The Ashes, baby!

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Yeah, only a couple of hours to go now... anyone dare to make a prediction? The media here give the Aussies a 50/50 chance at best, but most knowledgable punters reckon it will be 2005 all over again. And many commentators were openly scathing of Ponting's decision to take only one spinner to Wales ... and a "useless" one at that... (Hauritz is not well-regarded here).

Not sure I'm all that pessimistic, but there's no doubt the Oz camp is not a happy one.

We don't have long to wait now anyhow.

Cheers.

[El Gordo]

I wouldn't like to make a prediction, except that it will be more like 2005 than 2007. The form book says Australia, but as we know, this is a contest that doesn't always respect the theory. I'm on the fence.

Anyway, It's 11 a.m., and here come Strauss and Cook. The waiting is over!

(Phew, survived the first ball at least...)

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Not a bad start for England ... could be a good match.

[El Gordo]

Not a bad start for England ... could be a good match.

Not sure -- the Aussies seem hell-bent on spoiling things. Superb batting performance yesterday, but that's enough thank you. England need to snatch a few quick wickets to keep this game in our sights. Absorbing so far though, with plenty of talking points. Good start to the series.

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Indeed it has been quite engrossing. Good cricket all round I think - nothing wrong with the bowling at all, but conditions clearly favouring the batsmen thus far. If the pitch starts to turn any more however, England could still have a chance of pulling something out of the hat ... but they need some wickets pretty soon I should think. Jimmy Anderson has once again impressed me, and of course Panesar (damn him) as ever looks dangerous, as does Freddy.

I was a little surprised at the pessimism expressed after the end of play by people such as Jonathan Agnew and David Gower - Australia is not the team it once was, and have always been susceptible to collapse if the attack turns savage. A bit of extra spin, a bit of aggro from the quicks and who knows? There's still plenty of life in this match yet.

[Sweder]

I was a little surprised at the pessimism expressed after the end of play by people such as Jonathan Agnew and David Gower - Australia is not the team it once was, and have always been susceptible to collapse if the attack turns savage. A bit of extra spin, a bit of aggro from the quicks and who knows? There's still plenty of life in this match yet.

Day 3 close: now you know why these knowledgable types are so pessimistic. Ordinary Aussie side at best made to look like world-beaters by toothless England attack. I for one do not appreciate Strauss as a captain. Making Vaughan look like Brearly so far.

One note of optimism for my lot; we're traditionally woeful in the series opener. A draw would be a terrific result for us at Cardiff.

[El Gordo]

Ordinary Aussie side at best made to look like world-beaters by toothless England attack.

A little unfair to both, I think. Sure, some of Australia's flair is gone but they still have a fairly stiff batting line-up who have largely avoided making the mistakes made by their opponents. The English batsmen seemed to regard getting into double figures as job done, and anything over 30 as a positive triumph. The Aussies have reminded them that resilience and attrition is all in test cricket. The English bowling hasn't been bad either. Accurate and aggressive -- but nothing the Australians can't handle so far.

As for pessimism, being pleased to hear that there's a prospect of rain is a sure sign that things are not looking good!

[Sweder]

You have me at a disadvantage EG. My only source is occasional tweets from Aggers & torturously slow-loading BBC website updates. My slings & arrows are based on the stats; cruising past a total about which the TMS lot were positively jubilant for the loss of less than half the line-up suggests a one-sided affair. I say 'ordinary' re: the tourists purely because many are unknown or unproven in the test arena.

A rushed judgement perhaps, though I can't seem to shake off this terrible feeling of doom ...

[El Gordo]

You have me at a disadvantage EG. My only source is occasional tweets from Aggers & torturously slow-loading BBC website updates. My slings & arrows are based on the stats; cruising past a total about which the TMS lot were positively jubilant for the loss of less than half the line-up suggests a one-sided affair. I say 'ordinary' re: the tourists purely because many are unknown or unproven in the test arena.

A rushed judgement perhaps, though I can't seem to shake off this terrible feeling of doom ...

Well hold on, I'm beginning to think you might be right.

Not necessarily about the Aussies who seem to have a good professional attitude to the task in hand -- but England's bowling. They ended up looking pretty clueless, with no plan B. Anyway, England are back batting with the Australians declaring on 674-6. Looks gloomy to me. England around 240 behind. Can they really bat out this match? I don't think so, but who knows? Perhaps they'll have taken inspiration from the enemy.

[El Gordo]

We're doomed! England 17 - 2. I can see us not surviving the day, unless the rain comes.

Come on Pietersen -- if ever you needed to step up to the plate.....

[Sweder]

Clearly my armchair assessment if the Aussies was misguided. Misguided by a host of 'experts' that is, most of whom proclaimed this to be the 'weakest' Green n Gold side to visit Blighty in 20 years.

I'm just pleased Brett Lee is injured otherise it might be embarassing.
Oh ...

