The Ashes 2013

Excited for this.

Honestly can't see Australia beating England with everything that's been going on lately.

Although adversity can bring the best out in sides. We have also been very impressive in our tour games and I along with my old boss have said for years Boof needs to be the man to get us back to the top. Boof was instrumental when he was playing, Ponting and to and extent Waugh would never have been as good captains without him.

You will still lose.

Heavily.

Could be a whitewash.

The Australian team doesn't have a load of Ashes experience or English conditions.

Depends on the side they pick but there are a few batsmen who can handle the swinging ball being touted as starting. Plus Watson opening if he fires then it will take a lot of pressure off Clarke.

No chance of a whitewash. The intense rivalry will mean that the Aussies wont let it happen. Plus the English weather will mean that at least 1 test is a draw.

Game on!!

Cook gooooooneeee!

Fuck You Aussie Scum!!!

The revolution counter is really upsetting me with its pointlessness.

Wish I had Sky to watch it. At the moment I'm listening to TMS on my phone which keeps stuttering every 5 seconds.

Why is it a big fucking graphic?

It would be pretty cool if they had a little read out at the bottom like the pace one, though.

England's batsmen letting themselves again. Too many talented players lacking braincells.

Not a great day for England.

Too little competition for places, I think, is responsible for this type of performance at the start of a series.

Bell, for example, has barely been better than mediocre his whole career and his place is 100% secure.

Jesus Jimmy, what a ball.

Superb start.

Hardly, he's inconsistent but he's still a very talented batter on his day.

Great opening day anyway, probably about even going into tomorrow.

I'm not denying he's talented.

In terms of pure technique he's the best in the England team, it's having nothing else thats the problem. He can't graft, he can't score ugly runs, he appears to have nothing between the ears etc, etc..

He's scored 1 century in 2 years (in a dead rubber against India) and only 6 50's in his last 30 innings. Bell's average in that time frame is, including that 116* in a meaningless game, 31 for that period. That's 2 years of mediocrity, it's not as if he can use the excuse that he's an explosive player who plays innings that by their nature come off once every 10 times, because his strike rate is a pretty unspectacular 37 for the same period.

The story of talented players not being able to do well on the Test stage is hardly unknown, Ramprakash and more recently Bopara have shown that, Bell's done better than both of them twice over and then some but excusing school boy dismissals time and time again because he plays a nice cover drive is stupid. Besides, Graeme Smith has been one of the most successful players of the past 10 years and is technically horrid, Jonathan Trott plays across the line to everything and if you watch videos of Bradman his technique is not perfect.

But thats the point, you have to accept Bell warts and all because there's nothing else. Bairstow was very lucky to get in this team as it is (and for my money shouldn't be there, Compton was possibly the most harshly treated test player for about 15 seconds until Australia dropped Lyon for a club cricketer 2 months ago), Taylor looks decent if not limited, Morgan is out of favour and Stokes as a genuine all round option (with Prior going to 6) seems premature. Probably England's best option long term to provide competition got himself killed.

I love how shit Australia are.

Its more that Anderson is the best bowler in the world at bowling swing, both conventional and reverse. We had nothing until the ball started reserving. Throw Swann into the mix on a dry pitch and you have a very difficult combination.

They would have been all excited when they bowled England out yesterday and now they've fallen apart.

That and Australia are shite. Clarke alone would get into this England team, even New Zealand have a better batting unit than them.

Watson on his day would be in the team, but there hasn't been many of those lately.

As a very debatable 6 over Bairstow on the grounds he can bowl if you force him too, probably yeah.

In terms of batting it's pretty even with Bairstow's slightly lower average offset by the fact that he's only just starting out.

Agar is smashing it

Great to watch even from an England perspective.

98 for Ashton Agar!

Poor sod.

Well batted, but England have a ridiculous habit of letting tail enders score big runs against them.

Someone break down what I've missed, been out all day.

11-2

They really don't want this test.

England bowled well at the start of the day.

Agar came in at 11 and played a lovely innings for 98 (despite the fact he was out for 6) and England lost the plot and bowled filth.