3rd Ashes test Old Trafford

First topic message reminder :

SQUAD

Squad Alastair Cook (capt), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, James Taylor, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar

Clarke of all people with a couple of frustrated shots. Just gets away with one over mid-off.

England have done ok not to let Australia get away, but Aus will be pleased that these two are still in. As the England bowlers tire there'll be more runs out there, and Warner and Haddin are ideal players to take advantage of a flagging attack.

Clarke and Smith are grinding England to the ground. England need a moment of inspiration very soon. Otherwise this could be a very long day.

Not much happening again this morning. I know there appears to be a bit of bounce and spin in the pitch but nothing seems to have surprised the batsmen so I have to say I think this is a genuine 450 plus pitch. Of course once one side has the runs on the board scoreboard pressure can do things to the chasing team...but I reckon if England can get a half decent start they will also be good for a big score.
I remember a Test here from a long time ago : over 600 for each team and even the umpires were asleep by the end ...won't be quite like that this time as modern batsmen don't have the patience...

...which Smith proves as he holes out to Swann..

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smith Gone. Well batted though, i said he would have a good innings after his superb display at Hove the other week.

swann fools smith...well bowled

Jeas about time a wicket!!

Superb from the crowd!!!!!!! 

Really hope Warner gets a lot of abuse!!!

This is what I saw for years as a young adult.

Aussie on top grinding England into the dirt.

People laughed at them winning this ashes series?

They aren't laughing now. Aussie are back? They could be couldn't they.

It's like all the horrors of my youth are back.

Swann strikes once again in the first over of a spell. Come on England, we need this lot out for under 475, still half a chance of doing just that.

Swanny does it for England. But no real moment of inspiration, rather a moment of madness from Smith. England maintaining pressure by not letting the Australians might have produced that wicket.

If Australia were to lose a wicket, they would have preferred Smith to Clarke.

trebellbobaggins wrote:This is what I saw for years as a young adult.

Aussie on top grinding England into the dirt.

People laughed at them winning this ashes series?

They aren't laughing now.  Aussie are back?  They could be couldn't they.

It's like all the horrors of my youth are back.

HAHA trebbs is back.. Didnt take long!!

Smith rather daftly gives it away, but the pressure was building.

The crowd rather predictably but equally pathetically give Warner a "reception".

Well when he hits one of our players I cant see how the pantomine boos are pathetic. I think he has got it easy tbh mate!!

If Cook had any sense of theatre, or drama, he'd get Joe Root on to bowl now.

mystiroakey wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:This is what I saw for years as a young adult.

Aussie on top grinding England into the dirt.

People laughed at them winning this ashes series?

They aren't laughing now.  Aussie are back?  They could be couldn't they.

It's like all the horrors of my youth are back.

HAHA trebbs is back.. Didnt take long!!

Nah actually being serious,

This really has been an Aussie performance of class and poise showing us that the golden aussie is not dead.

They could win both series and England need to work hard to win anything, very hard.

Good for cricket this, shame though that we will never see an genuinly dominant England like Aussie were. Aussie will just never be that bad or eng that good,

So the end of a fine partnership  

Smith will be kicking himself as he will rarely get a better chance for an Ashes century ( I am less convinced than some of his excellence as a Test batsman : he certainly played well , albeit with some fair slices of luck , here ; but I think the jury is still out on him. Want to see him on some pitches which give the seam bowler a bit more help.)

Warner has come in at a stage which ought to allow him license to play his shots. But Swann is going to be energized by that wicket...

Whatever. Obviously it is old fashioned to expect cricket fans not to behave like football fans would.

Crowd was pretty quiet whilst Smith and Clarke were putting on 200odd...

Mike Selig wrote:Smith rather daftly gives it away, but the pressure was building.

The crowd rather predictably but equally pathetically give Warner a "reception".

He deserves it the bloody thug.

I wouldn't have him in this series after behaving like a drunken bully. Sets a horrible example from a top sportsman.

It's his job to set an example mike not the bloody crowd. You can't knock them when they a getting set examples like that from oz.

Mike Selig wrote:Whatever. Obviously it is old fashioned to expect cricket fans not to behave like football fans would.

Crowd was pretty quiet whilst Smith and Clarke were putting on 200odd...

ewwwwwwww

Whatever  

get over it mate.. like any other nations fans would act any different!! football fans is a bad example..

Warner is the closest thing out there to a football fan.

Great batsmen yes but he needs to prove himself now as a person and a sportsman in his conduct.

Mike Selig wrote:Whatever. Obviously it is old fashioned to expect cricket fans not to behave like football fans would.

Crowd was pretty quiet whilst Smith and Clarke were putting on 200odd...

He'd been getting a lot worse if he was a footballer.

trebellbobaggins wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:

trebellbobaggins wrote:This is what I saw for years as a young adult.

Aussie on top grinding England into the dirt.

People laughed at them winning this ashes series?

