The Ashes 2009

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Mate of mine's missus is away for the weekend. He'll be spending today in an obligation-free haze of flicking between cricket and golf. Can't pretend I'm not a little jealous, but the good news is I'm driving up to Bolton...

[Tombwfc]

Not so much them emulating our tailenders as us emulating their bowlers. Broad in particular, bowling like a nice person.

Anyway, it doesn't look like we're enforcing the follow on, make of that what you will.

[Worthy4England]

I make of it, not a good decision in a match that may continue to be rain affected.

Excellent work by the bowlers though.

[BWFC_Insane]

Not so much them emulating our tailenders as us emulating their bowlers. Broad in particular, bowling like a tw*t.

Anyway, it doesn't look like we're enforcing the follow on, make of that what you will.

Right decision for me.

Anderson and Flintoff are both carrying niggles.

Plenty of time in the game, why would we risk them making 500 against tired bowlers giving us a last day to save the game?

If we bat well today and for half session tomorrow we'll be 500 plus ahead. Then put em back in and make em bat against fresh bowlers for a day and 3 quarters potentially with an older pitch bringing a little more spin into the game as well.

Christ the analysis on't radio is getting worse. First they were saying England couldn't win without making a score of 550 plus now they're saying we should enforce the follow on.

Its not swiniging much today on a flat pitch. Could be suicide putting em back in!
It

[Bruce Rioja]

I'd have stuck them back in!

[Tombwfc]

I'm leaning towards it not being a bad decision. The pitch at the minute looks great to bat on and so making hay while the sun shines doesn't seem a bad ploy. Hopefully we can bat through til morning tommorow and then maybe conditions will have changed back to what they were yesterday.

Of course, there's a resonable chance this could all go horribly wrong from here, which wouldn't have happened had we enforced the follow on, but there you go. Or we might do what we did against the West Indies and bat til tea time on Day 5 before sticking them in.

[TANGODANCER]

Cor, we English are such defeatists. We dismiss the Aussies for half our total in probably the most prestigeous event in cricket and still find room to complain.

[TANGODANCER]

Oh dear. Stop the rot and rapidly. Both openers out and only 74 on the board Miss Ford.

[thebish]

Oh dear. Stop the rot and rapidly. Both openers out and only 74 on the board Miss Ford.

Cor, we English are such defeatists. We dismiss the Aussies for half our total in probably the most prestigeous event in cricket and still find room to complain.

[TANGODANCER]

Oh dear. Stop the rot and rapidly. Both openers out and only 74 on the board Miss Ford.

Cor, we English are such defeatists. We dismiss the Aussies for half our total in probably the most prestigeous event in cricket and still find room to complain.

Excuse me, that was then.

[Montreal Wanderer]

I'm leaning towards it not being a bad decision. The pitch at the minute looks great to bat on and so making hay while the sun shines doesn't seem a bad ploy. Hopefully we can bat through til morning tommorow and then maybe conditions will have changed back to what they were yesterday.

Of course, there's a resonable chance this could all go horribly wrong from here, which wouldn't have happened had we enforced the follow on, but there you go. Or we might do what we did against the West Indies and bat til tea time on Day 5 before sticking them in.

Agreed - use the good batting conditions and then used rested bowlers.

[Bruce Rioja]

I'm leaning towards it not being a bad decision. The pitch at the minute looks great to bat on and so making hay while the sun shines doesn't seem a bad ploy. Hopefully we can bat through til morning tommorow and then maybe conditions will have changed back to what they were yesterday.

Of course, there's a resonable chance this could all go horribly wrong from here, which wouldn't have happened had we enforced the follow on, but there you go. Or we might do what we did against the West Indies and bat til tea time on Day 5 before sticking them in.

Agreed - use the good batting conditions and then used rested bowlers.

I'd say that whereas that's theoretically sound, the facts of the matter remain that had we stuck them back in we'd have a greater chance of victory as we'd know exactly what, if indeed anything, would be required of our batters.
As it stands we'll either collapse and the Aussies will sense a chance, or they'll just spend tomorrow padding it out for a draw.

I hope to be proved wrong but right now it still strikes me as being the wrong decision.

[Worthy4England]

I'm leaning towards it not being a bad decision. The pitch at the minute looks great to bat on and so making hay while the sun shines doesn't seem a bad ploy. Hopefully we can bat through til morning tommorow and then maybe conditions will have changed back to what they were yesterday.

Of course, there's a resonable chance this could all go horribly wrong from here, which wouldn't have happened had we enforced the follow on, but there you go. Or we might do what we did against the West Indies and bat til tea time on Day 5 before sticking them in.

