Submitted by rickeyre on
No I'm not still in shock after Australia's remarkable victory in the Second Test last Tuesday, I simply haven't had the time to write about it over the past week.
But to keep the Midwinter-Midwinter tally up to date, the points for Adelaide Day Five were - Shane Warne 3 pts; Ricky Ponting 2 pts; Mike Hussey 1 pt.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Australia - you know, the team that conceded 591 551 runs in the first innings - has won the Second Test.
More when I recover from the shock.
Submitted by rickeyre on
What's the chances of a sporting declaration by Freddie Flintoff some time on Tuesday afternoon? You probably know the answer as well as I. Shall we start woofing Paul Collingwood now?
Midwinter-Midwinter points for Day Four: Matthew Hoggard 3 pts; Michael Clarke 2 pts; Adam Gilchrist 1 pt.
I'll roundup all the audio roundups at the conclusion of the Test when I have time to listen to them.
Submitted by rickeyre on
My lack of updates over the weekend is not a sign of dismay over England's superb performance at the Adelaide Oval - my feelings about England are indeed quite the opposite. I've just been either too busy or too tired.
Australia suddenly looks brittle. Did I mention 2005 revisited?
Midwinter-Midwinter points for Saturday: Paul Collingwood 3 pts; Kevin Pietersen 2 pts; Stuart Clark 1 pt.
Midwinter-Midwinters for Sunday: Matthew Hoggard 3 pts; Ricky Ponting 2 pts; Michael Hussey 1 pt.
Submitted by rickeyre on
I think this Test is going to be a draw already.
Midwinter-Midwinter points for Day One: Paul Collingwood 3 pts, Ian Bell 2 pts, Kevin Pietersen 1 pt.
Please note: the official pronounciation of XSPF is "spif", even though it stands for "XML Shareable Playlist Format". About eighty minutes of poddage from the ABC, BBC, Guardian, CricInfo, Telegraph and Daily Mail.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Looking at the teams that Australia and England have fielded for the First and Second Tests, it is obvious where the real experience lies.
Australia has seven players with one or more books published. England has just two.
The teams, with links to their books as listed on Abebooks.com:
Australia:
Justin Langer
Matthew Hayden
Submitted by rickeyre on
Submitted by rickeyre on
Sad news this morning of the death of Graham Roope on Sunday while on holiday in Grenada. He didn't tour Australia but I remember him well from the 1977 series when England regained the Ashes from a WSC-shaken Australian side.
An outstanding slip fielder and a stalwart for Surrey for nearly twenty seasons, Roope played 21 Tests for England, scoring 860 runs at 30.71. In all first-class cricket between 1964 and 1986, he scored 19116 runs at 36.90.
Here's the announcement of Roope's passing on the http://www.surreycricket.com/news/surrey-cricket/surrey-and-england-bats...
Submitted by rickeyre on
First Test, Lords 2005: Australia defeated England by 239 runs. England won series 2-1.
First Test, Brisbane 2006-07: Australia defeated England by 277 runs. Is history about to repeat itself?
I doubt it. The yawning experience gap makes the difference this time, added to the intense hunger that the Australian team feels to regain the Ashes.
Submitted by rickeyre on
Has Australia blown its best chance of regaining the Ashes?
I'm serious.
Honestly, what was the point of batting on just long enough on Sunday morning to allow Justin Langer to get his hundred? Apart from allowing Ricky to strain his back while taking a run and thus keeping him off the field for the rest of the day... and possibly for the Second Test.
