The Ashes 2009

[Brendan]

Good morning Brendan.

So how many runs has Bopara made in this series then? 2? 3? Or am I being unfair?

[Brendan]

Oh good morning Keef. Didn't see you there.

[Keef]

Australia will be batting before tea at this rate!

[Brendan]

Fuck this for a game of soldiers. Absinthe anyone?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

FFS!

Make it very large one please, Brendan.

[Keef]

It's a worry when your top scorer by quite a distance, only got 30.

What is going on, is it just the perfect bowlers wicket, or are we just that rubbish today? Hopefully our bowlers can do similar later on... In fact, hopefully our bowlers can outshine our batsmen with the bat too!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

6.5-3-7-3 - pretty amazing.

[bignumber5]

72-6. This is a tad embarassing...

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Hope you got tickets for the Oval, MM - should be an interesting match.

[????]

as long as they're for the first 2 days...

[jaybee82]

Katich gone already! All is not lost...

[bignumber5]

i'd say an enormous amount hinges on early wickets off of Ponting and Clark, or we're buggered

[????]

I'd agree with the last 3 words

[ratty]

We are already buggered. There goes the bloody ashes! :(

[Brendan]

Sweet jesus! Have you seen the scorecard?

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

My favourite comment from the Guardian OBO so far:

"I notice that Extras was 3rd top scorer with a rather impressive 17," says Chris Pearce, "Surely this solves are 'who should bat at 3' question?"

[Windom]

quote off the cricinfo commentary:

"England's performance reminding me of Brideshead Revisted: "a blow, expected, repeated, falling on a bruise, with no smart or shock of surprise, only a dull and sickening pain and the doubt whether another one like it could be borne"

[citizenED]

Nice to know that the Aussies have had six century makers so far in this series. At least we got one today!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Can Bopara keep his position now?

Ignore that - seems it was a bad decision.

[Marmora Man]

Not a good outing at Headingly - but us long time England supporters have been thru' this so many times before.

I'm betting that the team will lose Bopara to be replaced by, in order of likelihood - Trott, Key, Shah. Ramprakash & Trescothick are not likely bets, despite the chatter. No other batting changes - tho' Bell remains flaky, only I can't see an obvious replacement.

Harmison will have his radar retuned by playing county cricket and if they opt for a second spinner for the Oval we'll see Monty back - and lose either Harmison or Anderson (if he really does have some kind of fitness / illness issue). Personally I'd drop Harmison, Anderson would be playing for the future - Harmison as one last fling.

PS: I'm still interested in any Oval tickets going spare??

[Sherwick]

Hi everyone! I just got back from holiday. Last time I checked we were 1-0 up in the Ashes and were cruising in the 3rd test.

Has anything changed? :)

[SimonM]

So is the 5th Test going to be another virtual three-dayer too then??

[Keef]

God I hope not! People are saying that it may have been different with Flintoff in the team, but I don't buy that. A general all round batting display like that, is not down to one man... Although the bowling may have been better had he been there.

There is a lot of talk of a one off recall for Mark Ramprakash, and why not! It's a win win situation for him, he gets recalled, and could be a total hero, and if it doesn't work out, then he's hardly to blame!

[bignumber5]

Honestly, I do a few night shifts and when I come back to the world of the awake I find out we've decided to chuck the ashes away...

[Windom]

Harmison to open the batting and Bell to serve the drinks at warwickshire girls under 12B team