Ashes

[not on facebook]

Oslo which ones were the bottom shops? The ones near the beechers brook or the ones next to the palfs

Ones near the palfs fella and the shops near cantley libary were the top shops

[DRFC MYERS]

Cracking cricket so far.. Sorry but in my opinion I don't know what root is doing opening he batting.. Drop him back a bit..

[DRFC MYERS]

361 all out isn't bad.. Thank god swann and broad had a decent last wicket stand to get that total up.. What does everyone think? England 1st wicket lead?

[bigbadjack]

Think it's very respectable anything over 350 and I'm happy

[DRFC MYERS]

God I've been chuffed to bits to see the Aussies downfall today! After all those years without a sniff we are finally showing them up! Well done swanny

[scaley back rover]

mmm and then as both sides have done get in a strong position then have a wobble shaping up for another exciting finale

[Draytonian III]

England will have the match won by mid afternoon on Sunday,Only Clarke is good enough to get into the England side,Haddin and Siddle would be squad players,the rest are average county players

[scaley back rover]

i think your right draytonian an excellent day batting and a excellant century by root. It will take a miracle for the aussies to rescue this england are toying with them

[RobTheRover]

I expect a declaration very soon now we've topped a 500 lead and have a few overs at them tonight.

If we can get a couple of them out tonight the rest will tumble tomorrow.

[roversontheup]

I expect a declaration very soon now we've topped a 500 lead and have a few overs at them tonight.

If we can get a couple of them out tonight the rest will tumble tomorrow.

Waiting for Root to go past 150 pr perhaps when he is out?

[RedRover45]

I reckon we'll have another half hour batting in the morning for Root to get a double hundred and for the piss take of a 600 target....

[GM-MarkB]

BLOODY RUBBISH UMPIRES !!!   

[scaley back rover]

silly rules may have cost us that 4 nil win, but hey ho the urn is ours

[Wild Rover]

Are there different rules for Day/night one day internationals and Test matches. OK I know ball different colour, and "Dress Code", but why can day/ night matches be played till midnight if need be, but not a test match.

[Filo]

Are there different rules for Day/night one day internationals and Test matches. OK I know ball different colour, and "Dress Code", but why can day/ night matches be played till midnight if need be, but not a test match.

Day night matches are played with a white ball, which is easier to pick up in gloomy conditions, I  think the white ball behaves differently to a red ball as well

[Mike_F]

Once the umpires got the light meters out and took the reading they had no option but to pull the players off the field. Surely thoguht it's their choice tocall for the meters to be brought out so why not use common sense and leave the buggers in the pavilion? Four overs left & 21 runs required; it would have been a grandstand finish to the series.

[GM-MarkB]

So here we go again boys and girls. Who's up for some nocturnal Cricket watching ?

What price 4 Series wins in a row ?

[BigColSutherland]

I'll be out there for the fifth test. Looking at the weather tonight it can't come soon enough!

[GM-MarkB]

Decent day/night so far for England. The Aussies haven't really taken advantage of wining the toss and a dry flat wicket. Mind you, Haddin and Johnson are starting to be a pain....new ball in about 7 overs might do the trick

[CusworthRovers]

Got in from work and like a tool started to watch it from about 1130pm. Couldn't turn it off and managed til about, just before 2am. They were about 70 odd for 1 then. I was fearing the worse on how they were describing the wicket.

I woke up and expected to see Australia about 350-1. Now very happy with the first day. Also very happy in retiring to na-nights when I did. Another few minutes and about 5 wickets would have been falling and I would never have got to sleep.

2 quick wickets tomorrow and then hopefully build a huge score against their bowlers.

Enter the Barmy Army:

He bowls to the left,
He bowls to the right,
That Mitchell Johnson,
His bowling is Shite
 

[NickDRFC]

He bowls to the left
He bowls to the riiiiiiiiiiight
That Mitchell Johnson
His batting's alright

Got up at 5.30 this morning to watch; thought that Haddin and Johnson didn't do that well - the ball wasn't moving at all and they looked very comfortable. Without their contribution though it would be game, set and match already. Hopefully we can finish them off for no more than another 20/30 runs, and then as long as we go into bat like we know we are capable of (rather than how we batted over here) and have the right application, this pitch should see us to 450+ and a healthy first innings lead.

Loving how Broad took all the wickets - I think he will thrive on their abuse this series rather than retreat into his shell. Will be very interested to see how the Brisbane rag reports it given they said they wouldn't refer to him by name.

My parents are lucky enough to be out there at all 5 days of this Test, needless to say my dad had a blast whilst my mum didn't really have a clue what was going on.

[The Red Baron]

Well, that was what they call in the army a "clusterf**k!" Seems to me that if Bell fails, then so does England's batting.

Back to praying for rain- just like in the 90s.

[GM-MarkB]

In a word....B*ll*cks 

[scaley back rover]

thats the first test gone pretty much. Hopefully we improve a hell of a lot for the second test

[GM-MarkB]

At last...signs of life from Down Under 

[CusworthRovers]

It's a common saying in cricket, that a strong Yorkshire = Strong England. Our 3 boys were involved in almost everything today

Just need Ballance in to almost assure us the last 2 tests


Yoooorkshire, Yoooorkshire, Yoooorkshire!!!!

[Filo]

Well, after yet another batting collapse it looks like we'll be 4-0 down and a whitewash is on the cards, I would hope some of those players will not be offered central contracts next year.

Cook = good opening batsman but not captain material
Carberry= only a stop gap and too old to establish himself now
Root= one for the future and needs to toughen up
Pieterson= an enigma, one shot briliant, the next useless
Bell= getting close to the end of the road for him
Stokes= has potential to be the next Freddie
Bairstow= keeping not as good as Prior but better with the bat
Bresnan= not good enough
Broad= lost the fire in his belly
Anderson= only decent when the pitch helps him
Panesar= rubbish fielder, can't bat and an average bowler at best

[BigColSutherland]

Interesting chat about captaincy on the radio. Only Strauss in recent years had captained before taking on the England job. Root expected to replace Cook in time, but again, no experience of being a captain.

[Filo]

Shocking performance by England and Cook as captain, how do you pick Monty as the main spin bowler and play a part time spinner in Root before him? Why do you replace Broad with Root when Broad found the edge in the previous over. This England team have gone at the game and big changes are needed!

[The Red Baron]

A bit left-field perhaps, but I'd give the captaincy to Pietersen again. I agree that Cook has to go as skipper and concentrate on his batting. Making KP captain might re-focus his game and make him play for the team more. He's only got a couple more years in him so give him the goal of winning the Ashes back in 2015 and going out in a blaze of glory.

Also the whole coaching set-up needs to be changed. I'll be sorry to see Flower go but I can't see him hanging around after the invitable 5-0. Gooch (batting coach) and Saker (bowling) should be collecting their P45s whether Flower stays or goes though.