***Official*** 1st Test at The Gabba

[howardj]

Pretty disappointed with the whole day, to be frank.

Firstly, there wasn't much of a contest between bat and ball today. Harmison showed no ticker, as usual; Anderson got treated like a club bowler; and Hoggard never really looked like breaking through. On the flipside, Giles I thought bowled fairly well and Flintoff was very good.

Secondly, I expected singing and chanting from the crowd. It was extremely tame. The whole day just seemed to lack atmosphere - or it certainly didn't have the atmosphere I expected from a full house.

Finally, and most disappointingly, I can't see this series, as least as far as a contest is concerned, reaching any great heights. That's because, on the evidence before me, I certainly can not see how England can take 20 Australian wickets at anything like reasonable value.

The one beacon from today was Ponting. Say what you want about the man or his captaincy, but geez the bloke can bat. Volcano Ponting has been bubbling away since September 12 last year. The lava is just going to spew out over the next six weeks. He's lean and hungry.

 

[Matt79]

OK, I've watched the tape of today's play through to Langer's wicket, and a few comments are:
- despite knowing how the day turns out, England could have, at this point, considered themselves unlucky. I don't recall ever seeing so many loose or streaky shots and edges go flying through the wide slip or gully area without ANY of them going to hand. England didn't even drop any, they all were just a foot in the wrong direction.
- Langer, despite scoring 82, actually didn't look that solid to me, largely for the reason stated above. He was streaky and unconvincing early on, despite reaching 20 odd of 10 balls or similar (several boundaries from edges or unconvincingly chancy shots)- and he looked extremely uncomfortable when Anderson actually bowled a well-directed bouncer. He'll be better for the hit-out, but I'll be interested to see whether England can do a better job of targeting him from here on in - I think they flubbed their chance today with him.
- Obviously luck can play a role. Harmison was erratic early on, but a couple of those edges could easily have produced an early wicket and then his day might well have turned around. That said, you make your own luck and if you only create a few chances through the day, you're not putting yourself in the best position to be lucky. Langer certainly grabbed his luck and ran with it.
- The English have so far bowled too predictably - there's been very few bouncers, and nobody's attempted a change of pace, which is important when the ball's not doing much.
- Not impressed with Freddie's captaincy so far - I thought Harmy could have been left on in his first spell for another one over at least, given he was producing edges. Flintoff also seems to be changing his field a lot, and setting fields to cover for bad bowling, rather than having guys in position to capitalise on good balls.
- Finally, obviously I'm aware Ponting is going to go on and make a big ton, but at the moment, he's only on 20 and damned if he doesn't already absolutely look like he's going on to a 200 - never seen him look better, and obviously there's better to come.

 

[Nate]

I think the reason for all the gaps in the field was because Flintoff had to move attacking fielders to the deep to prevent the flow of runs. The shots were streaky, but the fielders were not there to capitalise. Not to mention those edges were far and few between.

 

[Gloucefan]

I'm soooo tired and really don't feel it was worth it! Not much to say that hasn't been said, Fred is Fred, my hero, and KP bowled well. I thought Anderson was better than his figures suggested tbh as well. Really disappointed, I'd bite your hand off if I was offered a draw now, obviously.

Tell me about it, I sat up all night in a bar in Bristol with friends only three of us stuck through the whole thing. I should have gone to bed instead.

 

[Gloucefan]

Is the ball likely to swing tomorrow like it did at the end of todays play?

 

[Linda]

How is Freddie going to do all of that for the whole summer, plus back it up with a few hundred runs? He's either going to emerge a complete freak, or crash and burn youd have to think.

 

[Linda]

Apologies if someones mentioned it, but how awesome is the coverage thus far. You guys over east didnt have to cut away to the news, and after play ended today, we got a re-play of the evening session for 2&1/2 hours till the news came on. And apparently highlights later on. Doesnt get much better, and all for freeeee.

 

[Hoggy31]

Was sitting an exam for most of the first day.

Can watch it tomorrow though, Ponting to make 300.

 

[Langeveldt]

Apologies if someones mentioned it, but how awesome is the coverage thus far. You guys over east didnt have to cut away to the news, and after play ended today, we got a re-play of the evening session for 2&1/2 hours till the news came on. And apparently highlights later on. Doesnt get much better, and all for freeeee.

Unfortunate people in England have to pay around 40 pounds a month just to watch a home game of cricket, the ECB and English cricket deserves every thrashing they get, but that won't make cricket here any more marketable.....

Its cheaper for me to fly to South Africa, watch a home and away season of England play cricket, and return back to England, than it is to watch cricket here for a year..

 

[Nate]

Haha, no way. For serious?

 

[tooextracool]

