1st 3 Ashes Test - Gabba

[Jimmy]

win by 500 and run em into the ground!!!

no ******* mercy on this lot...

'fk em, daryl'

[sydney-dog]

the POM's have shown no planning or strategy and messed it up even before the first ball was bowled

Reid should of played before Jones.
Panesar should of played before giles
Mahmood should of played before Anderson

[Adelaide Hawk]

More bad news for all those who wanted Langer out of the team. So far 170 runs for the match, and building.

[Adelaide Hawk]

the POM's have shown no planning or strategy and messed it up even before the first ball was bowled

Reid should of played before Jones.
Panesar should of played before giles
Mahmood should of played before Anderson

Jones/Giles/Anderson ... I would doubt it very much that any of those three could succeed at Pura Cup level. Certainly not Anderson. From what I've seen, he would beed green tops and poor light before he took wickets. Discounting injury to others, I think his Ashes series is over. Certainly Panesar will replace him in Adelaide.

[Blue Boy]

Great fun to watch - keep smashin em !!!

[RustyCage]

I can't believe this. Australia are going to bat again. How many runs does Ponting thinks he needs? England won't get to Australia's total in 3 Innings, let alone 2.

Even though their innings only lasted 62 overs, it would have been stupid for us to bowl again straight away. Batting again gives our bowlers a rest, and gives the poms time to think about their situation in the game. Making as many runs as we did in such a short space of time showed how much of a mindfield the pitch really was when the Poms were batting.

[Jimmy]

declare no later than lunch, maybe even just an hour into play....hell, why not now?? either one of the 3 will be fine.

[Rik E Boy]

What would England least like to do now? I reckon it would be to field for another ninety minutes. So we should do just that, bat until about 40 minutes prior to lunch and have a short spell at them prior to the lunch break, say six or seven overs. That would give us approximately 157 overs to bowl out the Poms.

How good (from an Australian point of view) was the body language of the English when Ausrtralia were effortlessly racking up that 1/181 last night. Beautiful work Punter.

regards,

REB

[Adelaide Hawk]

I can't believe this. Australia are going to bat again. How many runs does Ponting thinks he needs? England won't get to Australia's total in 3 Innings, let alone 2.

Even though their innings only lasted 62 overs, it would have been stupid for us to bowl again straight away. Batting again gives our bowlers a rest, and gives the poms time to think about their situation in the game. Making as many runs as we did in such a short space of time showed how much of a mindfield the pitch really was when the Poms were batting.

Let me say this about the non-follow on. Everyone's talking about "resting" the fast bowlers. A valid point. However, even if the Aussies went out and bowled poorly, they still would have bowled England out for less than 445, and the game would have been over on the 4th day, giving our bowlers an extra day of rest before the 2nd Test. Clark will probably make way for MacGill in Adelaide, so he could have done most of the bowling, Warne from the other end, and shorter spells from McGrath and Lee.

As it is now, McGrath, Lee, Clark & Ponting will be toiling away on Day 5. giving them 1 less day to prepare for the 2nd Test. Normally, I'm not a big fan of the follow-on, but to not enforce it with 445 runs in the bank seems a little ridiculous to me.

[Thiele]

Century to Langer and we declare with a lead of 647 runs .England need 648 runs to win they will not get them they will be out for 200

[Jimmy]

gone by tonight and if not, by lunch tomorrow...

poor effort england, no fight just like 93 again

[Adelaide Hawk]

The people claiming Langer shouldn't have been selected have gone non-surprisingly quiet.

I just want to add another factor to the argument people were making for Jaques to be included. Yes, he made some runs against the POMS, but here are his scores from his past 5 Pura Cup innings: 3, 0, 44, 0, 7. Wouldn't even get a game for England with scores like that. Jaques is a little hit and miss, and this is the reason the selectors KNEW that Langer was the better option.

[mighty_tiger_79]

wheres the kleenex

[Thiele]

Strauss out caught sub bowled Clarke ENG 1/29

[Adelaide Hawk]

3/103 Warnie 2 poles.

[whufc]

With the weather not looking good at all in Brisbane tomorrow put your money on the draw. If it is a wash-out tommorrow how much scrutiny is Ponting going to come under.

[Adelaide Hawk]

I have been one of the few people who thought Ponting should have enforced the follow on. My reasons were that we had England beaten psychologically for the series. Heading to Adelaide with an Innings defeat under their belts, England may have found it hard to re-group. When they were bowled over for 157, they were a beaten group and would have crumbled a second time if asked to follow on because they thought the pitch was a mine field.

By batting on to make 1/202, it showed England the pitch held very few dangers. They watched Langer, Hayden and Ponting playing with comfort and have approached their 2nd Innings with far more confidence. I also had the Brisbane weather in the back of my mind. A thunderstorm can hit at any time and it is always best to get the game won ASAP.

I wonder what people who were on about "resting bowlers" will be thinking this time tomorrow if we are still out there in the heat trying to get the last couple of wickets. The game should be already over and the players would be resting as we speak. Weather permitting, we should still win this Test, but England are now well and truly back in the series.

To get some ascendency back, we need at least 3 wickets tonight to enable us to get the game over ASAP tomorrow. I have never had confidence in Ponting's captaincy. This latest effort isn't helping my opinion.

[whufc]

totally agree with Hawk,
I can see why Ponting did'nt enforce the follow on but at this stage of the series I think get the 1-0 lead no stuffing about.

If it rains all tomorrow and they can get a draw England will take confidence from the fact they were let of the hook BIG TIME.
Plus had we won with an innings defeat England would have only have taken nine wickets in the test match which would be a huge mental obsticle.

England is only going to improve as the series goes on with more game time for Flintoff, the likely inclusion of Vaughan and better decisions at the selection table, al la Panesar and Read. In my opionion if we draw this match the series is tightly poised.

[Thiele]

Freedy Flintoff has gone England 5/271 caught lLanfger bowled Warne. Warne has 4

[sydney-dog]

cam anyone explain to me, late on day 4, the POM's are 5 / 271 chasing 648 with a day to bat and Brett Lee is bowling to Pieterson without any slips