*Official* Fourth Test at Headingley

[social]

Jeez Eng have been woeful but Oz have really stuck the boot in

Hard to see Eng coming back from this at The Oval - Cook, Bopara, Bell, Harmy, and Swann really should be shown the door but is there anyone else?

As Nasser said earlier today, only hope might be to prepare an absolute dust bowl, pick 2 spinners and rely on the toss of a coin

P.s. for the last time, can people simply appreciate Johnson for what he is - almost unique strike bowler who is equally likely to bowl complete dross as unplayable stuff

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Stephen Fry's a Norwich fan and he loves his cricket. Great day for that man.

He's also a well known manic depressive.

 

[fredfertang]

He's also a well known manic depressive.

Hope his meds are close to hand then

..... and I believe we're meant to say Bipolar these days

 

[Mr_Cricket]

With Australians bowling attack going great its going to be hard for Nathan Hauritz and Brett Lee to get back into the squad for the 5th test match.

 

[andyc]

Stephen Fry's a Norwich fan and he loves his cricket. Great day for that man.

Hasn't been enjoying it, if his twitter is any indication.

From yesterday:

Bah! England weltering in am arsepit of horror. Straight and full. Straight and full. You have to try SO hard not to try too hard.
8:57 AM Aug 7th from Tweetie


Please bowl better than this, Harmy....
10:07 AM Aug 7th from Tweetie

And now today:

Not tweeting about the cricket because I don't trust myself to retain decorum & decency. Let's just say I'm whimpering like a whipped whelp.
about 5 hours ago from Tweetie


Not wishing to spoil anything let me just say Norwich's first match hasn't exactly started well. And cricket-wise we're toast. Aaaaaaarse.
about 3 hours ago from Tweetie


I shall watch The Sting, then A Man For All Seasons to make me feel better. Then bath, bed & a fitful sleep racked with sobs. Sport? Bah!
about 2 hours ago from Tweetie

 

[0RI0N]

Jeez Eng have been woeful but Oz have really stuck the boot in

Hard to see Eng coming back from this at The Oval - Cook, Bopara, Bell, Harmy, and Swann really should be shown the door but is there anyone else?

As Nasser said earlier today, only hope might be to prepare an absolute dust bowl, pick 2 spinners and rely on the toss of a coin

P.s. for the last time, can people simply appreciate Johnson for what he is - almost unique strike bowler who is equally likely to bowl complete dross as unplayable stuff

You mean England should do a Mumbai 04?India had Kumble and Harbhajan,England has Swann and Monty.
Anyway feels like your standard Ashes test from the 90's.H'dingley 97 anyone.
Perfect day for 0Z.

 

[Bloody Hell]

Cricket Records | Australia v England | Records | Test matches | Largest victories | Cricinfo.com

This is going to be messy.

 

[King Pietersen]

As Nasser said earlier today, only hope might be to prepare an absolute dust bowl, pick 2 spinners and rely on the toss of a coin

You mean like they did at Cardiff? That really worked......

What we need to do is pick a middle order that can bat, and a bowling unit good enough to bowl in the right areas for that pitch. Anyone with any cricketing knowledge whatsoever could see, having watched Australia bowl, that bowling full was the way forward on that track, yet we had to endure Harmison bowling everything half way down, Anderson bowling half way down and even Onions was bowling too short. If Stuart Broad is far and away your best bowler, you've got problems. They need to pull their fingers out and realise that they can't just capitulate whenever Fred and KP dissappear.

This performance will mean nothing to the selectors though, who will go about picking the same squad for The Oval, and ultimately the same XI, just with Harmison out and Flintoff back in, unless we get another injury of course. I hate watching England, we seem to do this once a series, it's so embarrassing.

 

[Jamee999]

Bopara and Bell should never play for England again - Bell should never have been recalled in the first place, mind. Bring in Key, or Trescothick, or Joyce, or Rampers, but don't stick with someone we know isn't going to do the job.

 

[Prince EWS]

Bring in .... Rampers, but don't stick with someone we know isn't going to do the job.

 

[GIMH]

What a pile of steaming ****ing horse****, you spineless bunch of wankers!

 

[Manee]

He's also a well known manic depressive.

Watched a program about his manic depression, the other day, was very interesting.

Back on topic, oh dear England. Not a great effort but it must be noted that now they have got it together, Australia are a formidable attack. Going by cricinfo and the little I watched at tea and while my team were batting, Australia were very hostile with their bowling and there was fine bowling from all four of them. I always thought that a massive factor in Test cricket is 'deadweights' in the bowling attack. For South Africa, in recent times, it has been Morne Morkel, for England up until recently, it was Stuart Broad; deadweights are extremely damaging, as it is known that a three man attack is implausable in Test cricket. Four good bowlers can often be a far more dangerous force than three better bowlers and one deadweight. With Johnson coming back into form and Siddle hitting his stride, Australia have four good bowlers and that is priceless.

But that is all one of my rants.

 

[GIMH]

Over the last couple of years I have read a lot of posts talking about how England are better without Flintoff, and how we would be better without Pietersen. Well I hope you're ****ing happy now.

 

[slippyslip]

Over the last couple of years I have read a lot of posts talking about how England are better without Flintoff, and how we would be better without Pietersen. Well I hope you're ****ing happy now.

I think the whole Flintoff circus was incredibly distracting for England. Flintoff would have been better to declare himself not fit straight after Edgbaston.

But it it is a spectacular meltdown by England. An implosion greater than anything South Africa could have ever achieved.

 

[Ikki]

GIMH:

Anderson > Johnson ?
Anderson > Clark ?
Anderson > Siddle ?
Anderson > Hilfenhaus ?

 

[Craig]

The English cricket team should personally refund all the English fans that have turned up to see their inept performance

 

[TT Boy]

Over the last couple of years I have read a lot of posts talking about how England are better without Flintoff, and how we would be better without Pietersen. Well I hope you're ****ing happy now.

Last time we played without both players we lost to the Netherlands.

Worst of it, the options to replace Ravi and Bell are hardly players which feel you with much hope.

 

[TT Boy]

I think the whole Flintoff circus was incredibly distracting for England. Flintoff would have been better to declare himself not fit straight after Edgbaston.

But it it is a spectacular meltdown by England. An implosion greater than anything South Africa could have ever achieved.

Last time South Africa lost a test in three days?

 

[Craig]

Last time we played without both players we lost to the Netherlands.

Worst of it, the options to replace Ravi and Bell are hardly players which feel you with much hope.

I always thought you were a South African fan?

 

[GIMH]

GIMH:

Anderson > Johnson ?
Anderson > Clark ?
Anderson > Siddle ?
Anderson > Hilfenhaus ?

Would still take a fit Anderson over Siddle or Hilfy, yeah....

Clark though. Jeez thank **** he's not been in since the start. I presumed he must have gone into decline or something but that **** can still bowl like magic.