Winter ashes...

[Dujon]

That's like trying to construct a team from the beginning of test matches, Dan. It's a silly exercise. Comparing the teams that played just four months ago might be a better use of time.

An Australian follower of cricket could have a valid point when commenting on the last series. They could also cast aspersions on pitch preparation, the weather and so on. Of course the true aficionado does nothing of the kind. In the current series all wickets have played as could be expected. In this series both top orders have been frail. In this series Brad Haddin has been the lynch pin of the Australian batting, holding together the shambles that the top order has created.

Even today with an innings of nearly thirty he's helped out Rogers and increase the lead over the opposition. 248 for 7 at lunch gives Australia a lead of over 400. In view of the time still to play I cannot see Clarke bothering to declare.

[Dujon]

Oh, yes. I was disgusted to read the Murdoch owned The Daily Telegraph organising a truck to tour the city with a bloke or two whitewashing a huge photograph of the England team.

[Montreal Wanderer]

More of the same - another collapse although Stoked took two out of the ground on consecutive balls. There will be a lot of sturm und drang when they hold the post mortem on this series.

[Dujon]

I think that the main thing about this series is that every time England had Australia on a taut line it let the fish get away.

The results of the five tests make sad reading. The SCG test lasted two days, two sessions and 55 minutes. England's second innings was something like 32 overs. I rather liked Clarke's strategy when the tail started belting the ball around. He brought the field in and didn't bother defending the boundary indicating to me that he was thinking that a few free runs wouldn't matter and the batsmen would get themselves out. Which, of course, is what happened.

[bwfcdan94]

More of the same - another collapse although Stoked took two out of the ground on consecutive balls. There will be a lot of sturm und drang when they hold the post mortem on this series.

Storm and stress .

[jaffka]

Well that was entirely predictable.

I wonder what the fallout will reveal.

[Dujon]

I can't answer that, jaffka. I do hope though that, if the England schedule permits, any review will be steady and considered. A 'knee jerk' reaction could be damaging. After the 'Gabba test they lost Trott and a little later, Swann. Both had under-performed but, nevertheless, it must have made a dent in the team plans. Still, any team management must have plans in place ready to use if any player is unable to play. There are far too many very good players in the England team to start some sort of wholesale dismemberment. Perhaps some of the focus should be moved to the decision makers rather than kicking men when they're down?

[BWFC_Insane]

I can't answer that, jaffka. I do hope though that, if the England schedule permits, any review will be steady and considered. A 'knee jerk' reaction could be damaging. After the 'Gabba test they lost Trott and a little later, Swann. Both had under-performed but, nevertheless, it must have made a dent in the team plans. Still, any team management must have plans in place ready to use if any player is unable to play. There are far too many very good players in the England team to start some sort of wholesale dismemberment. Perhaps some of the focus should be moved to the decision makers rather than kicking men when they're down?

See, the weird thing is that is both true and untrue at the same time.

I think that for many (myself included) this series and the result and the performance has kind of been brewing for a long time, yet the severity of it so soon after the summer is still stunning. I don't know what it is, but the feeling that something was wrong has been there a while. Whether it is as simple as a lack of motivation throughout the side, and it does happen, cricket tours are not exactly holidays once you've been on a few and I suspect the likes of Swann have simply had enough of it all. Whether it is players performing less and less regularly (see entire batting line up). Or simply that we've relied on the performances of a few rather than the whole, or simply overconfidence, I'm really not sure.

But this England side that were IMO the best in the world at one point has been slowly sliding and withering, even in the summer despite the series result the signs that they were beginning to struggle were there.

I do think it is hard to maintain a great side in test cricket for too long as the game takes its toll and form is certainly more fluctuating for batsmen than it can be in many other sports. But I'd love to know what happened to go so drastically from a 3-0 win to a 5-0 defeat.

[2399]

I went past the MCG during the Boxing Day Test on the Train, Took a photo or three...

Will upload them here soon

[thebish]

hey... we won our first tour game!! woot!

[Dujon]

I am sure, thebish, that the Prime Minister's XI will be gutted.

[thebish]

I am sure, thebish, that the Prime Minister's XI will be gutted.

you have to celebrate your wins - even if they did only have three recognised batsmen! go england!!