Agreed - use the good batting conditions and then used rested bowlers.

I'd say that whereas that's theoretically sound, the facts of the matter remain that had we stuck them back in we'd have a greater chance of victory as we'd know exactly what, if indeed anything, would be required of our batters.
As it stands we'll either collapse and the Aussies will sense a chance, or they'll just spend tomorrow padding it out for a draw.

I hope to be proved wrong but right now it still strikes me as being the wrong decision.

I agree Brucie. It was just a sort of nonsense. I'm really not sure on this track what constitutes a defendable total with two days of play left. So Strauss is going to have to make a decision when he didn't really need to.

As for bowlers being tired. I could understand Anderson a little, but I've bowled more than 21 overs in a day Flintoff after 12 overs? and Onions after 11?

[Montreal Wanderer]

I'm leaning towards it not being a bad decision. The pitch at the minute looks great to bat on and so making hay while the sun shines doesn't seem a bad ploy. Hopefully we can bat through til morning tommorow and then maybe conditions will have changed back to what they were yesterday.

Of course, there's a resonable chance this could all go horribly wrong from here, which wouldn't have happened had we enforced the follow on, but there you go. Or we might do what we did against the West Indies and bat til tea time on Day 5 before sticking them in.

Agreed - use the good batting conditions and then used rested bowlers.

I'd say that whereas that's theoretically sound, the facts of the matter remain that had we stuck them back in we'd have a greater chance of victory as we'd know exactly what, if indeed anything, would be required of our batters.
As it stands we'll either collapse and the Aussies will sense a chance, or they'll just spend tomorrow padding it out for a draw.

I hope to be proved wrong but right now it still strikes me as being the wrong decision.

You can't be proved wrong, Brucie - or right for that matter. We'll either win or lose. If we win, it doesn't mean to say we couldn't have won more easily enforcing the follow-on. To me it is a matter of the weather conditions and forecast. Batting conditions are apparently good but worse if it becomes cloudy when the bowlers can swing the ball. Either way we are in a winning position bar a lot of rain. Let's hope for the best.

[CAPSLOCK]

And on a flat track with no cloud cover, the Aussies make 200 for the loss of 1 or 2, it'd be 50/50 now

Now, it's heavily in our favour

[Bruce Rioja]

Now, it's heavily in our favour

Outrageous Comment Alert

Heavily in our favour?

[TANGODANCER]

We just have to assume that Strauss is England's captain for more than just his ability with a cricket bat. We win, he's a hero, we lose he doesn't know what he's doing? Time will no doubt tell. Me, I'd bat for another hour or so and put a loss beyond and doubt, then chase the ace. Then again, I'm not captain of England.

[BWFC_Insane]

Now, it's heavily in our favour

Outrageous Comment Alert

Heavily in our favour?

Eh? How the fook can it not be heavily in our favour?

How many last innings 500 run chases do you remember?

Jesus christ can't believe how much perspective people are losing its cricket but because its the ashes everyone seems to lose all sense of reason.

Batting was not only the right option but realistically the only one.

And we should bat for about 40 minutes tomorrow morning as well. Had the Aussies made 400 we'd be chasing 200 batting last. And I for one wouldn't fancy that. 200 batting last is historically a tricky score even on a flat pitch like Lords. The Aussies are chasing 520 plus. Not impossible but about as near to impossible as you can get. Batting is the only way to achieve a situation where Australia won't feel that they have a realy sniff of winning!

[Lord Kangana]

Call it a 600/lunch time declaration, and I'll agree with the Insane one. We are very much in command, and but for English Crickets fickle mistress (the weather) the decision to bat was right and proper. t would be a comeback of Lazarus proportions for the Aussies to nick this now.

[Bruce Rioja]

Now, it's heavily in our favour

Outrageous Comment Alert

Heavily in our favour?

Eh? How the fook can it not be heavily in our favour?

How many last innings 500 run chases do you remember?

Jesus christ can't believe how much perspective people are losing its cricket but because its the ashes everyone seems to lose all sense of reason.

Batting was not only the right option but realistically the only one.

And we should bat for about 40 minutes tomorrow morning as well. Had the Aussies made 400 we'd be chasing 200 batting last. And I for one wouldn't fancy that. 200 batting last is historically a tricky score even on a flat pitch like Lords. The Aussies are chasing 520 plus. Not impossible but about as near to impossible as you can get. Batting is the only way to achieve a situation where Australia won't feel that they have a realy sniff of winning!

Well, we'll just see if your Smart Alec comments stack up tomorrow evening, shall we? I hope that that they do.
Posting an impossible score just means that the Aussies won't chase it. How come you're struggling with that concept?