[rich d]

Just rubbish, England seemed to be in even more of a rush for the test and series to end than Australia. Gave the impression of I'm a cricketer out of form get me out of here

[DaveC]

I have to disagree, I think that taking 50ish off 3 overs of well played shots does show that Lyons isn't very good. Our problem was that for most of the series our batters were scared of him for no real reason.

1. I don't think it was Lyon they were scared of.
2. Most people here are well aware that the Oz team has some serious weaknesses (particularly the top order batting) but they were still good enough to win this series 5-0 so who do you think actually gives a shit?
3. If Sth Africa beat us 3-0 then we can only wonder at the level of destruction Steyn et al would wreak on England in their present condition.
4. If hitting a few sixes at the end shows how crap Lyon's bowling is then what does Anderson getting clubbed for 28 off an over by Bailey (Austalia's least impressive batsman btw) say about his bowling then?

Hope you're enjoying your stay in Sydney btw, the weather is definitely better there than either back home or down here in Victarctica.

[GraemeA]

1. I don't think it was Lyon they were scared of.

They were scared of anyone in a baggy cap, I get the feeling that if I had put a baggie cap on then I could have got a wicket.

2. Most people here are well aware that the Oz team has some serious weaknesses (particularly the top order batting) but they were still good enough to win this series 5-0 so who do you think actually gives a shit?

I can only live in hope that your selectors think that you have a great team and stick with it. Once you have stopped reveling in the outrageously easy victory over the worst English performance for many, many years, you might see that you won because we were so fucking shit not because you were good. FFS Dave we were running scared of Watson's bowling, how many dot balls did he bowl, millions I think and he is a distinctly average bowler (and batter!)

3. If Sth Africa beat us 3-0 then we can only wonder at the level of destruction Steyn et al would wreak on England in their present condition.

They would destroy us, just like you did.

4. If hitting a few sixes at the end shows how crap Lyon's bowling is then what does Anderson getting clubbed for 28 off an over by Bailey (Austalia's least impressive batsman btw) say about his bowling then?

It says that at times Jimmy was absolutely crap, I suspect more because England had no Plan B. But Jimmy has a long history of being very good, Lyons hasn't. But if you and the rest of Oz want to think that Lyons is good and stick with him then go with it. History will show Jimmy is a very good bowler over many years, I doubt history will say the same for Lyons.

Hope you're enjoying your stay in Sydney btw, the weather is definitely better there than either back home or down here in Victarctica.

Off to Nowra and the coast tomorrow for a few days then back to Sydney for the weekend. Having a great time apart from the cricket.

[GraemeA]

Not much to cheer about Down Under but this might raise the spirits a tiny bit.

http://www.cricket.com.au/video/Jordan-stunner-gets-Warner

[Jaspersharpe]

At least we've got this one day game sewn up.......... er.....

   

[DaveC]

Am I reading that right? England had Australia at 244/9 chasing 301 with 6 overs left and lost? 

[GraemeA]

Yep you are reading it right. Un-fucking-believable

[JackAus]

Yeah Faulkner did a brilliant job... 69 off 47(ish) with 3 4s and 4 sixes....
Very good to watch..

[butters]

Nice interview with Lord Selvey about where England go from here as a Test team here. Pretty much on the money really.

[JackAus]

So... 12-1 for the tour. How's the reaction over there?

[butters]

It was 5-0 in the test series which is all that counts though unfortunately not in our favour. The rest that make up that embarrassing scoreline, which includes our solitary win, is inconsequential bollocks and therefore not of interest at least to me.   

[Richie Crouch]

I thin everyone has written it off as a rather poor tour and hoping for some change at the top and in the squad. Thought Broad and Stokes to a lesser extent did well. Jordan looks promising too.

It's going to be a long way back!

[DaveC]

I see Pieterson is the latest casualty of the tour. It was pretty obvious that something was up with KP from the very start of the tour, Peter Siddle is a much underrated bowler by many but a batsman of Pieterson's calibre should not be falling to his likes as often as he did early on in this series. I suspect he has continued to pay for the business of texting players in the SAf rooms during that series a couple of years back, I don't care how good he is, backchatting your captain to the opposition should be, in cricketing terms, an immediate capital offense and I can't help but think some of the other England players must have thought the same. 

