Cricket - 4th Test - Melbourne

dave_r · Post by **dave_r** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 10:52 pm

Well. Team selection is the burning issue so far - will the Australians deny the reporters yet more caption fun by dropping Beer or will they go for five bowlers for the first time in ages?

Will Finn play?

My guesses are that Australia will not play a spinner and Finn won't play. It is a good toss to lose as you could end up looking very silly.

dave_r · Post by **dave_r** » Sat Dec 25, 2010 11:07 pm

Well, I got the selections right and let us hope my prediction of whoever wins the toss looking silly is very wrong.

nikgaukroger · Post by **nikgaukroger** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 9:18 am

Once again Dave, you were wrong

I think we should thank the Aussies for the Christmas present of the fist day at the Massive Convict Gathering (that is what MCG stands for isn't it?). It may well turn out to be Urn shaped

Punter must be crossing off the days to the end of the series and his resignation speech ...

hammy · Post by **hammy** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 9:57 am

What a strange series.....

There has barely been a day when honours were even, to be honest the closest to that would be day 1 at the WACA where we bowled them out for 268 or so and batted out the rest of the day.

Today was about as one sides as it get in Ashes cricket. I woke up to hear the 7 o'clock news and at that point all they said was that we had knocked them over for 98. When I got the full info and that we were already ahead with no wickets downs :O I could barely contain myself.

Apparently the near record crowd had thinned significantly by mid afternoon

navigator · Post by **navigator** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:44 am

possibly the worst day for australian cricket for many many years...

timmy1 · Post by **timmy1** » Sun Dec 26, 2010 11:44 am

What to those with tickets for day 4 plan to do instead?

timmy1 · Post by **timmy1** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 9:48 am

Another very satisfying day. We know that the Aussies are in trouble, Punter has lost his rag again...

Scrumpy · Post by **Scrumpy** » Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:26 am

To quote BSM Williams from It ain't half hot mum... " Oh dear, how sad, never mind. "

Poor Ricky lmao

nikgaukroger · Post by **nikgaukroger** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 8:55 am

I think we can now say the ashes are all but retained

Onto Sydney to make it 3-1 and enjoy the speculation about who will be in the Aussie team

dave_r · Post by **dave_r** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:34 am

Well, it seems that the wheels have well and truly fell of the Austalian Cricket Bandwagon. Let us look at the positives from this test so far... Right, that's that over with, let us get onto who is getting dropped / deposed / lynched after this match.

Punter - will only play in the next test because the ICC are gutless. Should have been banned for several matches after that performance on the second day.
Harris - good ole sicknote strikes again
Clarke - Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field
Watson - one of three Austalian batsmen who has a hint of adequacy
Hughes - was he brought in as a pinch hitter?
Hussey - has held the Australian batting line up individually, when he get's two bad scores - what has happend
Siddle - good first change bowler
Johnson - one good match does not a series make
Smith - desperation selection?
Haddin - looked solid
Hilfenhous - was he brought in for his batting?

Scrumpy · Post by **Scrumpy** » Tue Dec 28, 2010 10:30 pm

I liked the shout re Phil Hughes...save the refferal for someone who can bat !

nikgaukroger · Post by **nikgaukroger** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 1:10 am

Sorted

Now to ram it home in Sydney ...

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 1:22 am

nikgaukroger wrote:Now to ram it home in Sydney ...

Erm, you're still on about cricket here I hope?

timmy1 · Post by **timmy1** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:31 am

Well, Sydney is the second most popular destination in the world for male flight attendents to take their holiday....

timmy1 · Post by **timmy1** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:33 am

Overall a damn fine win. It was almost half a lifetime ago that we retained the Ashes so a major achievement. I really feel sorry for Siddle and Hussey. They have put in some top performances yet have come out badly beaten.

philqw78 · Post by **philqw78** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 7:00 pm

timmy1 wrote:Well, Sydney is the second most popular destination in the world for male flight attendents to take their holiday....

Are you up Sidney often then Tim?

nosher · Post by **nosher** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:39 pm

I dont feel sorry for anyone of them.

I hope we do what they would do to us (and have done on a number of occasions) and show them no mercy whatsoever. Anything less than a 3-1 victory would be pointless. It is not enough to accept a 2-2 retention of the ashes after the fine performances our chaps have put in - we have out performed them in this series in every department whilst still playing the game in the spirit that it is meant and long may that continue.

Time to hang up your spikes Mr Ponse-ing. No matter what your stats say you will always be an Aussie Captain that lost three Ashes to England.

nikgaukroger · Post by **nikgaukroger** » Wed Dec 29, 2010 9:57 pm

nosher wrote: Time to hang up your spikes Mr Ponse-ing. No matter what your stats say you will always be an Aussie Captain that lost three Ashes to England.

He's only lost them twice - this time they weren't his to lose

However, IIRC he is still the only Aussie captain to have lost them twice - 2005 and 2009

WombatDazzler · Post by **WombatDazzler** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:12 am

We did not lose the ashes - we just did not win them back

We have one more match to draw the series, so all is not lost (wishful thinking on my part)

I have tickets to the first 4 days in Sydney, so I hope Australia last that long!

Time for a major team update before the next test series latter in 2011.

Cheers

Dazzler

waldo · Post by **waldo** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:36 am

nosher wrote:I dont feel sorry for anyone of them.

I hope we do what they would do to us (and have done on a number of occasions) and show them no mercy whatsoever. Anything less than a 3-1 victory would be pointless. It is not enough to accept a 2-2 retention of the ashes after the fine performances our chaps have put in - we have out performed them in this series in every department whilst still playing the game in the spirit that it is meant and long may that continue.

Time to hang up your spikes Mr Ponse-ing. No matter what your stats say you will always be an Aussie Captain that lost three Ashes to England.

Lost to England? I thought the Australians were playing South Africa...

Walter