Ashes 3rd Test

So as expected there are a fair few changes for Australia.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/9274782.stm

Have to admit I'd never heard of Michael Beer, but he's been included, bit surprised to see him in ahead of Hauritz (or Warne!).

The Aussies are getting a bit obsessed with left arm spinners and KP!! Including a player who has only played in 5 first class games is a hell of a gamble.

Good to see Johnson in the squad. Four more to the England!!

Slightly interesting stat I saw the other day.

In two tests , Batsman No. 8 , for either side has not yet scored a run.

Slightly interesting stat I saw the other day.

 

In two tests , Batsman No. 8 , for either side has not yet scored a run.

In 4 innings our number 8 has faced one ball...

From the BBC....

Australia opener Phillip Hughes marked his recall for the third Ashes Test in Perth by getting out for a duck for New South Wales against South Australia. He had scored four in the first innings.

Typical of the Aussies

All they can think about is beer as a solution to everything.

Dudes, sorry beer ain't gonna be strong enough you need a few Bullfrogs & JaegerBombs

The Barmy Army's new song for the third test, to the tune of Oasis' Don't look back in anger:

Slip inside Ricky Ponting's mind

He's trying to find

Some new players to play

He wants to play his older team

But that's just a dream

They're too old to play

 

He said he'd start a revolution in his head

But he's been through all the players A to Z

Now there's just a summertime of doom

If he loses the Ashes race

He is going to lose his place

Losing three would simply tear his heart out

 

So Ricky can wait

Shane Warne is too late

And there's no Glenn McGrath

Gilchrist's had his day

And don't look back to Langer

He cannot play

Nathan Hauritz has sold some of his test kit after this latest snub.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12341_6572988,00.html

Just think the ashes could be safe by Christmas if we win.

We really should with the form we are in.

to Hark the Herald Angels Sing

Hark, the Barmy Army sing

Cheering England is our thing

Piece of pie and jug of beer

...We’re all full of Christmas cheer

We will raise our voices high

Ashes victory is nigh

Bumble’s saying “start the car!”

We are the better team by far

Beaten in their own back yard

Aussies take that oh so hard

Hark, the Barmy Army sing

We’ll have the urn, England is King!

Ill be there day 2 and 4 carrrrrrm on England :D:D:D

The Barmy Army's new song for the third test, to the tune of Oasis' Don't look back in anger:

That's genius!! Beating them off the field as well as on it!

Just think the ashes could be safe by Christmas if we win.

No "could" about it, they "would" be safe if we win the third test, as the best the Aussies could then manage would be a drawn series, which would see us retain the Ashes anyway.

No "could" about it, they "would" be safe if we win the third test, as the best the Aussies could then manage would be a drawn series, which would see us retain the Ashes anyway.

Yeah i didn't phrase that very well.

I really can't see this side settling for just retaining it, they will go all out to win this series by as big a margin as possible.

It seems like the Aussies team selection could come down to them winning or losing the toss, Beer is a somewhat interesting selection with a handful of first class games, I am not sure they will risk him. Also I know they are suggesting they "rested" Johnson and Hilf, surely in a massive Ashes series the last thing you want to be doing is resting your "strike" bowlers, baffling really.

It seems like the Aussies team selection could come down to them winning or losing the toss

Not sure about that, as the teamsheet has to be handed to the opposing captain BEFORE the toss.

I reckon Smith will play predominantly as a batsman but will be expected to bowl a bit, and they'll go with 4 frontline seamers plus Watson.

Watson

Hughes

Ponting

Clarke

Hussey

Haddin

Smith

Johnson

Harris

Siddle

Hilfenhaus

Not sure about that, as the teamsheet has to be handed to the opposing captain BEFORE the toss.

 

I reckon Smith will play predominantly as a batsman but will be expected to bowl a bit, and they'll go with 4 frontline seamers plus Watson.

 

Watson

Hughes

Ponting

Clarke

Hussey

Haddin

Smith

Johnson

Harris

Siddle

Hilfenhaus

I think thats what they will go with, although I would have been tempted to retain North. He is the best Aussie spinner I have seen in the series and can obviously bat a bit - even if he is bang out of form.

Not sure about that, as the teamsheet has to be handed to the opposing captain BEFORE the toss.

 

I reckon Smith will play predominantly as a batsman but will be expected to bowl a bit, and they'll go with 4 frontline seamers plus Watson.

 

Watson

Hughes

Ponting

Clarke

Hussey

Haddin

Smith

Johnson

Harris

Siddle

Hilfenhaus

Ok not literally but I think Ponting if he goes with four seamers is banking on winning the toss and bowling first, but I just can't see the Aussies taking 20 wickets at the moment, we shall see.

Not happy with the 2.30 am starts.

Much preferred the midnight ones.

Ok not literally but I think Ponting if he goes with four seamers is banking on winning the toss and bowling first, but I just can't see the Aussies taking 20 wickets at the moment, we shall see.

Lol the convicts haven't got four seamer's on the island, Not unless they are recruiting three Sheila's from the nicker factory,

Not happy with the 2.30 am starts.

 

Much preferred the midnight ones.

I've got Thursday and Friday off again so not too bothered about the start times.

This test may work out better though, can get some sleep before play starts.

So looks like they opened their Beer too soon and as we all know you leave it around for a week and it goes flat.

Big day ahead, big big moment for Mitchell Head ain't there Johnson and Chris oh I'm sorry I didn't mean it, gosh oops tough guy Tremlett.

