England v Australia, 5th Test, The Oval, 21-25 August, 2013 (II)

Merlin wrote:Clarke = Pussy.

Whingeing piece of sh*t.

Where the f**k is Warne now  . . . . "Would Aus gamble on losing tin order o win the match"

Answer - NO.

It was he who originally set the target, and okay I know it's upto the Umps regarding the light, but Clarke's peering over their shoulders and nibbling in their ears about it being too dark was the absolute pits - poor poor show from Warney's mate - whingeing twat!

Still England win 3 - Nil ... with a moral victory at the Oval.

The thing with Warne is that if he makes a spectacular fool of himself, he just brushes it off. He doesn't care, and pretends it never happened.

Utterly pathetic. It makes me so sad cricket is being ruined by incompetent buffoons.

I live a few miles from the Oval and you would not believe how bright it is right now, even at 8pm. Gutless cowardice from Clarke, Dar and Dharmasena.

I don't feel sorry for England because some of their timewasting in this series has been abject.

I just feel sorry for the game. Test cricket is dying because of fools like this. A packed house, a grandstand finish - a great chance to showcase our wonderful game. Ruined by a bunch of cowards.

Well, the umpires would have been sacked if they had gone against the rules, leaving Razzie and Benny Hill to do all five over the winter... so can't really blame them. It's the clowns in Dubai who set the rulings who are to blame.

Ah come on, lets face it - England didn't deserve to win this game.  And 4-0 would have been a travesty given how the series has gone.

We can hardly complain about time wasting, given that England have turned it into an Olympic sport at times. And the umpires simply applied the rules. 

I'd say a draw is a fair result after a fantastic final day.  About time the series kicked back into life. Bring on November!

The whole notion of 'bad light' should be scrapped.

This fallacy of 'danger to the batsman' - if it isn't dangerous to the batsman the bowlers aren't doing their job properly. We don't go off the pitch for variable bounce, if the pitch is too quick or the bowlers are bowling too fast.

Its still broad daylight at 8pm FFS. This decision has hastened the death of Test cricket.

Gary 111 wrote:We don't go off the pitch for variable bounce...

Do you not remember that match in the Caribbean in 1997/98?

beamer wrote:Well, the umpires would have been sacked if they had gone against the rules, leaving Razzie and Benny Hill to do all five over the winter... so can't really blame them. It's the clowns in Dubai who set the rulings who are to blame.

The umpires are gutless cowards.

What have they been doing all series when Cook and Clarke has been bowling at funereal over rates? They just stand there doing nothing - some of the timewasting, from both sides, in this series has been shocking. Will the ICC do anything about it? No, of course not.

I wish they had taken the chance to be men for a change and think of the game trather than their cushy ICC pensions. Steve Bucknor didn't take this sh!t from Pakistan when they tried to weasel out of bowling their overs in Karachi. He cared about the future of the game.

Dar and Dharmasena should be sacked.

Gary 111 wrote:Utterly pathetic. It makes me so sad cricket is being ruined by incompetent buffoons.

I live a few miles from the Oval and you would not believe how bright it is right now, even at 8pm. Gutless cowardice from Clarke, Dar and Dharmasena.

I don't feel sorry for England because some of their timewasting in this series has been abject.

I just feel sorry for the game. Test cricket is dying because of fools like this. A packed house, a grandstand finish - a great chance to showcase our wonderful game. Ruined by a bunch of cowards.

I'd blame the ICC more than the umpires in this situation. It's the job of the umpires to apply the laws and regulations that they are given.
It should be simple- If a ground has floodlights, keep playing, even if it's pitch black. Sure, the red ball might be slightly harder to pick up, but then so is a dirty white ball that's become brown. The players used to tolerate that before the two balls came in.

