cricket with balls

The third day of the test is here. Ricky and Simon took the fun out of it yesterday, will anyone stand up for the England.  The page is set to refresh every couple of minutes. Feel free to add your mind in the comments.

It has been a pleasure, thanks to all three of you for commenting, don’t eat the shrimp, good night and good luck.

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The last over before lunch, England get some luck with Clarke facing.

Montybot gets so super bounce, just super.

Clarke gets one away for two, North hasn’t watched him bat much, I would have farmed the strike, or ploughed it.

But Clarke doesn’t have a brain fart, and that is lunch.

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Broad looks fired up now, must have been those 12 runs in the previous over.

This is the best time to bowl to Clarke, he hates batting for breaks.

Gets one down the ground for a 3 though, England need him on strike.

Broad gets short and wide to North, and Marcus does everything he can to get out to it.

346/4

Superazo, “i think it’s great that broad can find time out from touring with Hansen to play some cricket….” MMMM… bop. I tried not to write it, but it is addictive.

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If you think i put this up just because it is keith miller, you are correct.

When Marcus North is struggling I really want a commentator to say he looks like a disorganised batsman.

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Strauss patted Montybot like a dog, there’s a good boy.

Broad on.

England try a leg slip to Clarke, so Broad drops it short and Clarke pulls it for four.

Leg slip lasts one ball.

Broad bowls a ball that might have gone to first slip, Clarke players a slater drive to get two, ugly cricket all round.

Broad needs a wicket, and he gets a full oen to Clarke who edges through the vacant third slip region.

Whoops.

12 off this over.

Not what England needed.

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Montybot comes on before Swann, again….

Ponting eases one through the offside to bring up his 150.

Montybot has a run out chance and misses the stumps with an awkward back flick by 7 metres.

Shit ball from Monty, but Ricky drags it on.

England really needed that, this is an interesting 17 or so minites.

Well played you hairy armed goblin.

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Freddie decides to throw the ball back at Clarke a few times.

The crowd likes it.

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Jimmy into his seventh over this spell, how long can they go for.

This spell has been good, but will the 3 other bowlers be able to match it, as they will be bowling in the session of death.

Clarke finds a hole at midwicket and gets off the mark.

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England must get Clarke out early, if they don’t he will make a hundred, he loves coming in when the score is like this, it is his bread and butter. His average would be 25 without great starts from the top order.

superzaco, “i have a lazy hunney that this pitch looks like a baghdad highway by day five. typical useless fucking welsh. good for nothing but triple word scores in scrabble.”

In the last two days there have been one wicket taken in the middle session, they need one more here I reckon.

And Freddie beats Clarke on queue.

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First one to Clarke is on a good length, and he pushes it to gully.

richie “my god. an english commentator just acknowledged the 06/07 series. did the earth stop spinning, just for a second?”

Clarke leans on the next one and it flies to point and Ravi only just stops it. Awesome timing.

Jimmy follows up with a full toss and Clarke clips it to mid wicket.

wicket maiden 325/3

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Hussey just fishes off Anderson, nicks it behind, nothing special, just another soft dismissal from Hussey.

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Alot of time and effort went into this, but why?

Freddie drops short and Ricky swivles on it giving out a roaohah type noise.

And the bouncer which Ponting hooks for six, off the top edge, was never in control of it, but it was a no ball, it only just cleared montybot who looked like a three year old jumping for a lolly.

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Nothing to report on.

318/2

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Jimmy walks past one in the field, and gives Ponting a village two.

Freddie and Hussey are pretty good mates so Freddie hits him on the head with a bouncer. Any batsman who takes his eye off the ball deserves to be hit on the head.

It goes for four, I hate that rule, how is ducking playing a shot, should be outlawed.

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Drinks.

What a blog post this one is.

Filler?

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Andy Sith, “excellent. if we can just get rid of mr cricket we’re into your tail.” I thought Hussey was our tail.

Jimmy hits Ricky on the pads, and they give a groan even though the ball would have missed an 8th stump.

Jimmy gets full to Hussey and he nicks it back on to his pads, JImmy was fantasising about that going back onto the stumps.

Hussey gets one on the pads and he tucks it for two to get off the mark.

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Probably a good thing Katich is out, my eyes were hurting.

Freddie to Ponting now. Hussey will have to wait.

To straight and Ponting helps that to fine leg to the rope.

Then he is straight and Ponting works him for two, this makes Freddie finally find a good line and he beats ponting.

