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OZGOD
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I hear all this about the pitch but end of day we shouldn't have lost 10 wickets for 80-odd runs and collapse to 160 after being 0-61 at one point. If you look at Strauss and Trott they were doing ok just before stumps.
Don't know about you lot but it's been fucking frustrating as to see how inconsistent our batting lineup is - one day they're making big tons and the next they can't bat for shit against the moving ball. And our bowling - the one time that we actually pick our best four bowlers we end up with a bunsen burner without a specialist spinner!!
I have mixed feelings about having to get up at 5am to see if we can make some early inroads tomorrow...
Don't know about you lot but it's been fucking frustrating as to see how inconsistent our batting lineup is - one day they're making big tons and the next they can't bat for shit against the moving ball. And our bowling - the one time that we actually pick our best four bowlers we end up with a bunsen burner without a specialist spinner!!
I have mixed feelings about having to get up at 5am to see if we can make some early inroads tomorrow...
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Big difference to 4 years ago, when they prepared a road.
Good to have home ground advantage and I can't blame them, but I don't recall any Aussie curator doing that in the past 15 years. They generally try to prepare pitches that will last 5 days, but be difficult to bat on day 4 and 5 - giving a good chance of a result but not doing the match out of 2 days of play. As far as I know they aren't put under any pressure to deliver a certain pitch for the home side.
If (when) England win this game I can't say that I think they deserved the series win like they did 4 years ago. I can't say that Australia necessarily deserves it either, as they have lost crucial moments in this series. A fair result would probably be a drawn series, but England have been a bit lucky with the weather conditions.
Good to have home ground advantage and I can't blame them, but I don't recall any Aussie curator doing that in the past 15 years. They generally try to prepare pitches that will last 5 days, but be difficult to bat on day 4 and 5 - giving a good chance of a result but not doing the match out of 2 days of play. As far as I know they aren't put under any pressure to deliver a certain pitch for the home side.
If (when) England win this game I can't say that I think they deserved the series win like they did 4 years ago. I can't say that Australia necessarily deserves it either, as they have lost crucial moments in this series. A fair result would probably be a drawn series, but England have been a bit lucky with the weather conditions.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
I reckon the selectors knew this was going to happen, and would have seriously thought about bringing back Hauritz, but there would have been a howl of outrage if Clark was dropped and it backfired.
I'm also pretty disappointed in our incosistent batting. Our two major collapses are what is going to lose us this series. The Lords one was due to some poor shots but mostly good bowling, I think this one was more due to some pretty average batting.
I feel Hussey's test career will be over in a few days. Hopefully Hughes to come back in to the side and Watson to drop down to 6 (for as long as he stays fit).
Yeah, piss poor batting effort. Some of our batsmen seem incapable of adjusting to pitch conditions very well. If the ball is seaming around and cutting, why would Watson keep walking in front of his stumps across the crease? Ponting's shot to get out was interesting - an awful lot of bat movement for a backward defensive shot for mine; it was almost like a half-arsed cut shot to a short and close to the body ball.
Anyway, pitch demons or not, they folded like deck chairs. There seems to be very little grit in this team.
To lose this series is really a poor effort. This is not much of a team that England has put out if you look closely at them. Either team from 2005 would have Aus and England for breakfast in this series I reckon.
Unfortunately Hussey looks on the way out - shame, as I really like him, especially his attitude. Watson can just go - for mine he doesn't look to offer any more than some mid range scores.
England? I'm sure their press will trumpet them all as champions and hand out the baubles at the Palace, but beyond Strauss, and some patches of form from each bowler, there aint much there to justify the label.
Anyway, pitch demons or not, they folded like deck chairs. There seems to be very little grit in this team.
To lose this series is really a poor effort. This is not much of a team that England has put out if you look closely at them. Either team from 2005 would have Aus and England for breakfast in this series I reckon.
Unfortunately Hussey looks on the way out - shame, as I really like him, especially his attitude. Watson can just go - for mine he doesn't look to offer any more than some mid range scores.
England? I'm sure their press will trumpet them all as champions and hand out the baubles at the Palace, but beyond Strauss, and some patches of form from each bowler, there aint much there to justify the label.
