General Cricket Thread (It's Come Home)

Agar jelly.  It's a pun.  See my "humor" section.

And he's made a half-century.  Credit to him: not so much to England's bowlers. EDIT: And there goes another six.

weird, the posting got all messed up just now.  

Oh well, Hughes just got a half century as well!  This is what I like seeing, a classic comeback.

Crikey, Ager is now the highest scoring Australian 11 ever apparently, and with this England and Australia are level!

This is insane! All credit to him (and Hughes, mustn't forget Hughes). This is why the Ashes is great. Just incredible.

I am not a sports lover of any description, but I do have a soft spot for Test cricket, the real game that takes 5 days. I appreciate the slow pace of the game and the seriously deep strategy involved. The fact that the game can change so quickly adds to the depth of that strategy. I do enjoy Australia versus England the most, as we are the true traditional rivals of the game. However, I have strayed from the game over the years. I barely know anyone in the teams and worse, I don't care for those I do know. This is not a Golden Age for the sport. I will be happy if Australia win, I don't expect them to and I won't care much if they lose.

I will tell you, OS, they're putting on a good show now. Or rather, their number 11 is. Currently on 68.  

What a hour and a half.  Australia was all but out for a little under 120 runs, and newbie Agar and vet Hughes dug in and put on over 100 Runs.  Cricket at its best right here!

I think after lunch this will end quickly however, I just have a feeling England will get their heads back in the game and the break will be just enough of a break in concentration to finally break either Hughes or Agar. I could be wrong though, I had resigned this match two hours ago and then this happened, so who know. This is why this series is great, anything can happen!

Balladeer wrote:

I will tell you, OS, they're putting on a good show now.  Or rather, their number 11 is.  Currently on 68.  

This is one of those parts of the game I like - it's unpredictability.  So often the tail wags when the top order fails.  The bowlers get complacent, thinking the hard work is done and before you know, they lose the advantage.  I am just happy if it is a proper competition.  I bet you England score at least 300 in the next innings (first game, new series nerves can explain the lowish score) and Australia is rarely good chasing a win.

With you there (on the unpredictability: not sure about the 300).  I'm not a big sports lover: in fact I think we've had this discussion before.  Yet I am loving this.

oldschool wrote:

This is one of those parts of the game I like - it's unpredictability.

Uncharacteristic slip-up from you there! (Mind you, the thread title is starting to get on my nerves: might change it...)

Balladeer wrote:

Let's not mince words, though: watching cricket is boring.  For the most part, nothing's happening.

True enough.

I remember when Sky Interactive was new and they were making a big show of how they'd extended it to the cricket- so now you can watch someone stand completely still from your choice of camera angle.

Nice to see England has finally dug in for the long haul, which is something Australia should have done in their first innings instead of some of the stupid reckless shots they went for (Cowan in particular comes to mind with that shot of his). This is probably going to take a while, the endurance part of a test match is well and truly on show now.

Which is... odd, for Pietersen.  Mr. Crazy Shots, as I don't like to call him.

EDIT: Thank goodness, England are ahead again. With "only" two wickets lost.

Balladeer wrote:

To which I retort, how can anyone be interested in wrestling?  it's all fake.

So are films yet we still watch them, why? because its entertaining, Cricket is just a borefest to watch.

I prefer beemoh's comparison myself.  Although as mentioned above, I don't actually watch cricket.

I suppose I should give two of our top batsmen some credit for making it to the end of the day?  Goodness the England batting is rubbish.  We need some young random person who can score almost a century on the tail end.

Borefest? I'd say it's different strokes for different blokes rather than a factual boring thing. After all, you don't like cricket because it's slow, but I don't like wrestling for the simple reason that it's all scripted.

And I hate it when microsoft shoves a forced system update down my throat. Couldn't they have done this before my 3DS ran out of power?

Balladeer wrote:

Let's not mince words, though: watching cricket is boring.

To be honest I find most televised sport boring these days. Football is much more entertaining if you're actually at the ground, as I realised a fortnight into my Sky Sports subscription (which I've subsequently binned in favour of the movies). Cricket and golf are both famously dull and I've never really gotten into the rugby. Snooker can snarl up into hours of safety shots... it's only the tennis that I find genuinely exciting nowadays.

Spare a thought for cycling, though. ITV are broadcasting the entire day of each stage of the Tour De France every day.

DIGRESSION ALERT: The Tour De France is responsible for one of my favourite TV moments ever, though. During the 2001 Tour the cameras focussed on a guy sitting out at the roadside, with his back to it, watching the TV coverage as the riders went past behind him!

Balladeer wrote:

mince

 

ZeroJones wrote:

DIGRESSION ALERT: The Tour De France is responsible for one of my favourite TV moments ever, though. During the 2001 Tour the cameras focussed on a guy sitting out at the roadside, with his back to it, watching the TV coverage as the riders went past behind him!

Oh God I hope that:

a/ He promptly saw himself on the TV
b/ He had the biggest, most prominent builder's bum in the world ever going on.

I always find the Ashes to be too drawn out, much prefer 20/20 Cricket.

Day three, and there goes Pietersen.  Definitely mince.  I'm starting to think he might be past his best.  And I am heavily unsure whether Bell has it in him to stabilise things after that.

EDIT: And Cook.  Sob.

EDITEDOT: FLIPPING JELLY!  Unless Prior scores a century (  ), England are done.

Where are you, Athrun? I look odd, editing to myself.

I was asleep actually, my schedule is completely messed up right now, went to bed at about ten in the morning and woke up about half past eleven in the evening.

And I do like that scoreline when I've just woken up! Plenty of big names have gone now, and another wicket and we'll be at the tail order.

Bell seems to be doing nicely for the team however, so I won't say this is unwinnable for England yet. With his runs and if all of the tail wags Australia will be left chasing a score they had trouble chasing last innings.

I don't trust England's tail end to do much batting.  Maybe Swann.  Frankly I don't trust Finn to do much at all at the moment.

As for Broad... Big Freddie was an all-rounder.  Broad just gets injured and looks pretty. And annoys Pattinson, apparently.

True, England doesn't really seem to have a tail that wags unlike Australia which seems to have one that does, but I won't count out a comeback from England. Weird things happen in the Ashes. It's going to be great to watch either way.

And with that I need to wolf down some breakfast.

Balladeer wrote:

As for Broad... Big Freddie was an all-rounder.  Broad just gets injured and looks pretty.  And annoys Pattinson, apparently.

And then he goes and pulls off a couple of fours.  Still don't see him lasting for long, though.

The Aussies don't have a tail that wags.  They have Agar now, and occasionally Siddle (like the Limeys occasionally have Swann).  That's it. :nahnah:And I don't trust Agar not to get out first ball if it gets that far.  Such seems to be the way of things in THE ASHES.

Enjoying the various people on the BBC saying that England will be okay if they get to 230 ahead like it's a possibility.  Pfffffft.

1700 EDIT: Well I'm eating most of that post now. In the best possible way.

AAAAAARRRGH, was the Umpire BLIND? That was out! Obvious deflection and it...just...  

I've seen some questionable calls this match, but that one takes the cake. I don't normally have a go at Umpires but that was just a really rubbish call.

Sounds like everyone agrees with you.  It's telling that the Aussies have no reviews left.

I'll say it now, and possibly eat more words later: England have won this match, albeit possibly through dubious means and thinking that Broad should get what Mr. Ramdin got.  He's had several lifelines, has Broad.  Now for the century...