Rhino we are playing the old dart on home soil to win back the ashes, and tickets are not selling. The Australian public is not happy ok. I will say it if you won't. What other circumstances might be in the way..Christmas???

The first two days have been sellouts ! 36,000+

Now for the weekend. I think it's fair to say the Australian public are pretty happy with the state of play.

Gulp !

I couldn't believe what I read in the paper on Tuesday in regards to Clarke talking about how he would play regardless.

Never got to post it here, but I found it to be very self indulgent and not team-focussed at all.

Yeah, I saw that too. Sorry I was editing whilst you were posting there is more content above ^.

Clearly he is untroubled by the side strain, hence free to play for NSW in the Shield. The selectors were concerned he hadn't had enough cricket (23 overs total) prior to the first Test - that is why they were concerned he wasn't ready for the Test. Siddle on the other hand had played 3 games. Now you can tell the ABC TV dept why.

Damn you with the facts HT!

The first two days have been sellouts ! 36,000+

Now for the weekend. I think it's fair to say the Australian public are pretty happy with the state of play.

Gulp !

I told you I blame the selectors especially that know nothing Greg Chappell. Tactically inept he is. B)

I heard the ABC Commentators talking about Clarke yesterday not moving or walking properly on at least two occasions. He should not have been picked.

Any sort of Back injury is not going to get any better over 5 days. As you said credit for Siddle but minus credit for Clarke. This Test is going to be a struggle now, the middle order Batsmen continually fail to back up the bowlers.

What rubbish. The issue is that he should not have been declared fit by the doctors/physio. If he was fit of course Clarke would be selected. He looked stiff batting today.

I am glad you are educated enough to make statements about back injuries. Is there nothing you dont know?

I couldn't believe what I read in the paper on Tuesday in regards to Clarke talking about how he would play regardless.

Never got to post it here, but I found it to be very self indulgent and not team-focussed at all.

I would love to know what sought of tests were done on Clarke.

North almost stamped his exit ticket. Swann must have bowled that delivery in his mind a 100 times in his sleep.

Hussey played a good knock today. Attacked Swann early. Batted smart today. I hope he goes on. There may be some looking redfaced.

Haddin struck the ball cleanly. Geez he does give it the full face of the bat.

Tomorrow, England with the 2nd new ball should be a cracker contest.

What rubbish. The issue is that he should not have been declared fit by the doctors/physio. If he was fit of course Clarke would be selected. He looked stiff batting today.

I am glad you are educated enough to make statements about back injuries. Is there nothing you dont know?

Sorry Rhino have no idea what you are talking about. Feel Free to take it up with Jim Maxwell Though... B)

Sorry Rhino have no idea what you are talking about.

Like most of your responses.

Like most of your responses.

Did you speak with Jim Maxwell?

Did you speak with Jim Maxwell?

Was he the same source where you got the side strain information on Bollinger?

Was he the same source where you got the side strain information on Bollinger?

No.

North out, time to bring White in or Uswan, Hussey back to 2006 form and looking good

North out, time to bring White in or Uswan, Hussey back to 2006 form and looking good

Shaun Marsh 132 vs NSW

Brett Lee 5/47

hughes only 47, Warner 1

Hussey has wound back the clock with a superb innings and Haddin looks set to really unleash approaching his century. Aussies well and truly in control now.

Hussey has wound back the clock with a superb innings and Haddin looks set to really unleash approaching his century. Aussies well and truly in control now.

Hussey is the luckiest man on the planet today!! he should have been out on a first ball. Test Career finished. So lucky and again on 85 "absolutely Plom" he was, but he goes on to make 150+

Good luck to him. Hope he makes a Double Ton now....

Hussey is the luckiest man on the planet today!! he should have been out on a first ball. Test Career finished. So lucky and again on 85 "absolutely Plom" he was, but he goes on to make 150+

Good luck to him. Hope he makes a Double Ton now....

You are so pathetically predictable with your responses.

Mr "list clogger" is 176 no. In Ashes history, its one of the great innings and partnerships (with Haddin who has been superb).

