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By Will 5 years ago, mid-August Add your comment below
Will Australia avoid the follow-on? If not, will England enforce it? Or will the Manchester rain cause an upset? I really hope not. Sunday’s forecast is brighter, as is Monday’s – but it’d be a tragedy for the fans if Saturday is a washout.
Comment-away like a hungry pack of wolves, folks 
Chat to you tomorrow morning.
Tags: australia, england, manchester, old-trafford, test-cricket, the-ashes, wolves |
May I have first post? Simply because I know competition for 100 and 200 is fierce, and I should get one on the board as soon as I can.
My prediction, for what it’s worth: Warne plays a blinder, adding 20-30 in no time, but runs out of partners… but Aus just avoid the follow on. It rains, England get half a session or so’s worth of batting, and end up a shade over 200 ahead, for 2 wickets, and this time tomorrow, we’re praying for dry weather…
Could you imagine if this Warne fellow bowled as well as he bats…;)
ah i finally see england taking away the ashes… although i do not belong to england.. but i m on england’s side against australia just because england has some (actually many) players i like a lot and australia has some (actually many) players i hate a lot. hoping to see mike lifting the ashes…
If this English side goes on to have as much success as Australia has had in the last 15 years, you’ll soon grow to “hate” them too Kamran 
After the 1st test i was quick to tell all the english supporters not to think that it was going to be the same old test series just because australia got off to a good start (although i doubt yous would have been thinking that anway) because, as i pointed out, had things gone slightly different, like one of their many chances taken, the result could have been hugely different. The same goes for last test and for this test so far, but this time disadvantage Australia. So, if australia go on to lose this test (and it’s looking quite probable)i urge the australian supporters not to get to frustrated, annoyed and worried, but to enjoy the challenge and see how the Aussie lads respond, as i’m sure you all will.
It looks like this test series may well come down to who takes their chances when they come.
Afternoon Harry and Stu, things not looking too good for us aussies. Sorry about fallin asleep on you guys last night, i dozed off with the laptop on my lap and missed the last hour and a half and the couple of wickets (probly a good thing, didnt sound to plesant 
Oh well this is test cricket and anything can happen. One of my favourite quotes would be appropriete about now “Impossible is Nothing.”
I’m posting now as i will not be here later on till about lunch time (11:00). You guys will have to fly the Australian flag for us and take care of the fort untill i get back.
And with that i wish the Aussies good luck and will talk to you later!
If Australia lose the Ashes, I’m hoping to acquire the tv-rights to the ‘John Buchanan Lynching’. But in all seriousness, I still think that if an Australian batsman can just tough it out a-la Border or Steve Waugh, we can still inflict some serious damage here.
Or even a Warne 100 would be good here…
It would be interesting to hear an Australian view (or three) on how many (Vaughan won’t enforce the follow-on now even if he gets the chance) you think they can chase down, and so, by subtraction, us England fans can find out how many we need in our second innings
If the chance arises, I’d enforce the follow on for two reasons. If play can start reasonably soon, weather permitting, it is sure to be interrupted during the day and that will disturb the batsman eye and natural rhythm. Granted, a damp pitch won’t help the swing, but I’d also point out that the Aussies haven’t had to follow on for 17 YEARS, so this would be an entirely new experience for this Test team and would increase the pressure on them. Tighten that screw still further and see if they crack more – Gilchrist has already made expensive mistakes and their fielding looks increasingly flawed.
Well, Australia got 279 chasing 282 last time round, so you take from that what you will.
Anything over 250 is generally pretty hard. Anything over 300 is very difficult indeed. If Australia was playing well, I’d back us to chase anything under 450 to be honest but on current form 250 should be enough.
Morning all, brilliant blue skies in Germany but that is no bloody good for Old Trafford. I too think the Aussies will just avoid the follow on, because they are determined fighters. The tail can wag. I really hope Vaughanie goes onto to bat and declares after a good total – with the fear though, that the Aussies bat out for a draw. Eeeh imagine facing Warne’s bowling on that wicket on the last day!
All depends on who the weather.
Yeah scott those are exactly my feelings. Normally i’d be still confident because i’d back the australians to even chase 500 if everyones going well, but right now you cant see them getting over 300 in the 2nd innings, if that.
Australia won’t play for a draw. I think, if set anything over 230, England are favourites. It’s hard to imagine how that wouldn’t be the case. Having said that, like Scott, I don’t think you can write them off completely for anything less than 400. Someone has to click sometime. Three tests without a century from an Australian, anyone know how long since that has happened?
Interesting spot, Stu – will see if I can find out
I would actually love to see Aus reaching close to avoiding, yet fall below. Wud be interesting to see who Eng respond to that, whether they enforce or not. Because they have to think about Warne on a surface where Giles is threatening to himself do a Warne ! But if they do enforce, and then win, it should be a huge turning point for the series. That would be a good toughness test of the post-Waugh Aussie side.
Since 1990 I’ve spent most of my life in countries where it was only really possible to follow cricket fitfully, i.e. through the summaries in the Guardian Weekly or on the BBC World Service round-ups. In fact, the only cricket match I can recall following in detail in the 90s was the Sri Lanka-Australia WC Final, as the whole thing was played on the BBC World Service on SW radio.
