their trumpeter – official permit and all – was ejected from the Gabba. Beach balls were confiscated. Mexican waves were nipped in the bud. People were treated like potential terrorists on the way into the ground. I’ve mentioned elsewhere that I’m not as sanguine as John Humphreys about the War on Terror. However, when the wallopers start going on like this – added to Yobbo’s recent little adventure with the boys in blue, I think that if the WoT starts frigging with stuff of national significance, it’s time to tell a few of the fascist twits to take a running jump.
Anyway, now I’ve had my rant, once again I’d like to invite Catallaxians and friends to leave cricketing comments on this thread throughout the test.
39 Comments
There was a Test Cricket retrospective on ABC last week which I picked up with the 1956 series (don’t know when they started, probably 1948). Fascinating stuff, old footage and contemporary interviews with Neil Harvey, Peter Craig (Peter who?), Ritchie Benaud and Bobby Simpson. And the Englishman Trevor Bailey (the barnacle or the boil) who marred the 57/58 series with efforts like 100 runs scored in seven hours at the crease.
The 1956/67 series in South Africa was the first that I followed, ball by ball on the radio. Peter Craig, aged about 21 was the captain, his best score on the tour was 55 and he contracted hepatitis before the 57/58 English tour so he mercifully pulled out of the series and Ritchie Benaud took over.
Has anyone seen the daily poems that some Pommy was supposed to write, funded by the Yarts Council? I threatened to do a similar effort on The Sideliners but contracted writers block, possibly inspired by Harmison’s first ball which sort of set the tone for the English effort.
His name was Ian Craig and he was also the youngest player selected for Australia!
I don’t know Rafe, I think the Poms may come roaring back this test, especially if McGrath doesn’t play. Edgbaston, anyone?
If McGrath doesn’t play someone else will and they’ll get rolled again.
Stuart Clark is a McGrath clone anyway. If they had have picked him in England (or Bracken, or ANYONE EXCEPT KASPROWICH) we wouldn’t have lost the ashes to start with.
England going with the same 11 apparently. Not willing to try an attacking spinner and instead have the stodge of Giles. Given that they could only take ten wickets while your opponents scored 800 runs last time, you’d think you might try to sharpen your attack.
Quite Steve.
No Monty? Ridiculous. In Adelaide? Preposterous!
I have no respect for England. Timid conservative bullshit off-field leads to the same on the pitch.
We will slaughter them in every test. They’ve had over a year to get pumped for this (to borrow a phrase from Ted Bailieux), now they’re acting like Brisbane was some sort of warm-up. Wakey wakey dudes! Of course we were going to come out hard and hit you where it hurts.
Fight fire with same, or just piss off home now.
Gotts love that cricinfo text commentary:
“Wild and woolly…like a highland sheep on crack”
I dunno, 266/3 with Pietersen just getting a wriggle on. Australia’ll have some leather-hunting come tomorrow.
551 maazing what four days and winning a toss will do for a team’s confidence. McGrath bowled crap and Warnie bowled better than his figures. Collingwood was magnificient. Today should be very interesting.
agree. Collingwood magnificent and Pieterson very gestural unimaginative and what a poor wicket.
Why do the poms produce BETTER cricket wickets than us?
Hayden’s out. It doesn’t look like there are any devils in the pitch. Flintoff and Hoggard are bowling better. Pietersen was just trying to get one over warne….if he thought “he had won the battle” why didn’t he go the tonk? Padding up to the leg side deliveries probably robbed his side of the chance to get to 600+…although that may not matter.
3/65 FDB – at least we ‘ave some opposition. I think age of bowlers matters, obviously !
Bolta says Beefy was right – the Aussies are too old.
The fact that they dropped Ponting may come back to bite them. If Punter & Mr Cricket play like they can, this game will be a draw. What is it with Adelaide and roads?
Well, 5/312. Clarke getting nicely warm and Gilchrist with a point to prove. My money’s still on a draw.
Engalnd 97/7, Australia win looking increasingly likely.
8/113
Unless they can stodge it up and thwart Warnie, they’re farked. Anything under 200 for us to chase in the last session is gettable.
Bowling Shane.
9/119
Looking good for an exciting end to the day!
that Duncan Fletcher is a genius.
Jones has shown what a terrific batsman he is.
Read is better and a better keeper.
Anderson bowls over 140 k to bowl reverse swing?
well Mahmoud can,
And Giles can’t he rip through a batting lineup.
and picking Freddy as captain was a stroke of genius
Well well well… a 36 over run chase at 4.6. Am very glad the Court year’s over so I can watch this.
