Cricket

[bnm]

Play abandoned for the day at 1735. The rain dance has worked.

 

[Oswyntail]

...
Lead is now 331 runs


BAD LIGHT STOPPED PLAY

It will be interesting to see if Clarke declares overnight. 332 is getable, as is ten English wickets in a day-long chase. But if he does declare and England win, he will get roasted; as he will if he hangs on too long and England survive on 8 down.
Probably all academic because of the weather forecast, but what he does will give a strong indication of how happy he is.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Whatever should occur tomorrow, Clarke will take heart from his magnificent captains' innings that he played at the start of this Test Match, which motivated those fellow Australian batsmen to post such an impressive first innings total and brought some missing pride back into the side.

 

[Johnuk123]

If this match isn't a draw I will be very surprised.

 

[Whistler40145]

The result will be decided by how much rain falls over Old Trafford, that's if the forecasters are correct.

 

[furryfeet]

Has Cook fallen below the 15overs per hour threshold for the match ?
If so, can he be "banned" from the Durham test ?

 

[jb]

Has Cook fallen below the 15overs per hour threshold for the match ?
If so, can he be "banned" from the Durham test ?

He might have a case to answer for the team's over-rate, but only because it was WAY below 15 per hour.

As Michael Holding put it recently, he could not remember one single occasion since he's been commentating on Test match cricket for Sky (15 years or so) where 90 overs in England have been bowled by 6pm.

 

[David]

Things are not looking good at Old Trafford.

Austrailia declared this morning, and England are now 27/3 with Cook, Trott and Pieterson all back in the Pavilion, and Clarke making a hash of a catch from Root.

 

[High Dyke]

Things are not looking good at Old Trafford.

Austrailia declared this morning, and England are now 27/3 with Cook, Trott and Pieterson all back in the Pavilion, and Clarke making a hash of a catch from Root.

Perhaps England should've opened with the likes of Swann and Broad, as was suggested on TMS, against the new ball. Let them take the risk of a few runs to wear it and the Aussie bowlers out before the top order get to the crease; oh and don't waste time with reviews if there's every chance of it going against you.

 

[185]

Swann might be in his element at the moment. Tad wet in Manchester.

 

[crispy1978]

Keep raining - this is Lancashire at the end of the day (OK, technically Greater Manchester) - and it pretty much always rains over there!

 

[Arglwydd Golau]

Whatever should occur tomorrow, Clarke will take heart from his magnificent captains' innings that he played at the start of this Test Match, which motivated those fellow Australian batsmen to post such an impressive first innings total and brought some missing pride back into the side.

Yes, in some respects I would agree, but from an Australian point of view I wonder if they would have preferred ANY of their other batsmen to have broken the 100 barrier? ie, from a team point of view they may well have wanted the 187 scored by Clarke reversed with, say the 80's scored by Rogers or Smith. Clarke is definitely a top player, everyone knows that he can and does score hundreds, it's all the others at the moment who can't and Australia still are over reliant on him. Watson has only scored two hundreds in 44 tests!

As I write tea is being taken and it's still raining. England need to bat much better against the new ball, Harris and Siddle are good but not great bowlers.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Two brief snippets...

1) Test Match abandoned as a draw.

2) In the top v bottom league match at Grace Road, Lancashire beat Leicestershire by an innings and 57 runs.

 

[Johnuk123]

England should be ashamed of themselves for once again putting up a very poor batting display.

30 odd for 3 is not good enough.

Had the rain not saved us I think we'd have lost that test match.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

England should be ashamed of themselves for once again putting up a very poor batting display.

30 odd for 3 is not good enough.

Had the rain not saved us I think we'd have lost that test match.

How many times have we seen the "three early wickets falling" syndrome in this particular Test series ?

 

[Phirstman]

A damp squib upon which to win the Ashes on which is a shame. Hopefully we can celebrate properly with two big performances in the last two matches.

Meanwhile, my beloved Hampshire have crept into T20 Finals day for the 4th successive year after a QF win over Lanashire which featured over 400 runs, eventually resulting in a single run victory!

 

[Searle]

I feel like saying that people are being much too harsh on England, saying we should be ashamed etc etc. I wonder if anyone has been watching the Ashes Verdict on Sky, I watched Monday's and it really bugged me. Tom Moody and Bob Willis (I really dislike Bob Willis in particular) were chatting, and Tom Moody was saying how he doesn't like Cook's attitude at only focusing on retaining the ashes and that he should be looking to win the whole series. Give the poor bloke a break, let's do the first things first and then move onto winning the series afterwards.

