A Year of Thinking Positively.

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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:04 pm

I've not been able to get on my computer so much recently so I haven't remarked on the Aussie two day match against Northants. Mudhsuden Panasar played, having featured on this tour for the combined Universities. I think it's pretty shocking that England should be giving the visitors so much practice against slow left arm. Would the Australians be so generous? Good luck Gilo.

Panasar took 1-183. Job done ECB.

All their batters had a good hit. Gillespie didn't play and I suspect that the tour, for him, is over.

Australia's one day game in Edinburgh was abandoned without a ball bowled. Which is traditional.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Mon Aug 24, 2015 8:50 pm

A wet first day in Nottingham. Under grey cloud, Michael Vaughan elected to have a bat, a risky strategy at the home of swing. McG was out again with an elbow injury, which, at the toss Captain Ponting said he knew nothing about. Vaughan said he wanted to put the tourists under pressure.

After coming so close in Manchester, England got back on the horse.

I watched this at Wollaton Park on one of the big screens that have appeared around the country. There were quite a few people there, but there may have been anyway. It seemed a strange thing to happen to my sport, like your brother becoming unexpectedly and bewilderingly famous- making you feel a little proud, as if it had something to do with you. Anyway, being in Nottingham, it rained there when it rained on the screen. Like one of those cinema gimmicks in the 1950s where you might get a little electric shock in a tense moment because William Castle had arranged to have the seats wired up. So I got wet, just like Freddie and Vaughany.

The cricket from Australia was undisciplined again. Maybe they haven't stopped celebrating the draw at Old Trafford. Warne was bowling at twelve midday, at the home of swing, under cloud, on the first morning... He got Strauss sweeping, the ball bouncing off his boot, caught Hayden at slip. Warne, conspiratorially offered Steve Bucknor an opportunity to be in on the wicket, and Steve snapped up the chance.

It wasn't England's best day, but Australia kept letting them off the hook. Lee got Tres with a big no ball, Kaspa and Haydos dropped good chances, and KP should have been run out. England went along at five an over for most of the day. And yet, wickets fell. Everyone got a start apart from Bell, who walked off shaking his head as if no one ever had the luck to edge to the keeper before. I got my first look at Shaun Tait, a big lad, who looks like he'd whack you with a towel in the shower. His run up and action look exactly like Harold Larwood, which is wonderful. He's pretty quick and bowled Tres with a spectacular yorker. Tony Greig said he'd take a lot of wickets. But how can you tell? He's only played one day.

The Aussies bowled far too short again. And yet...

...And yet, England went in 229-4. Four wickets down is like dangling over a precipice. One more, one more strand of rope gives way and you can suddenly plummet into the jaws of a shaft that lets in no light... Ponting got Vaughan out towards the final rain delay, which changed the balance of the game. The balding Ponting cavorted and jigged like an old man in a western who has just discovered a goldmine after many years of trying. He loved that. His figures: 6-2-9-1. No doubt Channel 9 in Australia will be selling a commemorative tea towel. More pertinently, he was the only bowler to go at under 3.5 an over, and he didn't bowl a no ball, when his colleagues delivered 18.

The Aussies ate crumpets during the drinks break.

I'm working tomorrow. Freddie and KP are at the crease, which could be fun. KP has a blue streak in his hair now. I don't know why.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:09 pm

That Shaun Tait lad played for Durham last year against Somerset. Supposedly one for the future, but If memory serves he bowled about 30 no balls in the match, and after bowling a 17 ball over in the first innings, had to be pulled from the attack.

Hard to believe he's now an ashes cricketer

I've just checked.. he bowled 12 overs in the first innings with 21 no balls, and 6 overs in the second innings with 5 no balls
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:15 pm

oh..... and he looked as though he didn't know which end of the bat to hold

I'm staying overnight in Hartlepool and then heading along the coast to Whitby for the bank holiday Monday. Not sure the gaffer will let me watch much cricket on the telly. Crikey.... I may have to buy her stuff, to stay in her good books....... or worse........... I may have to indulge in some unmentionable afternoon sweaty nonsense, in the hope that she nods off immediately afterwards......... stay strong, footman.... stay strong :scared
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:16 pm

I remember that. It seemed an exaggerated sign that the Australia back up wasn't up to scratch. But he looked ok today.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Mon Aug 24, 2015 9:17 pm

Good luck with whatever it takes, Durham.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Durhamfootman » Mon Aug 24, 2015 10:24 pm

I'd #shudder

if anyone had the wit to invent # tags
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Tue Aug 25, 2015 11:21 am

But England didn't plummet down the precipice.

Before I left for work, I heard the Boycott doctrine: 'You've got to play your shots, but you've got to not get out'.Thanks Geoffrey.

And that's what Freddie did, until shot down by Steve Bucknor. It was a bit leg side. Everyone's giggling at Bucknor now, and he keeps giving them out. After Pietersen went early, Geraint and Freddie added 177 for the sixth wicket (Jones knocked the skin off an edge to the keeper, but Dar didn't see it, going on to score 85), and saw England to 477 all out at nearly four runs an over. Freddie combats Warne so well, playing orthodox drives with great certainty. This was a quality hundred, though he got out just as he decided to have some fun.

Lee bowled Simon Jones, middle stump, but the bails didn't fall off. This is how things are going for Australia. Four for Warne. Three for Tait. England might have only scored one ton in their 477, but the Aussie bowlers posted four.