Well a fantastic end. England looked absolutely crushed. To go 2-0 down after two tests, and particularly one where they thought after 2 days they had set up for a potential victory is crushing. I remember how Australia reacted when India levelled the series in India after following on and I suggest that England will do something similar. I will be very surprised if they can bounce back knowing they have to win at least 2 of three games when they haven’t been able to bowl Australia out for less than 500. And have twiced collapsed on good batting wickets.
I’m still flummoxed we managed to win that. Shane Warne may be a dropkick (although remember it’s the media telling us that), but by gum he’s a bloody talented dropkick.
In between innings, he parks himself in the sheds and figures Pietersen out. After bowling to him like Ashley Giles bowls to everybody in the first innings. Incredible. I don’t care what anyone says, but to come up with that so quickly requires serious CPU clock cycles per second.
And how good is Mike Hussey? Also I suspect Damien Martyn is for the chop in Perth; Clarke will stay, Watson will come in, Johnson and Tait will be around to keep Lee honest. Haddin will keep Gilchrist honest. There is still plenty of good talent out there.
There is no doubt the media has harrassed Warne to find every piece of dirt on him but, even if its exagerrated, I have no doubt I wouldn’t like him as a person.
This does not detract from his sheer brilliance as a cricketer. Both in skill and in thought. At times in the last Ashes in England, it felt very much like he was running the team and setting fields rather than Ponting. I think he would have made a great captain as far as on field tactics go but was never going to get the gig with all the off field stuff.
As well as a different plan though you must remember the Pitch had two more days of wear on it by the time England batted again which no doubt made him more effective.
If they are bringing Watson in it has to be for Martyn. He’s 11 years older. Watson and Clarke are the future. This is even disregarding the fact that I think Martyn’s a choker.
This is even disregarding the fact that I think Martyn’s a choker
You still bringing up that South africa game? But you’re right, if Watson is fit, Clarke must stay and Martyn will go, promoting Clarke up the order today was the first sign.
I also think Hayden should go for Phil Jaques, bring some fresh blood in to get the smell of an Englishmen.
Our biggest worry is in the bowling department. Clark is 31, Bracken is 29, Gillespie is 31, Kasprowicz is 34, we’ll need the likes of Watson, Cullen, Johnson and Tait to stand up. I think Johnson may be a long term replacement for McGrath and Cullen may be an offy to replace the legspin of Warne.
We’ll also need to develop a replacement for Langer as well as a bit more depth and youth in the batting squad.
Fi fo fi fum indeeed
Yep, England pwned.
Shane Warne on the Pietersen dismissal: ‘I reject your physics and substitute them with my own’.
Yes the Sth African game was the classic Martyn choke, but it seems that if Australia is ever under pressure you can count on Martyn to get out cheaply. I agree he’s brilliant at punishing an opposition when you have them down and has played some marvelous innings in this role, but if they lose a couple of early wickets Martyn generally folds and the stats generally support this contention.
please note the difference in batting for England between Thursday when they rarely looked in trouble and played their shots and yesterday when they obviously played under brilliant instructions and despite three dodgy decisions only got beaten because of their defensive tactics.
England are shot ducks and the over-hyped series will now less interesting.Stand by for cheap tickets sold by people will pommy accents outside the WACA, MCG and the SCG.
My guess is tickets for the SCG will be so low that the tickets will be sold for a large loss.
Cricket Australia and Channel 9 deserve no less.
Remember the poms are hopeless at the pajama game!
Damien Martyn quits…..hmmmm…one could be forgiven for thinking that after getting out in Adelaide the way he did that the selkectors should have dropped him. Was it pre -emptive? CA said they would have picked him again.
We’ll never know, .50cal, but I’m glad Symonds (Qld’s most popular blackfella) is getting a run. He’s good value, and if he gets going, the sky’s the limit.
Synonds selection as well as the other is a joke.
At test level he can’t bowl or bat as Warney would say.
Pick your best batsman or pick another bowler
Voges is a new one to me…..what’s his form like?
My views on selections is previously stated. I can’t see what Symonds has done to warrant selection….but that useless arseclown Michael Clarke when given an undeserved chance has done everything right maybe Symons will too.
Don’t know much about Voges, have to say, but his stats say he’s made a pile of moo-moo cup runs of late.
I understand he is also a part time spiner, what are the stats on his bowling like?
Time for a third test strand.
I agree with Brett Lee’s assessment of the pitches in Australia
http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200612/s1810262.htm
I’ll set one up tonight, .50cal – that’s when I usually do them.
our pitches look like they have been made by Birdy.
I think JC believes a task force led by Clinton and Keating can make them fast and bouncy again
A knee slapper!!
The adelaide pitch was a road but the England team have no excuses.
I look forward to the third test strand being set up.