The Ashes 2009

[1927]

Fuck me though, my council tax has gone sky high.

Like I care, I live in the Vale!!

 

[London_Calling]

That's enough of preparing inpartial wickets, that's for sure. It's outrageous

 

[mattie]

Absolutely.

Should prob be a thread of its own, but what other city could boast, in the last 5 years.

Ashes Test Match
ODI Cricket
County Cricket
Speedway Grand Prix
World Rally Championship
World Championship Boxing
FA Cup final
Worthy Cup final
FA play-offs
International Football
International Rugby Union
Superleague rugby
World Pool Championship
Fizzy pop football
Elite League Ice Hockey

and probably loads more that I can't think of right now. I'll tell you the answer is none,no other city in UK ,probably the world,can boast such an array.

Without checking some of the more obscure, I'm going to guess London?

 

[mattie]

Same, but i still had some small amount of faith.

I had none whatsoever, I was sure we were sunk.

What a refreshing change.

 

[Flashman]

 

[Flashman]

Anyway, lots of work to do before Thursday lads, weren't at the races for most of this match.

Sort it aht.

 

[mhwfc]

Without checking some of the more obscure, I'm going to guess London?

Cardiff punches miles above its weight though for a city its size.

 

[Echo Base]

Broad must go for me. His wickets are always too expensive. Plus he has ponce hair.
I guess Monty will go because of the pitch, so Onions and Harmy in for me.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

Cardiff punches miles above its weight though for a city its size.

Yeah, i'm sure having a test match there has boosted their finances somewhat.

 

[Echo Base]

Without checking some of the more obscure, I'm going to guess London?

I dont think they have WRC in London!

 

[Notorious J.I.M]

Oh how I've missed the Ashes, that's what test cricket is all about. The Aussies will take a lot from their performance but the last day heroics of the lower order alongside Collingwood will have given a lift to the English dressing room. The result will paper over some of the cracks that the Aussies so ruthlessly exposed in this match but they shouldn't allow it to. A lot of the English team have to go away and think about the way they let their team mates down and sort it out at Lord's. Strauss has to lead by example and Cook has been exposed again as he usually is against the better sides. Bopara was unlucky 2nd innings but will perhaps have an idea of the intensity of the Ashes now as will the likes of Prior. I hope Harmison and Onions come in for Panesar and Broad as they are both in good form and will suit the Lord's wicket.

 

[Azertyioup]

Broad won't get dropped, no chance of that, maybe he should but it won't happen, be Panesart out for one of Onions/Harmison.

 

[big eejit]

I like the email from the end of the Guardian's coverage:

"Paul Hogan, Paul Keating, skippy, Ned Kelly, Harold Bishop! Can you hear me Harold Bishop? Your boys took one hell of a draw!"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2009/jul/12/ashes-england-australia-live-report

 

[Echo Base]

I think if anything this match has shown that the Aussie attack isnt really all that. The English bats seemed to get themselves out for the most part with silly shots, there were very few pearler deliveries that McG and Warne used to bowl.
What was Ponting thinking by bowling NOrth at the death? He seemed to lose all faith in his seam attack by that stage.

 

[Flashman]

I think if anything this match has shown that the Aussie attack isnt really all that. The English bats seemed to get themselves out for the most part with silly shots, there were very few pearler deliveries that McG and Warne used to bowl.
What was Ponting thinking by bowling NOrth at the death? He seemed to lose all faith in his seam attack by that stage.

Agreed. We just need to bat better at Lord's, particularly Cook who I'm getting steadily more pissed off with as time marches on.

Defo think Punter shoulda been bowling Hilfenhaus at the death there, poor skippery IMO, only thing he did wrong all game tbf though.

Onions for Monty, and even I might give GBH a go for Broad

 

[Echo Base]

Agreed. We just need to bat better at Lord's, particularly Cook who I'm getting steadily more pissed off with as time marches on.

Defo think Punter shoulda been bowling Hilfenhaus at the death there, poor skippery IMO, only thing he did wrong all game tbf though.

Onions for Monty, and even I might give GBH a go for Broad

Harmison has to play at Lords. Trouble if you keep Broad then is that you have 3 bowlers who are very similar in Harmy, Fred and Broad. Not enough variation there for me, so you need a skiddy type like Onions to come in.

 

[London_Calling]

How come people want to drop and pick bowlers without knowing the wicket or weather?

