Brilliant fielding from Anderson, perfect antidote to the drivel that was served up last game. Ridiculous play from Australia though, started well and England would have quickly got disheartened, really no need to be putting any risk in the running for them.
Ashes II - 2013/14 - In Australia
- Thread starter NinjaFletch
- Start date
Need to make the most of it. Get the Aussie batsmen feeling they're in a mess of their own making.
Superb attacking batting this from the Aussies.
How so? At 108/3, it looks quite in the balance. A couple more, Aussies can go down before they hit 250
Bollocks. This is shambolic batting.
Well in, Smith. Crucial innings.
Aussies counter attacking and playing it like an ODI. Stupid till it works.
If they get to 350, it'll be a good score on a pitch like this, I reckon.
If they get to 350, it'll be a good score on a pitch like this, I reckon.
That's how you gotta play at Perth. Hit out till you get out. Swann's been tackled with ease by these two.
Not sure if commentators or weathermen.
Channel 9's commentary is crap.
It's like a pack of Ravi Shastris.
Healy and Slater in particular are bad.
It's like a pack of Ravi Shastris.
Healy and Slater in particular are bad.
Very good fight back from the Aussies.
Should have picked Finn.
I did not expect this.
I was thinking at 145/5, this is 2-1 and England back in the series, with needing only a drawn series to retain it..
Well played by Smith, so far.
I was thinking at 145/5, this is 2-1 and England back in the series, with needing only a drawn series to retain it..
Well played by Smith, so far.
Just about a legal delivery.
Get Johnson early and the Aussies could be held to under 300.
Get Johnson early and the Aussies could be held to under 300.
Good stuff from Smith. Get the score to 350-400 and you're gold.
Is Broad thick?
Every year, Johnson gets some runs at Perth in the first innings and then bowls like thunder.
Australia will post 400.
Ashes are over.
Also Bresnan looks like he's bowling in slow motion.
Ashes are over.
Also Bresnan looks like he's bowling in slow motion.
You wouldn't bet against the Aussie tail wagging to over 400 as Smith looks very comfortable.
If Johnson has a good first session with the ball I think this may be game over for the Ashes. Then again we are only in the first innings.
If Johnson has a good first session with the ball I think this may be game over for the Ashes. Then again we are only in the first innings.
I'm so stupid, I thought this was starting tonight.
Thought we were in trouble half way through the day, but Smith has steadied the ship.
The actual score reads as if the game is pretty even.
In reality England bottled an excellent position again, and will likely be skittled for sub 250 rendering the Ashes gone.
In reality England bottled an excellent position again, and will likely be skittled for sub 250 rendering the Ashes gone.
Once again England had an opening and once again Australia did well to shut it. fecking Haddin again.
The selection of Bresnan was very weak.
The selection of Bresnan was very weak.
Even as a neutral, it's irritating to see Finn not getting a chance.
Finn has had numerous chances and runs in the side, yet has been complete toss for near on two years.
HOWEVER, if you are going to take three 6ft 8inch quicks, surely you have to take a punt on one of them at the fecking WACA, or why are they there?
HOWEVER, if you are going to take three 6ft 8inch quicks, surely you have to take a punt on one of them at the fecking WACA, or why are they there?
Pretty harsh I think.
Finn only played one test in the last Ashes series.
Before that he played 6 tests and took 18 wickets against NZ. Besides if I'm not wrong, he's the quickest English bowler(can bowl 145-150 regularly) and will also get natural bounce due to his height. That's a deadly combination at WACA
Finn only played one test in the last Ashes series.
Before that he played 6 tests and took 18 wickets against NZ. Besides if I'm not wrong, he's the quickest English bowler(can bowl 145-150 regularly) and will also get natural bounce due to his height. That's a deadly combination at WACA
Yes. I can understand him not making the team if he is in bad form but then why the feck is he even in the squad? Send him back.
Yeah, because he kept getting fecked around with.
Finn is a classic case of too many chefs. It started with him taking 6fer in Brisbane at 20 somethings but getting dropped by Strauss for being too expensive. Then they tried to work on everything, his pace was down and then up and then down again, in the name of control his run up was shortened (I actually think he bowled magnificently off the shorter run up in NZ and couldn't believe he didn't persevere, although his County were apparently VERY unhappy with shortening his run up) and then lengthened again after he bowled dross in the Ashes (which was nothing to do with his run up).
In amongst all that he became a victim of South African gamesmanship (I mean seriously, 'Finn's rule' is ridiculous).
On raw ability Finn is a better bowler than Johnson for me, he needs to stop listening to all the people fecking him around for the sake of justifying their jobs and just concentrate on bowling hostile spells.
