England v Australia, 3rd Test, Old Trafford, 1-5 August, 2013

Yeah you're probably right but as I say - the two in question's consistent mediocrity just starts to grate. The pitch is flat but they're not trying anything different.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I suppose the Aussie whinging will subside now they've had a day where the umpiring has favoured them overwhelmingly, bar one poor decision. Smith alone should have been given out a few times.

One lbw decision to UK's non dismissal and Rogers being on the wrong end of one of those either way decisions. Totally one sided by the umps today for sure.

baggygreen wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I suppose the Aussie whinging will subside now they've had a day where the umpiring has favoured them overwhelmingly, bar one poor decision. Smith alone should have been given out a few times.

Rogers being on the wrong end of one of those either way decisions

   

Most people who make assertions along these lines are suffering from derealisation and are in urgent need of medical attention.

Flat, dead deck .... result ... a boring boring draw.
Can't see either side losing 20 wickets on this strip o' s**t.

I always thought Old Trafford was a crap strip ... and it's proving to be just that.

Shame.

Chivalry Augustus wrote:

baggygreen wrote:

Chivalry Augustus wrote:I suppose the Aussie whinging will subside now they've had a day where the umpiring has favoured them overwhelmingly, bar one poor decision. Smith alone should have been given out a few times.

Rogers being on the wrong end of one of those either way decisions

   

Most people who make assertions along these lines are suffering from derealisation and are in urgent need of medical attention.

Mirror, mirror on the wall...

doctorspin wrote:

beamer wrote:No reviews left for England though, that's likely to be costly, when we're denied a plumb lbw to break the inevitable 150-run last wicket partnership.

`Just happened, Smith PLUMB!

Tony Hill is the new Russell Tiffin.

Two shockers in a day. Well played.

Merlin wrote:Flat, dead deck .... result ... a boring boring draw.
Can't see either side losing 20 wickets on this strip o' s**t.

I always thought Old Trafford was a crap strip ... and it's proving to be just that.

Shame.

England were f*cked from the moment you came barrelling back to the forum claiming 5-0 was a done deal.

Brass Monkey wrote:Good ton by Clarke - still, this attack looks toothless. Dobbish and devoid of any ideas of threat

That always seemed the risk of playing on dry, flat decks which spin after a few days: what if we lose the toss and have to bowl first, negating Swann's potential effect?

To my mind, England have one seamer - Sir Jimmy - who I'd call pretty much an all conditions bowler. He's proven he can take wickets all over the world in recent years. Broad and Bresnan (and Finn and Tremlett and Onions) haven't. They need favourable bowling conditions.

Broad has 6 wickets @ 69 in his last five Tests against Australia (two matches over there, three here). It's not like they're a crack batting unit - the Tests have just all been played on decent wickets, which basically takes him out of the equation.

MoH wrote:Obviously those payments from the Indian bookies only covered the morning session.

The Man of Huntingdon Returns.

Sounds like a Phillippa Gregory novel.

Track looks totally flat. If England bat long in the first innings it's hard to see a result.

taipan wrote:Track looks totally flat. If England:groucho:  bat long in the first innings it's hard to see a result.

Yeah, probably this.

That said, enjoying the fact that Aus could bat for a day. That's one positive at least. Except for Twatson of course.

F**k you all you sh!tweasels. I just wrote an erudite, well balanced and insightful summary of the days play and my internet connection failed as I pressed post, losing my delightful prose forever.

W*nkers.

Don't blame us if you are on steam dial-up.

Very briefly, and much less coherently - my verdict:

Advantage Aus - the Ashes needed them to step up and they have. Can they go on to get 500+ and see if Lyon can bowl them to victory.

The pitch - has a bit in it and will get harder to bat on, esp. D4 & 5. What the fark are those white patches? Amateurish groundstaff.

England's attack - one dimensional. Bresnan the pick of the seamers but he's not Test class and never will be. Get Tremlett primed for Durham. For OT, they should have picked Monty, he would have bowled more overs, be more of a threat to the RHB's than Swann and would have meant the seamers could bowl shorter, sharper spells.

Umpiring - a lot of whining over nothing IMO. Khawaja shouldn't have been given out, Smith survived a plumb lb, so Aus got 1, Eng got 1. The other Smith decision - the lb was umpires call, the rules haven't changed, the DRS is for howlers not marginal ones, all fine. The 'edge' I agree with WW [not over his paranoid Indian ranting mind], the noise was after the ball passed the bat, some doubt, therefore the 3rd ump can't overturn. C5 didn't show snicko, would be interested if that showed anything different but I suspect it would not.

Merlin wrote:Flat, dead deck .... result ... a boring boring draw.
Can't see either side losing 20 wickets on this strip o' s**t.

I always thought Old Trafford was a crap strip ... and it's proving to be just that.

Shame.

Disagree, more pace than TB & Lords, plenty of turn and a little bit of variable bounce. As long as it doesn't rain too much there's a decent chance of a result.

