Australia v England, 1st Test, Brisbane, Nov 25-29, 2010

The countdown clock just ticked over 02:02:02:02.

So Clarke must bat today then.

heard bollybogan this am talking up why he should be selected in the XI...expect his Aunt Nellie to be interviewed next

He has the 4th best strike rate of all Australian bowlers with more than 20 wickets.

I reckon ideally Aus would prefer Bollinger over Siddle however Shane Watson has apparently been feeling a tweak in his back and is unlikely to bowl more than 10 overs an innings, if at all. They might be a bit worried to play Bollinger as part of what could potentially be a four man attack, considering he's only just coming back from injury himself.

JGK wrote:He has the 4th best strike rate of all Australian bowlers with more than 20 wickets.

...no dispute about that...I think players (and their rellies) should not ever big up their selection prospects

Looks like Clarke will be fit.

Well at least that's 2 batsmen who have made a recent runs in the top 7 for Aus.

JGK wrote:He has the 4th best strike rate of all Australian bowlers with more than 20 wickets.

Most of his wickets were taken against a very suss Pakistan side. I'd give him another 12 months before i'd start comparing stats.

Henry wrote:Looks like Clarke will be fit.

I don't expect he will be in the middle long enough for his back to be a problem.

Jebus, it looks a soft greentop on the Nooz. Nothing surer than we'll be batting first.

What's the weather forecast?

skully wrote:Jebus, it looks a soft greentop on the Nooz. Nothing surer than we'll be batting first.

After winning the toss.

Blackadder wrote:

skully wrote:Jebus, it looks a soft greentop on the Nooz. Nothing surer than we'll be batting first.

After winning the toss.

The first test of nerve for the captains.

Basil wrote:What's the weather forecast?

Showers for the 5 days (or how ever many days it takes for England to win)

Thursday A few showers Min 19 Max 27
Friday A few showers Min 19 Max 27
Saturday A shower or two Min 20 Max 27
Sunday A shower or two Min 19 Max 28
Monday A few showers Min 20 Max 27

http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/brisbane.shtml

From the News tonight, Smith released from the Aus Squad..UK still on stand by in Bris.

Blackadder wrote:

Basil wrote:What's the weather forecast?

Showers for the 5 days (or how ever many days it takes for England to win)

Thursday A few showers Min 19 Max 27
Friday A few showers Min 19 Max 27
Saturday A shower or two Min 20 Max 27
Sunday A shower or two Min 19 Max 28
Monday A few showers Min 20 Max 27

http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/brisbane.shtml

Cheers!

[quote="Red"]

JGK wrote: Mitch also just warned Strauss that he has a target on his helmet.

If Mitch wants to waste energy bowling bouncers on a pitch offering lateral movement off the pitch and through the air - that's fine by me!

Well he is a QBilly by birth, so not the sharpest tool in the shed.

Looks a good wicket for the likes of Milf and Cot.

skully wrote:Looks a good wicket for the likes of Milf and Cot.

......and Jimmy.

Wouldn't mind losing the toss. I have more confidence in Ponting making the wrong decision than Strauss making the right one.

A good toss to lose. If (as seems likely) it's quite overcast and Strauss wins the toss ... will he (follow Hussein's example and) put Australia in, or is there too much baggage attached to that?

Like I said before, it's best to look up at the sky rather than down at the pitch when deciding what to do in Brisbane. All this talk of it being a green top is nonsense. It will have a tinge of green that will have completely disappeared by day 2.

Overcast skies will keep the ball swinging, though.

All quite true and well understood locally, but I was referring to the psychology of the decision that Strauss may have to make.