IF England get through the first session without being blown away on a tide of Aussie emotion then can only see it going one way, especially as they seem to have designed the perfect pitch for Jimmy Anderson (hello, Convicts, our strike seamer's actually quite good on green wickets)

Will catch a few seconds before hopping a flight to blighty. REALLY ****ed off I couldn't stay on the one going to Melbourne that I was on for a biz trip Monday.

Perth or Bighty for the weekend, great choice feckwit

For as long as I can remember, when you looked at the two sides, you were struggling to find many English players who would get in to the Australian side. Now on current form you be struggling to find Aussies who would get in the England side. Hussey maybe but I can't really see anyone else.

Not happy with the 2.30 am starts.

 

Much preferred the midnight ones.

What time does play finish each day (our time)? I've been staying up to watch the first couple of hours of the other tests but might try waking up a couple of hours earlier instead for these.

I'll be staying up...

That was a good coin-toss to win, I can see us skittling them before tea if we get a couple of early wickets...

Been to bed for 4 hours, just got up for it now. Lets hope its worth it. Come on England!!

Whee, fantastic start.

Cricinfo

"It's the follow-up ball that gets you out" - P Hughes, Dec 15 when asked about facing the short stuff. Damn right. says the txt commentary

Great start Tremlett! Absolutely what we needed. Send the newby back in his first over, now keep the noose round their neck and don't get carried away by bowling short!

Good toss to win.

Feck gotta get off to the airport grrr

Whee, Punter gone, glad I've stayed up now

Haha....

Unreal.

OK, maybe I'm seeing a better performance than Adelaide here...

England's session all over.

Need Hussey sharpish though.

Swann will get him soon after lunch I reckon.

Almost every time England have bowled a full length they've caused problems. I've lost count of the edges they've found. If Swann can use the wind to his advantage we'll have them out before the end of the day.

Wow, I get all through the airportr, get to the lounge and get online and Wow. What a fantastic start, and great toss to win.

Hussey again bloke deserves a medal compared to the rest of the Aussies & Haddin still to come and Smith can bat better than North

Aussies wanted to get 450+ to put us under pressure and the old men failed again.

Don't want to get them out TOO quickly, let them nurdle up to the low 200's and take the sting out of the pitch and let the cloudy skies go away

It could be all over by the time Skint Saint gets there

TELEGRAPH

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/theashesnews/8157272/The-Ashes-live-Australia-v-England-third-Test.html

 

Welcome to live coverage of the third of England's warm-up games for the series against India next summer. Again, they're playing a team called 'Australia' in a lovely little town called 'Perth'. England, you may remember, easily won the second warm-up game against 'Australia' at 'Adelaide', which is sure to re-open the debate about how useful these practice games really are. Still, England's bowlers will be looking to get into some form ahead of their meeting with Sehwag, Gambhir, Tendulkar and co, and what better opportunity to get some cheap scalps under their belt than on a quick, bouncy wicket against 'Australia', a team of international minnows still finding their feet at this level

Lol.

Telegraph

04.44 Thanks to Infostrada Sports for this fascinating stat illustrating just how monumentally useless Australia are. Apparently this is only the ninth time in Test history that a side has been three down for less than 30 in consecutive Test matches batting first. And that includes the entire span of Test history, including the 19th century, when bowlers bowled with catapults and cannonballs, and entire sides were regularly bowled out for five. That's how monumentally useless Australia are.

 

hehehe

OK time to board. Keep it up England!

We're not playing as well as we did in Adelaide.

Australia are playing worse though.

Just got up..........Excellent.

feck hope i can get a refund for my day 4 ticket!

Need to get Hussey or Haddin out pretty sharpish otherwise they will get around 200-250 i reckon.

Need to get Hussey or Haddin out pretty sharpish otherwise they will get around 200-250 i reckon.

+1.

Hussy gone at long last! Now lets whittle through the tale and get them out by tea.

Woo!

That's the big dangerman out...

Hopefully we'll get them out for about 160 now...

Listening to TMS the wicket is pretty flat if a little green. No way is it a 220 odd for 8 wicket by all accounts, the Aussies are just playing awefully compared to our pretty good cricket by the sounds of it.... am i complaining? am i feck as like

well done to Tremlett tho, nuff respec as i think they say in the early 90's

Just seen a saints shirt in the crowd.

stumps on day 1, england all over aussies again. usefull runs at the end for the convicts but that ought to only spur our batsmen on, johnson, haddin and hussey all proving its a batting track. 239 behind, fingers crossed tomorrow we can get a decent lead with some heavy scoring from our boys

Can't complain at getting all 10 wickets on day 1.

I bet Punter is having a great evening tonight. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Shame we did not mop them up for less than 200, after that start

But hopefully, our batsmen will post a good score and it will be all over soon

shame about that last wicket 35, but getting to stumps without losing a wicket mitigates that somewhat...

Day 1 Highlights:

http://www.skysports.com/cricket/ashes/video/0,26596,16311_6527347,00.html (Click on link to the right of the video)

Definitely would have taken that score at the start of the day though

If England can bat for at least the next day and a half we can hopefully bat them out of this match and being able to win the ashes.[As is unlikely that there will not be a positive result in this match now,after first day events].

The fact it is now definately last chance saloon for them after their very mediocre batting performance,may make this slightly harder to acheive. We are still in an excellent position.

Had a bit of a sleep now. These 2:30 starts are tricky. Wellity wellity, another good day at the Ashes. Tremlett bowled splendidly and credit again goes to the Aussie top order for obligingly handing out catches, especially Clarke who's making a series of it. A bit of a shame we let the off the hook after lunch; Finn really does need to get his length fuller in the second innings.

Isn't Prior in smashing form with the gloves?