Category: Sports Bar
Well the first ashes test starts today at Lord’s so I thought it only appropriate that we should get a bit of England/ausi rivalry going here! England’s good form against the ausi’s, and more importantly Australia’s bad form recently have led the English to hope that maybe, just maybe, we can bring home the ashes for the first time since 1989! We’ve got a lot of work to do though – England haven’t beaten Australia at Lord’s since 1934! So … come on the English, let’s get positive and hope that the ashes will be ours! And come on the ausi’s if you dare!
Gon on Australia! show these amateurs how cricket is supposed to be played....
England win the ashes? yeah right! The only way that'll happen is if Australia don't turn up to play.
Hmm we shall see how often have England been hammered at Cricket. I seem to recall a small Scottish team from Fruchie, who went to Lords and murdered the English when no one expected the Scots to score at all.
England were bowled out for 155 in reply to Australia's 190.
yes well it's unfortunate, but there are still 4 tests to go so we shall not give up hope. oh and goblin maybe the reason you're supporting the ausi's is cause the scots aren't actually any good at anything, *grins*.
Rub it in Aussies!
hehehehehe we shall not give up yet. one down doesn't mean totally defeated! bit sad that someone has to support another country because his country has nothing going for it
well well well. 2 matches down, and the series is all square again. actually as an english supporter threw and threw i do have to take my hat off to the ausy tail enders this morning though. what a fantastic finish! bret lee and shane warn both did there bit and they came agonisingly close to nicking the game this morning! they didn't manage it though and now on to the next test! come on england! it can happen!
keep dreaming!
coool!
Well, what a game of cricket we did see for the second test. $00 runs in the first innings on the first day. has that ever happened to australia before? I don't think so. Then, to be bowled out for a hundred runs short on first innings, well, the ausies show that they don't have it all their own way. and then welll, great bowling from both sides in the 3rd and 4th innings. but over all, while I agree with you dan, that Warn and Lee batted brilliantly, the game really was Freddie's. he played in a similar fashion to that displayed by one Sir Ian Botham in '81, so could this series work out and become Flintoff's ashes? lets hope so, I'm excited and really looking forward to old trafford on thursday.
bugger, that was meant to be 400 runs. lol
and now Brett Lee is out for the next test and the ausi's are worried!
I don't know that it's been confirmed yet. He's still in hospital with a swollen knee, but it hasn't yet been said he's not fit. they are worried though as they've called up another bowler.
Well, end of the first day third test, and England are in another promising position. I think 341 for 5, with one wicket being the night watchman Hoggard. I just hope that flintoff and bell can take us on tomorrow to a big total. I guess the surprise was that both lee and Mcgrath were in the team, as fit to play. I just hope that by innings 3 they're both feling the pain that they came back a little early, and we can make them sufer. lol so, let's hear it for England and keep our fingers crossed, if we could go 2, 1, up in the series, it would be brilliant.
well australia are 133 for 3 on the final day - let's hope that they can bowl out the ausi's before too long and take the series lead.
Well Claire, another of those awful days. I don't know I can handle another 2 tests like that. I sat listening, right until the end, where we came so close again, but not close enough. Flintoff again for me was brilliant, and if only he could have just taken that final wicket. Now we wait until thursday week for the 4th test at Trent bridge. Will there be changes? we'll have to wait and see.
well, 4th test starts today, and england are batting well so far. We have to win one of the next two tests because a draw will mean the ausi's will retain the ashes.
We have to win one and at least draw the other to win the series, a drawn series means that the Ausies retain the ashes, and we don't need that. But we have one possative already, that Glen Mcgrath was considered unfit, and so doesn't play again. Their bowling so far has been poor, with a lot of no balls. Lets keep our fingers crossed, though I could do with it not being as tight as the last 2.
Well, I guess if things keep going as they have done, and it doesn't rain too much, it shouldn't be as close as the last 2. Wow! what a day again. A great century by Freddie, probably in my opinion one of his most mature and better innings. and then after being all out for 477 we have them on the ropes again, at 99 for 5. Lets just hope Gilcrist doesn't manage to make a mockery of us tomorrow.
allow me to refresh everybodies memories as to something that KT posted earlier on in this thread. he stated, "England win the ashes? yeah right! The only way that'll happen is if Australia don't turn up to play.".
a question kt if you are still brave enough to read this board, would you care to publically eat some humble pie?
the ausy's, whom you claimed only had to turn up to retain the ashes, now desperately need to win the last match at the oval just to tie the series and keep them.
go england!
I don't know that I ever felt confident enough to believe that England could win this series, and there's still a chance we won't, but the minimum we get now is a drawn series. I think that's one hell of an achievement. In parts we still have a young side with room for improvement and developement. Go England, lets hope we win the toss at the oval Thursday week, and get the best chance of winning the series, and the ashes.
I have to say, I'm amazed, pleasantly so, that we've got this far. Regardless if we win or not, which I hope we do, an achievement's still an achievment.