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OZGOD
Guest
Ponting always looks dodgy at the start of his innings but today he looked really uptight and tense. Which shouldn't have been the case given that the collapse hadn't started yet. That shot he played was terrible. And as for Hussey, he needs a break, he's mentally shot and the hesitancy and uncertainty that he brings with him to the crease is putting enormous pressure on the blokes behind him. He needs to go away and we need to give some other blokes a go, maybe Cal Ferguson, Dave Hussey or even bring back Jaques or Hughes and slot Twatson in the lower middle order where his cowlashing puts less pressure on the team. I reckon Pup is ready to bat at 4 and North looks like a good No.5.
Our next series is against WI A so these blokes can pad their averages and get their shit back together against some mediocre bowling. We lost five wickets to a hack like Broad ffs.
Our next series is against WI A so these blokes can pad their averages and get their shit back together against some mediocre bowling. We lost five wickets to a hack like Broad ffs.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
Agree with everything you say Ozgod. Hussey is such an intense person out in the middle, it is inevitable that any form slump he has will 1. continue until he has a rest and 2. affect others around him. He has been our weakest performer in many tests in the last few years at a time when we have needed him most. We are not a strong enough team any more to be able to afford to carry players through extended form slumps.
IMO it always should have been Hussey that was dropped, and Hughes should have stayed in the team.
IMO it always should have been Hussey that was dropped, and Hughes should have stayed in the team.
O
OZGOD
Guest
Well we are officially fucked. At least we didn't lose any wickets today but geez to bat out 2 more days to try and draw the game...I can't see it happening. We ain't chasing an additional 465 that's for sure.
It's either win or lose, draw isn't an option. If we bat at our usual rate we'll hit the target halfway through day 5. Bookies have us at 4:1, but that's cause poms are pessimistic all the time. I think 10:1 are closer odds, and I reckon we can do it.
Trott never looked like going out, if Katich, Watson, Ponting, Hussey and Clarke manage to not collapse we're in with a shot.
Trott never looked like going out, if Katich, Watson, Ponting, Hussey and Clarke manage to not collapse we're in with a shot.
the gambler
Dave Cowper (27)
Ive gotta admit Ive layed the Aussies as I think 9/2 are just ridiculous odds. We have batted well in the 4th innings previously but surely 550 odd is a bridge too far.
Scotty
David Codey (61)
That innnings should not save Hussey's career. He should still be dropped - he has failed repeatedly when we needed him the most and that should be the deciding factor. Not to mention the fact he ran out Ponting which was more or less ended our chances of chasing down the total.
I hope he sees the light and retires.
I hope he sees the light and retires.
Pfitzy
George Gregan (70)
Ponting and the rest of the selectors should be dropped before anyone else, due to the sheer idiocy of not taking Stuart Clark at the first available opportunity. I can't completely blame Johnson for bowling like an idiot (though its a fair case and no Australian jury would disagree with me) but without having Clark's steady-as-she-goes approach, we failed to shut out England in game one and with our fragile batting, paid the price.
I disagree about Ponting.
He is clearly in the best 6, if not best 2 batsmen in this team and cannot be dropped. The selectors need an uppercut, and I agree he takes some of the blame. I am not convinced anyone else who is good enough to be selected almost automatically has the nous to captain the team yet. We may have to accept we get by with a less dynamic captain than previously.
I am less pissed off than 2005 to be honest, despite this being a mediocre England team compared to both Aus and England in 2005. Maybe it is down to becoming accustomed to Australia's brittle spine of late. I think Ponting summed it up in his speech - if you look at the averages, it is hard to work out how we ended up on the wrong side of the ledger, but he is spot on in saying we lost the key moments (just about all of them).
He is clearly in the best 6, if not best 2 batsmen in this team and cannot be dropped. The selectors need an uppercut, and I agree he takes some of the blame. I am not convinced anyone else who is good enough to be selected almost automatically has the nous to captain the team yet. We may have to accept we get by with a less dynamic captain than previously.
I am less pissed off than 2005 to be honest, despite this being a mediocre England team compared to both Aus and England in 2005. Maybe it is down to becoming accustomed to Australia's brittle spine of late. I think Ponting summed it up in his speech - if you look at the averages, it is hard to work out how we ended up on the wrong side of the ledger, but he is spot on in saying we lost the key moments (just about all of them).
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