England v Australia - 28th June - Edgbaston

[Victor Frankenstein]

No one else has started one so I may aswell...

According to the BBC, Vaughan should be back in the side so hopefully we won't choose to field first if we win the toss this time, but as day/night games are always won by the team that bats first in england i'm not sure this is a cricketing contest or just who can call the coin correctly.

People say this one day series is insignificant as far as the ashes go, true enough it won't matter very much and our one day team is a poor cousin to our test side, BUT, I do feel that it's the nature of how we win or lose these games. The first game was a good one, the second seemed to be a return to the bad old days of our bowlers having to claw back a poor start and our batsmen collapsing and leaving a bowler to slog to get the top score, not very inspiring as i thought we'd got past this stage. It does beg the question of whether england have improved since the last ashes or whether it's just everyone else has got worse, I suspect the truth is somewhere inbetween.

It's important for us to play well today, the result doesn't matter, it's how we get to that result that matters. If australia play amazingly well and beat us by being better that's fine, but if, like last time, we don't even turn up for the contest then it would suggest nothing's changed and won't do for another few years yet. Hard to be sure because of the day/night aspect, I suppose the jury will have to remain out until Lords, the first innings of either side will give some pointers though.

[R W S]

For a dead rubber this is quite an interesting match. Trescothick wont want to fall to McGrath, Strauss will be a good bet to play on, Fred will get 12 or 80, Dizzy will be best described as having a menacing run-up, Watson will again make a nagging case for further consideration, Hogg will soon be described as a bigger spinner than Warne, Simon jones will reverse swing one ball and we'll all go goey. Englands opening bowlers will continue their quest to have a strike rate average of 100, Collingwood will miss the stumps in five attempts with the England team racking up an amazing 14 unsuccesfull attempts from the infield. Mt Tiramsu will be shuffled around in the order.

But I'm going to listen with interest anyway.

[R W S]

England: M E Trescothick, A J Strauss, M P Vaughan (Capt) P D Collingwood, A Flintoff, K P Pietersen, G O Jones (Wkt) A F Giles, D Gough, S J Harmison, S P Jones.

Australia: A C Gilchrist (Wkt), M L Hayden, R T Ponting (Capt) D R Martyn, A Symonds, M E K Hussey, M J Clarke, G B Hogg J N Gillespie, B Lee, G D McGrath.

Umpires: B F Bowden, D R Shepherd.

Vaughan has lost the toss and been told to field first.

[R W S]

So is it Australia vs Flintoff or England Vs Symonds? Two of the worlds best one day cricketers going head to head!

[Victor Frankenstein]

great start by gough, 14 off the first over, i may just have to join the calls for him to be brought back into the test side! (why is he playing instead of tremlett?, who is more likely to be around for the 2007 world cup and has started their england career promisingly?)

[Seamer]

The wicket is an absolute belter. And the boundaries are very short and outfield very quick. Will be a batsmans day i suspect and 300 runs would at the very least be par as far as i can tell.

[Beny]

Gillys gone and the runs are drying up. Simon Jones has upset Hayden to produce the highlight of the match so far!

[Seamer]

I kinda liked KP's overthrow for four in Goughie's first over myself. Jones has the last laugh on Hayden too - bye Matty - you were plumb mate.

[Beny]

Will somebody shut Ian Botham up. He's insulted Hayden enough already. First he had a go at him for being upset when Jones hit him in the chest after the delivary- Hayden had every right to go off his nut. Now he's calling hayden a 'winger' for shaking his head after he got out. Hayden always shakes his head after he goes out but it's generaly self critism rather than winging.

[Seamer]

Don't start me up on Botham Beny. I dedicated a thread to that bloke.
http://world-a-team.com/showthread.php?t=3401