P-man

Agreed. I notice today he admitted he went a bit too far in his remarks, and that was before Trott pulling out.

Trott pulls out due to "stress related illness" - http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-11-25/jonathan-trott-returns-home-from-ashes-series-due-to-stress/5115796?section=sport Big blow, out of form or not.

Haha, was it cryptic? It wasn't meant to be. "Witchy" just seems a logical jump from Salem. We've already had the Wizard.

Anyone who looks at the "like" button as some sort of popularity thing needs their head read. It is a practical and often useful function for recognising how much agreement there is with particular sides of a debate. It is also a bit of fun for recognising a clever or funny call. I'm noticing its absence.

lol The sheer hide of you talking about being "considerably annoying", meanwhile being given a free pass to post your abusive rubbish in almost every thread you enter. That's what I like.

TD - that's why I said earlier that I wasn't amazed by this result. Even the poms would acknowledge in private that 3-0 really flattered them. The series was much closer than that, they just had every bit of luck go their way. Anyhow, it's a war, not a battle. Need to back it up in Adelaide. No mercy.

Smith could actually prove a very important figure at Adelaide, which still sounds strange to say out loud. I've been a critic of his in the past, and I think he has gotten a lot more leniency from his good mate in Clarke than others have been afforded. That said, his batting has improved enormously. On the Adelaide deck he will be able to put his improved technique to the test and won't be forced onto the back foot as much, which has often been his downfall when playing away from his body. He will be able to play his shots and could be pencilled in for a big innings. Throw in his leg breaks and he will be one to watch. The impressive showing of Lyon in this test also bodes well for Adelaide. Previously you would say England hold the advantage in the spin department, and still do, but the gap seems to have closed. Lyon is going from strength to strength. The poms will desperately want Trott to find some form. He's a class act, and they need him if they are going to bounce back from what was utter (delightful) humiliation at the Gabbatoir.

I agree, but in a way that is why I have been vocal on here for wanting those things undone (blazer, collar, logo etc), because they symbolise an era where those things seemed to take precedence over football. So damned either way really.

"Like"

Your wish is their command, titan. Even some decent sized hail isn't going to prevent a win this time.

Aesthetically I don't mind the white jumper, and the association with failure will very soon become a thing of the past.

Compare it to Josh Kelly's write up on there. You'd swear we got the better player of the two. There is such a broad range of opinion on these things that you almost have to take them all with pinch of salt. Everything ranging from "he can't run" to "he's a running machine", or "a ceiling of being a very good player" to "THE Pendlebury of the draft". One thing that seems beyond dispute is he's a beautiful kick of the footy. Toump, Salem and Watts delivering the ball is suddenly sounding pretty good. We need to have a serious discussion about nicknames for this fella. A guy called Christian Salem deserves a good one.

There was so much to like about Warner's innings. I'm not sure about the miracle transformation in his character, but there was a focus and maturity to that knock that was so refreshing. And after scoring 120 odd, he was as annoyed at getting out as if it had been 100 less than that. He was certainly talking up a big game before this series, but so far he is backing it up and then some. For whatever reason he seems to be in a good place, which will be vital of we are to win back the urn. I still think there are question marks over the batting lineup, especially with Watto looking so vulnerable, but will save those reservations for a gloomier day. Right now, life is good.

Gold. So, so true.

Anyone read the Daily Mail? On Day 1, their chief cricket writer Martin Samuel declared a "gulf" between the two sides with an English victory being a formality. Day 2, he berated Trott for gifting Johnson his wicket and, in his words, "giving a sucker a break". His take on Day 3 will be interesting to say the least.

Thanks for the report. Sounds positive.

I actually wasn't amazed to see it happen. A combination of Midgey finding form recently and the poms being unaccustomed to some proper chin music. The Lyon wickets were right out of the box though. Pity about the hat trick ball.

Last 6 wickets have gone for 9 runs. Haha..how sweet it is!!

God damn it, I keep going to like posts. I agree with this thread and find it amusing.

I make an effort to like your posts. I know how important they are to you.

Satyr would break it from overuse.

It's no media beat up. He is not well liked. Partly because of the non-walk (for the record, I think when you've hit the cover off it and it's obvious to everyone except the one bloke who matters, you go), but also his general demeanour. He's the poster boy for this new breed of arrogant English cricketer. A horrible mutation. He laps up the celebrity side as best he can with his twitter antics etc. Let's be honest, it's fun to hate the opposition. Makes it a bit more interesting. I do respect his ability with the ball. Once he gets a roll on, he is very hard to defend against.

Again, in the absence of the like function: "Like"

Alternatives have been pointed out to you several times. Grimes on his own would've been better than saddling Trengove with co captain duties. Despite your insistence that Jones is an "introvert" (I've seen little evidence of this), he would've made a better choice. Frawley or Garland would've been better choices. It was a crap decision. You stamping your feet won't change people's opinions on that, and reflecting on it further is pointless. It's already history.

Welcome Witchy. It'll catch on.