The Official Brisbane Test Thread

[Daddles]

This is well past giving the others a winning chance. What's the lead at the moment? 550 odd? :mad:

Nah, the money men are worried about losing two days of attendance, two days of beer sales and two days of advertising revenue on television.

Richard

[craigb]

Why the hell didn't Ponting put them in for an hour or so before stumps?

Ferchrisakes 600+ lead is enough ain't it?

IF, he's done it because of media commitments, well then we deserve what we get.

Disgruntled of Chatswood.

[bitingmidge]

If Ponting bats beyond lunch tomorrow, I'll listen to you blokes!

In the meantime, no tickets have been sold for the last day (they go on sale tomorrow), and let's face it, the odds of

a) the poms surviving ninety overs

b) anyone paying to watch them slowly die for however little time it takes on Monday

are not great enough to justify such a decision.

On the other hand the odds of getting them out today were also not great, and after fifteen overs of play tomorrow no refunds were necessary....let's see how many empty seats there are.

I think this decision is more about grinding the poor buggers into the ground, and that's been well and truly done, now that Aus has achieved a higher score than the Poms with only a run-out....

Interesting that pitch too. How did they doctor it so that it had so much venom when the Poms were batting?

Cheers,

P (sorry Jow!)

[Gumby]

Midge is right. It's all about demoralising them. This is a series, not a one test visit.

[namtrak]

........I think this decision is more about grinding the poor buggers into the ground.......

100% and bloody fantastic isnt it. And it goes with Australia's way of playing nowadays. Of their last 7 opportunities to enforce the follow-on they have only done so once. Squeeze all resistance out of them. The game is now for the Poms to bat as long as possible and keep Mcgrath and Warne bowling for as long as possible to tire them out for Adelaide.

[Flowboy]

Midge and Gumby, you're absolutely right.
I think Ponting has decided the following.
1. We scored 602 against their attack
2. We bowled them out for 150 odd
3. Lets get some more batting practise and show the Poms its not that hard even on the wicket they were batting on.
4. Lets bowl them out again in a day and totally humiliate them with bat, ball, field placings and superb fielding.

Regards

Rob

[Studley 2436]

I'm with you Flowboy. I was a bit surprised there was no follow on enforced but there are some good reasons not to. You can rest your bowlers for a bit and how much is it killing the Poms to see Australia go out there and bat successfully on that pitch after they couldn't do it.

Perhaps the English Bowlers got a bit lazy in England where they can get reverse swing happening easily? Different ball here and conditions too. Mind you line and length are what you would call simple discipline for a test bowler. Line and length bowlers McGrath and Clarke did really well. The Poms really need to sort Harmison out. If they get him on target it will be a different game, I'm not sure if he has got his mind on the job at present. That first ball was a clacker and a half. Remember the old West Indies teams. Can you imagine Malcolm Marshall doing anything except giving a delivery that whistled right past the batsmans ears?

Actually I did get to see the first session on day one and when the Poms got it on target something happened, half chance sort of stuff and the batsman obviously having to struggle to deal with it.

Studley

[Buzzer]

Now that players get a %age of Cricket Australia's revenue, tactics by the Australian's will now have a question mark. There will, I believe be some descisions that will have a huge question mark behind them.

During the past twelve months. Ponting has said he has only been thinking about tournaments they have been currently playing in. He let the cat out of the bag the other day, saying they have always been thinking of this ashes series(I don't believe much what he says anymore).

I believe he has been media trained to say standard lines, which are predictable and boring.

I hope the Aussies play well and bring home the ashes.

[bitingmidge]

From Crickinfo:

Australia v England, 1st Test, Brisbane, 3rd day
Aussies toy with impotent England
Glenn McGrath announced his return to Test cricket with the superb figures of 6 for 50, and Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer added an unbeaten stand of 113, as England's cricketers were stripped of their dignity on an extraordinary day's cricket that verged on the sadistic

read the full summary here http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/aust...ry/269707.html

"To Ponting Cricket matches are like anti-biotics and must run their full course!"

The Poms really need to sort Harmison out. If they get him on target it will be a different game, I'm not sure if he has got his mind on the job at present. That first ball was a clacker and a half.

One of the interesting tele things yesterday was an overlay of the first six balls Harmison bowled. Lets' just say they were sprayed everywhere!

Then the follow up of McGrath's opening, was so precise it had to be rigged. Every ball landed in exactly the same spot! :eek:

At the ground on Friday the track looked so flat that the odds of England making a million was pretty good. On tele yesterday morning it looked so ugly that they could have been excused for going out for double figures.

Then it was their turn to bowl again, and it looked flat again! Can Freddy bowl from both ends?

P

[Gumby]

One of the interesting tele things yesterday was an overlay of the first six balls Harmison bowled. Lets' just say they were sprayed everywhere!

I'd love to have seen one on Jeff Thomson. Not even he knew where they were going to land.

[bitingmidge]

... but he was 20% faster than these guys! :eek: :eek: :eek:

P

[Flowboy]

If you look at "The Guardian" today, you'll probably the biggest understatement of the test.
" Bell says - England will have to bat extraordinarily well to stay in this test":eek: :confused:

[namtrak]

There is a major caveat with all of this. The last Ashes started off in a similar vein, with the Poms getting written off in every quarter. And I think this Pommy team will have the maturity to forget the previous game and the next game is much more likely to be even - and even more reliant on the coin toss.

[Gumby]

Langer 100 NO, Ponting 60 NO declared at 1/202

So the run chase begins. Only 648 to get, so put the heads down boys.

I think it will be an early finish. Maybe Tea.

[craigb]

I think it will be an early finish. Maybe Tea.

Well you wouldn't bet on them getting through to stumps would you?