England A vs Australia @ Worcester

[spell_check]

Australia 2/24

Hughes 7
Katich 11*
Ponting 1
Hussey 0*

Harmison 1/5
Onions also one wicket

[Gozu]

Ponting looked pretty ordinary. What did Nasser Hussein say that he's only got one hundred in his last 21 Test innings?

[spell_check]

I didn't hear anything until that post - I just turned it on then. Hussey and Katich are placing the balls well at the moment.

[rod_rooster]

Katich and Hussey going alright. Ponting played a dreadful shot. Hughes got a reasonable ball but played it poorly. He will be alright though.

[GWW]

The amount of times Ponting gets out early has been a concern the last year or 2. Don't remember it happening like this early in his Test career.

[blink]

Good to see Hussey in some early form - Australia require him to have an excellent series if they are going to retain the Ashes.

I am tipping Simon Katich to top the run scoring for Australia for this series - he'd really want to make amends for his poor showings in the 2005 series (in his defense though, he did cop a couple of rough LBW and caught behind dismals IIRC, ala Damien Martyn) in which after he found himself a scape-goat for the series loss.

The technical deficiencies he had with the swinging ball seem to be stamped out of his game over the last couple of years -I hope he turns it on next week!

[brod]

AUS 3/165
MEK Hussey 56*

Katich - b Harmison 95

[brod]

Bit surprised looking at Clarke's first class record...his average is only 44

[dedja]

Katich - b Harmison 95

Must have been unlucky, Harmison doesn't get it on the pitch that often.

[brod]

AUS 4/185

MEK Hussey 72*

MJ Clarke c Rashid b Bresnan 4

[rod_rooster]

Bit surprised looking at Clarke's first class record...his average is only 44

Had a very early start and got thrown in the deep end. His Test average is more reflective of his ability but even then he was thrown in pretty young. Regardless of what people think about him as a person as a cricketer he is a superstar. Yes he failed tonight but he is one of the best batsmen in the world regardless.

[rod_rooster]

North goes cheaply to a very inocuous ball. Struggling for form big time. If Watto was fit he'd be almost certain to be in the side for the first Test. If only they'd taken Ferg over there and they'd be able to pick a bloke on form and fitness rather than just fitness like North will be.

[brod]

AUS 5/190

MEK Hussey 72*

MJ North b Onions 1

[Pup]

Ponting looked pretty ordinary. What did Nasser Hussein say that he's only got one hundred in his last 21 Test innings?

True

What Nasser did forget to mention that in those last 21 Innings he scored 3 scores in the 80's, 1 79 and a 99 as well as a 123 22 innings ago, so he has not been in terrible form that is for sure...

[Gozu]

Bit surprised looking at Clarke's first class record...his average is only 44

I'm not. I said at the time I was very surprised he was shoe horned into the Test side so early in his FC career, he never deserved a spot. In saying that I think he got a century on debut over in India but got dropped not that long after. His Test numbers stack up but I've never really thought of him as an elite Test batsman, IMO he's always been a pretty good one-day batsman though.

[Gozu]

Ponting looked pretty ordinary. What did Nasser Hussein say that he's only got one hundred in his last 21 Test innings?

True

What Nasser did forget to mention that in those last 21 Innings he scored 3 scores in the 80's, 1 79 and a 99 as well as a 123 22 innings ago, so he has not been in terrible form that is for sure...

Yeah I was a bit surprised by that statement from him and did remember a few 50+ scores in that time. I remember him getting a hundred in the West Indies and in the first or second Test in India. So he must've gone the rest of that series in India, the series here against NZ followed by the series against South Africa here and the series there without getting one. But I really do feel we're starting to see the decline of him though.

[Pup]

Bit surprised looking at Clarke's first class record...his average is only 44

I'm not. I said at the time I was very surprised he was shoe horned into the Test side so early in his FC career, he never deserved a spot. In saying that I think he got a century on debut over in India but got dropped not that long after. His Test numbers stack up but I've never really thought of him as an elite Test batsman, IMO he's always been a pretty good one-day batsman though.

Had a terrific start to his Test Match career. He played 20 matches before he was dropped. Scored a century on debut then a 90+ 2 tests later then scored a century in his first test in Australia. He will be another one who will be keen to atone for a pretty poor 2005 Ashes series.

[brod]

AUS 6/199

MEK Hussey 76*

BJ Haddin lbw b Bresnen 7

[jackpot jim]

cant believe they're telecasting a tour game.
Pontings shot to get out was a SHOCKER.

I hold grave fears for the Aussies batting this series and you'd have to be a Brave man to back the Auusies at odds on to win the Ashes.

[brod]

AUS 6/287

MEK Hussey 116*
MG Johnson 45*