Swine Flu and all that.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Not a whole lot to report from my neck of the woods really. Keeping myself more or less in shape but haven't yet committed to a formal training plan for my next race, which isn't until Sep 20 and is only a 12km flat crowded fun run anyhow. But I would like to beat my previous time, so will have to get serious sometime soon.

Thus far I have evaded the swine flu outbreak, which has been particularly savage here (it being winter of course), and we're not into the worst of it yet. With I think a tad over 50 deaths and many thousands struck down, we've all come into contact with it and all know someone who has been quarantined if not hospitalised, so it's certainly fairly entrenched, and has impacted schools and work places quite dramatically, although the effect has been limited by pretty strict enforcement of quarantine and the insistance that people remain at home if they have even mild cold symptoms.

Adding to our misery has been Australia's pretty dreadful time of things in the sporting arena. Losing the first Ashes test was hard enough, but we also lost to New Zealand (our other arch-enemy) in the Tri-Nations Rugby and bombed out in the Tour de France, with Cadel Evans simply failing to fire at all. Thank goodness our soccer team qualified for the World Cup or we'd be totally misery city here.

Speaking of the Ashes, I was a little surprised to discover, when looking at a poster of the 2007 Aussie Ashes team, that only 3 players from that '07 squad (Ponting, Clarke and Hussey) were in the team that played the first test last week. Rather more annoying was seeing the number of "retirees" who, whilst no longer playing for their country, are earning vast sums playing in the IPL (eg Warne and Gilchrist, but they aren't the only ones)... hmm.

Oh well, plod on friends... there's greener pasture over on the other side of that there damn nasty big hill.

[Sweder]

Cheer up mate, there's always Edgbaston. Birmingham's a great place for packing up troubles and moving on ... the place reminds one that there are those less fortunate, worse places to be and all that.

I prefer to leave pedantry to others but last week was in fact the second Ashes test of this series.
The first you may recall was in Cardiff (strange venue) where your lot comprehensively outplayed our miserable bunch and but for Ponting's woeful over-rate and some last-minute, fairly desperate English skullduggery, would surely have won. I still see the series as nicely poised provided our bloody weather can sort itself out.

Hughes got into the runs in the tour match at the weekend. I'm afraid Johnson looks like a lost lamb, going for plenty against some redoubtable Northants journeymen. Ponting has a headache there; he may need to get Lee off his sick bed. Speaking of silver linings you'll have seen we've selected the Sherminator to come in for Pietersen at four. I seem to recall the Aussies taking great delight in targetting Bell, who they publicly consider weak, and with Bopara at three you must fancy getting into the English tail a little sooner.

If you'll pardon the expression

[Sweder]

To borrow the antipodean vernacular, bugger me

What a morning; yesterday the wicket looked pancake-flat and benign, this morning it's full of demons, crackerjack balls leaping wildly at every turn. Onions set the pace with two on-the-money jaggers first up. Flintoff failed to fire but Jimmy seems to have picked up the gauntlet with figures of 4 for 11 from his morning's work.

It remains to be seen how England's batsmen get on of course but I'm guessing Ponting and in particular Hussey will be kicking a few crushed Red Bull cans around the dressing room this lunchtime.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

... but I'm guessing Ponting and in particular Hussey will be kicking a few crushed Red Bull cans around the dressing room this lunchtime.

Not as much as Clarke and Manou who were dismissed not so much by the bowler but by umpire Rudi-Where's-My-White-Cane-I-Can't-See-It Kurtzen who has again proven himself the world's most utterly appallingest umpire ever.

:mad:

[Sweder]

Sorry to say the weather looks dodgy at best for the weekend.
Still, if we can knock your lot over for under 250 and make a few this afternoon we might not need five days. Ironically the current weather might help Mitchell Johnson find some form - it sounds like perfect swing/ seam bowling conditions. Even Broad looks dangerous and he's been chucking pies all series :o

[Sweder]

Ah, the dreaded Ashes moment I've long feared appears to have arrived.

Facing the trickiest of sessions your countrymen have stood tall, laying redoubtable bat onto uncertain ball with admirable resolution hour after hour. Clarke and North have played themselves into some form, both deserving of a test hundred (not quite secured as I write) whilst England's worldbeaters have lost some of their sparkle.

Time to rest the Fredster with a view to wheeling out Sidebottom or even Harmison at Headingly. After bowling Ponting last night with a Warne-esque jaffa Swann has looked horribly mortal today, though I don't doubt his ability to bounce back; he's quite a character.

Crack open a tinnie ot two mate, and welcome (back) to the series.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Time to rest the Fredster with a view to wheeling out Sidebottom or even Harmison at Headingly. After bowling Ponting last night with a Warne-esque jaffa Swann has looked horribly mortal today, though I don't doubt his ability to bounce back; he's quite a character.

Crack open a tinnie ot two mate, and welcome (back) to the series.

It's a pity Simon Jones is still out of the game - he'd have been brilliant for you. And yes, please put Freddy out to pasture!

Long days at work are precluding the cracking of a tinnie, but we're all resting a little easier now. But, to win the series we have to win both of the next two tests. Can't see this team doing that somehow.

But 5/375 or whatever is a little more hopeful.