5th test thread

131/8 Seriously - Come on England! I'm seriously gonna sneak one out under my desk in a minute. This is orgasmic stuff.

 

Are England or Australia winnng? I want Australia to win so I get a lot of 'orns.

 

Awesome stuff. Let's take a lead of 160 into the 2nd innings and make Australia chase 400 on a crumbling wicket!

 

i went for england !!!!! and also spent loads on hussey to be top scorer he's been sh!te.

 

Another one bites the dust.

 

Shame. Hilfenhaus just hit 1 to make 150-9

 

CAn't get this final wicket at the moment. Have spent the whole afternoon watching this when I should be decorating, cracking stuff!

 

Gooooddd bring on the bat

 

Now please Cook do not give your wicket away again cheaply like you have done the rest of the series! We need to get at least 200 in the second innings I reckon and hopefully bat until the evening session tomorrow and wrap it up Sunday, come on!!!

 

Haha seconds later...

 

Stunning stuff!!

 

Cook has lost his wicket early again

 

here we go...

 

England need to make sure we don't collapse before the end of play, we can't afford to lose another wicket

 

Bell is out for 4

37-2

 

now Collinwood

we need to find 200 more runs to be safe

 

Collingwood out for 1 39-3

 

Now we have reached the 50 mark

51-3

 

2nd day finished on 58-3

 

:]]:]]:]]:]]

:sign15: good stuff

:forehead: he is sh!t

 

There needs to be a huge re-think in our middle order after this series, regardless of whether we win or not.

For me, the team would look something like this:

Strauss
Cook
Carberry/Key
Pieterson
Trott (very impressed with him so far)
Prior
Broad
Rashid/Swann
Anderson
Onions ??
Sidebottom ??

The last two places being up for grabs, as i'm not too sure that either of them are good enough at this level. Sidebottom is a bit too old now.

I'd definitely spell the end of Bell and Collingwood in the middle order. I think as fringe players they'd be ok when injuries occur, but not as first choice bats. There are better players out there. Carberry at Hants is a good player, as is Key at Kent. I like Rashid, he's a good leg-spinner and also more than handy with the bat. Harmison is past it now. Freddie is obviously retiring. Anderson is our number one strike bowler, and Broad has the potential to be the best all-rounder in world cricket.

 

You would surely have to keep swann after his performance yesterday

 

Good call, Collingwood is not a test match player. Key deserves another chance after getting a run as a kid. Would have him as the number 3, which is then essentially another opener, which you need (Cook has done well in the past and deserves to stay but can not afford another poor series).

I would seriously consider Broad as a number 6. I would like to see him go back to county batting and put him up the order and see how he does. He was an opener like his dad originally I believe, and reckon he could develop his batting still further.

 

I would also go with Rashid as imo he has a similar type of World Class potential that Broad has.
Prior has been a revelation this series and is now a sho-in whereas before i was in the Foster camp.
James Hildreth of Zummerzet could be given a chance?

 

Agree with most of this

Boparas not a bad player, just not a number 3. If his going to play he needs to play at 5

We could do with a batsman that can bowl to play at 6 rather than a bowler that can bat. Prior though is OK at 6, 7 would be a bonus

I would like a genuinne quick in there, which we don't have many of in this country.

my 16 for the tour would be

Strauss
Key
Trott
Pieterson
Bopara
Prior
Broad
Rashid
Swann
Anderson
Oinions

Backed up by
Cook
Carberry
Mahmood
Bairstow or Read
Breasden or Plunkett

 

That would be me.

It ain't over till the chubby chick sings.

This 5th test has been amazing. I thought England's first innings was very poor, but then the Aussies have a total collapse. At the moment the Aussies trail by 340 which is quite a bit - but I'd imagine England wanting to build a lead of around 500 if possible.

This series has been very odd. It has swung back and forth so many times. First England are lucky to get away with a draw, then England wins. Then a wash-out and then the sublime aussie win in the 4th test.

Now - despite Prior getting run out (to55er) for 4, England are again looking like they'll win it.

And people say cricket is boring...

 

No chance - that would be a totally over the top and would just waste time that could be better used bowling Australia out. As soon as the score hits 425ish - so long as it's not before tea - England will be out in the field. If the Aussies chase that down then so be it but no one is predicting that on a poor quality pitch.

 

Don't England have two days after this one? Surely they'll continue untill close today? Surely two full days are enough. They need to take the total to chase way beyond the Aussies. I agree they need time to bowl them out but two full days?

 

Two full days if the weather holds. That's almost more unpredictable than the form of the teams in this series! I'd rather they put them in after tea and made them bat as a light drops off a little. The total is already way beyond the Aussies. Don't kid yourself that they could somehow hang in there for 2 and a bit days getting two an over til they win - it ain't that kind of pitch.

 

with the dismissal of trott England have declared on 373-9 meaning the aussies need 546 to win. hopefully we can get a few wickets today, i think play goes on till 6:30 this eve so about 20 overs still to play. then that means tomorrow the pressure will all be on the aussies and hopefully the countdown to winning the ashes can begin

 

play an go on till 6.30 max, light dependant.

be nice to skittle 2 or 3 tonight