[butters]

From the Mike Selvey article on the Guardian this morning:

"The events of 2012 have been raked over and the truce, particularly with Andy Flower, was never an easy one, although they managed a professional working relationship. The decision of Strauss to retire was crucial to this for, had he stayed, it is unlikely that Pietersen would have been selected again on the back of such disrespect for his team and captain.

Instead Cook, as the new captain, championed his cause and Pietersen was retained. That Cook has undergone such a change of mind since is as telling as anything."

[Jaspersharpe]

Good article about the Pietersen situation from cricinfo:

The end of the Pietersen project - http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/716471.html

[Sloper]

Bloody hell, where are you going to find another Saffa with the same talent?

[DaveC]

I think that you over estimate your own bowlers and unless the Saffers totally implode like we did your bowling will suffer at the hands of the likes of Amla. I fully expect 3-0 to the Saffers 

 :jab:http://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/mitchell-johnson-unstoppable-as-australia-thrash-south-africa-to-take-series-lead-20140215-32t4p.html 

I should point out that this result is almost as big a shock to many here in Oz as it would have been to South Africa. Whatever they're feeding Mitchell Johnson for breakfast these days, can I have some too please?
 

[GraemeA]

https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/t1/1525605_10151867095183479_489071403_n.jpg

Me eating humble pie on Oz on NYE, I am having some more now

[rich d]

He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, turns out, that Mitchell Johnson his bowling is alright!

Who'd have guessed, maybe the English batsmen aren't quite as ready for the scrap heap as we all jumped to the conclusion of.

In relation to Peterson, he might be a disruptive, argumentative knob, but he's the best batsman we've got. I think, the lack of being able to manage Peterson is more of an issue than his behaviour. In the words of sir Geoff, they don't want me but they want my runs. Waiting to see him bat at Trent bridge in the test 2 years ago is the most excited I've been at a cricket match for some time, obviously he then gave his wicket away cheaply, but that potential and anticipation, genius is what we need.

[Percy B]

Thats one of the better photos I've seen of Graeme

[Jaspersharpe]

He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, turns out, that Mitchell Johnson his bowling is alright!

Who'd have guessed, maybe the English batsmen aren't quite as ready for the scrap heap as we all jumped to the conclusion of.

In relation to Peterson, he might be a disruptive, argumentative knob, but he's the best batsman we've got. I think, the lack of being able to manage Peterson is more of an issue than his behaviour. In the words of sir Geoff, they don't want me but they want my runs. Waiting to see him bat at Trent bridge in the test 2 years ago is the most excited I've been at a cricket match for some time, obviously he then gave his wicket away cheaply, but that potential and anticipation, genius is what we need.

I know what you mean and that was my knee jerk reaction. But if you look at KP's stats in the last 18 months and then consider the knee injury and his age..... Time to let it go maybe. Or definitely.

Re Mitchell Johnson. I think it's great. One, it proves it wasn't just us being useless in the last series and two, despite the fact that he's Australian, who doesn't love a comeback story?

From laughing stock to best fast bowler in the World (fuck the stats, even the Saffas are saying it) in a matter of months. Fair play lad. Plus it's nice to see someone terrifying batsmen with genuine pace whichever team they're playing for.

[JackAus]

Plus it's nice to see someone terrifying batsmen with genuine pace whichever team they're playing for.

This. Definitely this. I miss the days of Bret Lee bowling his slow ball at 150kmh....

[GraemeA]

Hopefully normal service has been resumed 

http://www.espncricinfo.com/south-africa-v-australia-2013-14/engine/match/648675.html

A stupendously bad collapse in the 2nd innings.

[GraemeA]

Very tense finish in Cape Town. The Saffers are holding out for the draw. 2 wickets left and 34 balls to go.

This partnership has lasted 14.2 overs so far!

[GraemeA]

The Cons get the win, and the series