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

SO what's the prognosis? Is the light likely to improve today?

Weather looks settled in here. Unlikely to get much lighter but it isn't raining.

Hmm...

Ah well, it's in the lap of the Gods now. They've probably got enough runs, we'll see whether they get enough overs. They batted in the right way.

So will the conspiracy theories begin now?

So will the conspiracy theories begin now?

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Such as what?

I mean, it is unfortunate, and the Australians would rather be out there either batting OR bowling, but this is not a new rule change. It's the umpires' call.

The umpires taking them off to prevent Aus winning.

taipan wrote:The umpires taking them off to prevent Aus winning.

You forgot the "at the instruction of Indian bookmakers" bit.

MoH wrote:

taipan wrote:The umpires taking them off to prevent Aus winning.

You forgot the "at the instruction of Indian bookmakers" bit.

Sorry. Thought that was a given. 

beamer wrote:Umpires make the decision for him... I'm sure we get more stoppages that when they used to offer the light to the batsmen.

That was some beer snake by the way...

That wasn't a beer snake.



THAT'S a beer snake...

Good old Manchester. They should only play cricket indoors there.

Henry wrote: I get the feeling the interest in this Ashes series peaked at Trent Bridge. Most people want to see a contest. It's almost as if people have decided this series was as good as over after Lord'sI. Also, the standard of cricket has been poor. Not a patch on, say, 2005.

This test is intriguingly poised, but I suspect the weather may ruin it.

Speaking as just one, that speculation couldn't be much further from the truth. There's been a lot of bad play as well as a fair bit of outstanding stuff, but it's been generally riveteting. But I have been more interested watching every ball in the round on site at OT, and so - some would say thankfully - less in a position/inclined to post through the match.

The weather point is true, but hardly a Sherlockian suspicion. The meteorologists have worked overtime forecasting if not doom, then gloom and storms for the match. About 5 today was the first we have seen of it.

I suspect there may be more rain tomoz though.

Will England collapso?

Dello wrote:Good old Manchester. They should only play cricket indoors there.

Farq orft you soft southerner! It's been bluddy luvverlee for 11 and a bit sessions out of 12 here.

Cardiff, on the other hand ..... well, fit only for growing leeks and springing leaks.

Weather forecast is dire for tomorrow but good for Tuesday.

Of course.

JGK wrote:I was saying yesterday that if we can knock England over for 350 then score 200 pretty quickly that would give aust a day and about half a session to roll England. Given that the England bats haven't batted in the 4th innings of match so far, the pressure could be very interesting.

JGK, you have amazingly abandoned the ironic graemlin mode.

Get it back overnight, or Oz may not force the win!

Meh. I just put a fiver on England to win at 48s.

Henry wrote:Jimmy has been poor in this game. Perhaps he's starting to run out of gas.

Perhaps he is feeling the long-term effects of previous Trevving?

I think he is suffering a mixture of lead-bowler-cum-stock bowler fatigue, "homeground pressure" and a patch of bad luck. It happens.

Bowled rather poorly after lunch today though. Leaked runs a bit easily.

Get Tremlett in, to share the attack! Brezzy has good figures today, did okay on Day 1, does what he can, bowls out of his limited skin for his team, but he is a bit medium pace. And not exactly an intimidating presence.

No, it won't happen.

JGK wrote:Meh. I just put a fiver on England to win at 48s.

TFFT! I thought the real JGK had been abducted ..... by aliens, or worse, Mancunians.

JGK wrote:

beamer wrote:Umpires make the decision for him... I'm sure we get more stoppages that when they used to offer the light to the batsmen.

That was some beer snake by the way...

That wasn't a beer snake.



THAT'S a beer snake...

Aye. Beersnake v Barmy Army (trumpet especially).

The Real Ashes.

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:Jimmy has been poor in this game. Perhaps he's starting to run out of gas.

Perhaps he is feeling the long-term effects of previous Trevving?

I think he is suffering a mixture of lead-bowler-cum-stock bowler fatigue, "homeground pressure" and a patch of bad luck. It happens.

Bowled rather poorly after lunch today though. Leaked runs a bit easily.

Get Tremlett in, to share the attack! Brezzy has good figures today, did okay on Day 1, does what he can, bowls out of his limited skin for his team, but he is a bit medium pace. And not exactly an intimidating presence.