You must be hating this given the silliness you have written here over the past 12 months.

Any thought for the selectors who persevered with Hussey?? I bet its Greg Chappell's fault.

You are so pathetically predictable with your responses.

Mr "list clogger" is 176 no. In Ashes history, its one of the great innings and partnerships (with Haddin who has been superb).

You must be hating this given the silliness you have written here over the past 12 months.

Any thought for the selectors who persevered with Hussey?? I bet its Greg Chappell's fault.

Have a look at the first ball Hussey Faced...He is so lucky..Good luck to him.

You are so bitter & twisted Rhino....

Hussey is lucky, if Brad Hodge had been given the same passage he to would have made runs. But he wasn't. Hussey was.

You are so bitter & twisted Rhino....

I'm bitter. I not the one who stick knives into public figures for the past 12 months without putting up any plausible alternative.

This player who is 5th on the all time batting average for Australia has in the context of an important Ashes series comes into bat at a dicey 5/143 in difficult with his future in doubt and wingnuts like you slagging him off and has played a wonderful innings (maybe set the series up) and in his epic 300 ball plus innings all you can do is repeatedly focus on the first ball and rue the fact that he was lucky.

Keep sticking the pins into the Mr Cricket doll.

Once more the reality of the situation shows you up again....and again and again.

As I write its now 5/446 and Hussey 186no. Partnership now 303 and growing.... Surely that worth another pin in the doll.

Haddin gone.

Fantastic innings by the 'keeper. May have set up the series. Great knock - 136 and a partnership of 307.

Meanwhile, South Australia are back to their usual ways.

Bowled out for 55 with Faulkner taking 5-5

I'm bitter. I not the one who stick knives into public figures for the past 12 months without putting up any plausible alternative.

This player who is 5th on the all time batting average for Australia has in the context of an important Ashes series comes into bat at a dicey 5/143 in difficult with his future in doubt and wingnuts like you slagging him off and has played a wonderful innings (maybe set the series up) and in his epic 300 ball plus innings all you can do is repeatedly focus on the first ball and rue the fact that he was lucky.

Keep sticking the pins into the Mr Cricket doll.

Once more the reality of the situation shows you up again....and again and again.

As I write its now 5/446 and Hussey 186no. Partnership now 303 and growing.... Surely that worth another pin in the doll.

If you read actually what i said. It reads, Good luck to Hussey. But i say it again, he was extremely lucky to survive yesterdays first Ball, and he was out on 85 but got the umps BOD.

so good on him for making the most of his opportunities. But i do not back down from what i have said all year. His form has been cod ordinary whilst others have made runs.

Today was Mick's turn to make a few. Cool it was against the Poms. I hope he makes a double ton.

EDIT: out for 195 Bad luck missed a golden opportunity to make a double, but the innings may have Busted England's Heart. Let us hope so,

Edited November 27, 201014 yr by why you little

If you read actually what i said. It reads, Good luck to Hussey.

I waded through the bile and it must really hurt to say "Good luck to Hussey". How even handed and thoughtful you are?

But i say it again, he was extremely lucky to survive yesterdays first Ball, and he was out on 85 but got the umps BOD.

That's the 3rd time... Thats worth a another pin surely.

But i do not back down from what i have said all year. His form has been cod ordinary whilst others have made runs.

Neither would I expect you to Basil Fawlty. You never learn.

And while you have been carping on all year, you have not, despite being asked repeatedly to say who you would have put in to replace Hussey.

And you know what!! You scurried back under the stone and continue to put your pins into the selectors.

Postscript: MEK Hussey c Cook b Finn 195 (495m 330b 26x4 1x6. The only thing that has been cod ordinary has been some of the appalling iand ignorant judgements you have tossed his way.

I waded through the bile and it must really hurt to say "Good luck to Hussey". How even handed and thoughtful you are?

No it doesn't hurt at all RR. Today he deserves every bit of it, during the past year he didn't.

No it doesn't hurt at all RR. Today he deserves every bit of it, during the past year he didn't.

