10 minutes ago, dl4e said:

Hope Wade gets to a hundred. Must try and bat out the day and get to a lead of about 350.

Nah, declare an hour before stumps and throw the whole kitchen at them. 

 

6 minutes ago, McQueen said:

Nah, declare an hour before stumps and throw the whole kitchen at them. 

Yes we need time to bowl them out... around 330 i reckon.

Current odds (which is a good gauge) Australia 1.80 England 10.00 Draw 2.38. Rather radical change from 2 days ago.

Edited August 4, 20195 yr by Wadda We Sing

I love reading Andrew Ramsey’s articles on the cricket Australia site. 

He’s a real wordsmith and very engaging writer.  

 Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have that type of reporting in the AFL arena?

9 hours ago, Wadda We Sing said:

Yes we need time to bowl them out... around 330 i reckon.

Current odds (which is a good gauge) Australia 1.80 England 10.00 Draw 2.38. Rather radical change from 2 days ago.

We can't really lose from here now Wadda but we still need to get the 10 wickets.  Gut feeling says we knock them over on a deteriorating pitch. 

Amazing transformation really ... we looked down and out and now we hold the upper hand.  Them not having Anderson helped but those are the breaks.  That sort of thing works both ways and there was a question mark over his fitness prior to the test. 

A grand knock from Wade in the end ... ably supported by Paine,  Pattinson & Cummins.  With Smith as the architect. 

Playing 5 tests in 6.5 weeks means that rotating the bowlers becomes mandatory ... Starc & Hazlewood are fresh and ready for Lords if required. 

Selection has worked out well - kudos.

1 hour ago, Macca said:

We can't really lose from here now Wadda but we still need to get the 10 wickets.  Gut feeling says we knock them over on a deteriorating pitch. 

Amazing transformation really ... we looked down and out and now we hold the upper hand.  Them not having Anderson helped but those are the breaks.  That sort of thing works both ways and there was a question mark over his fitness prior to the test. 

A grand knock from Wade in the end ... ably supported by Paine,  Pattinson & Cummins.  With Smith as the architect. 

Playing 5 tests in 6.5 weeks means that rotating the bowlers becomes mandatory ... Starc & Hazlewood are fresh and ready for Lords if required. 

Selection has worked out well - kudos.

Kudos must go to Langer in my opinion. Surrounded himself and the team with guys like S Waugh and Ponting.  

Since he’s been in charge the whole culture of that team has been transformed. 

WADE YOU RIPPA Loved every minute of his class, shot selection, grit, determination and guts. Well done and well deserved. In team now and will stay for quite a few seasons I think. Someone was telling me he can also send a few offies or was it leggies down. If so very handy.

I have run out of superlatives for Smith.. Just phenomenal.

Paine? Never put a foot wrong from the time he strode to the crease.

Enter the Lyon. should be all over by mid arvo I would think.

Can Smith and Wade come and play for Dees. Outside run and serious X FACTOR!

Would do much better than some currently in our Motley Crew!

A nice article from today's Guardian on Steve Smith.

As usual some of the below the line comments are instructive.

"Well, what did you see my blue eyed son? And what did you see, my darling young one? I saw a man batting without a chance for 149 overs. I saw Joe Denly bowling in mid-afternoon. I saw a thousand pad-roll fiddles and five hundred box-flicks. I saw a game and a series and a career defined.

And yes, like everyone else I saw quite a lot of Steve Smith. The fourth day of this first Ashes Test may have ended with England’s openers battling for survival, set an impossible 398 to win and a day to play out for a draw. But once again the chorus, the melody, the rhythm of the occasion belonged to the greatest Test batsman of the age."

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/aug/04/steve-smith-australia-england-ashes-second-hundred

No rain forecast so we should get the full 90 overs - although 20 overs need to be bowled from the commencement of the last hour of play

For instance:   If we've bowled 75 overs by 5pm (BST) then a total of 95 overs can be bowled in the day (with the mandatory 20 overs to be bowled in the last hour)

Stand corrected with the above if the ruling has been changed. 

Edited August 5, 20195 yr by Macca

Steve Smiths last 10 Ashes innings:

143
141*
40
6
239
76
102*
83
144                                                                                                                                                                                                       

142

Average 139.50

                   

 

Edited August 5, 20195 yr by Wadda We Sing

that early wicket probably removed the win equation for England if it was ever there.

Now for another 2 wickets this session.

How many overs until Lyon comes on ??

Edited August 5, 20195 yr by Diamond_Jim

Great session with the points going to Australia, and the knockout punch is coming. Looks like we will be going into the last session, which means i better go to Coles and get some more coffee. Some strange shots played by England with Roys being the most strange. Patience is a virtue. Siddle has bowled unbelievably well with no luck. Nathan Lyon right in his element.

The crowd havent really turned up to support England and it was good watching Stokes getting angry at the crowd yesterday for not cheering enough. Apparently is very loud out in the middle at Edgbaston, more so than any other English ground and that was the main reason they missed Warners 1st ball missed caught behind.

See ya later Root 66 !

Hard to ask for a better first session

Without wishing to tempt fate this could be wrapped up by tea.

To have four down before lunch is a perfect launching pad. Bowlers can have a quick rest and come out breathing fire again and get rid of the remaining Poms. 

Lyon will finish with 6 wickets. 

We should win this but I expect Stokes to put up a fight. We need a minimun 3 wickets this session and we are in the box seat. An amazing win if so.

I would bang on Smith for a few overs as well.

36 minutes ago, dl4e said:

We should win this but I expect Stokes to put up a fight. We need a minimun 3 wickets this session and we are in the box seat. An amazing win if so.

I would bang on Smith for a few overs as well.

Stokes and Bairstow are their fighters. Wont feel like we will rush through the rest until we get one or both of these two.

About time we won a review. 

jeez there only a fraction of glove in that. 

They just lost 5/17  very close to our 5/23....Never thought that was gonna happen.  Best fightback ive seen in a long, long time. Bring on Lords!

Yeah baby. Australia ?? 

Woooohoooo

that was really pointless playing an injured player without a runner who just stands there and doesnt run. (sounds like a footy team i know).

Forever to be remembered as The Specsavers Test.

 

Will be interesting to see the headlines in the English papers after that debacle. Fortress Edgbaston. Hah! Well done Aussies.

Edited August 5, 20195 yr by Dame Gaga
Spelling.

Now we go to Lords where we have a very good record.  With fresh quicks at the ready.  We get a good break (with a 3 day match against Worcester in between)  The Lords Test begins on Wednesday 14th. 

England will be shell-shocked.  I doubt they'll be able to recover.  Their top order isn't good enough against our bowlers and their renowned late middle order has met their match in Lyon.

And they have no idea how to dismiss Smith.  If Warner can find his best form look out.

It all points towards Australia retaining the Ashes.  Win the next one and the urn is as good as ours (to retain)

36 minutes ago, Wadda We Sing said:

Forever to be remembered as The Specsavers Test.

 

Must say it was a little disconcerting seeing the boundary advertisements for "Simplicity Crematoriums"

What a fantastic win. I wouldn't be underestimating the poms yet but I think they have too many 1 day players in their squad. 

Be interesting to see if Starc gets a call up. Probably be for Siddle who I think bowled really well and was a bit unlucky. The poms will bring in that West Indian traitor as a replacement for Anderson.