Macca

We are cooked Wadda That was a choke of monumental proportions and we won't recover. Hope I'm wrong but the Poms will take advantage now. 3-1 to them.

The umpiring has nothing to do with it. Nothing We blew it and there are no excuses

I do Paine panicked

It's bad enough watching our football team continually choke in front of goal and now the cricket team follow suit. Lose from an unloseable position. We won't recover from this ... Archer will tear us a new one. 3-1 to the Poms. 70+ for the last wicket. We bowled poorly and we bowled pies.

We are gone A long road back from this loss.

That was the greatest choke ever. How do you lose from that position? Why review an LBW when the ball is a foot outside off? Cummins & Paine panicked. And Lyon? Massive Epic fail Credit to England and Stokes was sensational. But we gave it to them. Stokes bullied us and we had no answers. Paine's field placings were all over the place.

So often 1 wicket brings another wicket ... and the bookies know all that of course. Lyon will probably stay on at one end you'd reckon. Run out!

I don't want the series to stay alive so my care factor for us winning this match is through the roof! To be honest If we don't win this test match I will be filthy. The cat, walls & tv aren't safe!

If we win, the last 2 Tests become dead rubbers but if they win, it's game on. But you'd imagine that we'd be shattered if we do lose after bowling them out for 67 in their first innings. I couldn't see us losing after that happened but here we are with England now favoured to win the match. It will be advantage England if they win especially with Archer at their disposal. What a great sport though Wadda? The drama that test cricket provides is 2nd to none. The ebb and flow of the 5 day game is amazing.

Fair enough too. They have fought gallantly. Still reckon that if the Aussies get a wicket soon then the pendulum can swing the other way. Butler & Woakes can bat but Broad, Archer & Leach aren't great. Their strength before the series started was identified as their late middle order but that included Moeen Ali (replaced by Leach who bats at no.11) I still favour the Aussies to win but only just.

Did the Poms replace the wicket at lunchtime yesterday? One of those drop-in types (road) that the Aussie curators specialise in? These 2 (Stokes & Bairstow) look super comfortable. Advantage England.

Their best chance is to counter-attack with these 2 at the crease. And of course if we bowl well to counter, the wickets should come. Or at least 1 wicket and that's all we need - 1 wicket to keep changing the balance.

That was the wicket ... not sure why Root played across the line to Lyon though. Loss of concentration?

As for the technical aspect ... the wicket did lose it's venom after lunch yesterday as I forecast it might do. I was just throwing it out there though. Didn't think I'd get it right! But just prior to lunch Archer was getting variable bounce and a few flew off the pitch in startling fashion. But he is a special talent. The new ball will tell the tale. Or if we pick up a wicket just prior to taking the new ball.

Most people I know are expecting an Aussie victory tonight. But there again, not many of them are Demon fans. Nearly all are former cricketers though with a rich knowledge of the game. I never really expect the footy team to win or to win anything. So there is no carry over to any other sport and I don't let the MFC affect my life (at all) Supporter syndrome is confined to the MFC only with me. But I see it all like a realist would anyway so it's not really MFCSS anyway. The data means more to me. But because of the Test side's incredible success rate over the same time period (50+ years) I often expect the cricket side to win. And we've won 5 world cups in the 50 over version as well as being such a dominent team in Test cricket. We're not a great team right now but if we unearth 2 or 3 A grade batsmen in the near future, we soon will be. England aren't a great team either. If the Poms win tonight I will give them great credit rather than pay out on the Aussies. There are always doubts but I like playing the percentages. With the footy team, the percentages tell us that you can't win with a team that lacks real talent. It's always about talent ... the coaching is often overrated. So Justin Langer as a coach is only as good as the players he works with. Same deal for footy.

I'm sticking to my call of 270 max. They have to survive the 2nd new ball and if they can do that they then have to handle Lyon throughout. At some stage they have to try and score runs too. Even just losing 1 wicket exposes a new batsman up against a bowling unit which knows how to take advantage. Totals such as the one they're chasing are rarely reached. But usually the side batting last would be dealing with a well-worn 5th day wicket. If they achieve the total it will be one of the greatest comebacks in Test cricket history (after being dismissed for 67 in their first innings) And kudos to them if they do so.

That is a stunning development. I'd half expect him to be back in 12 months if he can get his body & mind right. He's only 30 and 12 months off will allow enough time for his injuries to heal which in turn should help with to get his mind clear. The other thing about Luck is that he lives eats and breathes all things NFL. I wish him all the best and hope he returns

Weekend Special Portugal Premeira Liga Monday 03.30am Portiminense vs Sporting Lisbon Sporting Lisbon Win (+2.5 Goals Match Score) $2.75

Best Bet Strike Rate (took a hit yesterday!) 8: 2 - 2 - 1 Australian Group Racing Calendar And here are the 4 notable replays out of Melbourne & Sydney (last week & yesterday) Followed by the early market for the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (to be run next Saturday at Caulfield)

Replay time. In the post to follow (below) there are 4 replays from the meetings in Melbourne & Sydney - 2 from last weekend and 2 from yesterday. But in this post you can view the 4 big races from the York Carnival (which came to an end last night) We may see some of the participating horses in our Spring. Notably 'Japan' and maybe 'Battaash'

England get to 3-156 by stumps which was a stoic effort. Still require another 203. But credit it to them for refusing to yield. Stokes is 2 off 50 balls! As you stated Wadda, 1 wicket changes things but they've obviously come out with a plan to bat with time on their side. Root is a fine player but we need to dislodge him all the same. It isn't quite over yet and they are making us earn it. I didn't believe that they'd only be 3 down by stumps and if they'd had got to 220+ (about 3 runs per over) by the close of play you'd be quite concerned. But 359 is a tough ask. The new ball is due in 8 overs and you'd expect 1 of the 3 quicks to therefore make a breakthrough. Essential viewing once again tonight.

270 max is my tip. They are going to need one of their batsmen to get a 100 in order to challenge for victory. Can't see it on this track with the way it's played so far. 1 wicket often changes things quite a bit when the wicket is assisting the bowlers. The only doubt I have is if the wicket loses it's venom after lunch. It's only the 3rd day and usually a wicket is often at it's best for batting on the 2nd & 3rd day. Still, 359 is a tough total to reach

Watch out for some bat pads off Lyon in their 2nd innings. Was getting extra good bounce in their first innings and the wicket is still lively.

I've seen less dismissals in a t20 match played on a bunsen burner. They're dropping like flies.

Lots! We'll cash in now ... England are shell-shocked. Warner needs to go after them and put them to sleep. Edit: So much for that wish. Warner out. Harris might take up the attack instead.