The Ashes!

[The Nomad]

Quite..
Day 1 even
Day 2 morning advantage Australia
Day 2 close even
Day 3 morning advantage England
Day 3 close slight advantage Australia.

I say slight advantage as obviously Australia are batting last, which is never easy in test conditions.

Can't help but feel those two need to put on a ton plus in the morning if England to have ANY chance of an outside win. However you'd have to say its around a 5% chance at the moment. I'd be favouring a conservative approach from these two, and try and get out of town with a draw.

 

[Ryan]

Root gone just before lunch. England in big trouble.

They need to give Australia 225 to chase I reckon. This pitch is holding up well.

 

[The Nomad]

They should just shake hands now and take the L.

 

[Ryan]

Australia to come back in the morning to finish the job off and take the first test.

As I suspected before day 1, England are just gonna struggle to take 20 wickets because beyond broad and Anderson they have nothing.

 

[Oliver Twist]

The difference in this series may well come down to the runs the Aussie tail gets. That, and the lack of runs the England tail may offer.

 

[King Emlyn]

Disappointing but not surprising

 

[Red Astaire]

Yeah well played Australia. They've got it in the bag. No worries. Onwards to the next test.

 

[Roopy]

We got this one in the bag now, 1-0 Aussies.

I went to Day 3 - Broad an Anderson bowled really well - restricted the run flow with bouncers and picked up 2 early wickets.

This is when England should have gone for the kill with proper wicket taking bowling - but instead they persisted with bouncers at the tail enders.

This cost them the Test - they should have bowled out Australia and gone into their 2nd innings with a lead of 50-80 runs.

 

[Ryan]

I hope they bring Stokes out soon, cos it's gonna be a long summer watching Ball and Woakes dish up all-you-can-eat buffet specials.

 

[Ryan]

Australia win the 1st test by 10 wickets, with Warner and Bancroft cruising into form.

Question for the English followers – do you have any decent quicks in depth? I don’t follow county cricket, so was wondering there’s anyone you could bring in ahead of Ball, Woakes, etc?

 

[The Nomad]

Australia win the 1st test by 10 wickets, with Warner and Bancroft cruising into form.

Question for the English followers – do you have any decent quicks in depth? I don’t follow county cricket, so was wondering there’s anyone you could bring in ahead of Ball, Woakes, etc?

Wood and Stokes would be a shoe in if the former was fit and the latter didn't decide to be a hero in a bar.

 

[Oliver Twist]

Australia win the 1st test by 10 wickets, with Warner and Bancroft cruising into form.

Question for the English followers – do you have any decent quicks in depth? I don’t follow county cricket, so was wondering there’s anyone you could bring in ahead of Ball, Woakes, etc?

Stokes for Ball with a fully fit Ali and that's a very good attack.

 

[Ryan]

Mitchell Starc bowling in the nets.

Sweet shit!

 

[Mersey86]

I wonder whether Ballance for Ball would be worthwhile ... and maybe Curran for Woakes. Those 2 bowlers posed little threat. Use Vince to fill in a few overs.

 

[Ryan]

England win the toss at Adelaide and send Australia in to bat. Cloudy day, talk of swing, gonna be fascinating.

Key for Aus is to see off broad and Anderson early.

 

[Ryan]

Inauspicious start from England’s quicks here. Any danger of them bowling at the stumps??

 

[Ryan]

Warner barbecues Bancroft for an awful run out, then gets done shy of his 50. English players letting him know about it and rightly so.

Aside from that Australia are coasting. Poor captaincy thus far from Root.

 

[Oliver Twist]

Fair dinkum, Ryan.

 

[Ryan]

Smith averaging 72 in his 28 tests as captain.

Bloke is a phenomenon.

 

[Ryan]

Overton gets Smith on debut! Good for him.

Game on now.

 

[kingjulian]

Ryan scores one for team England

 

[Oliver Twist]

That'll fuck ya average, Smith

 

[Oliver Twist]

Smith averaging 72 in his 28 tests as captain.

Bloke is a phenomenon.

Indeed. And seems a fairly good bloke to boot.

 

[Portly]

Fuck off Smith you massive cunt.

 

[Oliver Twist]

Key moment in the series, this. Roll Aus for <250 and England would seemingly be very well placed.

 

[Ryan]

Overton the pick of the English bowlers here. Consistent line and length and getting it to nip back in.

How did England pick Ball ahead of him?

 

[Ryan]

Key moment in the series, this. Roll Aus for <250 and England would seemingly be very well placed.

I’d be surprised if Australia don’t make at least 300.

 

[Oliver Twist]

I’d be surprised if Australia don’t make at least 300.

So would I.

 

[jon545660]

Indeed. And seems a fairly good bloke to boot.

Fuck off Smith you massive cunt.

I sense a slight difference of opinion here.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Awesome record broken in SA ... not starting a new thread but as all the cricket fans are here:

[article]Border batsman Marco Marais earned himself a slice of cricketing history at East London last week, by crashing his way to the fastest first-class triple-century, for Border against Eastern Province.

"I don't think anyone actually thinks they are going to get 300," Marais told The Daily Dispatch after making an unbeaten 300 off 191 balls. "Before the season started I was targeting over 500 first-class runs and I have already passed that, so now I am going to have to make new goals for myself for the rest of the season."

Not only did Marais achieve a career-first triple-century but he broke a record that has stood for 96 years. Australia's Charles Macartney's triple-hundred came off 221 balls against Nottinghamshire in 1921. He went on to finish on 345.

Marais may well have surpassed Macartney's score at Buffalo Park but Border called time on his innings as soon he reached the triple-century. They declared on 512 for 4, bowled their provincial rivals Eastern Province out for 212 and were 66 for 2 in response.

Though the match was not won, Marais will claim a personal victory after an innings which featured 35 fours and 13 sixes and featured a record fifth-wicket stand of 428. He hopes the innings can provide a stepping stone to break into the Warriors franchise side.[/article]