I find it easier to go to bed early and get up at 4ish. At my age the hour between 11pm and midnight waiting for it to start is the killer.

I don't know which is the more sad.

Some of you people purporting to know a lot about cricket or those of you who actually admit to enjoy watching it.






FACT.

Test Cricket is probably the most boring sport on the planet.

In fact I take that back.


There is no 'probably' about it.


A game that can last for 5 days and its still not guaranteed a winner.


The ONLY form of cricket thats slightly interesting is Twenty 20.. at least they try and slog the guts out of it.


Here is a typical scorecard from the first 5 overs of a typical test between any test playing nation you like.



...... ...2.. ...1.. ...... 1.....



zzzzzzzzzzz

Oh dear. The poorest attempt at a wind up I've seen for a long time. How sad!

The fact you think it was supposed to be a wind up screams volumes really doesnt it.


It's true.

Test cricket is about as exciting as watching grass grow.

Try and disagree with anything I posted.


Nope.

Thought not.


You can't

Usually

It's easy to disagree with everything you've posted as it's only YOUR opinion

. Now FCUK OFF!!!

At least Ian Bell won me 60 quid for being our hightest 1st innings scorer

Disappointing display yes but 1 innings does not make a series and it is unfair to judge until both teams have batted on it. I am still confident we have the armoury to sneak the series

i agree for people like you who probably dont even play cricket. But test cricket is the Form were the Best players play.
Got to be
fit, very good concentration, high skill, good shot selection.
20/20 is not so much about skill jhust slogging i dont mind watching test cricket as you see probably a better standard of PROPER cricket

So seeing a spin bowler slowly walk up to the crease (6 times), slowly bowl a delivery down the wicket to a bloke who leans forward slightly before letting the ball gently tap the face of his bat where it slowly rolls back down the wicket for at least one metre (6 times) is your idea of a good time?

The sad thing is that style of play could quite literally go on for hours.... the batting side might average 2 or 3 runs an over.... MAX!


I seriously fail to see the attraction.

Test Cricket is less interesting than watching paint dry.


And yet a group of poms (including one with a trumpet and another skinny bloke with stove pipes, bad teeth and a top hat) pay big bucks to watch this and think it's fantastic entertainment?

Yet you have felt the need to post on the Ashes (a Test series) thread three times in the same day.

How does that work then? It says it's missing but the graphic has it hitting.

Got him!

thank god for that was starting too get a bit worried then. We need Ponting early Katich looks set now gotta chip away at Ponting,

Superb session from England. Let's hammer home the advantage after tea now and we could even end up with a lead.

Shame we could not take anymore wickets after tea but the first hours tomorrow will be crucial, with the new ball if we can take a couple of quick wickets then we are back in business, anything under 300 will be good.

Only saw the first hour last night, was Broad threatening at all? How did Finn go, heard he was shaky? Swann seemed to take some stick too. If the aussies keep attacking him they could nulify him.

Great second session last night. We need to get rid of Hussey ASAP tonight.

Haven't seen any of it except the wickets on BBC Breakfast News, but if you discount Swann's first over at the end of the first day (which went for 10) his economy rate is 2.5, so hardly "taking stick". Anderson & Broad both keeping it very tight too, in terms of runs conceded. They've already faced more overs than we did and are still forty adrift. Big morning session tomorrow with the new ball due immediately. We may still get a small first innings lead, although the Aussies will obviously be looking to push on past 300 with no real pressure to score quickly at this stage.

One report I heard said Hussey had taken Swann on, maybe Swann cam back and had a better spell? Broad's economy is good but I wonder if he has actually looked like getting people out. New ball has already been taken, think it's only an over old though.

Just read the BBc report, which states that Hussey "dominated Swann in what appeared a pre-determined policy". Hussey has scored his runs much faster than anyone else. I think Clarke took fifty balls to score nine runs and Haddin has scored slowly in the current partnership. Scorecard shows exactly 80 overs bowled, so unless that's incorrect the new ball won't have been taken yet. Snaring Hussey in the first hour tomorrow would appear to be the key. Even if Broad wasn't menacing today, a new day and a new ball could make all the difference; he's good enough.

We'd just taken the new ball when the rain came.

Couple of early wickets tomorrow and it's game well and truly on, If we can set them 250+ to chase in the 4th innings we are well in with a chance.

Showers expected to continue over the next 3 days, depends how heavy they are and when in the day they arrive as to how much time is going to be lost out of the game - if any.

The new ball was taken but maybe they took it and never actually bowled a ball with it as the rain came very soon after. I know Broad is good enough but from what I have seen he is bowling a tight line outside off stump without actually making them play. Tomorrow wickets are the crucial thing and I wonder if Finn will get the new ball with Anderson?

Like Andy Gilder says if we can set 200-250 in the 4th innings then we have a good chance and Swann might come into his own.

Sounds like he may be bowling a fraction too short and the batsmen can be sure that even one moving in at them will pass over stump height. However, South Africa's entire fast bowling strategy over the last two decades has been similar to this and most batsmen will eventually try to force the pace and start chasing the ball, leading to edges behind.

I'm happy to take the credit for most of Asim's contributions...

Actually don't listen to that Gilder, Asim is your man