Saturday, November 27, 2010

Ashes 1.3: England can win this with a draw



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  1. Hussey scored probably the most important century of his career. Certainly one of his most proud. For a casual viewer though with no allegiance to any side it looked like Hussey and Australia went to lunch on Day 3 124 for 7 and 329 for 12 respectively
  2. While I claim no sympathy for England, it was hard not to feel any for Anderson. On any other day Anderson could have bowled half as well as he did today and gotten an LBW decision on Hussey even as he inside edged it on to the pads.
  3. Most experts on Channel 9 kept calling Swann, the best spinner in the world. It made me cringe each time. Not because I have an alternative candidate, but because they may well be true.
  4. The match is poised brilliantly for England to win it with a draw. Its the next best option to actually winning it. Get yourself into so much of a hole that you spend half of the test match playing for a draw. The draw then seems as good as a win and the side playing for a win feels like they lost it. It worked in South Africa and the previous edition of the Ashes.

6 comments:

straight point said...

The match is poised brilliantly for England to win it with a draw. Its the next best option to actually winning it.

the funny part is many 'experts' call it "oh! that was a draw" or "look they played for the draw..." in a disgruntled tone... without ever looking at the match situation...

Golandaaz said...

Its England's sweet spot isn't it? And we have to see how Australia reacts when England get to 8 down in their 2nd innings. So many twists still remain

Vidooshak said...

Australians are in really poor form and it shows. But the English are too cautious and are not ready to win. They are pussy footing around the Australians and no wonder Hussey and Haddin could get them out of the hole. England will likely lose this test. In the next test, I suspect one of the top three to score a big century for Australia and grind England into the Adelaide dust.

Golandaaz said...

It would have been a totally different game had hussey been out early and he should have been. But England drooped shoulders too early.

Johnson is not bowling well and Siddle is not going to hat trick every time. This could be a draw if England bat 5 sessions which they can

fantasy bob said...

FB still admires your optimism and hopes you're right. You're dead right about Hussey's luck but it's set him up for the series - so England need a couple of good decisions too preferably a no-ball when KP's middle stump is knocked back. FB says watch out for Johnson he is that streaky kind of bowler who could just get it right when no one is looking.

Golandaaz said...

Fantasy Bob, Many thanks for stopping by. I stumbled upon your blog a few weeks back and I have been hooked since.

I am finding that I can enjoy this series more becuase I can watch it only with my head, even though over time the characters get to you and you start using your head a bit less.

In any case, I would never conjure up images as sinister as KPs middle stump being knocked off, even if its a no-ball. However no such censorship will be extended if the offending bowler is lets say a Zaheer Khan