Series evenly poised - two to play. The Aussies only need one more win to regain the urn. England can’t afford to lose another. Who’ll win the toss? Is it a definite bat-first track?
Oh, questions, questions. Conveniently, it all begins here at 5.30pm, so I can nip home, change into my lucky green and yellow shirt, grab a beer and root for England (and watch some telly BOOM! BOOM!)
Here’s hoping the weather holds up, that the excitement doesn’t let up, that cricket is the winner, and we thrash the pants off those arrogant bastards!
Hurrah! Quite fortunate to be allowed to listen to the radio whilst working, so I’ll be there from ball one. The weather has perked up today (yesterday was torrential) but we are expecting showers later in the day.
“Trent Bridge groundsman Steve Birks has been quoted as saying the pitch will offer little for spinner Shane Warne.”
I’m not sure who will bat. Depends upon the state of the pitch this morning and whether the ball is likely to swing.
Just remains to be seen whether McGrath is fit to play.
I want to see what Shaun Tait looks like. By all accounts he was an absolute nightmare in the couple of games he played for Durham - belted for 189 runs off just 18 overs and bowled a million (or so) no-balls. But he seems to have improved over the winter with the 2nd highest ever haul in the Pura Cup (65 wickets) and is reputed to be a bit sharpish.
With McGrath out with a dodgy elbow, the Aussies look a bit light in the bowling department - Lee and Kaspro opening (England won the toss & are batting - Trecsothick looks very nervous, as usual), Tait and Warne, with Katich trundling.
105/0 so far at 4.95 an over - Tresco’s hit a half-century including smashing Warne for 6. All of the bowlers except Katich (and I suppose Clarke who can bowl a little bit too) have been used and it doesn’t appear like any of them have made any impact.
For those watching or listening, is this a real batsman’s wicket or are Trescothick and Strauss just playing particularly well?
Oops, scratch that. Warne just had Strauss caught at slip…
From what I can tell, this seems to be a batting wicket for the mo. The balls not swinging about much, so alot rests on Warne again. That could change with the weather though.
Scoring at five an over, and only one wicket down by lunch, and that a slightly freakish dismissal (Strauss played the ball groundwards but it looped up off his boot for the catch). We’ll take that for a start, and I’ll now put the mockers on Trescothick by saying he’s about due to register his first Ashes hundred.
If it’s actually going to stop raining long enough for there to be any play. Apparently the umpires were just walking onto the field earlier when it started up again.
Also a shame that Vaughan got out late on to Ponting, who for those reading in black and white is Australia’s captain and a first-rate batsman but only an occasional bowler, albeit a competent one. Still, allowing for the weather it’s not been a bad first day and we can hope for Pietersen and Flintoff to consolidate tomorrow - which if they’re both firing could see a lot of runs scored quickly. And if it does stay damp throughout, you’ve got to fancy the English quicks to make good use of the conditions.
Perhaps Pietersen is wearing the armband in honour of a young man the players met at a Twenty/20 game, who Trescothick was also honouring. He died recently of cancer. I ordered a green and yellow Aussie shirt from the Lord’s shop a while back and wear it because nothing else has seemed to work since I last rejoiced in an England series win, which was back in 1985, when Gooch and Gower made hay at the Oval, most of which I missed because a bunch of us went with a Surrey member and our lunch break seemed to begin at midday and continue till about 3 o’clock.
A ton for Flintoff, the score past 400, and signs that the ball will swing when England bowl. I’d have settled for that at ten this morning. Fingers crossed…
