So it begins - Ashes 2010/2011

reply to post by gps777


Our bowlers are on fire!!!!!!

Johnson with his 5th

Loving this!!!!

Make that 6 for 38!!!! Barmy army is very quiet

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/8c3116141520.jpg[/atsimg]

reply to post by OzWeatherman


WHOA! that was spectacular,I cannot believe I just watched that for free.

Now will our batsmen finally stand up and do their job? interesting,on the edge of my seat here.

But tips my hat in Bells direction,quality dude!

Actually I was thinking the other day,Bell should open with Strauss and protect Cook from any new ball dramas or mishaps and drop Pietersen to 6 and let him protect the tail with 2`s and boundries like Beaven or Hussey used to do in the limited over games.Pietersen to me will play a more natural game that way and not feel pressured at the top of the order.

By the way where`s Broad? he`d be good at the WACA.Injury?

Australia has managed to bowl out England for a respectable total. Exceptional bowling performence by Mitchell Johnson has put Australia on top and well into this match, however australia have to bat well and not suffer a collapse that happened in the first innings if they want to give themselves a chance at putting up a decent total for England to chase.

reply to post by OzWeatherman


Haha that was quick!

Also see the reaction from Haddin to the barmy army, if our crowd starts getting that annoyed well?,I`d hate to see it get ugly one day as in the English soccer crowds.They make no difference to their sides performance,cheer great! keep that up and there might be a backlash one day.

reply to post by keelan55


Indeed!

Lets see if the England can also get the ball moving.

reply to post by gps777


Do you still get to see the ashes on free TV in Australia?
It's only on sky in the UK which I don't have so I have to be content with reading the damn live score updates.

Originally posted by gps777

......................
PS pearcester

Another nice day here,though once or twice a year it may sprinkle and the locals start screaming "we must have angered the gods!" not only that! the girls start putting clothes on,its a terrible 5 minutes that I wouldn`t wish on anybody

edit on 16-12-2010 by gps777 because: (no reason given)

haha well i know this will make you jealous....its a lovely grey morning here with lots of puddles everywhere and that nice freezing cold wind. how i love england!

least the crickets gone abit more your way today

reply to post by davespanners


Wow! yes its free here.

There`s really no need to have pay tv as far as I see it,because we get heaps of channels on HD digital that Australia has been broadcasting and ever expanding for a while now.

reply to post by gps777


They are thinking of putting it on a list of "protected events" that have to be shown free, like the world cup is, but there isn't that much interest in the general population in the game.

The only time I ever really talk to people about it here is to the Sri Lankan guy that runs the local Laundrette and the two guys from Pakistan that own one of the local shops. English people usually look at you like your crazy if you start talking about cricket, especially the younger ones

A good days cricket for Australia has put them in a commanding position despite a fragile top order. England however have a big task ahead of them and the big question is can England bowl Australia out for a total which they can chase down? It should be a fascinating days cricket on day 3 and could be the deciding day of who wins this test match,however Australia need to spark with that top order in the next test with the out of form Ponting and Clarke all falling cheaply and both need to lift their game.

Originally posted by pearcester

haha well i know this will make you jealous....its a lovely grey morning here with lots of puddles everywhere and that nice freezing cold wind. how i love england!

On a serious note Perth is having a near water crisis,its not critical as of yet and we are building a new desalination plant which should be up and running late next year.We could really do with some decent rain (so long as its after the cricket)as our dams are at around 32% capacity and we`re heading into our summer,thats not a good mix.

least the crickets gone abit more your way today

As you know it a hard game to predict,it can turn in an over.

Few things,I was impressed by Finn he gave glimpes of a Glenn Mcgrath imo something Australia misses.Anderson is a class bowler and could of had 2-3 himself this afternoon.Not sure about that big tall fella yet need to watch him some more,he`s got the height to place the ball into the locations Mcgrath used to do,if he can do that he`ll become a weapon.

Looking forward to see if we leave Perth with the scores tied,then it`ll become real interesting for anyone who loves the Ashes.

The most astonishing thing besides Johnsons performance was that Clarke actually looked comfortable at the crease for the twenty he got. must of spicked his gatorade with some scotch.

Nice to see that The Aussies have finally turned up for The Ashes.

Johnson looks a completely different bowler to the one that played in the 1st Test and at last The Aussies have a bit of fire in their bellies.
England need to show some resolve and bowl well tomorrow.
Chasing anything less than 300 then with our batting line up, which rarely fails twice in a row nowadays - touch wood!, we will have a chance.
Anything more than 350 then we'll have to bat it out for a draw, in between it's anyone's guess.

Test and Ashes cricket at it's best - sporting contests don't get any better.

Even though the majority of my friends dislike Test cricket there are about 5 or 6 of us who can literally watch every single ball of any Test match, Ashes cricket is special though, and we keep each other informed and discuss it regularly, usually over a pint or ten!
Some of my friends went to the previous two Ashes series in Australia, hopefully I'll get to the next one.

Yes, it is a shame that Sky have the rights to broadcast Test cricket in the UK but they also deserve some recognition.
They publicise cricket far better than BBC and Channel 4 ever did, they are innovative in their approach and offer commentary and analysis second to none.

I love the fired up desire to win that goes with modern Test cricket but also the genuine appreciation of class and skill, even of an opponent.
That the players frequently share a beer with each other, and occassionally the fans, is fantastic in this day an age.

