The Ashes 2010

[Shaggy]

Yeah, i get all that

But what happens if:

1) england stay in bat til the end of day 5, but somehow dont overtake Australia?

or

2) if england overtake, then the aussies come into bat, but day 5 ends with england's lead (assuming they acquire one by the end of their 2nd innings) still intact - do england win, or is that still a draw?

1) It's not really possible to bat for all of today and tomorrow and not overtake their score. We're only 111 behind and we've scored about 90 already today. But, in the miraculous event of that occurring ...it would be a draw. You need to bowl out the opposition twice to win the match.

2) It's a draw. Australia will need to come in to bat and knock off the required runs, or it's a draw.

[Shaggy]

And when does each 'day' end?

Is it a set time limit, or is it just down to when it starts getting dark, so there's insufficient light to continue playing?

The idea is to bowl 90 overs per day. 30 overs per session (morning, afternoon and evening). They will attempt to make up for any lost overs in the final session (i.e. if the play is slow in the afternoon and the required overs aren't bowled by tea time).

[Leyton388]

Clearly it is likely that if england stay in bat for the whole rest of day 4 and 5, they will overtake Australia's score.

But hypothetically, if for example Australia bowl well enough to the extent that the england batsmen can only defend the stumps and not score runs off the balls - we could reach the end of day 5 with england yet to match/overtake Australia's total....

So if this happens, is it still a draw?

Surely by logic, given that england will have had the best part of 2 innings, and still not managed to equal the Aussie score (via just 1 innings), australia would have to have won?

As a non cricket follower, that makes sense to me

It will still be a draw as it is up to the Aussies to bowl us out to win the test. They might have more runs at the end of day 5 but they need to finish off England. Its strange i know and if im honest it took me a little while to get my head around cricket as i only really started watching it before the 2005 Ashes.

[Craig_H]

Cheers for that.

So theoretically, england could just bat completely defensively, with no real intention of scoring runs, but just staying in - and that alone could secure a draw.

[Shaggy]

**** me I thought Gower had had a heart attack in the box then

[Craig_H]

@ the commentator just yelping in pain....

"Argghhhh! Sorry about that, that was just someone putting a chair on my foot"

[Leyton388]

Gower screaming like a little girl there LOL

[Craig_H]

Aw, is it david gower? I like him, always seemed a lovely bloke from his 'They think its all over" days

[Craig_H]

These fellas in the commentary box make their Sky Sports footballing counterparts, look like schoolboys.

[Shaggy]

Cheers for that.

So theoretically, england could just bat completely defensively, with no real intention of scoring runs, but just staying in - and that alone could secure a draw.

Yep. But that sort of negative mindset gets you in big trouble.

[Shaggy]

Oh my God what a drop

[Leyton388]

What a drop by johnson! This is the perfect example of how it can all change in cricket so quickly.

[Craig_H]

Yep. But that sort of negative mindset gets you in big trouble.

I did think, as i typed it, that it would be true George Graham tactics

Do you mean in trouble, as in its a dangerous game to play? Or in trouble legally, in terms of it breaking some kind of rule in cricket?


Strauss lucky as **** there, the fielder was in a world of his own there.

[Will]

Thank **** for that

[Craig_H]

Never thought i'd say this, but i have to admit, i'm quite enjoying it.

Stuff seems to happen quicker and more frequently, than i'd imagined.

I always considered cricket to be like, you watch for an hour and you get about 3 mins of anything actually happening.


The expression on the bowler's face when his fielder dropped that catch, was a picture