Disagree with that very strongly. Johnson shows glimpses of what he can do with raw ability and there are very few bowlers who can match that.
I still don't really think there's much to Johnson.
He's got the tremendous natural ability to bowl very quickly, but I don't think that alone a good bowler makes.
At 8 years Johnson's junior I would be amazed if Finn didn't end up considered the better bowler. It would be a bloody waste of a very talented cricketer.
Hmm. Let's see.
Just reading online that Mitchell Johnson has more runs than any English player.
Australia have scored 1724 runs for the loss of 35 wickets in 5 innings at an average of 49.25
England have scored 799 runs for the loss of 40 wickets in 4 innings at an average of 19.97
Just reading online that Mitchell Johnson has more runs than any English player.
Australia have scored 1724 runs for the loss of 35 wickets in 5 innings at an average of 49.25
England have scored 799 runs for the loss of 40 wickets in 4 innings at an average of 19.97
Incredibly, Australia have done all this with Watson sitting at #3, showing everyone how to not be a test batsman.
Johnson is underrated. He was very good till the time he lost his mind completely against England.
Stole these stats from the excellent Mohandas Menon from twitter
After 53 tests
Wasim Wkts 222 Bat Ave: 19.5 MJ Wkts: 222 Bat Ave: 22.9 Anderson Wkts 215 Batting ave: 8.94
Stole these stats from the excellent Mohandas Menon from twitter
After 53 tests
Wasim Wkts 222 Bat Ave: 19.5 MJ Wkts: 222 Bat Ave: 22.9 Anderson Wkts 215 Batting ave: 8.94
Australia's day but by no means a done deal yet, if England can get some early wickets and wrap this up and then bat for a while, they have a chance. Optimistic I know.
feck me the pitch looks extremely quick, even more than yesterday.
Facing Johnson will be a bitch.
Facing Johnson will be a bitch.
Tailenders taking the game away here.
384 now. 400 would be a big psychological lift, I'd think.
384 now. 400 would be a big psychological lift, I'd think.
DRS again 
That was a truly awful decision, quite how it wasn't overturned, the mind boggles. It's incredible how often the umpires in these 2 series have consistently been the only people in the world seemingly to come to some of the conclusions they have. There was absolutely nothing to support the decision being out, so how is it out? Australia had a similar one go against them in the last series too, its baffling. I'm just thankful the Aussies didn't have an appeal left after the infamous Broad incident, that'd undoubtedly still have stayed with the not out on field decision too.
Although aside from the umpires I really think the ICC have to take some of the blame with their insistence on needing "evidence" to overturn on field decisions, which the umpires seem to take to the most extreme interpretation. It's just asking for confusion and you get situations like this where seemingly anything other than the ball being a foot away from the bat, it wasn't going to be overturned. When its a case of has the ball been hit or not, the umpires decision should really be irrelevant and the decision judged objectively by the video evidence.
It's a shame as 90/1 would have been a very decent start but once again we're threatening a collapse. Although it doesn't help we've gone to an absurdly low run rate again that last session. Once again it just gave the confidence back to the bowlers and made everything far more nervy than it needed to be. I can understand the new batsmen taking their time in getting in, but is there really any need for Cook's strike rate to consistently drop so low after a positive start? I realise he's there to build and be the anchor but you have to at least try and keep the score ticking over. Having to bat till tea tomorrow and still be behind is hardly desirable.
Although aside from the umpires I really think the ICC have to take some of the blame with their insistence on needing "evidence" to overturn on field decisions, which the umpires seem to take to the most extreme interpretation. It's just asking for confusion and you get situations like this where seemingly anything other than the ball being a foot away from the bat, it wasn't going to be overturned. When its a case of has the ball been hit or not, the umpires decision should really be irrelevant and the decision judged objectively by the video evidence.
It's a shame as 90/1 would have been a very decent start but once again we're threatening a collapse. Although it doesn't help we've gone to an absurdly low run rate again that last session. Once again it just gave the confidence back to the bowlers and made everything far more nervy than it needed to be. I can understand the new batsmen taking their time in getting in, but is there really any need for Cook's strike rate to consistently drop so low after a positive start? I realise he's there to build and be the anchor but you have to at least try and keep the score ticking over. Having to bat till tea tomorrow and still be behind is hardly desirable.
Just when we thought they'd got the perfect combination of Hotspot and Snicko, the umpires throw the whole thing into chaos again. They're effectively saying they don't trust it to be accurate, in which case they shouldn't be using it... or they shouldn't be umpiring. One or the other.