After 2 Tests what do we know?

[Leafy Seadragon]

Yes, but coming into this series, Punter was 5/13 (38%) and Vaughan 11/27 (41%). Its only because Punter has overperformed with the coin this series that Vaughan is now doing much worse. In ODIs (I know you can't compare ODI and test form, but I'm going to) Punter is 45/101 (45%) and Vaughan 20/28 (42%). Again, prior to this summer, Punter was only at 42% (38/91), whereas Vaughan was at 16/24 (40%).

All up, Vaughan's lost 6 of 8 against Ponting this summer. Hopefully Dunc has a strategy to address this horrendous form slump. Either that, or Vaughan may consider a runner during coin tosses, just to make the call. Ponting may similarly consider a runner to make the decision after winning the toss. On this basis, its been a golden run for Ponting and if his ODI coin tossing form continues to carry over into his test form, I would expect him to win at least two and possibly all three of the remaining tosses - so England are still in with a chance, because on past form Vaughan would have done the same thing as Punter asked anyway

I stand by my original statement that Punter and Vaughan are most likely to feature in the first no-winner coin toss.

I cannot believe that I spent the little time that I have on this...

[Dans]

Originally Posted by Beny

Thank God, a good dissection.

To all England suporters... Feel free to be knee-jerk about your own players but dont expect us to follow suit.

England should be ashamed they nearly lost an almost un-loosable test.

You might say the same about Australia who needed a mere 3 runs to win.

[English_Al]

What's all this talk of shame guys?

Beny, I agree that England should have wrapped things up quicker but with the good batting conditions, great Aussie batting, and us getting preoccupied with yorkers/body stuff, it went close. Our tail wagged as well if you remember.

Australia shouldn't be ashamed for not scoring those 3 runs either, the pressure was getting to them more as they got closer, you could see by the fact they had started to play defensively when runs req'd got under 10. Cant blame them for that.

[Beny]

Originally Posted by Dans 62182

You might say the same about Australia who needed a mere 3 runs to win.

No... I would cheer the fact that the Australian tail did a fantastic job to get even close.

[Lemming]

Originally Posted by Beny

No...I would cheer the fact that the Australian tail did a fantastic job to get even close.

Did you see the England players cheer when they leveled the series? Brett Lee and Kasper didn't cheer very loud after Kasper threw the match away. Point here is, getting close is not close enough, losing isn't a fantastic job!

[Leafy Seadragon]

Originally Posted by Lemming

Brett Lee and Kasper didn't cheer very loud after Kasper threw the match away

Obviously you watched another match. Kaspa didn't throw the match away in the one I watched, but rather batted with considerable courage putting body in front of ball as required, got out to a ball that came onto him a bit quicker than he was expecting (no shame given he's the number 11) and even then was unlucky. Pity you didn't watch the one I did, because it was a gripping match, largely due to the efforts of the very tailenders you deride. Hope you enjoyed the one you saw

Originally Posted by Lemming

Point here is, getting close is not close enough, losing isn't a fantastic job!

I think you've confused the efforts of the whole team (who didn't do a fantastic job, particularly the upper order, who were the one's that really lost a match they should have won) and the efforts of the tailenders, who did a fantastic job with the bat on the last day, but still weren't able to salvage the carnage left them by the upper order. Why does such a gripping finale need to be reduced to the schoolyard, "you lost, so you must be ****"?

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Leafy Seadragon

Why does such a gripping finale need to be reduced to the schoolyard, "you lost, so you must be ****"?

I think Lemming is just getting his jibes in while he can Leafy. We only have to endure one more day of this fortunately.
As far as Edgebaston goes, i thought it was one of the best tests i have seen and was rather refreshing to see as opposed to the normal way the Aussie tests goes. Was good for the series by keeping it alive, was good for English cricket, which needed to boost public interest in a sport where interest is waning, and good for Aussie cricket which needed a challenge to increase interest in the sport here. The ultimate winner at Edgebaston was test cricket itself in my opinion.

[The Phantom Ram]

Originally Posted by Lemming.

Let's hope that Vaughan can win the toss and then maybe he will be able to look Ponting in the eye when it comes to games of chance.

Who does win all the tosses then? There must be a captain somewhere with a 60-70% record?

[Leafy Seadragon]

For those number nerds, Smith and Chanderpaul are the two you don't want to be tossing against on a dodgy wicket:
Smith 61% (19/31)
Chanderpaul 80% (8/10)
Ganguly 43% (20/47)
Bashar 30% (3/10)
Atapattu 54% (7/13)
Fleming 51% (36/71)
Inzy 36% (5/14)