England in Australia

[valvolux]

Half aren't English? Only one member of England's squad does not have a British passport.

Get your facts straight before you make a fool of yourself.

By owning a british passport does that put any english blood in you? Didn't think so. Anyway, you are just lucky that your country has been hijacked by multiculturalism...i'd hate to see your cricket team if it weren't.

 

[symonds_sixes]

It's a shame that the match has been ruined by Australia putting more pressure on the Umpires with their appeal for absolutely nothing. Shame he bowed to the bullying tactics to give Strauss out.

They showed it on snicko and there was the faintest of edges, probably so faint he didn't even feel it and that's why he acted like he didn't hit it.

 

[barmyarmy]

You daft sod - the reason why we're the most hated team on the planet is we're the best team in the world - you're just full of jealous hatred. I suggest that you and your team of illegal substitue fielders (of whom half are also illegal immigrants) go and suck on your mints, "scuff" up one side of the ball so that it reverses in 15 overs, then go and have a good rub down, then get your coach to invite the match referee out for a few beers so you can concoct a way out of this mess. Then when you've done that, come back and tell me more about the spirit of the game.

I'll take that in the spirit of parody it's intended and comeback with some predictable line about how you're team is full of old men, captained by the worst and most boring captain in Australian history, appealing every ball, constantly whinging, stuffed full of Englishmen (well one!) and arrogant as hell on and off the pitch. Then again I'm an actual member of the Barmy Army and have been on tour with England so I'm allowed to say that

As for the cricket itself I think we need to bowl Australia out for under 200 to have any chance of winning this test and keeping the series alive. Considering that the pitch is fairly docile with an old ball and most the wickets in the match have been batsman error I'm not optimistic.
A big well done to our lower order but once again Flintoff and Jones have let their teammates down. I've said before that Flintoff will only bat well in the first innings of the match when he is captain. It seems clear to me watching him that he's not thinking about or working on his batting at all and, as a result he is being ruthlessly exposed by good bowling. Jones on the other hand must think he's safe regardless because a/ he's already been recalled to the team for doing nothing b/ he seems to be on the committee that picks the team...

They showed it on snicko and there was the faintest of edges, probably so faint he didn't even feel it and that's why he acted like he didn't hit it.

I've not seen snicko but I've seen the replay a few times and am yet to find a commentator who thinks he hit it. From what I saw there was clear air between bat and ball so I'd need to see the when the line was on snicko and what shape it was.

 

[Inbox24]

Get over it you whinging poms. It was ur fault in the first place if strauss had played that shot better we wouldn't have had to appeal. bad decisions happen all the time that's because we're only human. look back at 2005 and you could argue that those shocking decisions against martynand katich changed the course of teh series.

 

[symonds_sixes]

it was like this ".....^..........^...." (well obviously it's a little hard to draw it).

Get over it you whinging poms. It was ur fault in the first place if strauss had played that shot better we wouldn't have had to appeal. bad decisions happen all the time that's because we're only human. look back at 2005 and you could argue that those shocking decisions against martynand katich changed the course of teh series.

very true, especially martyn in crucial stages

 

[barmyarmy]

Get over it you whinging poms. It was ur fault in the first place if strauss had played that shot better we wouldn't have had to appeal. bad decisions happen all the time that's because we're only human. look back at 2005 and you could argue that those shocking decisions against martynand katich changed the course of teh series.

I don't think you'll find me making excuses just making a point

 

[Stephen Bailey]

By owning a british passport does that put any english blood in you? Didn't think so. Anyway, you are just lucky that your country has been hijacked by multiculturalism...i'd hate to see your cricket team if it weren't.

Pietersen and Strauss have English parents, Geraint Jones has a Welsh parent, so I guess that makes them illegal immigrants. Monty Panesar's parents moved to England in 1979, and therefore he was born here so how that makes him an illegal immigrant I don't know. I'm fed up with people like you who keep digging the 'not English' thing up. Just leave it and move on for goodness sake.

On reverse swing, it's funny how now that Troy Cooley is with Australia, your bowlers have been able to make the ball reverse swing substantially. But of course, what we did last year was illegal. :

Also, please stop whinging about the substitutes thing! If the ICC thought it wasn't right they would've done something about it now. I recommend you think before you post in future, to avoid spewing out more crap like you have today.

 

[symonds_sixes]

On reverse swing, it's funny how now that Troy Cooley is with Australia, your bowlers have been able to make the ball reverse swing substantially. But of course, what we did last year was illegal. :

Well there's a difference between deliberately scuffing up a ball and naturally scuffing up a ball. Troy is Australian anyway.

 

[Stephen Bailey]

Well there's a difference between deliberately scuffing up a ball and naturally scuffing up a ball.

You have proof that was done do you? The only place the ball really reversed alot in the last series was at Old Trafford, where the pitch was extremely abrasive and the outfield very dry. It didn't really do much at Lord's, did abit at Edgbaston, Trent Bridge was conventional swing and again at The Oval, it was mainly conventional swing.

Troy is Australian anyway.

What does that have to do with anything?

 

[symonds_sixes]

well to be honest the only time I recall australia reverse swing the ball this summer was brett lee in englands second innings at adelaide.

you said "it's funny how now that Troy Cooley is with Australia"

and I was basically meaning well he should be, he's australian, he shouldn't be helping out the enemy

 

[Stephen Bailey]

well to be honest the only time I recall australia reverse swing the ball this summer was brett lee in englands second innings at adelaide.

I probably exaggerated that admittedly. I also only remember it happening at Adelaide. Lee wasn't alone in getting some reverse though, both McGrath and Clark got it to swing.

and I was basically meaning well he should be, he's australian, he shouldn't be helping out the enemy

It was nice of him to do it aswell. Extremely frustrating that the ECB didn't offer him a contract that he couldn't refuse. He is by far and away the best bowling coach in the world.

 

[symonds_sixes]

he might of felt home sick even?

 

[Stephen Bailey]

he might of felt home sick even?

Could've, but from what I've read (a recent article on cricinfo) it seems he was more than happy to stay, had he got a good enough offer. Guess we'll never really know.

 

[symonds_sixes]

I don't think his advice has helped brett lee as he continues to bowl really crap and too short. He doesn't seem to get outswing with the new ball like he used to. I suppose bowling at that pace affects the ball's ability to swing.

 

[Stephen Bailey]

I don't think his advice has helped brett lee as he continues to bowl really crap and too short. He doesn't seem to get outswing with the new ball like he used to. I suppose bowling at that pace affects the ball's ability to swing.

I haven't seen Lee swing a shiny new red ball for a long time, but then, when you look at the position of the seam it doesn't look like he's trying too. For an opening bowler he bowls far too many variations (short ball, yorker, slower ball etc). Sure, he'll get the odd wicket with that tactic, but he's not going to threaten to run through a team bowling like that. I think he needs more of a talking too than anything else!