The Official 2013 Ashes Thread

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Special innings from Finch. Pain in the arse that it is. We've won the series I wanted to win, anything else is a bonus. But we won't be winning this game.

[Jairzinho]

We've got them on the ropes here.

[Guest LFD]

Watson falls for the slower ball from Dernbach, the ball he does nearly every delivery.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Two in three, we might keep them under 250 at this rate.

[Guest LFD]

Why don't England bowl any yorkers?

[Rico1304]

Ha ha I'm really enjoying this...because it means nothing. Wonder if Warne will tweet how it shows how good they are?

[Jairzinho]

Well it does show how good they are at 20 over cricket. We're being humiliated.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

They're a very good T20 team. They have some huge hitters. But I know which form of cricket I'd sooner win, and it has been and gone.

[RobbieOR]

Mitchell Johnson just cant bowl against England.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

Ha ha ha he's gone wibble after one over that went for 17. Be interesting to see if he bowls next up.

 

He is actually. FINISH HIM.

[Rico1304]

He bowls to the left,

He bowls to the right,

Mitchell Johnson, your bowling is shite

[Dan Vito Corleone]

So is our batting. 33-2. Both the openers gone in the space of 2 balls.

[s(k)aturation]

They're a very good T20 team. They have some huge hitters. But I know which form of cricket I'd sooner win, and it has been and gone.

 

... 5 more to come in a few months though.

[lifetime fan]

Shitcunt shit at running.

[lifetime fan]

That's a shocking decision.

[Champ]

That's a shocking decision.

 

Ah, well, he's gone now

[Dan Vito Corleone]

In a weird way England can consider themselves to be very unlucky tonight, we've hit 200 fairly easily and we were 41-4 at one point.

 

Just on the end of a freakishly good innings from Finch.

[Guest LFD]

Yeah Root played really well.

[Pureblood]

I dislocated my little finger tonight. Stupid hard ball game.

 

3 overs

1 maiden

0 Wickets

12 runs

[A_S]

The only thing I get from that is that Finch hasn't had the best start to his ODI career although he has been killing it in the shorter forms at domestic level. And I only consider shorter form relevant right now because a World Cup is only a year or so away.

[Dan Vito Corleone]

He was absolutely outstanding tonight.

[A_S]

He was absolutely outstanding tonight.

 

Well yeah, Watson-esque attractive 30-40 scores won't ever make you safe even in the shorter form where that is a more acceptable score.

 

A fucking brutal innings like that gives you far more credit, even if they are only occasional.

[Rush 346]

3 spares for England v Australia - Fri 6 Sept - 1st Series ODI

 

PM me if you want them

[AJBlaikie]

Funny lad Johnson:

 

Mitchell Johnson: Australia bowler targets Ashes recall this winter

 

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson wants England's batsmen to "fear" him as he aims to reclaim his Test place for this winter's Ashes.

Johnson, 31, is in the Twenty20 and one-day squads to face England, but was overlooked for the 3-0 Ashes defeat.

He is set to play in Saturday's Twenty20 game at Durham, with Australia 1-0 up in the two-match series.

"I'd love to get back playing Test match cricket and play in the next Ashes series," said Johnson.

"When I first started playing cricket one of the main reasons I wanted to play was to get out batsmen - and to be able to hopefully put a bit of fear into their eyes.

"That's why I want to play. At the moment I'm really enjoying myself."

Johnson took two wickets and hit 93mph on the speed gun in Thursday's 39-run win in the first Twenty20 international at the Rose Bowl.

The left-armer is regarded as a figure of fun among England fans for his wayward bowling in previous Ashes series.

The emergence of young bowlers such as James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc, plus a toe injury that kept him sidelined for most of last year, has seen him fall out of favour in the Test set-up.

But Johnson, who has taken 205 wickets in 51 Tests, believes he can still win his first Ashes series this winter.

He added: "I've felt like my bowling is exactly where I want it to be now. I'm bowling with good pace and when the conditions are right I can swing the ball. I can bowl that good short ball again."

One player in Johnson's sights this weekend - and in September's five one day internationals - is England all-rounder Ravi Bopara, who admits their late collapse in this summer's Champions Trophy final against India at Edgbaston still plays on his mind.

Bopara and Eoin Morgan were at the crease with just 20 needed from the last 16 balls and six wickets remaining as England sought their first major 50-over international title.

However, both departed in consecutive balls with Bopara criticised for carelessly picking out square leg as England lost by five runs.

England play their first 50-over match since the Champions Trophy against Ireland on Tuesday, before embarking on the ODI series against Australia.

Bopara, 28, said: "It is not something that is easy to forget. When you come that close to winning a major competition and you have the opportunity in your hands but see it just go, it is not a nice feeling.

"That was a key moment in my career and my life and you have to learn because before you know it there will be another one round the corner and you have to nail it."

[Guest LFD]

Good start for England, 94-0 after 10 overs.