5th Ashes test Eng v Aust at The Oval, London

[jackpot jim]

wouldnt it be great to pull this off though?, history says no way, but i was at adelaide oval back in '92 when SA got 500+ to knock off QLD, anybody else there that february day? we could have got 600 that day so lets hope the aussies can do the same

Yes, I was there that day, But that was when Sth Australia actually had a good batting lineup and it was an Adelaide Oval Road, NOT a Dust Bowl like this one.

[spell_check]

There's the start of the wickets! Alright Punter, here's your turn.

[mal]

1/86 KATDUTCHY out not playing a shot

[jackpot jim]

I've played about 500 innings in my career and NEVER have i been out without playing a shot.

Just can't believe how many batsmen at 1st class level these days get out without playing a shot.

[saintal]

Another LBW...Watto gone.

[Pottsy]

It should never have come down to this test. We should have won the first test and been 2-1 up.

Agree, but it was the rain on the 4th day of the 1st test that cost us the win.

Nope. We cost ourselves. Plenty of time but a lack of application. Damn shame.

[mal]

To be fair mal i've always said Watto could bat and if he just focussed on that and gave away the bowling he'd be far better off. Look what happens when he hardly ever bowls. I still don't think he should be opening (and in the long term i am sure he'll find his way to the middle order) but he is doing very well.

His spot is opening or top order
Quality spin and the ball keeping lower would be his prob batting 6 or 7
He is best suited at 3 or 4 but that aint ever gunna be

After years of mass debating over Watto I have too say this is the most dissappointed ive been with the Iconic legendary safooty allrounder
Its been very frustrating seeing him get starts and not converting
Openers who only get to 50 are not the answer
The average takes a hammering after a couple of failures[4 x 50s + 2 x 0s = ave of 33]

Going back to that off cutting weakness of WATTO
here is his innings v India + England in recent times

2 B SHARMA
41 B SHARMA
78 LBW MISHRA
2 LBW SHARMA
36 B SHEWAG
2 B SINGH
9 C DHONI B SINGH

7 innings in India 6 either LBW or Bowled

62 LBW ONIONS
53 C PRIOR B ANDERSON
51 LBW ONIONS
34 LBW BROAD
31 *

4 completed innings in England and 3 LBWs

So in the 2 series he has been dismissed 9 times to LBW/BOWLED and twice Caught Behind
The prob with that is the bowlers are getting Watto out
If he was getting caught at long on, fine leg and stumped that would his own doing

IF
WATTO can address that weakness on about off peg he may blossom
He needs to drive more often in Test games and not allow bowlers to dictate to him

10 MATCHES
16 DIGS
423 RUNS
26-43 AVE

14 wickets @ 37
4/42 best

Cant survive being a Dave Clark 5 bits and pieces alllrounder at test level

MUST make hundreds batting
MUST take a fivefa bowling

Of the 2 his batting is the only chance

Surprise surprise surprise
WATTO out
LBW again

Regards NostraMALdamus

2/90

[wycbloods]

Watto didn't look happy with that decision but it looks like he didn't hit it before it hit him on the pad.

2/90.

[Pup]

Watto didn't look happy with that decision but it looks like he didn't hit it before it hit him on the pad.

2/90.

Very good decision.. I thought he had hit it as well but after looking at the replay he clearly did not.

[spell_check]

152 down, 394 to go!

[Dogwatcher]

dare to dream

[dedja]

why not? plenty of time left.

[dedja]

171-2 at lunch ... pffft, only 375 to go.

[mal]

2/171 lunch
Hussey 31*
Ponting 44*
good effort so far
but too many runs to go
at some stage we will lose 3/50 odd and its all over

Man of the match so far Steve Harmison ....


EG $1-25
AU $6
DRAW $23

Bookies still betting unders the ozzies

[prowling panther]

Now you may think I'm stupid, but it serves Ponting right, I want Australia to win the Ashes, nothing more, many times Ponting has batted on and on and on, trying to grind the Poms or whoever into the dust, now its his turn to feel the pain and it clearly shows he cannot handle it, I have always thought he is a poor captain, there was no one better at the time.

[smac]

Australia to win, Clark to finish on 5 not out after hitting the winning runs.

I downloaded it off the net and watched it already.

[wycbloods]

171-2 at lunch ... pffft, only 375 to go.

Exactly only 45 from every one still with their wicket to lose. pretty simple really.

[spell_check]

50 to Punter! Well done, keep on going.

[Pottsy]

AUS at $6 is just ridiculous.

Just checked - into $4.50. Thought I'd check a pommy site, Ladbrokes is offering $5.

Here I was thinking I was a decent judge of a game of cricket - the Aussies have to post the biggest chase ever, on a dodgy pitch...what the hell is going on?

All I can come up with is that Aussies are bloody optimistic, and it'd be hard to find a more pessimistic mob than the poms.

This partnership looks good, but the problem is that on this pitch, as soon as one wicket goes down, the likelihood is that a few will go down.

Geez I hope I'm wrong and that these boys somehow make me eat my words and pull off the SINGLE BIGGEST MIRACLE EVER SEEN IN TEST MATCH CRICKET!

[wycbloods]

50 to Punter! Well done, keep on going.

Yep well done so far. Realistically these these two need to be here until the total required is under 200 and that is just hard to imagine, even in my wildest dreams.