They aren't laughing now.  Aussie are back?  They could be couldn't they.

It's like all the horrors of my youth are back.

HAHA trebbs is back.. Didnt take long!!

Nah actually being serious,

This really has been an Aussie performance of class and poise showing us that the golden aussie is not dead.

They could win both series and England need to work hard to win anything,  very hard.  

Good for cricket this,  shame though that we will never see an genuinly dominant England like Aussie were.  Aussie will just never be that bad or eng that good,

Trebbs dude you can;t teach an old dog new tricks. You can try !!!

the trundler doing a great job....but for Australia  

BBC saying turn is massive now it'll be pretty much impossible to score this much for England.

I thought it was a great toss to win.

They have to really dig in as they could be facing 500 plus, probably more. Hope to top order can find some runs.

Hmm . Looks a bit like the old trebell to me   for all his protestations to the contrary.

Certainly Australia have bounced back well here - to be honest I rather expected they would here - but as yet it is just a good score : they still have a fair bit of work to convert it into a win , and even then they'd be down 1-2...

Clarke going after Bresnan here...not happy with the run rate this morning , and anxious to push back after the Smith wicket. Good response from the Aussie skipper , who is making up for a couple of ordinary Tests.

Boycott is in good form today!

Glad to see (hear) Clarke playing a real Captain's innings.

On the other hand don't wish Warner well. That probably means he'll get a double ton. Absolutely not surprised he got booed. Deserves it.

Oh gosh...review?

As I said whatever. I'm not going to get into an argument about it. IMO the booing is pathetic, unnecessary and hypocritical in the extreme. It is also the loudest the crowd has been all morning - clearly having a go at the opposition is more important than supporting your team.

Clarke onto and past 150. Good knock.

I agree with alfie's assessment of the pitch - it looks like a genuine flat one. But scoreboard pressure can do funny things. 

BOOOOOOOOOOO......


Bye bye Warner  

Warner gone...despite a daft review !

Who does he think he is : Stuart Broad ?  

O urine OF WARNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA YOU'RE OUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CHEERIO!!!!!!!!

this guy Warner confirms he is an Oaf

YES!!!!!   

Swann gets the thug! Feck off Warner!

Michael Clarke reminds me of Lara when he gets like this. Sure he doesnt have the back-lift, or the "Go fetch your rubbish" manner in which Lara treated pretty decent balls, but there is just something quite "Lara-esque" about his Daddy hundreds.

What's the difference there between Broad, when he didn't walk, and Warner?

Duty281 wrote:What's the difference there between Broad, when he didn't walk, and Warner?

 
Broad wasn't out!
 
No really its in the book!

Clarke's gone past some good players in the all time list with this knock so far:

Haynes, Lloyd and Mohammad Yousuf, not to mention also passing Boon and Taylor on the Aussie list.

Fair play to him, last 1-2 years he's been phenomenal.

The booing is pathetic for a pathetic act. The act was more pathetic than the reaction.

They were hardly going to go mad for their team when the other side were battering them.

FINALLY

Oh well he's gone now anyway.

The difference is Broad set the precedent, Duty. A bit like asking why is Einstein the genius when most kids know E=MC squared

Now then. If England get Clarke out quickly, they may start fancying bowling Australia out for under 450.

Mike Selig wrote:As I said whatever. I'm not going to get into an argument about it. IMO the booing is pathetic, unnecessary and hypocritical in the extreme. It is also the loudest the crowd has been all morning - clearly having a go at the opposition is more important than supporting your team.

Clarke onto and past 150. Good knock.

I agree with alfie's assessment of the pitch - it looks like a genuine flat one. But scoreboard pressure can do funny things. 

Jeasus mate- You really are a misery guts sometimes arnt you!!

Warner was always going to get that reception and will continue to do so for the rest of his career when he plays in England.

FINALLY

To be honest I am not surprised Warner went cheaply. I do not think the middle order is his place. Opener or nothing.

Haddin starting brightly. He could be pretty handy for Australia from this platform...

when swann bowls is when you see how bad the pitch is.....and deterioating fast.

aussies have decided not to hand around and get whatever they can swinging the bat.

450 they will be bundled out max with this approach....and we would see Eng batting sometime in 2nd session

Whilst Clarke is there the an comfortable reach 600.

England will be facing a real spinner not agar on a spinning pitch so they will need to work to get 300 plus.

England get a break at last as Warner's thick edge bounces straight up off Prior's leg. Clarke obviously tried to talk him out of the review, but Warner seemed adamant he hadn't hit it, because he smashed his pad at the same time; however Clarke should have been more insistent.

In any case Warner looked uncomfortable from the start against Swann. Not sure 6 is a good spot for him TBH.

I won't talk about the crowd's behaviour as clearly I am in the minority thinking that it could/should behave with a minimum of decorum or class.

Australia in danger of throwing away some of their hard work here...