I think this test will be a draw, but Australia will take great comfort in their vastly improved performance and the stage will be perfectly set for Boxing Day at MCG.

reply to post by Freeborn


I agree that Sky do a good job with it, I just can't justify the costs of the sports channels at the moment though so it's rather annoying that I can't keep up with it.

It would have been nice to be able to see England winning at something during the last match

reply to post by davespanners


I understand mate, the cost is prohibitive in these testing times and we all need something to help cheer us up at present.
But The Ashes should definately be available free for everyone to watch.
I don't know what the answer is, quality comes at a cost and I very much doubt The Beeb could afford the quality overall service Sky provides.

I'm sure greater and more informed minds than mine could come up with a solution that suits everyone.

Originally posted by davespanners

The only time I ever really talk to people about it here is to the Sri Lankan guy that runs the local Laundrette and the two guys from Pakistan that own one of the local shops. English people usually look at you like your crazy if you start talking about cricket, especially the younger ones

Its kind of the same here Dave and what your saying is a surprise to me,just replace Pakistan Sri Lankan Idian etc with mostly Asian,but they have no clue what cricket is in general,its only the older Aussies I find that enjoy the cricket,one good thing about that is I`ve had some wonderful conversations with 70-90 year olds it really makes their day, man! do they love to talk cricket.

And if we look at India its virtually a religion over there,I dont understand why the popularity of cricket is on the slide in our countries other than becoming more Americanised ? could that be it?.

We have ads on tv for junior cricket thats been running for a few years which is good to see,yet I still dont see kids playing it randomly.

reply to post by gps777


In summertime when I was a kid growing up you could see groups of kids playing cricket on every bit of grass available.
We played Test matches against kids from other streets etc.
Our father's would come home from the pub and spend hours playing with us, usually until the pub opened again, and trying to teach us etc.

Any other time apart from summer it was the same except we played football.

Nowadays all the grass is either built on, overgrown or there are signs up saying 'No Ball Games Allowed'.
Those that do play cricket are told to play purely in club environments.
Schools do not put as much emphasis on sports, winning is un-PC.
And the fathers either spend all day in the pub, are absent or are scared to play with the children for fear of being labelled a peodophile!

Sorry times we live in.

Originally posted by Freeborn
Nice to see that The Aussies have finally turned up for The Ashes.

Your a smart cookie Freeborn you have said and warned they would early on.

Johnson looks a completely different bowler to the one that played in the 1st Test and at last The Aussies have a bit of fire in their bellies.

Not sure if you guys saw the interview with Johnson just after England were dismissed but the commentator was singing his praises etc which went on for about 5-10 minutes I guess,now although he deserves it,its best if they just left it alone,I`d even vote to put him in a cage and poke him with sticks to keep him angry,rather than the chance of him resting on his laurels.

England need to show some resolve and bowl well tomorrow.

Chasing anything less than 300 then with our batting line up, which rarely fails twice in a row nowadays - touch wood!, we will have a chance.
Anything more than 350 then we'll have to bat it out for a draw, in between it's anyone's guess.

Let us have one,the climax will be worth it.

Test and Ashes cricket at it's best - sporting contests don't get any better.

Even though the majority of my friends dislike Test cricket there are about 5 or 6 of us who can literally watch every single ball of any Test match, Ashes cricket is special though, and we keep each other informed and discuss it regularly, usually over a pint or ten!

See this is where our Aussie roots come from kids.

I think this test will be a draw, but Australia will take great comfort in their vastly improved performance and the stage will be perfectly set for Boxing Day at MCG.

Love it,I`m going to say this test will be Australias win,if they can pile on another couple of hundred and declare,leaving England to chase 400,they will play for a draw,if our bowlers continue their form you have lost even trying to play for a draw.This is the WACA.

Originally posted by Freeborn

Nowadays all the grass is either built on, overgrown or there are signs up saying 'No Ball Games Allowed'.

I had no idea it was that way over there.The only sign like that on our parks that I`ve seen on a couple was a golfer within a crossed circle,most local parks allow golfers to practice though,as I`ve said earlier on we have great local public crickets nets all over this place yet are a waste of money because no one uses them.

Why I think cricket is also important to young guys nowadays is because its supposed to be a game played with good sportmanship add that to playing as a team and they will develope good qualities and friendships that last.

Although good sportsmanship wasn`t easily seen today thats because Australia has been copping a lot a critisism and well lets face it its the Ashes! they`ll all have a laugh and a beer when its over.

Just for fun how about all on the thread post up their prediction for this test.

Freeborn has said the game will be a draw.

Me this ones Australias.

Also post the name of your prefered drink, whom ever gets it right,the others must post a link or a pic for the member.

I`m not a big drinker anymore,but I dont mind the odd shot of Chivas Regal premium scotch whisky.

.................
PS pearcester

We were up early this morning as usual and took our dog out bush for his morning run and crap,myself in a T and shorts the Mrs in a short summer dress,it was so cold I had to wind the window of the car up a little bit,my Mrs developed some type of medical condition that I can only best describe as chicken skin,in panic I rang the hospital,they said this is a serious medical condition and was important that I do one of two things to ward of hypothermia A) wrap her in tin foil or B) both of us should get naked and use our bodies to get warm.So we went with B,its all good now and the weather at 8am now is good enough for us to go to the beach and have a swim.But that was a close one.