CRICKET - at last

[wetkingcanute]

What a great Test.
I've been at Lord's all Wednesday; Friday; Saturday and just got back from the best fifth day of a Test I've ever seen.

Over the five days England have played appallingly and brilliantly...and if it wasn't for a particular incident today we would have won.

The atmosphere at Lord's was absolutely fantastic.

[mids]

Absolutely non-racist too, I presume?

[flatandy]

I was initially outraged by the incident. But a moment's thought had me agreeing that Australia were absolutely right and the player in question was just utterly dozy.

Stokes was incredible today (although lucky to get dropped by Smith). I have no objection to him getting out trying to play aggressively.

My opinion on Robinson remains absolutely rock solid. What a plonker. An arsehole and a plonker and not a good enough bowler to warrant it.

My opinion on England's general shot selection against the short ball when behind in the match with two players deep behind square in the outfield also remains pretty much unchanged, particularly without Lyon to hold up an end.

Australia have been the better team over each of the first two tests, but England made it much closer today than we had any right to expect.

[wetkingcanute]

I was sitting with a couple of Aussies, we all agreed it was completely legal and that a batsmen is reasonable for staying in his crease until the ball is dead.
But they were disappointed with Alex Carey because it really wasn't in the spirit of the game and Jonny Bairstow clearly thought that the ball was dead.

[flatandy]

I haven't seen the replays but read that they showed the ball was thrown quickly, before Bairstow had gone wandering, in the knowledge that he'd done it repeatedly.

[flatandy]

I'm now worried that WKC may have seen his last match

[unclejunior]

Should be a pleasant friendly atmosphere on Thursday for the start of the Headingly test .....l
The Aussies will get exactly the reception that they now deserve😊👏

[wetkingcanute]

I am glad they've been suspended.
Out in the ground the chants and booing were meant - but also to a certain extent good natured.
But in the Long Room what those three did was despicable.
Far to much alcohol I recon.

[voice]

Were you in the background shouting "he's not worth it, he's not worth it"

[wetkingcanute]

"Now Look...We've all 'ad a drink!"

[ootlg]

"It's OK, I'm alright. Just let me go. I won't hit him."

[moggyonspeed]

Wow! Who would have thought that 'Bat & Ball' could lead to such tantrums!

[ootlg]

I agree with the decison though.

[mids]

It seems to be similar to the throw-ins given away in football when a player looks like he's injured. It's considered the right thing to do to throw it back to the team who kicked it out and people take a dim view when this doesn't happen. There's a precedent that goes again the competitiveness of the game in both cases. So it seems that the Aussies, while technically in the right are cheating cunts.

[flatandy]

It’s interesting to see that Barstow tried to do exactly the same thing to Labuschagne two days earlier. But - here’s the critical thing - missed. So no “outrage”.

[moggyonspeed]

Ah ... that old chestnut: "We're British so we're special and should be given consideration in working to different norms and rules than Johnny Foreigner".

Frankly, I'm incredulous, and utterly dumbfounded as to the source of this rather quaint notion.

[flatandy]

Absolutely cracking stats from the BBC

FACT 1: After two Test matches, England have a better collective batting average than Australia in this summer's Ashes.

FACT 2: England are 2-0 down.

The numerical facts are that England have scored 1260 runs off the bat to Australia's 1245.

After Stokes' eight-wickets-down declaration and Australia's two-wicket win at Edgbaston, followed by a 40-wicket second Test (only the fourth Lord's Ashes Test out of 37 in which all possible wickets have fallen), both sides have lost 38 wickets.

Thus, England's batting line-up has a collective average of 33.1, Australia's 32.7.

England have, however, conceded 60 more extras than Australia (118 to 58), leaving them 45 runs behind in total, accounting for the 43-run margin at Lord's and the two runs by which the Baggy Greensters overtook England at Edgbaston.

England are the 274th team in men's Test history to find themselves 2-0 down after two Tests of a series.

As you would probably expect, none of the previous 273 had a higher collective batting average after those two Tests than the opposition against whom they have lost consecutive matches (and only a handful have come close).

[wetkingcanute]

Yeah...these two Tests have been extremely close. None of this "Australian Domination" that's printed in the papers etc.
But of course Australia are two up in the series - quite fairly.

and moggy your thinking that: "We're British so we're special and should be given consideration in working to different norms and rules than Johnny Foreigner". is quite wrong - that's not it at all.

[flatandy]

Blimey.

What a series. When was the last boring home Ashes test?

[wetkingcanute]

god's in his heaven, all's right with the world.