: Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:25 pm  

Oh, and just to cheer us all up Australia's women are 70-5 on the first day of their Ashes test against England.

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:26 pm  

Anyone remember the 5th Test in 05?

We batted first and score around 365, Australia then batted and were about 270-1 and eventually finished one run short of England's total after losing the next 9 wickets for about 100.

Another wicket just after lunch and England will be back in the game.

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:27 pm  

PAUL M wrote:

Anyone remember the 5th Test in 05?

We batted first and score around 365, Australia then batted and were about 270-1 and eventually finished one run short of England's total after losing the next 9 wickets for about 100.

Another wicket just after lunch and England will be back in the game.

I can remember what an absolute cack handed job England made of batting second time around as well, only to be rescued by Pietersen...

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:36 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

I can remember what an absolute cack handed job England made of batting second time around as well, only to be rescued by Pietersen...

Yup, Freddie and KP saved us that game.

[Kosh]

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 12:49 pm  

Andy Gilder wrote:

He's a sheep farmer from Bingley FFS, it's not like he has a branch of Nicky Clarke on his doorstep to keep it neatly trimmed.

I don't expect him to be neatly coiffured, but he looked as if someone had just hooked him up to a Van de Graaff generator and left him there all night.

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 1:00 pm  

Anyone like to guess at how many "told you so"s we would have heard if Steve Harmison had bowled like Broad has...?

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 2:50 pm  

Can't see the Aussies getting less than 650 now.Luckily for us the weather forcast for the weekend isn't good or we would be starting another ashes series by losing the 1st test.

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:03 pm  

Agree with you Andy but you will get people saying its the pressure he still young. The fact is hes been a test match bowler for nearly 3 year now and bowling like this is shocking.

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:12 pm  

He's been awful with the ball Broad. The thing with him is once it doesn't swing at all he just feeds the batsman easy runs. He bowls a lengh that just sits up nice and easy for the batsmen and they've hammered him.

Swann is another who has really struggled and doesn't seem confident at all which is suprising considering how well his test career has started.

I still say at the end of the day the Aussies are just making the runs that England should have made. They have valued their wickets unlike our men(as per usual) and have played sensible cricket.

England should have made 600+ on this pitch and if they go on to lose the reason they will have is because of the likes of Cook, Bopara and especially KP have given their wickets away.

Our hope of saving the test now is the rain forcast for tomorrow and the fact that their attack isn't 'all that'. It's pressure that will hurt us not their bowlers.

: Fri Jul 10, 2009 3:28 pm  

Australia 900 for 3.