littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Not true at all – with just a small bit of luck going England's way, they could have been level after the first innings.
The Ashes 2010/11
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littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Nope. Technology had let England down – the review gave the incorrect decision and England lost one. The review system is not working properly yet. I think on balance, I'd scrap it altogether until they sort it out properly.
dropping catches isn't bad luck, either. It's bad play.
You reckon? I thought Ponting looked set for about another 3 days at the crease.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
You were following a different match from me. During the first hour and a half of the third day, England were right in it and neither team was on top. The Aussies survived a torrid period and later cashed in. Well done to them, and well done to England for saving the match from a horrible situation, but it was a much more ebbing and flowing and balanced game than you suggest.
mattie
missing in inaction
Cook and Trott looked set for about another month.
England underperformed in the first innings but made up for it in the second, that's about all that can be said.
Whilst I'm wondering how a lead of 221 after the 1st innings is not considered dominant. Does it not count if the runs are scored by your keeper? Or if you got a bit lucky with an umpire decision?
Not at all, I'm suggesting it was a balanced game and am confused by all the reaction that would suggest England had won by a landslide.
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
Psychologically we did.
I think that says everything about the ambition of English sport
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
You suggested that Aus dominated for the first 3 days. They didn't. They wrested control on day 3, after which the only likely results were aus win or draw. England then did hugely well to save the game in style. Aus discipline in the field disintegrated on day 5, which is why I would say that England have the psychological upper hand going into Adelaide.
Lo Siento.
Second As Farce
you mean the ambition of the current holders of The Ashes.
mattie
missing in inaction
You seem to be cherry-picking your points of reference a touch. Recovering from 220-5 suggests it wasn't exactly untrammeled dominance for 3 days. As, indeed, it wasn't.
England batted the game completely out of sight, after the crims forged a first innings lead. Who scored the bigger blow? 260 all up is weak but not disastrous, 517/1 is quite a marker to put down.
Idaho
blah blah blah
When you've followed the English cricket team for 20 years, you take anything you can
Honestly people, debating angels on the head of a pin. It was a draw. A draw where they played (slightly) better at the start, and we played better at the end. Because of that sequence, we ended on a high, and them on a low. That's it. 0-0. On to the next one.
Whereas you're relying on 'what-ifs'. Who's to say on that pitch that the aussies wouldnt have got 500/1 in their second innings?
All this 'England are on-top', 'the aussies are in a mess', stuff is based upon intangibles. I still think England are the slightly better team and certainly more settled, but the series is on a knife edge and the reaction to a draw (on both sides) is well over the top.
mattie
missing in inaction
What? I'm referring to what actually happened.
Kudos for stating I'm hypothesising and then following up immediately with a hypothetical question. Nice work.
Lo Siento.
Second As Farce
given how psychological the game is, the reaction is half the point isn't it?
Um, that was kinda the point.
TrippyLondoner
Well-Known Member
Nice trolling, gabi.
TrippyLondoner
Well-Known Member
Yes. Imagine the aussies if it were the other way round right now. Yet as usual if England cheer any sort of success its "wrong".
So bored with this shite. Always happens here on urban.
mattie
missing in inaction
I remain far from convinced that's true either.
Really, 3 days of dominance? You have a strange perception of dominance.
eh? i was merely making a point about the level of fappery from the english media. over a draw. against a team in decline...
do u think it was that glorious? i read yesterday in a respected broadsheet that Cook's innings was the greatest ever played in australia. bonkers.
e2a: this is at trippy btw
do u think it was that glorious? i read yesterday in a respected broadsheet that Cook's innings was the greatest ever played in australia. bonkers.
e2a: this is at trippy btw
TrippyLondoner
Well-Known Member
Aussie media is just as bad, you always single out the english though, funny that isn't it?
Ofcourse the pitch played a part, but you've still got to be in the right frame of mind to pull it off, and given Englands batting history i'd say it was a good psychological victory, its atleast got the aussies questioning their bowling attack some more again.
edit: btw, haven't celebrated it was a victory exactly myself, just amazed we pulled off what we needed to do.
mattie
missing in inaction
Before the first Test a lot of people were expecting Cook's flaws to be ruthlessly exposed, as is generally the case, instead he makes a record score for an Englishman in Oz (eta: not strictly true, the stand was a record. )
Worthy of significant comment, I would have thought.
Yes I'm a liar, you got me. I wasnt trying to illustrate the pointlessness of speculation. Of course I was lying.
Sorry to bring up an old cricketing cliche, but look in the book. I spent years trying to justyfy why my team was in this postion or that position, but at the end of the day the only thing that really matters is whats in the book. The Aussies were 221 runs ahead after the 1st innings, that is utterley dominant regardless of how they got the runs.
Although I do admire your optomism and support for England and I really hope you're right, but I don't take as much heart from a game which the aussies let slip because (bizarrely given they are aussies) they seem to have forgotten how to win a game of Cricket.
butchersapron
Bring back hanging
They didn't just forget though - they were made to forget. And if they remembered they couldn't have done anything with it anyway.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Presumably Atherton and Russell's heroics in Joburg to save the game were just a case of South African shortcomings too?
That's just silly – give credit to England.
That's just silly – give credit to England.
I dunno when England won a test match in S.Africa last winter nobody was decrying the death of s.african cricket. Draw one match in Australia and suddenly the series is virtually in the bag.
When the England squad keep saying "we've achieved nothing yet" they're dead right, the fact they keep having to say it is quite amazing.
When the England squad keep saying "we've achieved nothing yet" they're dead right, the fact they keep having to say it is quite amazing.
littlebabyjesus
one of Maxwell's demons
Did you actually see any of the action?
