Ashes.

[TIL 1010 4,797]

[quote user="cannigia1"]cricket lol[/quote]

I would be careful if I were you as it looks like you got your fingers burnt on another thread last night that you attempted to de-rail.

[lake district canary 4,545]

[quote user="lappinitup"]This would have been a good match for Lakey to have cut his teeth on. [:)][/quote]

Hmmm.........I''m keeping my powder dry.  Seriously can''t knock anyone else for liking cricket, but even though I don''t get it, can''t help liking the fact we beat the Aussies and the fact that there is a apparently a new positivity in the way England are approaching their cricket.   That is the way to get people interested.....

[lappinitup 629]

[quote user="lake district canary"]can''t help liking the fact we beat the Aussies and the fact that there is a apparently a new positivity in the way England are approaching their cricket.   That is the way to get people interested..... [/quote]Tune in on Thursday Lakey and log in on here at the same time. I''ll explain it all as we go........[;)] [:D]

[TIL 1010 4,797]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="lake district canary"]can''t help liking the fact we beat the Aussies and the fact that there is a apparently a new positivity in the way England are approaching their cricket.   That is the way to get people interested..... [/quote]

Tune in on Thursday Lakey and log in on here at the same time. I''ll explain it all as we go........

[;)] [:D]




[/quote]

Don''t do that until at least 12 Lakey as he never gets up until lunchtime so you will only miss an hours play. [:P]

[lake district canary 4,545]

[quote user="TIL 1010"]

[quote user="lappinitup"][quote user="lake district canary"]can''t help liking the fact we beat the Aussies and the fact that there is a apparently a new positivity in the way England are approaching their cricket.   That is the way to get people interested..... [/quote]Tune in on Thursday Lakey and log in on here at the same time. I''ll explain it all as we go........[;)] [:D][/quote]

Don''t do that until at least 12 Lakey as he never gets up until lunchtime so you will only miss an hours play. [:P]

[/quote]

[Y] Life of Riley....... 

[Herman 9,825]

I don''t think you need an expert to explain how bad today is going.

[OldRobert 38]

What have they done to the pitch?  I think someone has overdone the ironing...............[;)]

[Miss Bum Bum 0]

Does anyone remember the day when this was a message board for football and ncfc and now it''s a cricket board.

Great trolling by Herman

[Daz Sparks 1,184]

[quote user="Guy Burgess"]Does anyone remember the day when this was a message board for football and ncfc and now it''s a cricket board.

Great trolling by Herman[/quote]

[BroadstairsR 2,206]

"Does anyone remember the day when this was a message board for football and ncfc and now it''s a cricket board."

You can always avoid it GB.

Ashes is not the name of the latest striker we are interested in.

Besides, one thread doth not a board make.

High scoring draw on the cards folks, unless the weather does something drastic.

[Katie Borkins 1]

Scoreboard pressure and our fragile top 4 will make this interesting. Pitch looks tame now but wouldn''t want to bat last on it against Lyon and Hazelwood. I can see a good 1st innings lead for Australia here.

[Katie Borkins 1]

Bor''s prediction is for an Australian win by 180 runs.

[Herman 9,825]

What''s the weather forecast for the rest of the weekend? ☺

[Fuzzar 1,703]

Hopefully it will encourage the powers that be to produce pitches with a little more life in them for the rest of the series.

[Legend Iwan 30]

Or the complete opposite, Fuzzar, as England attempt to see out the rest of the series with a one-nil lead.

[BroadstairsR 2,206]

The Aussies are destined to get a mammoth score.

Their current position, their batting line-up and the pitch conditions suggest this.

After the first hour Cooke should revert to a very defensive field in order to keep the run rate in hand. Make no mistake, this is a massive start for them, and only a morning blast from the bowlers can revert the situation now.

Otherwise, it looks highly likely that, at some stage today, the match will be un-winnable for us, and that could be quite soon.

Playing for a draw means that time becomes the major factor and our recently discovered cavalier approach could be our downfall if we fail to reign in somewhat.

My bet for the Ashes outcome is in good hands methinks.

(Also had a tenner each way on Danny Willets in the Open, so that click onto Ladbrokes could be highly profitable.)

[ROBFLECK 132]

I''m hoping 4 some rain... ''cause I fear we could be succumbing and losing by an innings

[STFU 0]

Well Flecky, let''s hope that your prediction for this test is as wrong as your prediction for the first one.

[Katie Borkins 1]

Don''t judge the pitch until both teams have had a bat. We have not bowled brilliantly.

[ROBFLECK 132]

I like cricket...but this is BORING... :-(

no life in a Lord''s test pitch...very dissapointing

[ROBFLECK 132]

STFU...I get your point my friend...I was glad I was wrong last time!!!!

But I think we agree on the pitches, don''t we?

[Herman 9,825]

Lyth is going to have a long and glorious England career.

[lappinitup 629]

30-3, we need a monsoon. [:''(]

[Fuzzar 1,703]

Maybe if we all cry hard enough that''ll do the trick.

[SwindonCanary 455]

Lost this one, funny how the pitch was lifeless for a day and a half yet when we go into bat

[Legend Iwan 30]

The pitch isn''t causing the ball to move, swing bowling is. Add to that some inept batting and you get an England collapse.

[? 0]

What a difference a week makes!!!! England really need to look at the top order, we can''t continue being 30-40/3 and expect to win a series! Our first innings top order for the last 18 months have been poor, time for change there I think. Bell has to be dropped now in my humble opinion and Lyth, terrible shot today, doesn''t hack it for me!

Rain please!!!!!

[Katie Borkins 1]

Looks like Sunday will be rained off, so we need to bat for two days to save the game.

If Stokes and Cook can get in tomorrow and bat out the first session, we have a chance.  My worry is that we''ll lose one, and then the lower-order will "counter-attack" which results in giving wickets away and we''re all out for c. 200.

Given the weather forecast, it is likely Australia will enforce the follow on.  If we were set for five dry days then I would expect Australia to bat again and make us bat last as the pitch will get harder to bat on, but - as rain is on their minds - we will be asked to bat again and they will try to blast us out again.

Come Monday lunchtime we''ll be looking at 1-1 in the series, which is still ahead of where I thought we might be, but psychologically we can''t let the Aussie bowlers get on top of us as we still need to play at the Oval which is quick, bouncy and entirely to Australia''s advantage.

[SwindonCanary 455]

Limited over matches are great fun but it''s ruining our batsmen, The idea was to stay in, but how many were out getting a touch to a ball no where near the wicket.

[Jim Smith 2,339]

[quote user="SwindonCanary"]Limited over matches are great fun but it''s ruining our batsmen, The idea was to stay in, but how many were out getting a touch to a ball no where near the wicket.[/quote]

This is the double edged sword to "playing positively."

Great when it works but there is certainly a time and a place and the start of yesterday''s innings was not it. We seem to grit obsessed with a certain mindset rather than being able yo adapt to the conditions and the game. Root has been immense but will not be able to get us out of trouble every game so I concur with the views that the top order needs looking at. Cannot win a 5 test series when you cannot rely on at least 3 of the top 5. Not convinced by Lythe, Ballance seems to have flawed technique that''s been found out and Bell has had a crisis of confidence. Thank goodness Cook is back in form and we have a good middle order. Time for Butler to come to the test party today.