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

Right then. England need to get busy to hit my 50 all out prediction.

It is coming , I can feel it. Ok maybe a tad more than 50.

Rain inbound

Draw all over it..

These two batters are just batting for themselves..

Which I am very gratefull for

Onions took 7/62 in a CC game yesterday, so surely he's hammering at the door now?

Well, they're going along at 4 an over...not exactly slow.

Reckon Clarke will declare when the lead is 300-350.

Clarke has to. The rain will give him so few overs. Probably not even a session,

Should they factor in the rain and declare earlier than 300?

Australia now lead by 223.

Suppose rain arrives soon and the day is washed out completely...if it then appears there might be say four hours play tomorrow , might not Clarke just declare immediately and have a go ? Wouldn't have too much to lose at 2 down...

I would declare at 275 if I were Clarke.

alfie wrote:Australia now lead by 223.

Suppose rain arrives soon and the day is washed out completely...if it then appears there might be say four hours play tomorrow , might not Clarke just declare immediately and have a go ? Wouldn't have too much to lose at 2 down...

Zero hours tomorrow.

If Clarke wants the win he must declare now.

alfie wrote:Australia now lead by 223.

Suppose rain arrives soon and the day is washed out completely...if it then appears there might be say four hours play tomorrow , might not Clarke just declare immediately and have a go ? Wouldn't have too much to lose at 2 down...

If we lose part of today, that would be the logical thing to do IMO.

6 an over there. Clarke has the playing for a quick declaration.

I wish England's batsmen could play this sort of attacking innings. That was what saw them race to over 500.

You have a lot of faith in that rain forecast trebs  

I am generally more optimistic than you , I think we would agree ? But I never believe in weather saving England ...in my experience it hardly ever does. English weather tends to arrive when the opposition need it...

ROOOOOOOOOT

or is it BOOOOOOO to warner.

Great catch

The Chatbox is open lads if you want to discuss the game  

WARNER HAAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

WHAT A CATCH BY ROOT!!!!!!!!!!!

AND THATS A CATCH!!!

Warner gone for 41, caught off a Bresnan bouncer.

#SimplyTheBres

Be interesting to see what Clarke does.

Well if we're honest about the weather forecast then it was meant to rain all day today, but it didn't. Then it was supposed to rain before lunch, but it didn't. And it's still not raining now.

And Root's just caught Warner!

Root catches Warner.

That's a sucker punch right there.

Root catches Warner !!!

Poetic , no ? Nice catch  

Warner actually did a decent job there for Australia. But I think Root will take a little extra satisfaction from that...

trebellbobaggins wrote:Root catches Warner.

That's a sucker punch right there.

He will allways remeber that one!!  

No declaration yet. Watson next man up.

That was a corker of a catch by Root.

This from BBC live text:

"The producer has just told me it's not the first time that a hook from Warner has been caught by Root."

Missed stumping and bit of a hammering in the over. If Aussie keep going like this the can force us to even bat before it rains the match off.

I don't see them declaring just yet awhile. Is tricky when you don't really know how many hours you have left...Clarke wants to win , but he doesn't want to set England 280 odd in expectation of shortened days , only to see the rain slip by and England win by three wickets with a couple of hours to spare...
If no rain today I reckon they will bat an hour after tea at least.

alfie wrote:I don't see them declaring just yet awhile.  Is tricky when you don't really know how many hours you have left...Clarke wants to win , but he doesn't want to set England 280 odd in expectation of shortened days , only to see the rain slip by and England win by three wickets with a couple of hours to spare...
If no rain today I reckon they will bat an hour after tea at least.

I see your point, but in the context of this series, a draw is probably just as a bad as a loss for Australia.

Yes Swann!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Swann bowls Khawaja for just 22 and Aus are 97-3.

Skipper next up. Should still be able to guide Australia to a commanding lead...but will they have enough time to bowl England out?

Or will the rain that's looming on the radar intervene?

Cricket holding is loving someone having a big lead over England.

Doesn't like us does he.

dyrewolfe wrote:Swann bowls Khawaja for just 22 and Aus are 97-3.

Skipper next up. Should still be able to guide Australia to a commanding lead...but will they have enough time to bowl England out?

Or will the rain that's looming on the radar intervene?

Clarke will be on us way soon and have to work out whether he has the nerve to declare now or give it up for the rain.

They would be 90-10 favs to win this otherwise I suspect.

And Watson gone.

This looks nasty to bat in. I guess Aussie have this easily if the rain holds off.

Swann bowls Khawaja round his legs...

Yeah , Duty , he will be ready to take a risk I'm sure : but it is not an easy decision to make. If Lyon could bowl as well as Swann , he might have enough runs already ! But I suspect he doesn't want to rely on his spinner too much...and setting England a target of only three per over might give him less chance of winning than batting them out of it and just praying he gets enough overs to bowl them out.
Think England bat better when they have a run target than when they are just trying to stay in.

Watson gone now ! Might get bowled out...

And Brezza gets his second victim!

Watson caught for 18 by KP. Aus 103-4. Surely the declaration can't be too far away now?

I'd be surprised if Clarke declares before 300.

Watson out!!!!

Wow this is getting very interesting now.

I keep hoping roger smith comes on instead.

He trundles to the left, he trundles to the right....

trebellbobaggins wrote:Cricket holding is loving someone having a big lead over England.

Doesn't like us does he.

Lol! I hear you!

Still, a part of me would like to see England hold on for the draw, without the help of the weather. Makes it that much more satisfying.

Clarke should show his aggression and declare now and trust his machine to bowl us out
Common clarkeman.  Do it.

GSC wrote:I'd be surprised if Clarke declares before 300.

I would've thought so too earlier, but they're not scoring as quickly as I thought they would (still around 4 an over).

I would think Clarke will want his bowlers to have at least a couple of hours at England's batting today.

No point declaring before the rain

For the next test I think bairstow has to go.

He's done nothing to earn his place and looked poor and and a bit easy to get.

Taylor for him.

Oh dear. Bresnan getting tanked in that over.

All a bit easy for Aussie under no pressure and needing to get quick runs and doing so with ease.

A 6 against him as poor bowling there and a good shot.

trebellbobaggins wrote:Clarke should show his aggression and declare now and trust his machine to bowl us out
Common clarkeman.  Do it.

Not sure I would want to see England "steal" a win due to two Australian declarations . Would seem a little hollow.
Don't want to lose either of course !

I think Clarke would want at least 320 , and probably a few more.  But I really have no more idea what he is going to do than I have where your blasted rain has got to

I had been counting on a relaxed early night !

Holding hates us!

It is funny!

Tomorrow Alfie. As doody says today looks clear.

As I said it is Wee weeing down down here and they say it is heading that way and will set in tomorrow.

So they have to get England out today or can just give up.

Australia 118-4. Going at a fair clip, nothing extravagant in terms of the run rate, nevertheless a very healthy going. And the lead is 277.

they might as well just smash everything from here in

GSC wrote:

No point declaring before the rain

But we don't know what the weather will do tomorrow. Australia need to bowl England out and they won't do that if tomorrow's a wash-out.

Being under that system for 24 hours I predict a wash out.

Current BBC forecast for Old Trafford has solid rain from 6:00am until 2:00pm, with sunshine and showers until 5:00pm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/6691246