It's a text based forum so I don't know if you're having little digs at me or not, so I'll just let it go.

It's too early to pick form for the Ashes just as it's too early to say who is going to win the NatWest series. There's only been a handfull of games and you can't write a side like Australia off that easy. You might think it's arrogance but it's not - it's confidence. The confidence that winning the last two cricket world cups gives, the confidence that ending the year as the top ranked ODI side for however long they've managed it gives. That's all.

I didn't think that 266 would be enough but the Oz bowlers lifted their game and I think that the English batsman didn't play very well - as is evidenced by Darren Gough being getting the highest English score. I also thought that England looked poor in the field, lots of mistakes and in the previous games they were very sharp - no mistakes and that AWESOME catch that Collingwood got Hayden with, oustanding.

Long way to go yet - lets hope there's a lot of good cricket to come :D [/quote] I agree TP, our batsmen were not good it was probabaly a bad decision to put the aussies in first - lets hope for a competative rest of series and test series. Sky sports said that the previous highest 10th wicket partnership against Australia was by Angus Fraser & Phil Tufnell ! I would have liked to have seen that asked on question of sport !

Maybe a little harsh on Trescothick. Australia has been batting ok but our fielding and bowling has been poor. We couldn't even defend 252 against Bangladesh. Tresco was trying to put pressure on what has been the weakest part of our game. Fair enough. Hindsight is 20/20 as always though.

When we're playing really well, we'll sometimes go into bat first (if we win the toss, if not the opposition will put you in anyway) and try and put a big total together regardless of the conditions. Put the pressure on the opposition batsmen with guys like the miserly McGrath bowling at them and our good fielding. It's the way they like to play, confident and attacking.

Good luck in the rest of the games.

pound coins, TP, or a crisp note ? :(

Well, we play you guys again next Tuesday - double or nothing?

;)

deal.

Ok fair enough we were stuffed in this one, but one match does not a summer make! Poor decision to field first, all downhill from then on, we were never in the match. Awesome bowling by Brett Lee.