 

[jb]

I feel like saying that people are being much too harsh on England, saying we should be ashamed etc etc. I wonder if anyone has been watching the Ashes Verdict on Sky, I watched Monday's and it really bugged me. Tom Moody and Bob Willis (I really dislike Bob Willis in particular) were chatting, and Tom Moody was saying how he doesn't like Cook's attitude at only focusing on retaining the ashes and that he should be looking to win the whole series. Give the poor bloke a break, let's do the first things first and then move onto winning the series afterwards.

That sort of stuff is absolute rubbish. Willis should have been put out to grass a long long time ago. And the bolded part of the quote is beyond belief.

 

[Oswyntail]

Do remember that (in all sports, not just cricket) the role of the ex-England player is generally (with honourable exceptions like Atherton) to remind us how much better everything was in their day. Combine that with the role of the ex-overseas player in reminding us that England have never, in reality, been better than their side, and you have the standard punditry team.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I had to laugh when I heard the comment that Australian press were attempting to "play mind games" before the fourth Test Match.

The time to do this, as practiced by the noted football zen-master of such techniques (the Old Trafford consumer of copious amounts of chewing gum, now retired) was to do this whilst it could take effect prior to the final winning post being passed.....not when the horse has bolted and the stable door being well and truly locked...:roll:

 

[CallySleeper]

Witnessed Nottinghamshire crash spectacularly out of t20 this evening. Well played by Essex but we were outplayed in all areas - our spinners took about 90 runs between them and then after a spirited start to the run chase we just couldn't make enough runs. It were absolute rubbish.

 

[Johnuk123]

England win the toss and are batting, let's hope they can get a bit of respectability back after the last very poor performance.

 

[High Dyke]

Witnessed Nottinghamshire crash spectacularly out of t20 this evening. Well played by Essex but we were outplayed in all areas - our spinners took about 90 runs between them and then after a spirited start to the run chase we just couldn't make enough runs. It were absolute rubbish.

It seemed easy enough to achieve...even late on. I think the dismissal of Wessels just took the fight out of them; the last 6 wkts lost for just 13 runs... Hussey had stab at things but just timed it wrong. That said Notts didn't take the runs when they could have, and as you mention the spinners went for a fair few runs. All in all not a good night...especially after the group matches. Still it was good to be part of the crowd.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

149-2 looked to be the basis for England to build a good first innings total upon.

155-5 most certainly is not the case...
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Close of play

England 238-9 (90 overs)

Bresnan 12no, Anderson 16no...Unbroken last wicket stand of 24...
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After England were dismissed on their overnight score, lunch on day 2 sees Australia on 75-3....all wickets taken by Broad.

 

[ainsworth74]

As long as England keep chipping away they can get back into a strong position. If you get in on a pitch at Chester-le-Street there are big runs to be had. It's just tough to get in as it's quite a bowler friendly surface. Always has been.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Australia now 217-5 from 74 overs

Rogers 101 not out
Broad 4-48

 

[Johnuk123]

End of day 2 and Australia 16 runs behind on 222 for 5 so well on top.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The weather forecast for Chester le Street says a chance of showers on Sunday, with Monday being quite an unsettled day with rain forecast.Incidentally, why was this Test Match scheduled for a Friday start, as Thursday seems normally to be the favoured start day of late ?

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Jimmy Anderson did not record good bowling figures in either Australian innings of the last Test Match nor indeed in this current Australian innings.

Should he have been rested to allow his body to recover from recent events and Graham Onions have been included to have the opportunity to perform on his own county ground, where he will be well aware of how to exploit the wicket there.

 

[jb]

Should he have been rested to allow his body to recover from recent events and Graham Onions have been included to have the opportunity to perform on his own county ground, where he will be well aware of how to exploit the wicket there.

No. If Onions was to be included it should have been at the expense of Bresnan. There's nothing wrong with Jimmy's fitness and, if the truth be told, not much wrong with his bowling either. He hasn't had a deal of luck lately and there's nothing to suggest that he's really lost any form. In any case he has done plenty enough to suggest sticking with him.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Lunch on day 3

Australia have lost their last 5 wickets this morning for 48 runs to be 270 all out. Broad 5-71

England bat again...24-1...Root is out for 2