I wouldnt say any more about the innings but lets mention the first ball again.....

I wouldnt say any more about the innings but lets mention the first ball again.....

why i already mentioned it twice, no need to mention it again. You know he was lucky.

The Australian selectors have been showing for years that they are willing to persevere with their best players and back them in to find form, regardless of what every mug in Australia thinks (including many ex-players). Think back to Mark Taylor's run on the way up to retirement, with many other examples since. They have been more than vindicated with their decision here. Hussey (and Haddin who I didn't want in - how embarrassing) has stood up in a massive way when the team needed him most. I couldn't be more happy for him.

And you'll find that a lot of big innings are built on the back of some good fortune early in the innings, and there are a lot of innings that end prematurely on the back of some damn rotten luck; that's just the nature of the game. It could just have easily have been Ponting saluting the crowd as he walked off, if it wasn't for a damn unlucky nick down the leg side.

The only thing that goes down in history is the final score.

The Australian selectors have been showing for years that they are willing to persevere with their best players and back them in to find form, regardless of what every mug in Australia thinks (including many ex-players). Think back to Mark Taylor's run on the way up to retirement, with many other examples since. They have been more than vindicated with their decision here. Hussey (and Haddin who I didn't want in - how embarrassing) has stood up in a massive way when the team needed him most. I couldn't be more happy for him.

I am happy to for him too, but i bet he is the first to say he rode his luck well.

Interesting to see Cook and Hussey both doing well (to varying degrees!).

On that note, the fact that Bell and Cook made decent but not great scores, while Haddin and Hussey went big, has been the big difference in the totals.

Any recognition for the selectors for backing Siddle over Bollinger? Hmmmm. Brave call for which they will never get due credit for.

Everything I've heard was along the lines of 'Bollinger isn't match fit'. We'll never know whether Siddle would have been selected if Bollinger had some cricket under his belt. (I doubt it).

The first two days have been sellouts ! 36,000+

Now for the weekend. I think it's fair to say the Australian public are pretty happy with the state of play.

Gulp !

Ticket sales for the WACA and GABBA have been very good - both games are extremely heavily booked.

marcus north ?

Is Smith really in the top six bats we have?

I am happy to for him too, but i bet he is the first to say he rode his luck well.

I heard him admit this on the TV coverage earlier today.

The Australian selectors have been showing for years that they are willing to persevere with their best players and back them in to find form, regardless of what every mug in Australia thinks (including many ex-players). Think back to Mark Taylor's run on the way up to retirement, with many other examples since. They have been more than vindicated with their decision here. Hussey (and Haddin who I didn't want in - how embarrassing) has stood up in a massive way when the team needed him most. I couldn't be more happy for him.

And you'll find that a lot of big innings are built on the back of some good fortune early in the innings, and there are a lot of innings that end prematurely on the back of some damn rotten luck; that's just the nature of the game. It could just have easily have been Ponting saluting the crowd as he walked off, if it wasn't for a damn unlucky nick down the leg side.

The only thing that goes down in history is the final score.

Very good post Nasher.

Tactically the Australians have played well today and late yesterday. They have picked off Swan, exposed the frailty of England having only 4 bowlers. The monkey is on Strauss, Its silly to claim Hussey was out for lbw when the umpire did not give and England inexplicably did not have any referrals left having wasted one in particular on day 2 on a silly over excited assessment of an earlier Lbw. That's Strauss's fault.

They got the rub of the green. And Test cricket is full of those days. Its also a test of character and Hussey certainly has that despite some of the churlish and small minded criticism that abounds.

However, for mine, England are not down and out. In days of old they would have fallen to pieces and they would have looked a rabble. They kept at it in tough conditions.

Anderson bowled well (better than 4 years ago), Broad and Finn will be better for the experience. Swann has some thinking to do.

Unlike past series, I am not counting them out.

Whatever the outcome, what will the selectors do with Johnson, North and Clarke for that matter? If Clarke goes injured, North might get a reprieve. Hmm

1st session today again critical. Australia must get wickets. Mitchell Johnson its time to stand up.