Oh England What Have You Done?
So I miss 2 days of the Ashes due to a 12-hr flight and a bit of the jet lag, and I find that in 12 hours of cricket England lost 15 wickets for less than 200 runs!
Is that how much difference the absence of Andrew Flintoff can make?
102 and 82-5, how pathetic!
And here I was thinking that the Ashes were going England's way.
What happened?
I see that Stuart Clark returned and did what Jason Gillespie said he would. I think Gillespie was the only one calling for Clark's return with almost everyone saying that his career was over.
Gillespie was right.
Siddle did get 5 wickets but I think it was Clark who got the key wickets and crushed England in the 1st innings.
And in the 2nd, it was the return to form of Mitchell Johnson!
About time!
This was supposed to be his Ashes. Actually I had thought he was going to have the English for breakfast, lunch, and dinner but we all know how the series has gone for him so far.
The 2nd day of this 4th test, however, changed all that.
I haven't seen the game so I have no idea how the English have lost wickets but it seems like a very bad performance, especially since Australia scored over 400 at over 4 an over.
And Broad took 6 wickets!!? I couldn't believe that.
Q, the match was lost inside of two hours on the first morning. ALL of England's first innings wickets were caught. In bowling conditions, not one bowled or lbw. That tells you what you need to know - Australia didn't need to be spectacular.
Stuart Broad was candid enough to admit this evening that they had made the same mistakes as the Headingley test against SA last year.
It is about the most embarrassing England performance I have ever witnessed - the '90s included. They need to score about 40 more tomorrow to avoid their heaviest EVER test defeat in England.
It has been so bad that it is hard to see anything other than another defeat at the Oval.
At least it will give Flower and Strauss carte blanche to tear the team up and start again in SA this winter. If they can't find any decent replacements, they might need to tear the whole of English cricket up and start again.
Yours Ashamedly, GCW
Q,
Freddie's batting can never be counted on. Apart froma a few cameos here and there, he hasn't really done that much over the past few years.
Maybe fred's bowling could have been influential.
The batting has been rather pathetic from England though. They just keep getting out to okayish kind of balls.
Q, Q, Q - I warned you not to predict aussie loss :-)
I demand that you predict a australian win in the 5th test now. And atleast 60 runs in the test for ponting. Please!
GCW,
Thanx for the summary of what went down.. I feel sorry for England.. I think they have dropped the Ashes.. no coming back from this at the Oval.. unless Freddy comes back.. I was shocked to hear that he was ready to play but Strauss didn't want him for the 4th test..
Prafs,
When I said leaving Freddy out could make so much difference, I wasn't really talking abt his batting.. I don't rate Freddy that much as a batsman at all.. but his presence does lift the team.. without Freddy and KP the team lacks the bite..
Raj,
Australia are going to win at the Oval surely and retain the Ashes. Ponting will not retire without a series win in England..
Well there goes my England Win prediction. The way they lost this test makes me feel they are in for another drubbing in the 5th test.
Blame Bopara, that's what they do Q. Cook has done nothing for so long but he manages to get under the radar.
Just because Warne the fat knob said before the Ashes that he'd play Vaughan instead of Bopara, everyone wants him out now.
Rayden,
I'd be shocked is Australia don't win at the Oval...
Stani,
Yeah blame all the young ones and now they want Ramprakash, Tresco, Vaughan, Nasser Hussain, Micheal Atherton, everyone back!