OT has produced some good Tests in my opinion. Between 1997-2008 there were 11 Tests:

You had an absolute classic (2005), two heart-stopping finishes (1998), (2002), some engrossing see-sawing contests (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008) and a couple of matches shaped by truly outstanding performances, Waugh in 1997 and Harmison in 2006. The only two disappointments in 1999, 2000 were down to the rain.

Anderson had 'one of those days' - of the sort Gough used to have. Toiled away unavailingly - built up to the big effort spell - seems jaded, hot and knackered by the time the new ball was due.

Broad - some very good deliveries. Spent most of the day metaphorically kicking the turf, and I'm afraid returning a bit too often to his unintentionally slow, sit-up and hit me bouncer or width delivery.

It's a bad day for England when Bres looks the most likely seamer.


I was surprised, watching all this from a sardine tin, how loud an edge can sound live from a long distance. Watson's was like a glass splintering.

Well played Clarke, and to an extent Rogers. And good perseverance following a team's innings worth of good fortune from Smith.

Clarke and Rogers's innings were odd in that they alternated spells of great assurance and brutal shotmaking with gingerly, poky play. This is often true of an innings of any length - it has its ups and downs, its bursts with its more award phases - but this seemed very marked today. At their best, both seemed world beaters.

England have a lot of thinking to do. The track was a bit patchy but held up well (dunno about them footholes, how well they might be consolidated) - but the often feeble Pom batting might easily be deflected by sheer weight of runs and fatigue if Aus can make near 500. As we have seen, it don't take terror conditions to make this (or perhaps any ) England top order fall away. Only lack of mental toughness under pressure such as this.

Nice one, Gaz..... Are the Milky Bars on you?

eowyn wrote:

MoH wrote:Obviously those payments from the Indian bookies only covered the morning session.

The Man of Huntingdon Returns.

Sounds like a Phillippa Gregory novel.

PS hope you haven't been put off coming back...

Oh, and Ang and Gaz - Happy (what's left of) Yorkshire Day!!

(You have no idea what it takes a Lanky to offer them sorta wishes!! (

PeterCS wrote:Anderson had 'one of those days' - of the sort Gough used to have. Toiled away unavailingly - built up to the big effort spell - seems jaded, hot and knackered by the time the new ball was due.

Broad - some very good deliveries. Spent most of the day metaphorically kicking the turf, and I'm afraid returning a bit too often to his unintentionally slow, sit-up and hit me bouncer or width delivery.

It's a bad day for England when Bres looks the most likely seamer.


I was surprised, watching all this from a sardine tin, how loud an edge can sound live from a long distance. Watson's was like a glass splintering.

Well played Clarke, and to an extent Rogers. And good perseverance following a team's innings worth of good fortune from Smith.

Clarke and Rogers's innings were odd in that they alternated spells of great assurance and brutal shotmaking with gingerly, poky play. This is often true of an innings of any length - it has its ups and downs, its bursts with its more award phases - but this seemed very marked today. At their best, both seemed world beaters.

England have a lot of thinking to do. The track was a bit patchy but held up well (dunno about them footholes, how well they might be consolidated) - but the often feeble Pom batting might easily be deflected by sheer weight of runs and fatigue if Aus can make near 500. As we have seen, it don't take terror conditions to make this (or perhaps any ) England top order fall away. Only lack of mental toughness under pressure such as this.  

Jimmy does seem to be affected more than a class bowler should when the batsmen try and drive him off a length. I think Aus are preserving with Watson because in 2009 and at times in 2010/11 he hit Anderson out of his rhythm. Some of those drives by Rogers in the morning were class, pure Langer nuggety biffing.

Saying that, even the very best like McGrath could occasionally lose it when leaking boundaries. It didn't happen often but Vaughan and Astle hit him off a good length now and again.

I think also Anderson was a shade unlucky. You make your own luck, so that's no excuse - but what I said about Dazzler was partly that too. One of those days where nothing seems quite to go right. (Including borderline decisions!)

eowyn wrote:Nice one, Gaz..... Are the Milky Bars on you?

No, they're still on Joe Root. I'm far too swarthy to be the Milky Bar Kid

PeterCS wrote:Oh, and Ang and Gaz - Happy (what's left of) Yorkshire Day!!

(You have no idea what it takes a Lanky to offer them sorta wishes!! (

Cheers Pete, though why are they scheduling an OT Test on Yorkshire Day? Vaughan was droning on about there being no Lancashire Day on TMS, when someone pointed out there is, and has been for 600 more years than Yorkshire Day. Its in November apparently.

Search me!

Dello wrote:

Merlin wrote:Flat, dead deck .... result ... a boring boring draw.
Can't see either side losing 20 wickets on this strip o' s**t.

I always thought Old Trafford was a crap strip ... and it's proving to be just that.

Shame.

England were f*cked from the moment you came barrelling back to the forum claiming 5-0 was a done deal.

Mea culpa ....!!
You haven't changed have you Dell-boy ... still talking through your a**e.
England had it in the bag after the Lord's drubbing - but for the s**t dirt track that is OT.
FFS - maybe you think I had a hand in preparing the OT track.
Tosser.
Four - Nil then.

so according to Boof, we're playing Starc to create footmarks for Lyon to bowl into.  what a joke!