ok so i dont really have the time to read any of the posts on here at the moment, so forgive me if i repeat stuff thats already been said, but heres my take on what happened yesterday:
England couldnt have started off any worse. They lost the toss and Harmison bowled an appalling first over. and the worst part is that his bowling only got worse from there. Really one has to ask questions when someone bowls poorer than a school boy. Ive never seen a test bowler bowl at least 2 balls down the leg side every over, i think he bowled on average one ball an over on target and the rest were so wide that the batsmen couldnt even be arsed to hit them. His ER got better as the game progressed but thats only because both Martyn and Ponting couldnt hit the ball even if they had 2 bats attached together. On the odd occasion that he bowled a bouncer it was 5 feet above the batsmen and contrary to his name, wouldnt harm anyone. Another thing i want to point out about Harmison is that, how in the bloody hell is he still nervous when he bowls at the Ashes? I mean commone, hes played more Ashes tests than anyone else in the England side, yet he cant even bowl the first ball to the wicket keeper? You'd think after 3 Ashes series, he should be the calmest member of the side.
Hoggard i thought started off well, but there just was never enough in the wicket or in the air to assist him and after a while he couldnt sustain his accuracy and kept pitching the ball up even when there wasnt any swing.
Anderson had his moments, when Martyn came in he bowled 2 solid overs and then bowled one absolute tosh over where he got pasted. Story of his day really, he got more out of the wicket than everyone including Flintoff and was the fastest bowler on show, but he didnt have the accuracy and couldnt sustain any pressure for long enough periods.
Flintoff was the only one who bowled somewhat competently and his figures reflect it although even he was hardly brilliant.
To be honest, if Giles had been match fit with enough practice under his belt, i would have had him over Panesar anyways, cause Panesar has bowled rubbish all tour, and even yesterday Giles actually used flight and varied his pace far better than Panesar has ever done. However the problem is he just doesnt give the ball enough rip, and i dont think he got even a single ball to turn enough to cause batters problems.
For the Aussies, i thought Hayden and Langer were complete crap. Langer getting 80 odd was an absolute joke and the fact that he got it in less than 100 balls speaks volumes about how poor England bowled not to mention Flintoff's captaincy. i thought Ponting and Hussey played quite well, Ponting in particular was excellent.
Now on Flintoff's captaincy, i have to say it was absolutely disgraceful. Okay so hes a great leader and inspires people, but as a tactician i think hes absolutely inept and it was on show during the summer and last winter. I mean really any clown who watched the last Ashes would have realised that you need to block Langers runs square of the wicket. I think Langer got half of his runs by scoring between the slips and Gully or square on the off side yesterday. I mean Vaughan specifically blocked all his boundaries in that area by putting a man on the boundary there. Yet Langer was given the freedom to score at nearly 5.5 runs an over, most of which came by mistimed shots and ridiculous airborne square drives. Furthermore, you'd think that at 79/1, with Ponting new to the crease and knowing that the best time to get him out is to get him early, he would actually bring on his best bowlers? Yet of all the bowlers it was Steve Harmison going at 6 an over from end. okay so i know hes your best mate and everything, but its incredibly obvious to anyone who watched him bowl yesterday that he served some absolute thrash. Why would you ever bowl him to a new batsman? Especially when Hoggard had bowled a much more impressive first spell.
Flintoff isnt going to be able to do this on his own. Last time England won because Jones was the strike bowler and Flintoff was merely his sidekick. The rest merely fed off their success and when the conditions suited them they took wickets. Now things arent quite so bright.

 

[Nate]

It`s a dark, terrible game is cricket.

 

[tooextracool]

OK, I've watched the tape of today's play through to Langer's wicket, and a few comments are:
- despite knowing how the day turns out, England could have, at this point, considered themselves unlucky. I don't recall ever seeing so many loose or streaky shots and edges go flying through the wide slip or gully area without ANY of them going to hand. England didn't even drop any, they all were just a foot in the wrong direction.

its not really going to go to handy if you dont have the fielders in the right place. 2 slips and a gully for Harmison while the ball was still relatively new was never going to get too many chances. Tbh, whenever Langer bats, you'd want at least 2 gullies.

- Not impressed with Freddie's captaincy so far - I thought Harmy could have been left on in his first spell for another one over at least, given he was producing edges. Flintoff also seems to be changing his field a lot, and setting fields to cover for bad bowling, rather than having guys in position to capitalise on good balls..

Yea not to mention when during Giles 2nd over. The ball after Martyn came down the track and lofted in over long on for 4, he put a fielder back on the boundary. I mean isnt that what you want batsmen to do? Invite them to come down the track and hit the bowler out of the park? If not then what on earth is the point of Giles tossing the ball up ITFP.

 

[Gloucefan]

Harmison has been woeful for the last few series. I cant even remember a good spell!...

Old Trafford 6 for 19?

Granted other than that he's been pants for a long time.

 

[Langeveldt]

Haha, no way. For serious?

My Sky subscription in the UK - So I get all sports channels, I have to buy the complete package = 42.50 per month = 510 Pounds

Return flight Johannesburg -Doha - London = 399 Pounds approx

Standard South African DSTV Package (including dish, box and yearly subscription) = R1500 = 120 pounds


So I was ten pounds out, but yeah it's pretty funny isn't it?

 

[Langeveldt]

England couldnt have started off any worse.

Yes they could, they did last time

 

[tooextracool]

Yes they could, they did last time

I dont remember Andrew Caddick bowling his ball to second slip last time or for that matter him following it up by bowling one down the leg side.

 

[Langeveldt]

I dont remember Andrew Caddick bowling his ball to second slip last time or for that matter him following it up by bowling one down the leg side.

No, before all that

"We'll have a bowl"

 

[aussie tragic]

I see that in his 13th Test since the last Ashes, Ponting now has 1620 runs @ 85.26 with 9 centuries, which includes scoring a century in both innings on 3 occasions (Maybe this will be the 4th, but I don't think Aus will bat again).

Oh yeah, here's hoping he gets 268* so that he has a 60.00 Test average

EDIT: And Giles to finish with 1-91 so that he has a 40.00 Test average

 

[tooextracool]

No, before all that

"We'll have a bowl"

Lets not get started on that again.
One could say that with Michael Vaughan out, Trescothick out, Jones out, Plunkett in the squad(despite having no hope of playing this series), and Freddie selected as captain, this tour has begun just as badly.