What's 100% certain is this- If Australia had been a wicket away from victory, they would have been begging to STAY on the field, and England would have been begging to go off. It confirms that the players complaining about bad light is nothing to do with safety, it's simply a tactical move, which makes the ICC's line about the players going off the field if it's unsafe a load of old bollocks.

beamer wrote:

Gary 111 wrote:We don't go off the pitch for variable bounce...

Do you not remember that match in the Caribbean in 1997/98?

Obviously there are extremes - that match would be the equivalent of playing cricket at midnight.

But when the ball starts shooting off a length on Day 5, that is 1000% times more dangerous than playing cricket in broad daylight in England at 7.30pm.

Who was at danger - Siddle? He's stood 70m from the bat FFS. The fielders will voluntarily stand 1m away at other stages.

beamer wrote:Well, the umpires would have been sacked if they had gone against the rules, leaving Razzie and Benny Hill to do all five over the winter... so can't really blame them. It's the clowns in Dubai who set the rulings who are to blame.

You honestly think the ICC would have the nerve to sack a couple of umpires who made the best decision in the interests of the game?

Henry wrote:

Gary 111 wrote:Utterly pathetic. It makes me so sad cricket is being ruined by incompetent buffoons.

I live a few miles from the Oval and you would not believe how bright it is right now, even at 8pm. Gutless cowardice from Clarke, Dar and Dharmasena.

I don't feel sorry for England because some of their timewasting in this series has been abject.

I just feel sorry for the game. Test cricket is dying because of fools like this. A packed house, a grandstand finish - a great chance to showcase our wonderful game. Ruined by a bunch of cowards.

I'd blame the ICC more than the umpires in this situation. It's the job of the umpires to apply the laws and regulations that they are given.
It should be simple- If a ground has floodlights, keep playing, even if it's pitch black. Sure, the red ball might be slightly harder to pick up, but then so is a dirty white ball that's become brown. The players used to tolerate that before the two balls came in.

What's 100% certain is this- If Australia had been a wicket away from victory, they would have been begging to STAY on the field, and England would have been begging to go off. It confirms that the players complaining about bad light is nothing to do with safety, it's simply a tactical move, which makes the ICC's line about the players going off the field if it's unsafe a load of old bollocks.

Yes, Dar and Dharmasena can go to their grave justifying their cowardice by saying "We were just following orders..."

Henry wrote:

beamer wrote:Well, the umpires would have been sacked if they had gone against the rules, leaving Razzie and Benny Hill to do all five over the winter... so can't really blame them. It's the clowns in Dubai who set the rulings who are to blame.

You honestly think the ICC would have the nerve to sack a couple of umpires who made the best decision in the interests of the game?

I wouldn't completely put it past them. At best they would fine them their match fee/give them a suspension.

It was broad daylight FFS. It was gloomier at Chester-le-Street when they were playing at 2pm.

Gary 111 wrote:The whole notion of 'bad light' should be scrapped.

This fallacy of 'danger to the batsman' - if it isn't dangerous to the batsman the bowlers aren't doing their job properly. We don't go off the pitch for variable bounce, if the pitch is too quick or the bowlers are bowling too fast.

Its still broad daylight at 8pm FFS. This decision has hastened the death of Test cricket.

Not sure about the death of test cricket. There have been controversies about light decisions as far back as I can remember.

beamer wrote:

Henry wrote:

beamer wrote:Well, the umpires would have been sacked if they had gone against the rules, leaving Razzie and Benny Hill to do all five over the winter... so can't really blame them. It's the clowns in Dubai who set the rulings who are to blame.

You honestly think the ICC would have the nerve to sack a couple of umpires who made the best decision in the interests of the game?

I wouldn't completely put it past them. At best they would fine them their match fee/give them a suspension.

The umpires should have been sacked already for tolerating Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Starc's pitiful timewasting for all the series so far.

Well that's another issue and one the lawmakers and match referees need to get on top of. Penalty runs and harsh suspensions are the only way.

Everyone can stand absolutely proud.


If you banged Beefy and Warney's heads together, you might get one sensible unbiased opinion from two legends of the game.

