Oh crikey, no... The Ashes - my nerves can't take any more...

Could be worse.. u could be in the US and not have access to good Cricket coverage.

Is there such a thing as 'good Cricket coverage'? 

i hear crickets every night here. somebody once told me they are great fishing bait. since i'm not a fisherman, i can't really attest to that, though.

To be honest English side isnt stronger than aussies ..... They need atleast Pieterson, Strauss and Cook in good form ...

John, love ur avatar

crickets ?i didn't know we had crickets here at wc 

it is a reasonable facsimile. well, it is except for the round face, triangular eyes, red hair, red nose, and funny mouth.

5 days to play a game!!! Could be worse - u could be watching two sloths playing ping pong. (Hope John Bull's side wins!)

Grab a cold one there Fuzzy and hang in there...

    You will make it; I almost bet ya!

I didn't get to see much of it....it's typically on when I'm either asleep, online here dealing with complaints or watching Formula One.

It looks like the English should Knight their tail enders....at least they can save a game their openers were losing for them.

What happens in the rest of the series depends on who really is demoralised by the first test result....and the way it was played out.

Meanwhile....the FIA had to dig up and dust off the Aussie flag for Mark Webber....the first Aussie to win a GrandPrix in 28 years.  Both were/are in my career as an Official...but sadly neither was at our own GP.

Maybe next time...;)

Me either, but I read on yahoo 7 this morning that sooky Ponting spat out his dummy so's he could have a good ol' whine about the Poms wasting time.

What a baby!!!  In the same position (fighting for a draw), Ponting has resorted to whatever tactics he could so as not to face an outright defeat.  Never liked Ponting... he's immature and needs to grow up and stop bursting into tears when things don't go his way. 

Cricket is a man's game, it's not for whiny assed cry babies who blame the opposition for their team's inability to take outright points.

Ponting is the reason the Aussies didn't win. It's some of the worst captaincy you'll see. Why put on a part time bowler (North) when you desperately need a wicket to win? Surely Monty would not last two overs against someone like Hilfenhaus or Siddle?

But England are going to have to wake up. This record of losing the first test of a series, going back four years, has only recently been halted. But by the look of this performance, not eradicated.

Yep. What happened is Anderson changed his gloves, then in the next over spilled a drink on his new gloves so needed another new pair. Because the dressing room didn't know what he wanted (they would assume it wasn't gloves), they sent out the twelfth man and physio. Nothing sinister there, just a little confusion.

It wouldn't have mattered whether there was anything sinister or not, Ponting is a cry baby who would have whined anyway... that's what he does.  I recall a game in India where the Indians were fast chasing down the Oz total, and every time their batsmen hit a four/more than one, Ponting looked as if he was going to burst into tears.

In that test, Ponting tried to force a draw by holding up his bowlers with long tactical discussions, between and during overs, thus slowing down the over rate in a game where the result may very well have been affected by bad light.  So yeah, I find his whining in this instance not only hypocritical, but also a case of sour grapes.

BTW: India went on to win that game comfortably and Australia was fined part of its match fee for a slow over rate... so yeah, it's a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

That what happened?...

That's not confusion...that's plain bloody clumsy....

...and ever so convenient....;p

Like ponting never used distractions to his convenience???

Besides, this wouldn't be the first time That Ponting failed to take the game by the scruff of the throat and ram home an emphatic victory. Bowling part-timers at the death, when wickets are crucial to winning or losing, has been Ponting's weakness as a captain on more than one occasion... and if the Poms took advantage of that then more power to them. Ponting has nobody to blame but himself... a change of gloves did NOT lose him the game... he DIDN'T Win it!!!

starkers...Ponting can be forgiven for 'losing it' as you claim....he's leading and representing Australia in one of the oldest contests around...while his grandfather died here in Oz.

If and when we end up with 4 wins and a draw/no-result I'm sure you'll just say "yes, but he's still a prick".

He actually has a pretty bloody good record of wins vs losses, seeing Australia to the top of the rankings in any form of the game.

Then again, I'm sure you can do a better job of it....if you could only just get out of that armchair......;)

So you got the impression I don't like Ponting?

Ah yes... if only I could... and were still young/fit enough.  Yup, I was a pretty mean fast bowler back in my day... best figures of 5 for 7 (County Cricket) and possibly could have played for England if I'd hung around there long enough. 

I did play some district cricket in Brissy in the early 70's, but a bike prang put an end to my aspirations to state level... possibly further

Who knows, had I not become mobility challenged/unable to bowl express???

As for not liking Ponting... well let's just say it's more a personal thing than... um, 'qualifications'.  However, it is sad that he lost his grandfather while overseas... condolences to he and his family.

Next time up for the Diazapam Channel....pumps out a tranquilizer. Right next to Xanaxovision on the dial.

Hang in there...things might get 'sticky' at the wicket.  

For me Ponting is still a great captain ..... the difference is there are not more McGrath, Gilchrist and Hayden

...and Warnie.....though that means at least their Sheilas are safe....;)

Aw c'mon Doc, cricket isn't that bad, though I suppose people who don't understand the game and all its intricasies wouldn't share the same passion as those who grew up with and love the game.  What can seem slow and boring to the non-fan is gripping and edge of the seat stuff to the dedicated follower.... the on-field tactics and mind games ensure that it is always interesting.

Yup, Warnie has bowled over a few maidens in his time!  Didn't like that side of him (cheating on his wife like that) but he was/is a great bowler who could.. can still take a game by the scruff of the neck.  He will go down in cricketing history as the greatest ever leg spinner. 

As for Glenn McGrath, not only was he a fierce but fair competitior on-field, he is a decent bloke and gentleman off-field... a man who commands one's respect for his life's passion and charitable works, particularly after he sadly lost his wife to breast cancer at far too young an age.  Goodonya Glenn.

McGrath had the skill to stick every ball in exactly the same place...and lull batsmen into a false sense of security...

Warne had the skill to stick every ball anywhere BUT the same place...totally confusing batsmen...

Lee just hurts people...if you can't hit his ball...his ball will hit you...and it will hurt....;)

Brett Lee might be quicker than Glenn McGrath ever was, but he is nowhere near Glenn's level, skill-wise or tactically.  Still a good bowler, though the poor bugger keeps getting hit with injury and we may not get to see whether or not he can eclipse/surpass Glenn's test/ODI scalps.

I like the look of Peter Siddle as a bowler... he's more tactical than express, but his test career started later than most and his opportunities to emulate/rival the best may be somewhat limited.  Still, I wish him the best... he's a handy player to have in a crisis situation, and hopefully the opportunities will come his way.

There was a young chap called Ricky
Whose batting was terribly dicky
He spat out his dummy
And ran to his mummy
Claiming the wicket was sticky

Fuzzy....it's all a new ploy....false sense of security and all that.

We let you win a bit....

then....;)