No, it won't happen.

I feel England have bowled poorly all match. Their seamers have been comprehensively shown up by Australia's. Whereas the "best attack in the world" somewhat shrugged and went through the motions when confronted with a good batting track, Australia's kept pushing hard for wickets, pitching the ball up higher, bending their backs more.

They made England's attack look bog ordinary, if I'm honest. Jimmy was a due a quiet game, but Broad and Bresnan are perennially quiet. They didn't take up the slack. They never do.

Swann's bowled filth for much of this second innings too.

If the Ashes are secure I'd make the positive move of Tremlett for Bairstow at Durham. Prior-Bresnan-Broad-Swann is more than adequate as a 6-7-8-9.

An observation from the ground FWIW:

Seeing the play & players before my very eyes over these four days - in the flesh, not moderated by pickups, tubes and cables, TV cameras and radio microphones, with endless marquees, captions, stats, replays, expert commentary, analysis, pundit chat and post mortems third-hand .... inclines me to be a lot more generous to those individuals out there, doing their restricted or talented best.

No, not going soft in 't'head. One or two on each of these teams don't currently deserve their place, maybe never will.

That's not the point. But hurling shoes and vituperation at your set really isn't the point either. It's not specially patriotic, clever, or whatever to let loose bile and hatred towards these exasperating or heart-warming sods of sportsmen. It seems more like armchair impotence, emotional scapegoating.


Kev is mighty in the flesh, btw!

Root, Starc, Siddle, Prior, great team guys, very good players too.

Dello wrote:

PeterCS wrote:

Henry wrote:Jimmy has been poor in this game. Perhaps he's starting to run out of gas.

Perhaps he is feeling the long-term effects of previous Trevving?

I think he is suffering a mixture of lead-bowler-cum-stock bowler fatigue, "homeground pressure" and a patch of bad luck. It happens.

Bowled rather poorly after lunch today though. Leaked runs a bit easily.

Get Tremlett in, to share the attack! Brezzy has good figures today, did okay on Day 1, does what he can, bowls out of his limited skin for his team, but he is a bit medium pace. And not exactly an intimidating presence.

No, it won't happen.

I feel England have bowled poorly all match. Their seamers have been comprehensively shown up by Australia's. Whereas the "best attack in the world" somewhat shrugged and went through the motions when confronted with a good batting track, Australia's kept pushing hard for wickets, pitching the ball up higher, bending their backs more.

They made England's attack look bog ordinary, if I'm honest. Jimmy was a due a quiet game, but Broad and Bresnan are perennially quiet. They didn't take up the slack. They never do.

Swann's bowled filth for much of this second innings too.

Yep, Swann took too long to ramp up to his flailing-limb best after lunch, Broad reverted to too-slow short stuff.

Some rubbish.

So Hill and Erasmuss decided to remain the centre of attention and cost Aus 30 minutes due to bad light. Nice. Qunts.

Got up this morning with the match about where I hoped it'd be, with Aus 330 in front. But another 30 minutes could've had that at 360+ (Clarke would've batted through knowing England would be offered the light) and allowed (weather permitting) Clarke to set attacking fields all day tomorrow.

Cook correctly declined the Umpires' request that he bowl spin (any skipper would do the same under the circumstances of only a draw needed to retain).

What was the crowd's reaction at the early departure?

Anywho, Pup is sure to declare at the overnight score and hope for 10 wickets to get us back in the series. But the weather gods appear against Aus.

The umpires should be congratulated for their foresight in seeing the imminent downpour and protecting the track. Not to mention giving the Good Guys (Poms) a slim fighting chance ....


The reactions of the crowd varied from shrugging and playing make-up cricket behind the stands (the green-and-gold-clad young Aussies) to long-suffering fatalism with vestigial impatience (Poms, knowing Manchester) to Rudd-like outrage and disgust (more experienced Aussies especially).


Are you sure Oz WOULD have made 30 in the 20 mins? Rhino, Sid and Lyon might have had to slog succesfully along with Clarke's more educated strokes.

In any case, the main event is surely whether (weather) the fragile Pom batting can survive 4-6 hours. ... not in the event hugely affected by the umps' very debatable call under floodlights.