The Ashes First Test Lords Thursday 21st July..Day 2.

[Milo]

To be honest, the tail wagged in the first test of the last home Ashes series. Did Stewart and Caddick not put on 100?? I also seem to remember Australia struggling to rap up the win at the Oval.

We can take absolutely no comfort from this abject batting display. We have got to look to win games well where we bowl Australia out for under 200. This is a huge disappointment. 400 to win??.

[Victor Frankenstein]

so, did the aussies bowl badly at the tail there, or has the pitch done it's usual english thing and completely changed over night and we're now going to see a feast of batting and a load of tired england bowlers? giles to get a 5 for with some demon bite and turn from the pitch?

[John]

This Test match keeps us guessing. Great Test match you don't get this much value in 5 days of most Test matches.

[English_Al]

Yeah, dont know if Australia bowled badly or if it was our batting, I think we had a fair bit of luck where the ball landed with Jones. The ball didn't move about at all for McGrath this morning, looks like the new ball is crucial. England now have to bowl with better control, none of this spraying it about!!

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Victor Frankenstein

so, did the aussies bowl badly at the tail there,

No I don't think so Victor, I think Englands tail batted.

[greg]

We need to be chasing no more than 250 to have any chance of winning this game but i can't see the Aussies batting as badly this time so we need a magic spell from somebody.

[greg]

Does either side want to win this game?Silly run out.18-1

[English_Al]

Oh, I knew it, no control. Whats really worrying is that I cant see any swing or seam movement at all. Hayden is playing solid and looking good...

[nealN]

We don't seem to be putting much pressure on the batters at the moment...

[Paoli]

A few thoughts from the morning session so far:

Kevin Pietersen is definitely the man; a brilliant 57 which could've been more had Martyn not taken a nice catch. He's got the temperament, confidence and ability to succeed at this level, and it has come out in his first innings. Warne was bowling very well; had Pietersen in trouble and should've had him Leg Before on about 30. A disappointing batting pitch.

Harmison bowled one not long ago that also kept very low and miss the stumps by a cats whisker. Unlucky not to hit the stumps. Good fielding from Pietersen and if England chase under 300, you'd wanna be backing them. Australia don't have a great record of getting teams out when chasing big totals with alot of time left. When the Windies were chasing 430 with two days to spare in the series over there in 2003, they played cautiously and just at about 5pm local time on the last day Omari Banks hit the winning runs. I reckon England are able to do that as well.

On the bowling front for England, Simon Jones bowled the best I've ever seen him last night and will have alot to say. If Jones can improve on last nights effort, he will get wickets and England will keep the total down. If he doesn't, he'll be picked out for runs. Flintoff has shown several times why he is England's best bowler and has an obvious plan to the three left handers in the lineup.

Disappointed with the pitch, but I hope we get a four day test at least.