2nd Test: England v Australia at Lord's

[MasterBlaster76]

England will still win odds are in m opinion. I mean, as much as i'd love Australia to win it's still over 200 runs away. 1 wicket changes everything. It'll be a new day, they'll have to get their eye in again.

Swann's shown his worth and Flintoff bowled a killer first spell - great to watch, but the Broads and Onions need to chip in now. Broad really should be dropped. He does nothing. He's just bad.

Never rule out Australia though and never under-estimate England's ability to mess up in a situation like they were in. It'd be fitting if they won after the last game, which they deserved to win.

Maybe they did, but the fact is, England resisted which means they earned the draw. If the heavens open and it rains all day tomorrow, you could hardly say that Australia had earned a draw if that happens, could you?

As for Broad, he is a very promising young bowler who is learning all the time and isn't showing anywhere near his best right now. As well as that, he is a good batsman. England should stick with this guy, not drop him after a couple of dodgy games in God knows how long.

 

[Hooper]

Maybe they did, but the fact is, England resisted which means they earned the draw. If the heavens open and it rains all day tomorrow, you could hardly say that Australia had earned a draw if that happens, could you?

As for Broad, he is a very promising young bowler who is learning all the time and isn't showing anywhere near his best right now. As well as that, he is a good batsman. England should stick with this guy, not drop him after a couple of dodgy games in God knows how long.

Of course they would... To have to come back from such a position - pretty much impossible is very deserving. If we somehow get a result from this then Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin are getting MBEs.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

If we win this I'll be surprised. We are going to lose, by a wicket. It's going to hurt really bad, and all the Aussies are going to be starting "oh Benny Benny, Benny Benny Benny Hilfenhaus" threads. I won't be on for a month.

I'll be surprised if we don't win. All we need to do is get one of these reasonably early and we'll be fine.

Well looks like we've fliped another one up.

They need 209 runs, we need five wickets. I know where my money would be.

Doooooooooooooooooooom.

We'll be fine Joe relax. We'll win by over 100 runs, no worries. Get Clarke out first up and the rest will follow swiftly!

Exactly and wickets have been falling early in the day for the whole match. The England bowlers were beginning to look tired, as I said before, it was probably the best thing that the day ended, so they could go and have a good night's sleep and come back fresh and raring to go tomorrow.

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 4 Seconds later...

Of course they would... To have to come back from such a position - pretty much impossible is very deserving. If we somehow get a result from this then Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin are getting MBEs.

So you're saying that if it chucks it down tomorrow, Australia have earned a draw by getting within 209 runs of our total? Rubbish.

 

[Left_Hander]

After going to bed with the score 3-78, I expected to wake up being all out and the only hope of pushing the game to the 5th was rain. To say I was happy seeing 5-313 this morning was an understatement.

Well done to Clarkey and Hadds for your excellent knocks. All the praise has gone to Clarke but what about Haddin's great support role of 80. These two need to see off the first hour then kick on. If this partnership can take us to around only 100 to win, then I would be fairly confident.

C'mon Australia!

 

[jordox]

Totally agree Jord. If England can't bowl out Australia in two days, then they don't deserve to win. You can't expect ever to win a test match if you can't do that.

I'd say Australia are in with a massive chance. Haddin and Clarke scoring freely, with only 200 runs to get. The whole game will come down to the first session tomorrow. If England bowl badly, they wont win.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Totally agree Jord. If England can't bowl out Australia in two days, then they don't deserve to win. You can't expect ever to win a test match if you can't do that.

I'd say Australia are in with a massive chance. Haddin and Clarke scoring freely, with only 200 runs to get. The whole game will come down to the first session tomorrow. If England bowl badly, they wont win.

True enough, but I think we will bowl them out. Anderson in particular can't bowl that badly two sessions in a row.

 

[Hooper]

Oh and MasterBlaster, your captain is really sportmanlike isn't he?

What a joke. Not a catch. Definitely not a catch.

EDIT: I shouldn't blame Strauss to much, he doesn't really know what hes thinking half the time. I should be blaming Kerrrtzoooon and Eye Doctrove for that... Why didn't they go for the 3rd umpire? They did it for Hauritz. So Strauss' word of Hauritz's aye?

 

[Howsie]

Maybe they did, but the fact is, England resisted which means they earned the draw. If the heavens open and it rains all day tomorrow, you could hardly say that Australia had earned a draw if that happens, could you?

So you're saying that if it chucks it down tomorrow, Australia have earned a draw by getting within 209 runs of our total? Rubbish

Yeah, Haddin and Clarke did really well yesterday. If either one of them had fallen early England may have won yesterday.

 

[jordox]

True enough, but I think we will bowl them out. Anderson in particular can't bowl that badly two sessions in a row.

Yeah I agree. Most likely England will come out, get Clarke early and it'll be game over within a session.