Only with the advent of internet radio have I begun to follow cricket again with the keenness I used to when I was younger. Specifically, with the last England tour in the West Indies.
This is to say, until this series I had no real up-close appreciation of what an impressive cricketer Shane Warne was. For me, so far he is the player of the series.
He, and Flintoff perhaps too, Alan. Warne’s batting has been remarkable; he is averaging 31 with the bat, and 17 with the ball! Astonishing.
Stu: If Australia fail to produce a centurion in the second innings, that will be three in a row, which last happened to Aust on the 1994-95 tour of West Indies.
And…
Australia went 5 tests without a century from the 4th test v West Indies at St John’s to the 3rd test v West Indies at Adelaide in 1984.
It was actually a 12 innings streak (no century in the 2nd innings of
the test before or in the 1st innings of the test afterwards).
Not sure if this is a record, but that’s what my scouts have told me. Interesting spot.
Weather looks appauling. I’m still hopeful of play later in the day.
I set my VCR to record the soccer instead.
Adelaide stuffed the Port scum (only AFL fans know what this means or why I am so happy) so I’m a lot happier camper now.
Oh, this rain’s not bad either!
I have a Australian Rules football Prelimanary final tomorrow, so i won’t be able to stay up waiting for the rain to stop. Although, if the play starts soonish then i most likely won’t be able to hop in bed without putting the tv on every 10 minutes to see what’s happening. Annoying, stupid, wonderful game
It’s looking bad Harry…still no update though.
Howz it looking for tomorrow Will ?
Good Evening boys!
I just got home its 11:15 down here and i am bloody tired.
I guesse it is raining due to the lack of live play on t.v!
Any exciting/interesting news i might have missed?
Here is the link for the rain radar…
http://www.metoffice.com/weather/europe/uk/radar/
Its not pretty!
I just read on Cricinfo that 4 runs have been added to australias total because Steve Bucknor missed 4 byes when Simon Jones bowled that beamer yesterday!!!
yeah, that’s right.
Good news from Old Trafford – blue skies and the covers are coming off. Chance of 3 hours play after an early tea. Play should be extended til 7 BST
Should be better, Worma – both Sunday and Monday have better forecasts. Odd shower tomorrow, but nothing like today.
Wraye – blue skies, which Old Trafford are you talking about?
Play starting at 4pm bst, 34 minutes times
someone from the Ground phoned me and said they could see blues skies! well, bits of it anyway.
Looks like not too much time should be lost, if the weather holds – a session and a bit this afternoon, early start and late finishes tomorrow and Monday.
And we’re off, no alarms yet. Warne’s broken his bat though.
A maximum of 38 overs can be bowled
Rain…again…and Warne has helped Australia save the follow-on. Great knock, again, by Warne.
So is there much chance of any more play today?
or can i go to sleep now?
Looks like they’re gonna start at 6pm BST for, wait for it, six overs.
Oh gawd… no point in bowling good length balls outside the off-stump from the Stretford End then
Its take 125 odd test matches, but what do you say we start calling warnie a bowling all rounder?
>posted by: Stu
>If this English side goes on to have as much
>success as Australia has had in the last 15
>years, you’ll soon grow to “hate†them too
>Kamran
thats a fair opinion but thats not the truth 
I was on sri lanka’s side in 1996 though I do like Gilchrist and Hayden a lot!!
Yeah! Warney is defintly classed as an allrounder after his last two innings, isn’t he Harry! Imagine his first hundred and his 600th wicket in the same test!!! its amazing!
He is GOD!
Hey Kamran – fair enough, I shouldn’t put words (or thoughts) in your mouth, it’s just that extended periods of success seem to breed contempt, and now, as England start to give some back, I can see why…
Thanks for the update on the centuries Will! (C’mon Warnie, keep that 10 year stretch going.)
And Scott, well done to the Crows – love to beat Port, but I’m a Geelong supporter (One Point!) None of my teams doing too well at the moment.
Sux to be me! I’m a Power man through and through! Been goin for since they joined the AFL!
I hav’t watched much footy this year
The Blues had a good win! but i just got back from the footy and we (south warrnambool) had a loss so no grand final this year. If warnie gets a ton i’ll forget all about my dissapointment though.
Bad luck with the footy hey Harry. Oh well, there is always next year!
Well i havn’t really worried about footy this year. Our school team is crap even with the two state under 16 players on it.
A couple of years ago my dad built us a cricket net in the front yard. Him and his mates laid the concrete and built the nets up around it. Its great being able practice cricket whenever i want. ( well when ever i can convince my little brother to come bowl to me.) And this winter we borrowed the bowling machine from my cricket club So that is how i have been spending my weekends. Except when there was no one to feed balls through the machine to me i had to pay my sister to do it And with the Ashes on T.V i don’t think i have watched a game of footy for about two months.
I was out there today with my brother feeding the balls through for me I had it going at 120km/h. I was batting crap though, must be somthing all Australians are going through at the moment. Except Warney of course He is a GUN!!!
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