Meh, England got a taste of their own dick medicine. They finally came out to play and Australia went and Cook'd them right up.

Can't say that I'm arsed. It's a lousy way for the series to end, but it's probably apt: with the umpires getting booed off the field.

I have enjoyed the Aussies' pathetic hypocrisy coming back to drop kick them in the lady balls, though. I thought Boof's pork-choppery about labelling non-walkers as cheats in a series where not a single Australian batsman has walked was going to take the soggy biscuit by a mile, but the day after James Faulkner decided to slate England for playing negative cricket, watching Australia time waste, bowl down the leg side and bitch and whine at the umpires like truculent children, trying to get a game they were losing called off was a pearling lack of self-awareness.

F*ck knows why we have floodlights for Test cricket if you can't actually play under them.

taipan wrote:

Gary 111 wrote:The whole notion of 'bad light' should be scrapped.

This fallacy of 'danger to the batsman' - if it isn't dangerous to the batsman the bowlers aren't doing their job properly. We don't go off the pitch for variable bounce, if the pitch is too quick or the bowlers are bowling too fast.

Its still broad daylight at 8pm FFS. This decision has hastened the death of Test cricket.

Not sure about the death of test cricket. There have been controversies about light decisions as far back as I can remember.

Seriously, what chance has cricket against other sports when they are actually thinking about the paying spectators and striving to make the game entertaining?

Whereas the administrators in cricket are trying to kill the game and only care about chasing their next pay cheque.

It's absolutely necessary that Flower stays on.

It has clear for some time that floodlights make bugger all difference.

Dello wrote:Meh, England got a taste of their own dick medicine. They finally came out to play and Australia went and Cook'd them right up.

Can't say that I'm arsed. It's a lousy way for the series to end, but it's probably apt: with the umpires getting booed off the field.

I have enjoyed the Aussies' pathetic hypocrisy coming back to drop kick them in the lady balls, though. I thought Boof's pork-choppery about labelling non-walkers as cheats in a series where not a single Australian batsman has walked was going to take the soggy biscuit by a mile, but the day after James Faulkner decided to slate England for playing negative cricket, watching Australia time waste, bowl down the leg side and bitch and whine at the umpires like truculent children, trying to get a game they were losing called off was a pearling lack of self-awareness.

F*ck knows why we have floodlights for Test cricket if you can't actually play under them.

Time for the pink ball?

Flower's last test? He didn't exactly deny it when directly questioned by Ian Ward.

Warney still drooling.


Michael Clarke flair wonderful Michael Clarke bowling changes batting everything Michael Clarke fantastic flattering Michael Clarke Australia field changes Michael Clarke better position better shape better better Michael Clarke super better than ever batting captaincy Michael Clarke

Dello wrote:Meh, England got a taste of their own dick medicine. They finally came out to play and Australia went and Cook'd them right up.

Can't say that I'm arsed. It's a lousy way for the series to end, but it's probably apt: with the umpires getting booed off the field.

I have enjoyed the Aussies' pathetic hypocrisy coming back to drop kick them in the lady balls, though. I thought Boof's pork-choppery about labelling non-walkers as cheats in a series where not a single Australian batsman has walked was going to take the soggy biscuit by a mile, but the day after James Faulkner decided to slate England for playing negative cricket, watching Australia time waste, bowl down the leg side and bitch and whine at the umpires like truculent children, trying to get a game they were losing called off was a pearling lack of self-awareness.

F*ck knows why we have floodlights for Test cricket if you can't actually play under them.

I agree - I don't feel sorry for England. Some of our time wasting this series has been a disgrace, and generally worse than Oz. Stuart Broad's boot for example was pathetic.

I just feel sorry for the game of cricket. I was watching the match in a packed pub full of people, I wouldn't be surprised if some of them can't be bothered tuning in next time. Watch the football instead, you know there'll be a proper finish.