However, there still is that chance that Clarke and Haddin could do something really special here. Johnson is extremely dangerous, and Hauritz can bat as well... I think England need to be careful that they don't let the two get away.

Go out there, bowl their channels, be patient and the game is theirs.

Edit: On the topic of that catch, I fully believe that Strauss isn't cheating. I reckon Straussy honestly thinks he's caught that.

But if that was Ponting, this whole thread would have turned into a Ponting abuse session.

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Yeah I agree. Most likely England will come out, get Clarke early and it'll be game over within a session.

However, there still is that chance that Clarke and Haddin could do something really special here. Johnson is extremely dangerous, and Hauritz can bat as well... I think England need to be careful that they don't let the two get away.

Go out there, bowl their channels, be patient and the game is theirs.

Edit: On the topic of that catch, I fully believe that Strauss isn't cheating. I reckon Straussy honestly thinks he's caught that.

But if that was Ponting, this whole thread would have turned into a Ponting abuse session.

That's the key. I feel that they let the pressure of the situation (Ashes Test at Lords + the chance to go 1-0 up + the fact they haven't won there since 1934) and they just need to try and relax and as you said, bowl their channels. Someone needs to tell Broady not to bang the ball in - the last thing we need to do is give the Aussie batsmen a few easy boundaries to settle them down. Flintoff (if he's ok) must start, with Anderson.

Either way, as I said, this has got 2005 written all over it, or it will if England win. If they lose, I think the belief will just drain out of them; tomorrow is huge, as is the opening session alone.

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 29 Seconds later...

Oh and MasterBlaster, your captain is really sportmanlike isn't he?

What a joke. Not a catch. Definitely not a catch.

EDIT: I shouldn't blame Strauss to much, he doesn't really know what hes thinking half the time. I should be blaming Kerrrtzoooon and Eye Doctrove for that... Why didn't they go for the 3rd umpire? They did it for Hauritz. So Strauss' word of Hauritz's aye?

Right, so you're saying an Aussie would never do that? Come off it, it happens all the time. Strauss believed he'd caught it, I don't think he was trying to cheat.

Edit: Since we're talking about dodgy decisions, there was a stone dead LBW yesterday we should've had but it wasn't given. Can't remember who it was against.

 

[Howsie]

That's the key. I feel that they let the pressure of the situation (Ashes Test at Lords + the chance to go 1-0 up + the fact they haven't won there since 1934) and they just need to try and relax and as you said, bowl their channels. Someone needs to tell Broady not to bang the ball in - the last thing we need to do is give the Aussie batsmen a few easy boundaries to settle them down. Flintoff (if he's ok) must start, with Anderson.

Either way, as I said, this has got 2005 written all over it, or it will if England win. If they lose, I think the belief will just drain out of them; tomorrow is huge, as is the opening session alone.

MasterBlaster76 added 1 Minutes and 29 Seconds later...




Right, so you're saying an Aussie would never do that? Come off it, it happens all the time. Strauss believed he'd caught it, I don't think he was trying to cheat.

Edit: Since we're talking about dodgy decisions, there was a stone dead LBW yesterday we should've had but it wasn't given. Can't remember who it was against.

Strauss claimed a catch that he didn't take, it's far more different then an LBW not being given.

it happens all the time

It does, cricket must be in a real bad way then.

 

[piriyanth]

Nice knock by Clarke the best I've seen from him so far. Winning is not impossible for Australia now. :happy

 

[MasterBlaster76]

Strauss claimed a catch that he didn't take, it's far more different then an LBW not being given.

I know, I meant that these things even themselves out over time. And Strauss thought he'd caught it, so he didn't 'claim' a catch that he didn't take.

 

[jordox]

I know, I meant that these things even themselves out over time. And Strauss thought he'd caught it, so he didn't 'claim' a catch that he didn't take.

I agree with you, but the fact still remains that if this was Ponting every Englishman, and most likely every Indian would be on here effing and jeffing, calling Ponting a cheating piece of rubbish.

So, at least expect to cop a little bit from the Australian's about Strauss "cheating".

 

[MasterBlaster76]

I agree with you, but the fact still remains that if this was Ponting every Englishman, and most likely every Indian would be on here effing and jeffing, calling Ponting a cheating piece of rubbish.

So, at least expect to cop a little bit from the Australian's about Strauss "cheating".

Fair enough, but that's only because Ponting has been whinging like a little girl these past few weeks.

Edit: I don't call sportsmen 'pieces of rubbish' ever, even Diego Maradona and he's probably my most disliked sportsman of all time. I might go so far as to call him a cheating git (which he is), but nothing a sportsman does, as long as it doesn't do any harm to anyone, warrants calling them a piece of rubbish or other such names. It annoys me when some people wish crippling injury on certain sportsmen (Ronaldo springs to mind) just because they don't like them as well.