[superjohnmcginlay]

hey... we won our first tour game!! woot!

Second! We beat a Cricket Australia Invitational XI in November.

Finn's been fooked off home. Lost it or summat.

[Dujon]

you have to celebrate your wins - even if they did only have three recognised batsmen! go england!!

Well the England women's team won the first (and only) test the other day. There're three ODIs and three T20s to come to decide who wins the series. Get behind them, man, they could well salvage English pride.

[BWFC_Insane]

Well another embarrassment then......

[jaffka]

What a finish to the second one day. England posted 300 and oz won it hb one wicket in the last over, 3 balls left.

James Faulkner was leathering them everywhere.

Overall though England let this one slip.

[jaffka]

Well another embarrassment then......

Really?

Why do you think that?

[Dujon]

I don't normally interest myself in ODIs but yesterday I did. As usual the television offerings varied from awful to terrible and my usual radio station was commentating on the game I turned on the TV, turned down the sound and let the radio chuckle away next to my bed. What an odd game it turned out to be. England, with the special contribution of Morgan (more of him later), bang out a quite respectable 50-over total. The fielding side turns out in due course and behaves as though it's a totally different team from the last 6 games of the tour; two brilliant catches and effort galore around the ground. It was really good stuff. Then the wheels fell off. With still 100 runs to get for a win Mr Grey Matter told me that it was just about over for Australia and the commentators would have an early visit to the local pub. Enter that Tasmanian Tiger known as Faulkner striding to the crease. Those interested know what happened then. I think that England has some sort of jinx attached to it on this tour.

Back to Eoin Morgan. I have an acquaintance of many years standing whose name is also Eoin. He has a Scottish background (least-ways his mother is a Scot and lives in Scotland) but beyond that I have no idea as to his heritage. I'm guessing, but given Mr Morgan's name I'm assuming that he is from Welsh stock. My acquaintance pronounces his name as we would 'Ian'. The commentators yesterday were calling Mr Morgan 'Owen Morgan'. I am aware that a couple of you live in or close to Wales and some reside in Scotland.

Whilst it's of no consequence I'd be interested in comments from those who know. Jokes about Taffy and Jock will be ignored.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I don't normally interest myself in ODIs but yesterday I did. As usual the television offerings varied from awful to terrible and my usual radio station was commentating on the game I turned on the TV, turned down the sound and let the radio chuckle away next to my bed. What an odd game it turned out to be. England, with the special contribution of Morgan (more of him later), bang out a quite respectable 50-over total. The fielding side turns out in due course and behaves as though it's a totally different team from the last 6 games of the tour; two brilliant catches and effort galore around the ground. It was really good stuff. Then the wheels fell off. With still 100 runs to get for a win Mr Grey Matter told me that it was just about over for Australia and the commentators would have an early visit to the local pub. Enter that Tasmanian Tiger known as Faulkner striding to the crease. Those interested know what happened then. I think that England has some sort of jinx attached to it on this tour.

Back to Eoin Morgan. I have an acquaintance of many years standing whose name is also Eoin. He has a Scottish background (least-ways his mother is a Scot and lives in Scotland) but beyond that I have no idea as to his heritage. I'm guessing, but given Mr Morgan's name I'm assuming that he is from Welsh stock. My acquaintance pronounces his name as we would 'Ian'. The commentators yesterday were calling Mr Morgan 'Owen Morgan'. I am aware that a couple of you live in or close to Wales and some reside in Scotland.

Whilst it's of no consequence I'd be interested in comments from those who know. Jokes about Taffy and Jock will be ignored.

Well, I can tell you what Wiki says.

Eoin (pronounced like "Owen", "O-in", or "Ee-in", and sometimes spelt Eóin, Eoghan or Eoinn) is an Irish name, cognate with John. In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as John in English, including John the Baptist and John the Apostle.

It is related to the Scottish Gaelic name Iain.

Since it means the same as my name it means "God is gracious".

[bwfcdan94]

you have to celebrate your wins - even if they did only have three recognised batsmen! go england!!

Well the England women's team won the first (and only) test the other day. There're three ODIs and three T20s to come to decide who wins the series. Get behind them, man, they could well salvage English pride.

Pahh, woman not having the stamina to play 5 test matches. .