You need to bowl straight on this pitch.
Onions would of been handy IMO.
I was thinking that when they dropped him and not Harmlessone. So far the big lanky waster has taken 2/98, 0/15 and 0/24 - big f in wow.
Great position for England, despite some BBC 606ers suggesting we should have batted on
I'm not worried just yet, I'll panic if and when the aussies are 300/3 which will be nearing the HS of the match - so far 373/9
Strauss - excellent 75 to hold the innings together when the aussies might have made inroads and now 300+ looks getable. Averaging over 50 in the series, excellent batting and maybe his captaincy which was under question will get us the Ashes back.
Cook - one of several who should have been dropped, thankfully others have covered for him. His average for the series is now under 25 and his place should be under review, one score of 95 and then next highest of 32 is not good enough. You do expect openers to be got out early as is the hazard of opening and facing the new ball, but they do need to go on when they do get in and he got 32, 30 and 30 in the series which is in and then out.
Bell - made a good fist of promotion to three, but his series average of 28 is still poor. Two fifties in three Tests with an HS of 72 is disappointing, but how important could that 72 prove? I'd take him on tour but with no guarantee of starting the next Test.
Collingwood - good start to the series, poor finish with 24 his HS in the last three Tests. About time he had a prolonged rest from Tests, if we used his P/T bowling a bit more I could see a reason to retain him, but a bit of time playing for Durham might just do him some good. He needs to work on his habit of playing around his front pad, get that sorted and then bring him back
Trott - absolute fantastic debut. Mark Rampra-who? Excellent decision not to bring back the tried and failed, saffers have done us proud in the past 20 years and he could be another KP, Lamb or Smith. I'm reckoning Ramps might have made 30 and 50, but probably wouldn't have made half those 160 runs Trott did. I gather, and it certainly adds up, that Trott refused a nightwatchman. If so, what does that say about our policy? That our batsmen not only get to choose if they want one, but are chicken to face tired bowlers against an old ball half the time. The decision should be made by the captain, not the batsmen. Batsmen are there to bat and score runs, it affects the rest of the batting order and can leave decent lower order batsmen like Swann short of tailend partners.
Prior - disappointing last Test, run out perhaps summing up his match, BUT an average of 32.63 from the keeper is what we need. Not sure he should be batting six mind, even if the number six is an all-rounder I reckon you still need 36+ average from them as they still count as one of you main batsmen/contributers of runs. Key to where the Ashes go may rest in his gloves, and in the fielders' hands now. The only way I can see England not winning is if they do a Sri Lanka and drop six catches (and bowl badly, might get away with one or t'other but not both)
Flintoff - poor finale to his career, one wicket and 29 runs. Averaging a respectable 33.33 in the series with bat, but will have to go some to improve his series bowling average of 48.63. To average 33 with the ball I reckon he needs to take 5/44 or 6/78 which would surely seal the Ashes.
Broad - should have been dropped two Tests ago, maybe even for this Test, but fair play and all credit to him for his performance. That should book his place on the tour flight, but he does need to perform consistently as his series bowling average is very much based on his two 5wis. His batting is good lower order stuff, I hope the selectors don't decide he is now a replacement Flintoff as I reckon eight gets the best out of him and seven might be for when he's more settled. I think the 7-11 of the Headingley Test contributed to the defeat, six runs from the tail of Broad, Swann, Harmison, Anderson and Onions.
Swann - has been more consistent with bat than ball, above Broad, Flintoff, Prior, Cook, Bopara, Collingwood and Bell in the series averages. His bowling has disappointed, very much an Ashley Giles type contribution of 10 Ashes wickets albeit Swann's have come in two 4wi performances and we could well win both Tests that he bowled well in. Needs to do the business 2nd innings, two wickets a Test for the series needs improving on
Swann 2009 : 0/131, 0/4, 4/87, 1/4, 1/119, 0/64, 4/38, 0/19
Giles 2005 : 0/56, 3/78, 2/68, 3/100, 0/93, 2/107, 0/76
Harmison - waste of time, I wish England fans would STFU calling for him to be included and realise he isn't worth the risk. He might bowl brilliantly, but the odds favour a lethargic effort that if it isn't easy he goes through the motions. He took one wicket early in the aussie reply at Headingley and one wicket since for lots of runs. Strauss barely called on him 1st innings, says it all really.
Anderson - up-down series, took 4/55 at Lords to help us win, took 5/80 and 1/47 at Edgbaston as we looked like we might force a win, but otherwise has taken just two wickets in three Tests either side of the 2nd and 3rd Tests. His batting has shown good signs, it is handy to have someone down the order who can hang around and score some runs. Half his innings have been not outs, but he scores seven runs per innings and quite often is left stranded before he has a chance to score any
Anderson's not outs
0no : 10
1no-4no : 9
5no+ : 8
So 2/3 of his not outs are for between 0 and 4 runs and he scores on average 5no when not out with a HS of 21no when not out. But I'd swap all those runs and not outs and innings without a duck for an extra wicket per innings from him. His average of 34.64 is disappointing, especially as 65 of his 140 Test wickets have come against New Zealand, West Indies and Zimbabwe - no coincidence those are the only countries he averages less than 30 against as well.
Owzat added 6 Minutes and 14 Seconds later...
What do you want me to hope for? Do you want me to hope for our batting lineup to collapse and England to win the Ashes?
N.B. Some English person will definitely reply 'that's what you should be hoping for' in regards to this post.
Rain is the most realistic hope the aussies have of saving the game, breaking world records is a much longer shot - 100+ more than the record batting last to win, something like double the record chase at the Oval, over 100 more than the record batting last at the Oval and over 150 more than the HS in this match batting innings 1-3 (373/9)
Some guy on BBC 606 thought he had a 'bargain' because he got 8-1 on backing an aussie win! I'd say ripped off, the only way I can see the aussies winning is if England drop half a dozen catches and bowl as badly as they have shown they can in the past. It would take a mammoth effort, aussies to bat well and England to bowl and field poorly. What should you pin hopes on? Rain is the most realistic, that the aussies make a good fight of it is not unrealistic but still over 500 is a "never been done" scenario. Depends if you prefer to lose fighting or draw thanks to the weather and keep the Ashes.