[Sweder]

In 2005 Vaughan made dynamic, wicket-taking bowling changes & set imaginative fields. Strauss appears to be a man who fears change, rather like a new father facing a freshly-filled daiper. The result could well be the same; nasty, and rather smelly ...

[El Gordo]

Clearly my armchair assessment if the Aussies was misguided. Misguided by a host of 'experts' that is, most of whom proclaimed this to be the 'weakest' Green n Gold side to visit Blighty in 20 years.

I'm just pleased Brett Lee is injured otherise it might be embarassing.
Oh ...

The Aussies may well be parading their weakest side for a good while. It's hard to tell the difference though! We can only hope that a few English heads, and egos, are knocked together after this defeat (presuming that the rain gods don't have unlimited charity).

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

That fine Welsh climate may yet save England, but it's turned into a memorable match regardless of the outcome. Four Aussie batsmen made centuries in one innings - the first time ever in an Ashes test, with an especially good showing by new boy Marcus North who, like Michael Hussey before him has been quietly amassing huge scores in first class cricket for years before finally getting a test spot.

In the end the English bowlers looked ragged, but that's hardly surprising. The blame must lay more with the batsmen, who all got good starts but failed to make the really big scores that were needed and were there for the taking.

Can they bat out the last day? Maybe. They *should*, as the pitch is hardly a worry, but one feels they're going to need some help from the weather.

Can't wait!

[El Gordo]

England don't deserve to be saved by the weather. The only thing that would get close to meriting a draw would be a disciplined day of batting. Boring to watch, but their only chance. Where's Geoffrey Boycott when you need him?

That said, if we have a stoppage-free day, I'm struggling with my pessimism demons to see any result other than 0-1.

[Sweder]

"Let's embrace the traditional English summer once again; the smack of leather on willow on village lawns, swooping swallows diving to the chime of ice cubes at summer fetes, the aroma of freshly poured tea, the slow death of optimism as the English cricket team fall slowly from the false pedestal we put them on. Anyone fancy getting wet at my barbeque tonight?"

[SIZE="1"]David, in the TMS inbox[/SIZE]

I just fired up my steam-driven, stone-age computer to be greeted by an avatar of KP looking like a man who just trashed his Dad's car on prom night.
I'm guessing things are going as expected

[El Gordo]

I had an urgent summons to the pub at 4.30, where I was safe from the humiliation playing out on my TV screen.

Astonished, back home, watching the highlights (without knowing the result) to witness the heroics from Monty and Anderson to snatch the draw.

If I was Australian, I would feel sick. And if I was an Australian today, I would feel even sicker.



Ya-haaaaahhhhh!!!!!!

[Sweder]

Well done Monty & Ando, though lest we forget both proved miserable at their day jobs in this match. Add to the list of inglorious basterds the names of Pietersen and Flintoff. None should draw the ire quite like Strauss, who's only crumb of comfort comes from the knowledge that Punter Ponting will get roasted in the Aussie press for failing to kill off a badly wounded beast.

Both skippers proved inept, though for my money Little Ricky lead from the front with his gallant 150 whilst Strauss's own wicket walzes were dreadfully short affairs. Changes fir Lords then; look for Harmy and Onions to come in. The batting is harder to predict. I've no doubt there are a few county batsmen who'd love a crack at Johnson & co.

But well done boys. The series lives - for now ...

[El Gordo]

Ponting deserves more credit than that, I think. He had a great knock himself, but has also been credited with declaring when he did -- and looking at the closeness of the scores, did well to choose the moment. Remember that 4 times out of 5 (he said, plucking a statistic out of some random, passing orifice), our tail-enders would have been skittled out, leaving a beaming Ponting to be carried off the pitch in triumph. It was a great display from Monty and Anderson (and Collingwood before them), so lets spread the credit a little.

Of course I'm delighted with the draw but we were fortunate this time. We can't expect lightning to strike twice though, so wake up England.

You have to expect Pietersen to react to the criticism, and thump 150+ in the next innings or two.

Yours wishfully thinking,

EG

[Sweder]

Inept was a little too strong re: Ponting.

Yet as I suspected there's at least one section of the Aussie press left scratching their heads at his decision making on that final knee-trembler of a day ... http://blogs.smh.com.au/sport/archives/2...doing.html

Pietersen seems to have drawn most of the fire from the UK hacks. Harsh if inevitable - there was a general failure to push on that must be addressed before Lords. It did read (BBC updates only) as if England batted on a minefield whilst the Baggy Greens found the track flat and juicy. I saw a damning quote from Nasser Hussain, the nub of which was it was a 'pretty decent pitch.'

If England supporters would like another slice of good news, Glenn McGath's yawn-inducing white-wash prediction (I wonder if he just pre-prints those statements in bulk?) has fallen at the first hurdle