 

[Flashman]

We were only ever going to play two spinners at Cardiff (possibly The Oval) and Swann is the man in possession, so Monty goes.

I'm loathe to bring back Harmi for yet another go but I dunno...

Onions must play though.

 

[paulhackett]

How come people want to drop and pick bowlers without knowing the wicket or weather?

Probably the same way that Cardiff was nailed down as a 2 spinner pitch well before the game, past performances etc. I imagine in the 13 they'll swap Bell for Harmison, check the pitch, imjuries and pick from there.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I would.

 

[Echo Base]

Lords is a quicks wicket and pretty much always has been. It wont necessarily be a trampoline but it will be ideal for HArmy, so no way will Swann and Monty play.

 

[Flashman]

I would.

Me too.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Harmison's made his case pretty well with a fivefer at Durham, he has to play at Lord's I reckon.

 

[Relahni]

Harmison's made his case pretty well with a fivefer at Durham, he has to play at Lord's I reckon.

yeah - get Monty out. He's not effective.

 

[Barking_Mad]

not won at Lords against Australia since the 1940's.

 

[Barking_Mad]

A bit on Collingwood from CricInfo. Im sure Sir Geoff appreciated his knock...

Collingwood was magnificent in his defiance today. The Australians still find it hard to rate him in public - it doubtless suits their purposes to keep his qualities as downplayed as they are in the estimation of a fickle English public and media, who forever seem to be ushering his career towards the exit, and Ricky Ponting's praise for his performance had to be prised with a crowbar. Privately, however, they cannot help but admire the mongrel he brings to England's game. He's the closest thing to a little Aussie battler that England can produce from their dressing-room.

"He played very well, and did exactly what was required for the team," said Ponting. "He gave himself every opportunity to do the best job that he could. It shows a lot of courage to face the majority of the bowling through the course of the afternoon. He did a great job, and deserves a pat on the back."

For 245 deliveries, spread over five-and-three-quarter hours, Collingwood prodded and poked with that pugnacious crease-bound style, dispensing with frivolity and digging his team out of yet another hole. There's no way he will ever receive the credit he deserves for fronting up for England at the moments they most need his grit, and it was strangely appropriate that even in his Athertonian hour of glory, he still wasn't the story of England's day, given how far the final pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar were left to haul their side.

But in his last 12 Tests, dating back to his career-saving century at Edgbaston last summer, when his form was hanging by a thread and one mistake was sure to be curtains, he has scored 989 runs at 61.81, with four centuries and a 96. There's nothing more he can do to be a hero to his team.

"He just brought his character into the performance today," said a grateful England captain, Andrew Strauss. "He is a tenacious little redhead, that is what he is, and that's how he plays. He never takes a backward step, and he fights. He keeps fighting and that's kind of how he got his path into the Test team, and it's the only way he knows. In circumstances like that you always expect him to do something along those lines, and I suppose it just underlines his value to the side really."

http://www.cricinfo.com/engvaus2009/content/current/story/413963.html

 

[kabbes]

I hope that nobody carries on telling me that Collingwood isn't worth his place.

 

[Flashman]

Yep another cracking effort Colly.

Chapeau sir.

 

[TrippyLondoner]

not won at Lords against Australia since the 1940's.

1934 i think it is

 

[Placid Casual27]

Stunning final day to what turned out to be a brilliant test which has made us (Glamorgan, Cardiff, Wales) look pretty fucking cool (we already were, like, but it's good to see such positive coverage, give or take Rhydian) and capable of putting on a brilliant spectacle on a site that until very recently was a run-down, ramshackle backwater of a place (I mean Sophia Gardens, not Wales, Saes wags)

I fucking loved being there on day one of the test, and well done any of you that went today on the off chance that we would give them a go. What a brilliant last couple of hours that was, right up there with the tensest of any Ashes test finishes I can recall, the crowd were going nuts!

And it's England and Wales boys, so I'm firmly with the Welsh cricket lovers on here, we've won the county championship 3 times (so far!) and we are fully part of it (fuck me we would have won this match with Simon Jones in the side, good sad interview with him in today's Observer btw). And it was cool to see so many English and Aussies proper loving the town on Weds, proper loving it. Most times I've had to explain the Ayatollah in one day for many a long year (the Cardiff City version, not the current Ahmedinajad-backing votes-rigger)

Bring on Lord's, bring on Harmy and please please can we get stuck into the fuckers this time