England v Australia

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Any thoughts on the ODI series starting a week today? How will the teams line up - in particular, will Australia follow England's lead & field 5 "proper" bowlers? If Morgan excels, can he force his way back into the test side?

Geez... I'll be hearing those words like a nightmare if I go off to sleep with the radio on.

Linebreaker wrote:

mystiroakey wrote:gonna play devils advocate and say (as long as mogs keeps this up) pick him for SA tests!!

Nothing wrong with that (people will scream I know) but if he's in great form and is scoring big runs even in ODIs... why not?
UAE was a tough experience but he will have become the better player for it. If he's the best in the country at 6 or whatever...right now, then I'd pick him too.

Not a terrible shout, though it won't happen and probably shouldn't. Morgan didn't make a bad effort at number 6 - two 100s and a fair few other contributions but his average was low (partly a result of often coming in at 500-4 and having to hit towards a declaration), and the UAE was a disaster. The big issue was that he has played hardly any FC cricket for Middx in the last 3 years. Bopara would definitely be my pick for SA, but with good FC form it won't take long for Eoin to come back into the picture.

well played eoin morgan

hmmm 272 compeititive, but is it enough? pitch looks a belter!

looking at aussies scores here thus far, probably needed 320.



perfect bowling or they stroll it.

Yes Shelsey. What I'm saying if he's playing well in FC in home conditions then he should be in the running for a slot if Bopara stumbles against SA.

aussie off to a blinder. looking up for a big score.

its sad if they breeze past this- because its not englands lack of skill, its our lack of application in the batting department and understanding that competitive score. Hopefully our bolwers can get us out of this hole

Just need a flow of regular wickets and that should be enough to win. Something like having them 3 down when they get to 100 and then 5 down when they get to 175 should be enough. Decent start thus far, 15/0 off 5 overs.

Aussie look good to cruise this at the moment.

Watson is gone. 20-1 off 5.4 overs. Big wicket for England

so is watson really big or warner really little?



ooo umpire nearly robbed england there. good to have reviews.

Interested to see this Bailey bloke and Wade later on (hopefully). Bailey, there T20 captain so must be half decent, and Wade they think big things of.

DRS showed its worth there. Hope the ICC show backbone.

These two are set to bat England out of the game here. Four after four,

Oh this is a pasting, since bailey came in they are just dismissing englands bowlers as if they were children. Painful hammering I fear.

29 runs off the last 3 overs, we're letting them off the leash.

Yup , it's the same stuffing they have handed the counties

Suddenly the ashes look like they are going back to Aussie next year.

50 overs is a long time. Too early to start talking about "hammerings" and the like.

80/1 after 17 overs. England need wickets, quick wickets to keep the dream alive.

Yeah I think this has gone, dream wicket that they can't get out on.

The difference was Aussies better batting and putting eng in into those conditions. Smart move.

They make the batting look so easy. Very comfortable chase.

Wasn't really a smart move Baggins. It was the only move! Overcast, cold, chance of rain, if Clarke would have batted first he would have been seen as a joke!

Had to work hard for those couple of wickets. Looks a nice batting pitch.

But the guys have done their work. Comfortable up with the run rate.

Be interesting to see if Clarke and Hussey can do what England had to do. And that's rebuild after losing to two in batsmen. That wicket of Warner could be the turning point

Now it's raining boundaries again.

Well 2 vital wickets by Jimmy A may have just turned the tide. Come on England!

another 2 soon and we will do itt

So, a run a ball required over the last 25. Australia should manage that, if they aren't bowled out. Keeping wickets in hand until the start of the 36th is therefore important.

Shelsey93 wrote:So, a run a ball required over the last 25. Australia should manage that, if they aren't bowled out. Keeping wickets in hand until the start of the 36th is therefore important.

Certainly agree with that. We need wickets and soon to be in with a shout.

I felt at the end of our 50 overs, we were about 20 runs short and haven't changed my mind since ....

Thats the wicket!
Game on again, this was the partnership that couldve taken it away.

Well done Finn

The runs dry up and Finn gets a vital wicket. England gotta go for the jugular now.

D/L would have england winning at this point.

'mon the rain!

Send em off!!!!!!!!!!!!! quick

Keep missing close ones now as well, gonna be one of them games. Close.

limp....should be englands game now

Missed most of it so far, but a fine performance from Morgan enabled England to post a pretty decent score in the given conditions.
England's bowling unit can make any total posted by their batters more by 20 runs, such is the class there. This Australian batting unit looks relatively weak if Watson and Warner fail. Clarke is solid but isn't the hardest and biggest hitter of the cricket ball, Michael Hussey is missing in the lineup, and there is no real solid batter with the power game to consistently win matches in the middle order, although David Hussey in the last few months has been doing a fine job.
Now since he's gone to an absolute brute from Finn, its pretty much advantage England. And there is further ground gained by them, Steve Smith fails yet again, wonder why the Australians consider him as one of the top 6 batters in the country!. He's a more than capable bat, mostly of the slogging type, but not good enough to bat 6 in such situations.

Thought Wade should have batted ahead of Smith. Smith just doesn't look the part, at least as yet. England shouldn't relax, Brett Lee is a fine slogger, and the lesser overs he has to bat, the more dangerous he'll become. So get one of these out soon, get him in early and get him out soon.

It'll take an outstanding effort from Australia to win from here on, England are taking regular wickets, and the scoreboard isn't moving with any great deal of pace either. 119 of 15 at 8, that should be tough. The powerplay going to be very important.

Excellent over from Swanny that, just the 4 of it, singles won't be of much for Australia, but they have to be very careful with the big hits, as they are down to the last recognized batting pair out there.

They hit 8 off that swann over but still require over 8 from the last 12 with 4 wickets down. Thinking in T20 terms youd say thats tough but achievable.

Advantage England but not over.

Wade trying to open up, not looking in full control, but there is the intent.

97 of 70, gettable, but not easy against this England bowling unit with 5 wickets down.

6 off that one, so Englands over. Creeping up still. After Wade ....well Lee can hit but hes not a real dangerman. They cant open up too much for fear of losing wickets.
This is the advantage of having proper bowlers, when youre having to target Anderson as the "weak link" it aint going to be easy to get on top of a side. England were able to tool quite a lot off Anderson.

Wade dodges a bullet there, showing the danger.

so 31-0 in the powerplay, England should be the happier side at the end of it, superb from Swann despite one expensive over, he just gave 4 and 3 in the other 2.
90 of 10, should be an interesting chase if these 2 manage to stay together for the next 4-5 overs.

So 10 of that Anderson over, 2-55 from Jimmy in his 9 overs so far, Australia need 80 of 54.

Dodgy game this ... England just finish them

England need a wicket

There goes Wade, silly running.

I'd like to take credit for that one

theres nothing to suggest aus are likely to be able to hit 10 an over weithout losing wickets , with only one bat left and tail enders it should be englands game

Expensive over from Swanny, but England walked away with a wicket at the end of it, Wade runout for 27, huge wicket in the context of the match. Brett Lee joins his captain.

Bresnan gets Clarke lbw. That should be game.