2006 Ashes

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Well if the English can't bat, then how come they all have batting averages in the high 40s or over 50 then? The NZ batsmen can barely make it to 40.

 

I doubt that many of our batsmen average over 30 against Australia. Only Pietersen seems to thrive on the challenge, everyone else think they need to play differently to how they usually do. Strauss thinks he needs to up his strike rate, and some others seem to think they need to try and occupy the crease for ages.

Told you Monty can bat a little.

[ December 15, 2006, 08:02: Message edited by: Barmy Army ]

 

Well they are scoring heavily against *somebody* then.

Ah, you've got to love a last wicket partnership.

 

Highest partnership of our innings. The top order should hang their heads when they're beaten by the 10th wicket.

Woohoo Hoggy cleans up Langer with the first ball of the day. Right on the money straight away. Proper castled. Great start.

[ December 15, 2006, 08:31: Message edited by: Barmy Army ]

 

Gee, Panasar could bat - he's coped a bit of flak about that in our newspapers, but answered it nicely. Based on his score in relation to the rest of the team he could be batting in at 4 (McGrath would love to achieve this).
Straus was unlucky in his dismissal, that ball didn't touch him. Handled it well though.

 

A decent start to the bowling followed by really ominous batting by the Aussies . When Ponting gets his eye in, he's just impossible to get out, and he scores heavily whilst he's at the crease. Bit worrying that Hoggard struggled a bit with his bunny Hayden...

 

After watching it for the last 2 days, I have decided that this is one of the best matches I have every seen. I thought England would cream us after our pitiful start but when your 2 lowest players on the batting lineup outscore all but 2 of your top order and all-rounder batsmen and put on the biggest partneship for your team, you know that something is wrong. Ponting and Hayden were looking pretty comfortable last night. Lets hope they can maintian that today.

Also another good thing about the play so far was Warne sledging off at the poms but then drops a pretty easy catch.

 

Ah well, how to stop the superman, Mike Hussey?

Meanwhile, New Zealand are also getting thrashed by Sri Lanka.

 

Eh this is the break before the last session, lead is too big now, it's nearly 400. I wonder if Ponting will get another 100 or so in the last session, then send us in to have a quick bowl at us before the end of play. Whatever, we've not got the batting to chase 400+ down in one day, so the best we can hope for is a draw. The Aussies will probably take it though.

Ah well, it was good holding the Ashes while it lasted!

 

Wow, Mike Hussey got out. Amazing.

Oh well, both England and New Zealand are getting thrashed this weekend.

 

Its a shame about Symonds falling so cheaply. He plays brilliantly in domestic games to get back into the squad but then doesnt last long.

 

Bloody hell Gilchrist getting going now.

Oh, come on now, has Koertzen got something against Strauss or what? That's 3 decisions now that were complete rubbish. I'm not happy about that. Yeah, we're completely outplayed but that doesn't help. He's been so unlucky so far has Strauss, I think he must have shagged Rudi's sister or something.

[ December 16, 2006, 10:42: Message edited by: Barmy Army ]

 

Yeah Strauss was a tad unlucky with that last one - but really, when the ball is as straight as that you really can't afford not to offer up a shot. It was high, sure, but Strauss came out a long way and offered nothing.
Pity about Gilchrist - he'll just have to settle with the second fastest test hundred in recorded history - for this match anyway. Scored his century off only 57, one more than the old record set by Viv Richards 21 years ago. I still think he was gypped - there were at leas two uncalled wides there. One went well above his head (which was well up at the time) and the other was almost out of the pitch by the time it passed him. Oh well, there's always next innings . Just imagine if he was in form.
Still hoping for the 3-2 English win Barmy?

 

That's the only good innings he's had against us for 2 Ashes series . Flintoff's had his number up till now. Brilliant innings though. As was Hussey's and Clarke's. Australia have SO much batting power, it's unbelievably difficult to bowl them out cheaply 2 innings in a row. Especially on these batsmans paradise flat tracks in Australia. The sun's just too hot man, it bakes the pitch.

 

Yeah - 38 degrees (over the old 100 fahrenheit). Probably a lot higher in the sun. Pretty much all our batsmen came good (with the exception of Langer and Roy) - third lowest score was 75! Just looking through the top 50 test averages (ever that is), Australia has four batsmen in its current squad - Hussy (2), Ponting (6), Hayden (26) and Gilchrist (45). Thats everyone apart from Langer and Langer from our non-alrounder/bowling group. England only has one in this list - KP at 33 (hey -that rhymes).
Gilchrist really exploded - He managed to get his century and keep a strike rate above 170.

 

What difference would that have made? Do wides get deducted from balls faced when working out the record?

Both England and New Zealand are chasing over 500 to win. What odds on them both getting there?

 

This is interesting. Cooky and Belly spending plenty of time in the middle and not in much trouble, really. it'll be interesting to see how this 4 pronged Aussie bowling attack can cope with spending hours and hours in the field in this heat. Especially with 2 of them being near pension age. I'd say it's still a pretty much nailed on Aussie win, but these guys are *just* making it a little interesting.

Oh crap, that was a bad end to the day.

[ December 17, 2006, 11:32: Message edited by: Barmy Army ]

 

Yep - cos the batsman can't score off it! (this goes back to how the umpire determines a wide - that is if it is too far to allow the batsman to make a shot). In both the aforementioned instances Gillchrist really reached out to the balls (further than I would deem reasonably possible), but the bat still missed by a good 1/2 foot on both occasions.

Hmmm - I kinda missed all the action. I went out to tea and missed the wickets of Collingwood, Cook and Hoggard. From the scorecard it looks like Hoggard didn't do the best night-watchman wise .

BTW, whats happening 12th man wise with England? I heard Giles is back in England because his wife was a bit ill. Is a team allowed to change its 12th man part way through a test?

Mike Hussy's little brother scored 124 in the domestic game!

 

We've called Jamie Dalrymple up. He's essentially a Collingwood clone but is a part-time spinner, as apposed to a part-time medium pacer.

 

Ok, not a specialist fielder?
KP should bat at 4 - 5 seems a bit late really. I know its his choice and all, but he's been getting to many not outs in crucial games - he needs more batters to make partnerships with.