Ashes 10/11

[Eddie]

Anderson is class. Before this series there was much said and written about how he would possibly struggle in Australia with conditions less friendly to his swing bowling but he has proved he is perhaps now the top fast/fast-medium bowler around. Conditions have been better for him than some thought I think but it's all about the control and he has produced great spells over and over again. And Cook with the bat has had a series beyond the wildest dreams of any batsmen, second only to Wally Hammond in the history of series total runs. Last summer he was close to being dropped and all sorts of questions were being asked about his form and technique so a tremendous example of hanging in there and coming good again, and fairplay to the management and selectors for sticking with him.

I had no success with my punts on this series. People laughed a bit when I told them I backed England 4-0 and 4-1 but wasn't quite such a bad bet ultimately, but still a loser. Well done to those who had 3-1, I think before the start 2-1 either way were the favourite prices and the ones the pundits wee going for.

As for Australia, well they are a poor side and how refreshing it is to be able to say that We've only been waiting twenty years to see it. They still have decent players I think. Some of the shots being played by the batsmen were very odd though. What is really bizarre is the lack of a spinner. When Warne became a superstar seventeen years ago you would have thought every kid in Australia would have wanted to be a spinner and yet here we are a decade and a half later and not one of those kids has grown up to be a top class slow bowler. Oh well, their loss is our gain. Let's hope the next year is a great one for cricket and I look forward to the world cup with interest and hope there will be a few good offers around.

[munk]

Yes fantastic performance by England. Not sure that I would have let England carry on to make 600+ in first innings on 4th day without a declaration in my capacity as armchair England captain but hey ho... I suppose it was very tempting what with being so close to taking the record for the highest ever England test innings score on Australian turf (which of course they went on to break, highest score in 80 years or something, forget now but was qauite a few years).

Also (again in my important role as armchair captain ) I don't know why Strauss sets the field so defensively when we have such a huge lead. He did the same thing in the last test I think it was, despite having a 3-400+ run lead with no chance of Australia coming anywhere near the total, insisting on setting a defensive field to 'save runs'. Set an attacking field, 6 fielders around the batsmen and a few out on the ropes and attack attack attack! Fair enough if it doesn't work after 1-200 odd runs have been made against it then change to defence, but going out from the start with a defensive field just seems too conservative.

I think we have the bowlers right now to make that work as well, fair enough Australia couldn't have done that I don't think even if they had that kind of lead, none of their bowlers has managed to keep the right line/length for an extended period to make an attacking field work. But as you say above Eddie, Anderson has been on top form with very few mistakes, good line/length and the other bowlers haven't been that short of the mark either (Tremlett looked superb I thought, Bresnan also very competent, Swann of course excellent).

And also definitely worth picking up on, England's performance in the field has been top notch, very very nice to see indeed. Fielding is underrated generally but England seem to be on top form in that department right now. Lost track of the number of times last night I saw Australia hammer the ball off the middle of the bat out into the mid wicket area and Anderson (I think?) always managed to stop it... very impressive.

So, 3-1 all bar the shouting now, at one fleeting moment yesterday even though England had the huge lead it did look like Australia could possibly hold out for the draw. 41 for no wicket I think it was and the odds at Betfair were up to 2 with the draw price coming in swiftly.

But wow that first wicket was quite amazing, anyone see that run out? Watson must have been fuming at that dismissal, just no communication at all, very easy single, fairly easy two runs but somehow managed to completely muck it up and end up with both batsmen at the same crease! Pure comic genius as an England spectator!! Kind of summed up Australia's general situation quite well too I think.

Well done England, lets hope that kind of form can continue to build.

Oh and so long to Collingwood, he announced his retirement from test cricket yesterday didn't he, nice way to go out really.

[munk]

Wehey, all over now, 3-1 England. Very well deserved, not a lot of weak links there this time around for England. Man of the series for me is either Cook or Anderson, not sure which, probably Cook for spending that much time in the middle of the pitch on his lonesome (well... with one mate heh). Roll on 2013.