The best part of the day was when England bowled, finding the swing that eluded the Australians by pitching the ball up. You don't need the tactics truck to know to bowl full in these conditions. Hoggy picked up three wickets, including Haydos with a text book inswinger, but Simon Jones bowled just as well. Australia closed the day at 99-5. Martyn (Marto) got a howler from Aleem Dar, an inside edge which we'll probably hear about for years.

Australia are 378 runs behind with five wickets left. I'm going on Sunday. There might not be much of a game left by then. I hope not. If I see a lot of cricket, it means Australia have fought back.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Durhamfootman » Tue Aug 25, 2015 12:49 pm

the funny thing about Bucknor is that he always looks apologetic when he raises the finger

it's as if he already knows he's got it wrong, before he gets it wrong
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Aug 26, 2015 3:01 pm

There are moments in close, competitive series which remain intact in the ongoing sediment of the memory, such is the intensity of their formation; like fossils. There have been many in this series already, and there was another today. But first, some context.

Gilchrist was slogging the ball around the ground, for old times' sake. This Ashes has been remarkable for Gilly's failure to bark in the night time. The ball had stopped swinging, and the pitch was looking a bit flat. Gilchrist, everyone's nemesis, had just distributed Giles into the seats. Strauss had taken a fine sharp catch at gully, to dismiss Katich and end a 58 partnership with the batter-keeper. Freddie came on as he does when the ball has stopped swinging and times are hard. He bowled round the wicket to Gilly, and hit the pitch just short of a length. He got that bounce he gets, and the ball moved away half a width of the bat, and Gilchrist (Churchy?) sparred at it, a mistake. And the ball flew serenely into a vacant third slip region.

Whereupon a thrilling thing happened. Andrew Strauss threw himself into the space, full length, facing down, slightly tilted towards the action. He was just short, he was going to just miss. Good effort though. Immense reactions just to respond to a fast chance. But he seemed to get extra impetus from somewhere, the dive kept on going, and at the last, he was able to thrust his hand out further. Another, new extension, and at the end, a grasp. The ball stuck.

As he fell to the ground, the ball began to squeeze out his hand. In slo-mo, it looks like a stop motion film of a flower starting to emerge on a natural history programme. Crucially, if he'd had further to fall, he could have lost the ball. But he landed with it still gripped between a thumb and two fingers. He smothered the ball into his chest as he hit the ground. And then, everything stopped for one of those elastic seconds, and everyone on tv and at the pavilion end wondered if it had bounced out on impact with the grass.

But Strauss jumped up with the ball aloft. And was mobbed by his team mates. For once everyone on the field forgot about Freddie, and was transported into a kind of rapture by what they had witnessed, a disorienting reality. Maybe that kind of moment brings greater belief and makes the miraculous seem possible? I don't know, I just have a normal job.

Gilchrist, c Strauss, b Flintoff 27.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Aug 26, 2015 3:41 pm

With Gilchrist now a divinity that has fallen to earth, Warne has been the saviour with bat and ball. Today he was out first ball to Simon Jones, slicing the ball unbecomingly to Bell at point. Simon Jones slapped the top of his own head with both hands in celebration. His team mates copied him. Australia were nine down for 175.

Harmi bowled a ball in the slot to Brett Lee which he launched for, to that point, the biggest six I've ever seen. Bigger than the one Lance Cairns hit at Scarborough in 1978. It went into the next street. A few balls later, he hit him for a far bigger one. Lee (Binga?) hit 47, and got Australia to 218, all out. I've got a hunch Harmi is emotionally exhausted. Lee is some fella.

Simon Jones finished with 5-44. He bowled a ball to Kasprowicz that held the line on leg stump until on a length, and then swung away to hit middle and off. If it had been to a top order batter, that ball would legend. All summer, England have threatened to push Australia into a corner where they may have had to follow on. This time, 259 behind, Vaughan put them back in. Australia had been bowled out in fifty overs.

After a four over opening spell, Jones went off the pitch to hospital, and Hoggy limped to the dressing room (there was a B side out there fielding). So Freddie got Haydos and Martyn. Hayden picked Giles out at an isolated fourth slip. How often has that happened? The field setting has been uncanny. Michael Vaughan has sold his hair to the devil.

Then Strauss shelled a sitter off Langer!

Langer was nuggety and gnarly as he is, and was out for 61, caught at short leg off Giles. When Ponting was run out (a fine direct hit from the sub fielder) going for an invisible run, we knew the pressure is starting to fatigue the Australian batting. Australia closed at 222-4, 37 behind, with six wickets left, Clarke not out by grace of Jones' fluffed stumping.

There was a nice moment at the close when the England team let the young lad who threw out Ponting lead them off the field!
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Aug 26, 2015 4:02 pm

I'm going tomorrow, so let's hope for a quiet day and an early finish. Once again, after three days of England being on top, Australia are still in with a chance of winning. We need Katich and Clarke early.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Durhamfootman » Wed Aug 26, 2015 8:43 pm

I particularly enjoyed watching Pontings reaction to the run out

from captain to jester in a matter of moments

Aussies look shot to me

England will cruise this from here......... nailed on!
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Wed Aug 26, 2015 8:49 pm

Probably. Looks like the run out incident has flared up since I posted. Have to give Ponting some grief if he fields near me. Which isn't likely.
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Re: A Year of Thinking Positively.

Postby Arthur Crabtree » Thu Aug 27, 2015 11:05 am

Ponting has apologised.

Who knew the Aussie cricket captain was a role model?

Maybe this is what yesterday will be remembered for, Gary Pratt running out Ricky Ponting going for a dodgy single. And not Strauss' catch.
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