In the cricket

tsk!
'strouser's one 'is fourth toss out of five...killin' me!
Fucking good toss to win when you've just put Monty in the side.
Poms look unconvincing but are scrounging their way to a reasonable score.
A few more wickets would be nice.

 

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The Gods are with us.
All we need is our tail end to perform and we could have a decent score.

 

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332 all out. That’s not too bad for England, though England would most probably have liked to be closer to 400 on a good batting Oval pitch.

Meanwhile, Bopara (left out of the final Test presumably because of lack of runs) has just made a century playing for his club Essex against Surrey at Colchester. :bugeye:

 

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When we were 1 for 12, I think we would have taken that score.

Whether it is good or bad will depend on how well Australia do today.
Some of the batsmen are saying that the pitch is pretty good for bowling on.
Time will tell.

What is your cricket affiliation VA?

 

Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang

Wake up Australia, the ashes are in danger.

 

England 39 for 3.
Go back to bed Australians.


If you don't get Strauss out quickly tomorrow, you are doomed.
Dismiss Strauss, and things could get very interesting.

 

Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang boing!
('oo let that figgin Kangaroo in 'ere?)

Wake up Australia. Rub your sleepy eyes and turn on the telly.
It's time to lose the Ashes.

Old Australian Soldier In Abraham's bosom. Sings, softly.........

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
"You'll never catch me alive", said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me"
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
"You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."
"Oh, You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me."

Abraham: You were at Gallepully weren't yer?

Old Soldier: I sure was mate, but it weren't haff so bad as what's goin' on now at the Oval.

Abraham: Could you get yer head out of me bosom for a bit mate. The other angels are giving me gip. Could you sign this for me?

Old Soldier: No problem.

 

Freddy's in for his test batting swansong.
Go Freddy Go!

Where's all the aussies gone?
Come back!
This is as hard for me as it is for you.

He's out now.
Big daft Lancashire 'apeworth.

Replaced by Stuart Broad.
Le Roi est mort...

 

Sorry, Kremmen, didn't mean to leave you short of gloat fodder.
I've been kind of busy moving house and saving the environment.

Yes, it's been painful. Especially the bit where I went to bed the other night when it started to rain, we were cruising at 61-0 then after Spud Empress woke me in the wee hours for wild sex and I couldn't get back to sleep, I turned on the telly and it's 110-6.

Tragic, 20 odd good days of test cricket and the series squandered in a couple of hours.

Strauss is solid as a rock.
Hate to say it but Aus. selections and captaincy have been wanting.

2 days to bat, I don't think so.

Well played.

 

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Stupid Environment


I think Strauss will set a very different field today, and we should see some solid scoring and, hopefully, dismissals.
Australia need to be tempted to whack at the ball a bit.

 

So, let me explain how the wondrous evacuated tube solar hot water technology can save money and reduce carbon emissions.

Mr.Cricket is finally scoring a few.

Only 400 to get. A doddle!

 

For a side that is winning by miles, you should see the anxious looks on the faces of the Oval Crowd
Where's the barmy army when you need them?
This Ashes seems to be made up of poor performances, followed by great ones.
And vice versa.

A few more runs and Australia will be in record breaking territory for a final innings at the Oval. So, whatever happens, this will be an historic innings.

Re Solar Energy.
Build a better battery and the world will beat a path to your door.
The energy is simple to gather, it's storage that is the real problem.
We need a solar equivalent to the water dam.
Can't photons be captured in some solar lake or other?

 

Ponting Gone. Run out by Flintoff.
So Flintoff dismisses Ponting, as a Fielder.
Who's writing the script for this?
Is this Cricket, or Quidditch?

Key Wicket.

Ponting now leaving the Oval, to a very warm ovation.
Sportsmanship is still alive in England, it seems.

Nice to see after Edgbaston's shameful crowd.
I hang my head in shame when I see English people booing great cricketers.
Any great sportsman.
Some of these ommadons would boo Bradman.


Clark run out now.
Go back to bed Spud.

 

You know too much.
I was already gone.
At 2 for 200 I poured a big rusty nail and was settling in, then two friggin' runouts...cruelty!

Well played Captain! Deserved win.

That's all I can muster.

Over and out!

 

Congratulations, England! :bravo:

 

Target 548. Australia were chasing rainbows.
Gallant effort though.

 

Yes!

England have done it. They have regained the Ashes by beating the Aussies.

Freddie Flintoff is now retiring from test cricket. I think he will be knighted by the Queen of England now.

I think the Australian cricket team will find it difficult to recover from this mentally.

 

The celebration is subdued here. Oedipal.

It's like standing over the body of some old dead king that you've defeated in battle, realising that this was once a hero who grew old and frail.
Throw your cricket bat into the enchanted lake, Australia.
(Arm of Bradman rises from the waterlilies to grasp the bat, and take it to the depths of the green lake)

This English side that has just won, is probably not as good as the side that was whitewashed four years ago.

Latest ICC test rankings on 23 Aug 2009
Figures represent Matches,Points,Rating

First is South Africa 30, 3672, 122
then:

Sri Lanka 24 2852 119
India 28 3327 119
Australia, 4th, 31 3600 116
England, 5th, 39 4102 105
Pakistan 17 1424 84
New Zealand 22 1794 82
West Indies 25 1910 76
Bangladesh 19 255 13

There isn't a huge gap in the ratings between the first team and England at fifth.
We are in for some good cricket.

 

Waragainsterror. Like the name. Nice twist to it.
We could do with some new lefties around here.

Freddy.
He would probably turn up drunk for the ceremony, the big Lancashire Larrikin.
Unlikely to get a Knighthood straight away. CBE maybe, OBE most likely.

The next Ashes will have a bit of an atmosphere about it, I'd say.
God help any Captain that loses in Australia.

 

Aye. Then again, we should be reminded of where the name "Ashes" actually came from, and the way the English felt at having their supremacy challenged. The wheel turns once more.

Oh, Marvellous. Now what do we call it? The "Bat in the Mud Series"?

You know, that's probably true too. I was thinking to myself this morning, as well, that if this was the team Waugh left to Ponting, that run chase wouldn't have been unthinkable at all. Certainly, it would have been exciting.