306/2

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They keep showing Ponting’s coverdrive off Jimmy, i am wooding up.

Jimmy is bowling 4 outswingers, and two inswingers each over. Surely he should be working on the outswinger and use the inswinger as a surprise ball.

What a ball from Jimmy, the swinging yorker, and it looked plum as to me. Katich gone.

Hussey to come in, Australia’s secondary opener.

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Katich hits the ball in his old favourite area, through fourth slip. It rolls along the ground, Justin Langer would be proud.

Freddie hits Katich, who turns his back AB style. Then he walks back near the stumps and protects them from the imaginary ball he is looking for. The ball landed in front of him, but it was cool watching him look for it.

Average over from Freddie.

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Sky start the over with special wobbly over cam, please don’t do that again.

What are they doing, this weird shaky zoom thing is hurting my head.

Short ball from Jimmy Ponting slaps it one bounce to gully. It was only KP, so he was probably safe anyway.

Ponting goes fishing, and it hits the face of the bat and flies a metre or so from KP.

Jimmy has some words, good thinking, poke the bear.

294/1

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Freddie comes on and bowls to first slip, Prior does well to glove it.

The next one is a wide half volley, and Katich tries to slap it, he misses it and the crowd seem to rise as one.

Interesting over from Freddie, nothing really happened, but the crowd seemed to think it did.

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Jimmy is on.

New ball swings a bit.

Jimmy drops one short, Ricky swings it to backward square leg and Montybot seems to be in limbo and the ball flies close to him but then safely to the rope. Montybot looks confused.

The guy who holds the ball to the camera has a long nail on his ring finger that makes me ill.

New ball is flying off the bat here, Ponting cover drives one and beats the sweeper to the rope. It was so textbook the textbooks should be thrown out.

England need a wicket in the next 5 or Australia may cash in.

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Swannie bowls another full toss, yesterday he said it wasn’t usually a part of his game, is he going a little Bryce McGain.

Freddie chases it, and I swear I have seen puppets move more naturally.

Jimmy warming up, new ball will be taken as these two aren’t bowling that well.

Swann keeps bowling shite, half tracker to Katich and the Krab scuttles it to the rope.

End of the 80th….

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There are four catching men for Katich, positive thinking.

Katich tickles one to slip, but it drops a metre short. I think you’d have to really be going at one to edge it to slip on this wicket.

And Katich does really go at the next one and cover slaps it for four.

274/1

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Swannie is on now. Not quite sure I understand what is going on with this new ball, they have to take it, don’t they?

Starts with a full toss, Ponting helps him self to a straight four.

Swann spins one and it surprises everyone, Ponting was expecting a full toss.

People still cheer when montybot fields the ball, how often does he really fuck up, less than Yuvraj Singh i reckon.

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Can we trust Ian Botham says? He keeps talking about turn that I don’t see much of.

Ponting is pissed off by it and plays a back foot cover drive that I played in a dream one time. four.

200 run partnership but the welsh crowd seemed to miss it.There are lord’s members watching this on their TV machine who are tut tuting now.

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Ponting in good touch as he eases a on drive, for those who have never played on on drive and don’t know how hard it is, easing one is gold. Jimmy Anderson stops it for 3.

Will be interesting to see if Broad is given the new ball, due in 4 overs if you don’t count this over.

He will be well warmed up.

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Interesting that they are starting with montybot, Swann is their number one spinner, and Freddie their number one bowler.

These days Montybot is more of a number 2.

256/1

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Bit of a dead start, England starting with a man out at deep point, could be one of those days,

Actual runs in this over, Broad is getting some nice lift.

Katich drives one straight down the ground and Freddie runs after it like an old man chasing his dog, he almost kills himself as he jumps the fence.

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Montybot to Ponting.

Another maiden, no real spin, except from inside the comm box.

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Broad to Katich.

The thigh of Broad must be better today, yesterday he looked proppy, and he bowled dribble.

Broad bowls a corker, it explodes off the surface, but it is a mile outside off. He may have got more movement there than Monty ad Swannie combined.

Maiden.

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Jerusalem is being sung again, it is the mormon song of England, if you get that well done, if not I won’t explain it.

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Join me for the first session from 11 Welsh time.

Should be the best day ever*.

Here are some questions for you to mull over before the start of play.

If your child batted like Simon Katich would you put him down?

What percentage of Andrew Flintoff is still flesh and bone?

If Graeme Swann underperforms today what will the press say?

Is it possible that Mike Hussey will break his foot from nervous toe tapping if this partnership goes for another session?