The Ashes

[OwlsFan]

Well that's my forecast of 3-1 to Australia scuppered. Put 50 lids on them to win at 15-1 when they were asked to follow on. Thought they might get 450 second time round and ask a lot of England batting last. Got a run for my money anyway.

Great stuff. Great entertainment and good to see the Aussies take it very sportingly when it was over.

[Clifford]

So here it is, the last test, hope it's a cracker to lift last nights doom and gloom.

[Bluebeard]

It's today? Sh!te, I went into work early for a change - who are batting first?

[Terry]

It's today? Sh!te, I went into work early for a change - who are batting first?

England won the toss and decided to bat first . Currently standing at 57-0

[Clifford]

104-2 Warne got them both, good start for Eng, but if McGrath was getting his rewards it would be different. 11 overs, 29 runs, holy cow.

Bowling O M R W
McGrath 11 2 29 0
Lee 4 1 21 0 (1nb)
Tait 4 0 22 0 (2nb)
Warne 6.5 1 27 2

[Clifford]

105-3 warne again, Bell duck. Getting interesting now, Pietersen needs to steady ship.

[joeSoap]

In Play
England won the toss and decided to bat
England 1st Innings 154 for 4 (39.4 overs) full scorecard


England 1st Innings
Person Batting Runs Balls 4s 6s
M E Trescothick c M L Hayden b S K Warne 43 65 8 0
A J Strauss not out 60 98 8 0
M P Vaughan c M J Clarke b S K Warne 11 25 2 0
I R Bell lbw b S K Warne 0 7 0 0
K P Pietersen b S K Warne 14 25 2 0
A Flintoff not out 12 22 2 0
Extras 5nb 4b 5lb 14
Total for 4 154

Bowler O M R W
G D McGrath 11.0 2 29 0
B Lee 10.0 1 44 0
S W Tait 5.0 0 33 0
S K Warne 13.4 2 39 4
Fall of wicket Person batting
82 M E Trescothick
102 M P Vaughan
104 I R Bell
131 K P Pietersen


Back to top

Umpires: B F Bowden, R E Koertzen
England: M E Trescothick, A J Strauss, M P Vaughan, I R Bell, K P Pietersen, A Flintoff, P D Collingwood, G O Jones, A F Giles, M J Hoggard, S J Harmison
Australia: J L Langer, M L Hayden, R T Ponting, D R Martyn, M J Clarke, S M Katich, A C Gilchrist, S K Warne, B Lee, S W Tait, G D McGrath

[joeSoap]

213-4...looking more and more like they'll get their draw.

[Clifford]

301-7, got to hand it to Aussies heart, but I think the draw will ensue and a new era of cricket dominance will follow. That Flintoff is magic.

As for Warne, never to be seen again, awesome.

[joeSoap]

England 1st Innings
Runs Balls 4s 6s
M E Trescothick c M L Hayden b S K Warne 43 65 8 0
A J Strauss c S M Katich b S K Warne 129 210 17 0
M P Vaughan c M J Clarke b S K Warne 11 25 2 0
I R Bell lbw b S K Warne 0 7 0 0
K P Pietersen b S K Warne 14 25 2 0
A Flintoff c S K Warne b G D McGrath 72 114 12 1
P D Collingwood lbw b S W Tait 7 26 1 0
G O Jones not out 21 39 4 0
A F Giles not out 5 23 0 0
Extras 7nb 4b 6lb 17
Total for 7 319

Bowler O M R W
G D McGrath 19.0 5 48 1
B Lee 17.0 3 68 0
S W Tait 15.0 1 61 1
S K Warne 34.0 4 118 5
S M Katich 3.0 0 14 0
Fall of wicket
82 M E Trescothick
102 M P Vaughan
104 I R Bell
131 K P Pietersen
274 A Flintoff
289 P D Collingwood
297 A J Strauss

[joeSoap]

LATEST ACTION (all times BST)


1037: WICKET England 325-8 (Jones 25)
After confidently cutting his first ball away to the boundary for four, Jones has his off-stump removed with Lee's next ball.

1035 Brett Lee starts proceedings from the other end, and Giles takes a nervy single off his first ball to move onto seven.

1033 Giles plays and misses at McGrath's second ball and ducks under a bouncer, before flicking the last ball of the over away for a single on the leg side to keep the strike.

1030 Glenn McGrath bounds in to bowl the first ball of the day to Ashley Giles.

[OwlsFan]

301-7, got to hand it to Aussies heart, but I think the draw will ensue and a new era of cricket dominance will follow. That Flintoff is magic. As for Warne, never to be seen again, awesome.

If Australia can knock them over quickly and put up 500 in their innings (big ask I know) we could see a tied series as I'm not sure (other than perhaps Vaughan and Strauss) England have the players to occupy the crease for a draw.

Rain might be England's best friend. But it's impossible to predict this series. Great sport. Great entertainment.

[Macy]

Still even enough considering how on top the england attack has been. However, I still think Collingwood is a defensive pick rather than having the balls to go for another strike bowler.

[Clifford]

Ashley Giles hit a vital 32 as England boosted their first innings total to 373 on day two of the fifth Test.

The home side were in trouble at 325-8 after Brett Lee bowled Geraint Jones for 25 with the ninth ball of the day.

But Giles put on 20 for the eighth wicket with Matthew Hoggard - who faced 36 balls to make two - and 28 with Steve Harmison, who made 20 not out.

Aussie spinner Shane Warne dismissed Giles lbw to finish with 6-122 after a marathon 37.2 overs.

[Jerry The Saint]

Anyone looking at the Guardian site -

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/...556045,00.html

Up-to-the-minute commentary on clouds! Top notch stuff, very entertaining (and no, I'm not being sarcastic).

"I can report that the view from the 24th floor in the City of London this afternoon is glorious: thick, black cloud and lightning rolling over south London... enough to bring a tear to the eye"

[Schumi]

http://raindancefortheashes.co.uk/

[joeSoap]

89-3 in their second innings..McGrath took 2 wickets in 2 balls earlier this morning....might give the aussies a little squeak.

[Clifford]

Freddie gone c&b now, it is surely beyond the majestic McGrath and Warne even now? If they had batting support this series would have been Oz's ages ago.

126-5

[OwlsFan]

England need another 100 to make the game save. All to play for still.

[Dodge]

Freddie gone c&b now, it is surely beyond the majestic McGrath and Warne even now? If they had batting support this series would have been Oz's ages ago.

Tailenders have been magnificent. Apart from this test hayden and Langer just haven't performed consistently enough.

If they're bowled out with 4 hours to play the Aussies will win. It'll be like 20/20!