Winter ashes...

[Prufrock]

What the feck happened?!

[thebish]

What the feck happened?!

normality has resumed!

[Prufrock]

Bollocks! We'd spent all yesterday taunting the Aussie girl in the office. She hasn't seem the score yet I don't think, but this is not going to be pretty!

[thebish]

Bollocks! We'd spent all yesterday taunting the Aussie girl in the office. She hasn't seem the score yet I don't think, but this is not going to be pretty!

schoolboy error!!!

[superjohnmcginlay]

Looks like a standard England 1st innings of the series. They did this in New Zealand - they should have lost that series.

Just need a repeat of what happened at the Gabba last time. 'Cept we could bat then.......

[mrkint]

Lowlights

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricke ... lapse.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[TANGODANCER]

I really thought somebody was having a laugh when I saw the score. Then the truth hit home....The team don't need a kicking though, I imagine they're pretty sick right now. Come on England, get stuck into em. Nothing's lost till it's won.

[Prufrock]

Bollocks! We'd spent all yesterday taunting the Aussie girl in the office. She hasn't seem the score yet I don't think, but this is not going to be pretty!

schoolboy error!!!

Tell me about it! So carried away with recent events I forgot it was England!

[bobo the clown]

Bollocks! We'd spent all yesterday taunting the Aussie girl in the office. She hasn't seem the score yet I don't think, but this is not going to be pretty!

schoolboy error!!!

Absolutely. That was the chance to be utterly supportive of her ... unless she looks like a dingo, in which case you would have been advised to ignore her.

[Zulus Thousand of em]

Bollocks! We'd spent all yesterday taunting the Aussie girl in the office. She hasn't seem the score yet I don't think, but this is not going to be pretty!

A classic 'Victim of the Early Gloat Syndrome' sufferer.

For shame. You should know better.

[Worthy4England]

Bollocks! We'd spent all yesterday taunting the Aussie girl in the office. She hasn't seem the score yet I don't think, but this is not going to be pretty!

A classic 'Victim of the Early Gloat Syndrome' sufferer.

For shame. You should know better.

Look, we can still rely on

1) Ashes series won this year - England 1, Australia 0
2) Lions Tours won this year - GBI Lions 1, Australia 0
3) Winter RU internationals against England won this year - England 1, Australia 0

Vs

4) After lunch sessions on the second day of the Brisbane Test match won - England 0, Australia 1

[Dujon]

Don't forget that if it weren't for the Haddin/Johnson partnership the scores would have been much closer. Yes, I know, 'what if' doesn't count - but . . .

It's pleasing to see Mitch Johnson has sorted himself out over the last few months. I didn't notice his 'old time' habit of spraying the ball around in evidence at any time. Ryan Harris too was very good. Australia needs him to come through the series without injury as he's been prone to finding ways in which to cripple himself. Why Lyons, the spinner, picked up two wickets puzzles me. Surely, given a second day pretty good pitch, those losses must be to a greater degree sheeted home to the batsmen?

To those of you moaning and groaning and giving up this test as an England loss, raise your spirits. Two days of this test (don't forget there are three days remaining) have seen two spectacular collapses. Even should Australia pile on the runs there remains the usual quandary for Australia's captain as to whether and when to declare. What if those runs are not forthcoming? There is a lot yet to come in what is already an absorbing contest.

[Worthy4England]

Conversely the series here would've been even closer had Bell not scored shedloads...

Couple of tests could have gone the opposite way too....

[TANGODANCER]

Cricket's a fantastic game, yet all too often individual and team performances are forgotten and only the result remembered later..

[Dujon]

Of course, Worthy, you are correct. There was also the previous England-at-home series where the Australians lost two matches by a whisker. That's from memory but I'm pretty sure I'm right.

As far as Bell is concerned I have always admired him as a batsman, even when he was going through a bit of a rough patch. To me he has always had the technique to do well and yet, for some strange reason, fell into a slump. One innings does not a test match make. He'll come good.

[Burnden Paddock]

561 to win. Two full days and 16 overs to get them. Hmmmm.

[thebish]

561 to win. Two full days and 16 overs to get them. Hmmmm.

piece of piss!

[Worthy4England]

561 to win. Two full days and 16 overs to get them. Hmmmm.

piece of piss!

Less than 3 an over....

[Worthy4England]

Of course, Worthy, you are correct. There was also the previous England-at-home series where the Australians lost two matches by a whisker. That's from memory but I'm pretty sure I'm right.

As far as Bell is concerned I have always admired him as a batsman, even when he was going through a bit of a rough patch. To me he has always had the technique to do well and yet, for some strange reason, fell into a slump. One innings does not a test match make. He'll come good.

I didn't subscribe to the 5-0 at home club. It's a lot closer than that.

England do have a problem with their batting at the moment. And have generally relied on one or two coming good in the last couple of series.

[Dujon]

That's not at all unusual, Worthy. It always seemed to me the last time Australia were running rampant that one or two batsmen or bowlers made the difference (although not always the same men). It's probably always been so. This time it was Haddin and Johnson putting together a decent partnership in the first innings. Johnson and Harris bowling well in England's first dig. Then Clarke and Warner, well supported by others, in their second.

Broad and Anderson were terrific in Australia's first. Poor Swann got belted around the park as though he was a tyro in both innings, so I've no idea what happened there. At 24-2 I suppose it's going to be a battle for survival for England. Then again you just never know given that KP, Cook, Bell and company have so much talent. Today will be nothing if not interesting.