Well, it's the day we've been waiting for, the first day of the final test. As long as we England don't lose, the Ashes will come home. I have to confess, that I don't have a good feeling about this, maybe it's that brit negativity, but well, the 2 we won were 2 that Mcgrath didn't play in. Yes a draw is enough, but well, we'll have to wait. I don't know if I can handle a close match like the last 3, so maybe I'll just pray for plenty of rain. lol Good luck England, Let's get them.
frankly at this stage i don't care. i'll take the rain! hehehehe. no seriously, we've been the better side through out this series with the acception of the first test so lets just hope we can pull out one more big performance. come on england!
Well, I'm struggling here, it's tea-time on the final day of the ashes. It's close, England have a lead of 227 but only have 3 wickets left. It's getting like a 1 day match, and as close as the last 3 tests have been. I'm not sure I can cope, it really is tough to listen to.
i too am still listening! this is seriously difficult. at the end of the last 3 tests i've been left wondering how much more of this tention can i take. i had hoped that this final test would be nice and comfortable! i guess that just wasn't ever going to happen! lol. keep going england. we've nearly nearly got the ashes back!
Yayayayayayayayayayayayayy!!!!! We did it!!!!
Well, We did it, I don't know if I quite believe it yet. So, another tense finish, but England did it, Peterson for me came of age and played an awesome innings of 158 on a day when it looked like it could be Shane Warn's day. Freddie for me has been the man of the series, having done so well with the bat and ball. I'm just glad we get a bit of rest now before they travel to Pakistan for the winter. Oh, and while we beat the best in the world, we aren't number one, I think we need to go and beat them in australia, retain the ashes before we have that crown, but it's been a great summer, better than I anticipated.
well. what a fantastic series of cricket. in many ways i'm glad it's over though. i know that lots of people don't really understand the appeal of a sport where a game can last up to 5 days! but this last 5 test matches between 2 great sides will have done a lot to convert many previous doubters as to the greatness of cricket. there's just something indescribably excruciating about having your nerves stretched and stretched until you really aren't sure how much more you can bare!
i know that kev has already mentioned Pietersen's brilliant innings on the final day but a word here to for Ashley Giles who came to the crease while things were still awkwardly balanced and went on to score an impressive 59 runs, including a century partnership with kevin Pietersen to help make sure we didn't lose the game. that is his highest ever score in a test match and what a day to pull it out of the bag.
i offer my commiseration's to the australians of course. it is hard to stomach losing especially when you have arguably the world's best bowler in shane warne. he performed magnificently threw out the series. incidentally his hall of 40 wickets over this 5 test matches also sets a new world record. players have taken more wickets before, however they were in 6 match series so hats off to warne.
so finally the excitement has come to an end. now i can go and lay down and sleep it off while in my wake filled hours enjoying the fact that ... England have the ashes back!
I just thought I'd chuck this little lot together for any of you anoraks out there who are really into statistics such as myself.
here are the top 10 batsmen of the series going purely on runs scored.
1. Kevin Pietersen. Who scored 473 runs in total with a top score of 158.
2. Marcus Trescothick. 431 runs scored, top score of 90.
3. Big Freddie Flintoff. 402 runs scored top scoring with 102.
4. Justin Langer. 394 runs totaled with a top score of 105.
5. Andrew Strauss. 393 runs in total with a top score of 129.
6. Ricky Ponting. 359 runs scored with a best of 156.
7. Michael Clarke. With a total of 335 runs and a top score of 91.
8. Michael Vaughan. A total of 326 runs and a top score of 166.
9. Matthew Hayden. In all 318 runs scored with a best score of 138.
10. Shane Warne. 249 runs scored over the series with a top score of 90.
again purely on wickets taken over the 5 matches here are the best 6 bowlers.
1. Shane Warne. 40 wickets taken at an average of 19.92.
2. Freddie Flintoff. he claimed 24 wickets at an average of 27.29.
3. Brett Lee. 20 wickets for an average of 41.10 runs.
4. Glen McGrath. 19 wickets claimed over the series at an average of 23.15.
5. Simon Jones. 18 wickets taken averaging 21.00.
6. Steve Harmison. 17 wickets taken at an average of 32.29.
On that note, I shall anorak off.
thank you Dan, It's good to be able to look at this and see it in context. We out batted the ausies quite considerably with 4 out or the top 5 run scorers in the series. it's more difficult to compair the bowlers without looking more carefullly because while they had more who took more wickets, some of ours took less at a greater average, which is often the way it's worked out. Now I'm rambling, but I feel like I've had a drug induced sleep because it's all over, and we can rest easy now. You're also right about Jiles, the King of Spain, how could I forget to mention him. Also, Freddie and Hoggie's bowling on day 4, without that period of bowling from the 2, we'd have been staring down the barrel of a chase to even make the ausie's bat again. Oh, I can't wait for the next lot now. I just hope I can find commentary on the series between Australia and the rest of the world now in October.