***Official*** 4th Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground

[Slow Love™]

That wasn`t out IMO. How does Hawk-Eye know how much it would`ve spun??

Yeah, tough one - it hit him on the back leg though, about halfway up and in front - I think I would have given it myself though. And to be fair, the English bowlers have had a pretty bad run over the last day or so with LBWs.

 

[Nate]

Yeah, tough one - it hit him on the back leg though, about halfway up and in front - I think I would have given it myself though. And to be fair, the English bowlers have had a pretty bad run over the last day or so with LBWs.

But it`s Symonds...

Point though.

 

[steds]

 

[Slow Love™]

Century for Hayden! Well played, and very much needed.

 

[cameeel]

100 up for Hayden, and a brilliant shot to bring it up.

 

[Nate]

Well done Hayden. Very lucky 100, but he`s concentrated harder than anyone else. Top way to bring it up as well.

 

[steds]

Century for Hayden! Well played, and very much needed.

No. Not bloody well needed at all. A duck was needed.

 

[Slow Love™]

No. Not bloody well needed at all. A duck was needed.

Well, he did his best to help, taking just under 20 balls to get off the mark...

EDIT: Oops, for some reason I was thinking of Symonds.

 

[Slow Love™]

So with these two set and Gilly, Warne and co still to come, is 350 on the cards?

 

[Nate]

I don`t mind what we get from now on. We were in a dire state, and any lead is a good lead now.

 

[Nate]

Bad day to be cancer.

 

[steds]

And to think for about half an hour I thought it might not be 4-0 this time tomorrow after all.

 

[Matt79]

haha Hayden and Symonds at the 'G rock - Roy must wish he could only play with Hayden down the other end.

I was going to say last night, before my post disappeared into the ether, Rudi Kurtzen obviously thinks the lbw rule is outdated and has decided to never pay one again. Symonds got robbed a couple yesterday, obviously Warne's appeals to wicket ratio is always low, but a couple of his looked ok, and then Hoggard was robbed once or twice as well. Monty's shout didn't look to have much wroing with it today!!

BTW, is Hoggard the slowest bowler to get through his overs in the world? I want to shoot him - you just shouldn't need 2 minutes between deliveries every single delivery...

 

[James90]

Hoping for a more eventful session here. The hard work's been done. Symonds should at least go after Panesar to keep me entertained.

 

[James90]

Interesting interview with Lara...do they need to go to a break every two minutes?

Agree with Koertzen though. That one was out but I wouldn't have given it either. Just saw where it pitched then lost it behind a flash of bat. However Hayden was LBW twice last night. As much as I want Australia to do well it frustrates me when the umpires don't give it.

The ones in the English innings were worse I thought. Panesar was absolutely plumb to Warne last night and one of those Symonds deliveries to Collingwood should have been out as well IMO. I'm starting to really like Bucknor because he actually has the balls to give LBW's.

 

[Nate]

LOL @ the first ball after lunch.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I don't think Symonds was out either. It would probably have hit the stumps, but there's no possible way you could have been certain. It needed to turn a fair amount to hit the stumps, after all.

Anyway, full credit has to go to Symonds. I don't think there's a place for him in the test side when Watson is fit, as the middle order is pretty settled now, but there's no doubt he's a better player than an average of 18 or whatever he had before this innings. Nice that he got the chance to play a key innings in test cricket at least once.

Great innings from Hayden, of course. Could have been out last night, but he worked really hard to get through the tricky period this morning, and took advantage of the conditions easing up after lunch and batted really well. Needless to say, if Australia are still batting at stumps the game is basically over.

 

[Nate]

Symonds makes his highest ever score in Test Cricket.

EDIT: Haha, I had them all out of sync before, how`d I manage that?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Just got to thinking about how close this would be to the highest 6th wicket stand at the MCG in an Ashes test. Turns out it's not even half way yet.

That match where Bradman reversed the batting order and scored 270 from number 7 was at the MCG, and he put on 346 for the 6th wicket with Fingleton.

 

[Slow Love™]

Oh man, I hope that slo-mo clip of Flintoff pulling faces makes it onto Youtube.