England v Australia, 1st Test, Trent Bridge, 10-14 July, 2013 (III)

Congratulations to England for winning a thrilling Test match. Commiserations to the Australian team for its mighty rearguard effort. Has one match ever produced two such extraordinairy 10th wicket stands - albeit in a losing cause.

Jimmy produced sustained brilliance and ullimately proved the difference (not the technology or the umpriring)...great support from Sir I Ron Cubbard and Stu-Rat with important cameos from the others inc KP Finn and Swann (tho latter may have paid a high price in public criticism had Oz got over the line)

For Australia....most made significant contributions at differrent stages...Agar's debut will stick in the memory for a long time - enthusiasm for the contest and good technique with bat (both knocks) and ball 3 wickets in 2nd innings (tho scorebook and record will only show 2).. that said even tho he was ill through the match Cowan was poor and even tho they both made good knocks in the first dig the lack of technique shown by Smith and Hughes in the 2nd dig should not be forgotten

Brass Monkey wrote:He got canned in most of his spells, whichever microcosms you want to highlight it's just not good enough. He's been expensive throughout his career, but he's been worth a shot in the hope he'll sort his consistency out.

Here, on a pitch that most seamers were going at well under 3s he was going at over 4s, yet he provided the least wicket taking threat.

I've heard someone say it's a mental issue and not a technical issue. I disagree. He's pretty limp going through the crease and he's not keeping tall in the slightest. He's falling away like a dyspraxic tranny with labyrinthitis.

If you mean someone here, that was probably me.

I don't deny there is an issue with technique - a big one - but I think it's one of those that starts and is (so to speak) rooted in the head, in the mindset, in the clueless repetition of an unsuccessful approach.

You may well be right that if someone got hold of Finn with a videoplayer, and got him sweating in the nets, his mental blockage would be cured by adopting better physiological and biomechanical disciplines.

But I think there is a quicker way, and a more lasting method. And that's where the head comes in. The psychological orientation.

Gracious comments horrie  

Despite some of the nonsense in the press, the one thing we know about Australian sports teams is that the buggers never know when they're beaten. They just won't roll over and die quietly.

I'm sure nobody on here seriously entertained thoughts that we'd just rock up for two series and give you a jolly 10-0 hiding in 3.5 days per match. Anyone who may have has just been seriously disabused of such ideas.

Help! Someone's kidnapped Horace's ID!!


Seriously, eloquently put.

phurt....just adjusted the meds...normal service to resume shortly:D  

Actually h, I blame you and your absence during Belf's innings for our loss. Did you even post a single sledge at him prior to or during his innings??

Weak effort.  

aye....but I thought any sledge about his belfardness would only guarantee his success...adopted the same position on Lady Di's 'dismissal'

ironic that 2 of the 3 poms I take pots at made solid contributions...chinhead's was below par

ironic too that the Oz players I pot also made contributions....after a dismal effort behind the stumps and in the 1st dig, Haddit played a heroic knock....stevie nix and fuse both played crucial knocks in the first innings but their technical flaws lead to the inevitable failures in the 2nd...schoolgirl should have done betterr with bat (but he never does when it counts in tests) but bowled well

I'm disappointed, ol' fruit. Your relentless bagging of Belf has been highly successful in recent years, and you were nowhere to be seen. We NEEDED you, man!!

On Hughes, I was pleasantly surprised with his effort in I1, and in I2 he got a peach. His weakness is stuff on his pads, and Chin really put a beauty in his blind spot that spun a mile. Perhaps if he lunged forward and smothered the spin, he'd've been OK, but I can't really bag him on that dismissal. Downie was a bit the same - undone by a big turner. Twatson continues to be an extreme disappointment. All the ability under the sun, but the concentration of a goldfish.

aye...will try and repair the damage in T2....after that will be intermittent at best...


admit to mentally sledging the hell out of the belfard and cursing that goon - lady dismal (he really is a grub)...as for Chinhead he dresses and plays like a complete nob

Step up, man, we need all the help we can get. The encouraging thing is that, even though our top/middle order let us down again, there were some good signs, and we almost won. England were just that little bit more consistent all round and deserved to win. Jimmeh and Belf were clearly the difference between the 2 teams.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2116812/Graeme-Swann-blast-Sri-Lankan-cheat.html

snigger

JGK wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2116812/Graeme-Swann-blast-Sri-Lankan-cheat.html

Ouch

Thought it was going to be him having a go at Dharmasena after this match for a minute, that would have got him in trouble, especially if he had used the "c" word...

skully wrote:Step up, man, we need all the help we can get. The encouraging thing is that, even though our top/middle order let us down again, there were some good signs, and we almost won. England were just that little bit more consistent all round and deserved to win. Jimmeh and Belf were clearly the difference between the 2 teams.

Agree our loss was mainly due to a combination of poor use of the DRS, ineffective top-order batting and lack of penetration at times during England's second innings. Anderson last night pointed to the Bell/Broad partnership as the difference. This went on too long and took the lead to something that was perhaps always going to be out of our reach.

My only comfort is that my words stung Haddin into getting his first half ton in ages.

Please do some more stinging, OP.  

JGK wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-2116812/Graeme-Swann-blast-Sri-Lankan-cheat.html

Bump.

rofl...curious that this has been ignored by Emglish posters...let alone the English media...

heard long interviews on radio yesterday with Agar and Bumble

the former was very funny and seemed a well balanced kid...told a very funny story about his youngest brother being cheeky and signing autographs..

Bumble was also very funny. He held to the 10-0 line and was scathing about Australia...he talked about his time as coach and said he never gave his side a chance at the time...must not have been great for the English players