The Ashes 2010

[Craig_H]

Anyone know what time play starts for the 4th test at melbourne?

Melbourne is 11 hours ahead of London, so do they start at 10am local time?

If so, game on!

[Cormack74]

Anyone know what time play starts for the 4th test at melbourne?

Melbourne is 11 hours ahead of London, so do they start at 10am local time?

If so, game on!

Yup they're generally 10 am start times.

[Cormack74]

I've always been a huge fan and advocate of Collingwood, but this should be his last series IMO. Yes he's a ****ing superb fielder and great around the dressing room, but he can't make any runs which is the reason he's in the side. Time for Morgan.

Agreed we'd lose some catching ability but gain some batting.

Seems like a risk worth taking (until we shell an easy chance at the slip position where Colly would have stood).

[Cormack74]

Then again it's hard to know what sort of team to put out when you don't know what conditions will be like: From Aggers blog -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/9302457.stm

It's difficult to know what to expect in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test because it is a drop-in pitch and they are notoriously unpredictable.

They usually have a bit of damp about them and the one England played on (against Victoria) was horribly flat - it might have been made in Karachi. The weather is unpredictable - and until we get there and look at the forecast, the machinations are hard to know.

[Cormack74]

Surprise surprise:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/theashesnews/8212305/The-Ashes-2010-Australia-change-Melbourne-pitch-to-expose-Englands-weaknesses.html

The pitch originally intended for the fourth Test, starting on Boxing Day, has been shelved in favour of another one, grassier and faster, to exploit the uncertainties in England’s batting.

When England played Victoria in Melbourne the week before the third Test, the pitch was sluggish in the extreme.

However, the curator has a range of drop-in pitches from which to choose - and he will be attempting to go to the opposite extreme to help Australia’s bid to regain the Ashes.

Such tactics are neither illegal nor new. When England went to the Oval in 2009 for the final Test, the pitch was prepared to be as dry as possible to help England force a result.

[Neil Young]

The pitch originally intended for the fourth Test, starting on Boxing Day, has been shelved in favour of another one, grassier and faster, to exploit the uncertainties in England’s batting.

When England played Victoria in Melbourne the week before the third Test, the pitch was sluggish in the extreme.

However, the curator has a range of drop-in pitches from which to choose - and he will be attempting to go to the opposite extreme to help Australia’s bid to regain the Ashes.

Filthy Australian weasels fighting their dirty underhand war!

When England went to the Oval in 2009 for the final Test, the pitch was prepared to be as dry as possible to help England force a result.

Splendid fellows, brave heroes, risking life and limb for Blighty!

[Cormack74]

I was tempted to edit that second piece in the name of patriotic propaganda

[Craig_H]

Filthy Australian weasels fighting their dirty underhand war!


Splendid fellows, brave heroes, risking life and limb for Blighty!

[hold51]

still 1-1 nothing lost yet, next result will be obviously massive , but move Bell up the batting line up and move KP and Collingwood down one!

As for Perth we did well for a day and a half just blew it then, it happens, but I still feel they have more problems than we do, at least I hope so!

[Cormack74]

still 1-1 nothing lost yet, next result will be obviously massive , but move Bell up the batting line up and move KP and Collingwood down one!

As for Perth we did well for a day and a half just blew it then, it happens, but I still feel they have more problems than we do, at least I hope so!

Your analysis is probably correct in that on paper we are the better side.

However I'm worried that they've picked up some momentum at a fairly crucial time and that there wont be any dry pitches from now on.

[Baracus]

We lost batting momentum playing that stupid 3 day match against a bunch of joey's before the 3rd test. Why could they have just not rested

[Fernandinho]

I got up last night to watch the game and realised play finished a day earlier? Did the game get rained out

[EwarWoo]

I got up last night to watch the game and realised play finished a day earlier? Did the game get rained out

Fickle Aussies, they stop watching before it's over and miss the drama

[Fernandinho]

Haha

[lfcred]

The Aussies changed tactics (and pitches) to try and beat us so know it is up to us to do the same. If the pitch isn't going to take that much spin get Bresnan in so we are not relying on the same three quicks + push Bell up to five with Prior six, Bresnan seven.