[DaveC]

OK, if you're getting up bright and early to look at the cricket and you haven't done so already, STOP.......!!!  ...unless you happen to be a Mitchell Johnson fan...

[rich d]

All out or a rubbish score again. But why didn't Australia enforce the follow on? It doesn't look like we'll post a score in the entire series, if we can't even bad on this pitch. Still I enjoyed beating Australia over the last few years, back to normality I suppose.

[Moo]

Bollocks

[Grubes]

It may of been over now if they enforced the follow on. I guess they want our bowlers tired for the rest of the tour.

[shurt]

Missed this thread but it is with great sorrow I post. It's back to the dark ages with the batting collapses. I'm up all night with a teething 9 month yr old and am at the point where I fear checking the text updates on my phone. I did last night at about 5am and just though 'series over'.
It's sad because there's no reason cook, p'son etc shouldn't have been aboe to fill their boots on this pitch. They've all lost the faith

[Jaspersharpe]

We need to clone Ian Bell.

[tomtom]

We need to clone Ian Bell.

Better of cloning Mitchell Johnson in a UK lab

[Jaspersharpe]

Johnson isn't anywhere near as good a bowler as we're making him look. Fair play though, he's fucking quick.

As mentioned, he's a confidence player and right from the first innings where he made 50 odd he's had his tail up. With the pathetic batting we're serving up it's hardly surprising that his confidence is now sky high and he's being made to look like McGrath.

[JackAus]

So stumps on day 4 England is 6/247... Trailing by 283 runs. This is going pretty well for us...

[rich d]

So we've lost the toss. There goes the ashes.

 

[Richie Crouch]

It was all looking so promising when we had them 140-something for 5... Another ass whooping coming up!

[Dolly]

Commentators on SKY and TMS were saying that Cook's captaincy shows no urgency/incision or willingness to try something different - in sharp contrast to Clarke
Have to agree in the few overs I watched/listened to

[Jaspersharpe]

It was all looking so promising when we had them 140-something for 5... Another ass whooping coming up!

Same old story!

[rich d]

supposedly 300 isn't a bad score on this pitch either!! it's looked a decent batting pitch so far as well. Obviously that'll change when our lot get out in the middle. (I still don't rate Mitchell Johnson, but unfortunately our batting has looked shot)

[JackAus]

It was all looking so promising when we had them 140-something for 5... Another ass whooping coming up!

I was in a pub in a very small town (population of about 12 people...) and saw that wicket. Finished my beer and left in disgust...

[rich d]

found out yesterday that there's an hour's worth of highlights (maybe lowlights) on pick tv (freeview and free sky) for those of us not paying for sky sports.

[Jaspersharpe]

supposedly 300 isn't a bad score on this pitch either!! it's looked a decent batting pitch so far as well. Obviously that'll change when our lot get out in the middle. (I still don't rate Mitchell Johnson, but unfortunately our batting has looked shot)

It's fucking depressing. School nativity dress rehearsal today is going to have a really pissed off narrator.

[rich d]

supposedly 300 isn't a bad score on this pitch either!! it's looked a decent batting pitch so far as well. Obviously that'll change when our lot get out in the middle. (I still don't rate Mitchell Johnson, but unfortunately our batting has looked shot)

It's fucking depressing. School nativity dress rehearsal today is going to have a really pissed off narrator.

why is Dense doing it?

[SA Chris]

I would pay to see that. Would make BBT in Bad Santa seem cheerful.

[Grubes]

Commentators on SKY and TMS were saying that Cook's captaincy shows no urgency/incision or willingness to try something different

This was the same issue in the summer.
The score line might of been comprehensive but the tests were not.

[shurt]

Commentators on SKY and TMS were saying that Cook's captaincy shows no urgency/incision or willingness to try something different

This was the same issue in the summer.
The score line might of been comprehensive but the tests were not.

+1

Cook can be quite a passive captain. Clarke is far more decisive, he tries to change things to make stuff happen rather than just wait for the bowlers to do their stuff. Fine if Broad and Anderson are doing the business but not if they are tired and not firing on all cylinders.

[rich d]

I don't think Cook's captaincy is really the problem. Anderson and Swann were the two best bowlers in the world, but obviously not at them moment, so his tactic like anybody else's was to throw the ballot them - however I don't think it really matters what he does with the ball when the top and middle order give absolutely nothing to ball at. 

[Dolly]

But there were only 2 fielders within 50 yards of the bat.
Just means that batsmen can fluff a shot with no consequence


Cos I know loads about captaining a test side and all that

[rich d]

But there were only 2 fielders within 50 yards of the bat.
Just means that batsmen can fluff a shot with no consequence


Cos I know loads about captaining a test side and all that

to be fair, at least you've seen it, I've only seen the score cards until I watch the highlights tonight.

[shurt]

But there were only 2 fielders within 50 yards of the bat.
Just means that batsmen can fluff a shot with no consequence


Cos I know loads about captaining a test side and all that

to be fair, at least you've seen it, I've only seen the score cards until I watch the highlights tonight.

Fair enough the batsmen have to turn up but Clarke does that great thing of using a constantly changing field to put pressure on and putting doubt in the batsmans mind. It's another element that over 5 days can swing a game in your favour. I don't see Cook doing that much.