[SA Chris]

Pity Falling Down with his ticket for today's play

[Falling Down]

Had my linens pressed too....

C'est la vie. 

Off for a bike ride instead.

[SA Chris]

linens should go well with the brompton.

[butters]

Just a little  to add. You guys on here really should stop worrying about your batting line-up, somebody has stepped up in both test matches at crucial times and played the innings that was needed. Even better, you have some good players around the counties able to step up if somebody has a prolonged slump,  Take a look back at the great Australian teams from 1989 to 2003 (as many of us over here do.... ) and you'll find it was exactly the same, you just need one or two of your batsmen - any one or two will do - to fire each time and then your bowlers have something to work with...and your bowling line-up doesn't need that much to work with in it's current form.

It is not so much the line up that I have issues with as the inconsistency that seems to be prevalent especially in the first innings - most of them get in but fail to kick on from there. Having said that they do have another seven tests against the Aussies to correct this.   

[DaveC]

... they do have another seven tests against the Aussies... 

You can imagine how well that is going down over here at the moment....

[rich d]

I think the reason we're moaning about the lack of consistency is that we're looking at the bigger picture and we'd like to be back to number 1 in the world. To beat south africa and the sub continent teams on their home pitches we'll need our big batters scoring runs, you know playing proper teams, who have decent sides with decent batting, not like Australia (are you Holland in disguise?) who are doing their best to get demoted to a second tier test nation.

[Falling Down]

linens should go well with the brompton.

 

[tomtom]

linens should go well with the brompton.

 

:D superb....

I now have an image of FD leaning on his Brompton, in his whites, 50's shades on and with a glass of Pimms in one hand

[SA Chris]

And WWA's Straight Outta Brompton on his oversize headphones.

[butters]

I think the reason we're moaning about the lack of consistency is that we're looking at the bigger picture and we'd like to be back to number 1 in the world. To beat south africa and the sub continent teams on their home pitches we'll need our big batters scoring runs

The sub continent part has been taken care of to a degree following the caning we took against Pakistan and the first test in India - it had been a long time since we had played in that part of the world and it took a while for the mindset to change. Scoring at 3 or 4 an over is simply not going to happen and you have to bat patiently. Unfortunately we are probably a  few years away from playing either of those teams again on their home grounds so whether those lessons stay stuck in the mind is another matter but the core of the team is young enough to still be together for the next tour so hopefully we will be OK.

SA at home should (in theory at least) be a touch easier as it is a similar sort of pitch to what we are used to and once Kallis retires they are going to have a big issue balancing the batting\bowling as he has been phenomenal for years now in that all rounder role he plays. Arguably they should also look to add a decent spinner to their side as well but they got to number one and won somewhere on the subcontinent in the last year without one so that is a bit of a moot point really. 

[SA Chris]

Failing a decent spinner, they should bring back Paul Adams. Just to confound batsmen again.

[Jaspersharpe]

Good article about Stuart Broad:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2013/jul/29/england-stuart-broad-ashes

I like Broad for a lot of the reasons it seems other people don't. Surely just the fact that he winds Australia up so much should make him a national treasure.  Remember this?



Love this from the comments too.....

I take absolutely no notice of anything the disingenuous Aussies say and any Englishman who does is tantamount to a traitor in my book. And you know we do with them.

 

[Richie Crouch]

Looks like England may require the weather to come to the rescue this weekend!

[rich d]

It'll probably be pissing it down all down Sunday, when we've got tickets.

[Jaspersharpe]

Could have done without that daft decision/non review of the Bresnan wicket.

Still think we can dig in tomorrow though and if we bat all day and into Sunday who knows!?

I realise this looks unlikely at the moment.....

[rich d]

If cook can get through this virus and bat to his potential on a flat pitch we could rack up a very very decent score. Knock the Aussies over cheaply Sunday pm and evening when I'm trolled and singing then pop the runs off on Monday. Happy days!

[butters]

Swann* was saying tonight that the game gets a whole lot harder when the ball softens up and Clarke said something along those lines as well. As long as we don't lose a couple of cheap wickets early on tomorrow it is probably going to be a slow day at the test.

*He also said on Radio 5 that England would bat all day tomorrow, take the lead and then win the test but I have a bit less faith in that statement

[rich d]

But remember sir geoff's granny could bat on that pitch with a stick of rhubarb.

[Grubes]

What I want today is a shit load of rain and an incredibly boring test. Just dig in and draw the match. Retain the ashes

[tomtom]

Australia's only way to win this match (looking at the apocalyptic forecast for Monday) is knock England out cheap and enforce a follow on. I think from lunchtime yesterday it became clear Englands best hope was a draw...

Still stranger things have happened....

[Jaspersharpe]

If we can get those last 34 runs tomorrow morning then surely it'll be a draw. If not....

[butters]

Talk on TMS was that since the draw is no good for Australia they could bat again and allow Clarke to make a very enticing declaration giving England something to aim at and gamble on not losing 10 wickets in the process.   

[Moo]

I think Cook is just too smart to try and play for anything but a draw now. It's been written on the wall since end of play day 2 if you ask me.

 The only way we can hope to win is via an absolute batting collapse by the Aussies, which is not out of the question.

[Jaspersharpe]

I agree. Why go for the glory of 5-0 (shut up Beefy!) when this test has proved they're actually in it. Grind out the draw and we've retained the Ashes.

I reckon Australia would be insane not to enforce the follow on when Monday looks like it could be a washout and I may be alone on this but I think these 34 runs are crucial.

They won't have time to win otherwise. Weather forecast incorrectness notwithstanding.

[Moo]

Ooooooo cheeky early wicket getting my hopes up.