Quote of the Day
 

... goes to Ricky Ponting:

Punter said: "I worked really hard but I thought I'd cocked it up at the end...."

LMAO!!

Tell it like it is mate :D

You appear to have come to life after successfully working out a draw! Well done mate!:lol:

It's a great result mate, after being dominated for every other day of this test coming out with a draw is a testament to the grit of the Australian team. Especially seeing as they've not needed to show that sort of grit for a long time (apart from the last test which they nearly stole after being similarly dominated).

If there's anything to worry about it would be the English worrying about dominating a test match for so long and being unable to finish it off. I'd be very worried if I was in the England team, imagine if the top order in Aus found some form and imagine if we ditch Dizzy in favour of someone who will get us a few wickets?

;)

And besides, you've been stirring all day!!

not especially into cricket but what a **** game when you play for 5 days and still draw!

Yeah and 6 men agianst 11 ain't fair:P

How do you get to this bit? I don't understand.

I don't understand cricket, but has i see it. We played 6 men and then declared. The Ozzies played the full monty

Because Vaughan decided he had enough runs on board to defend and had enough time left in the match to bowl us out.

He didn't need to use more batsman - it's a positive.

I would have preferred that we got where we did without using more batsmen. If we got to say 300 runs this innings, and were chasing 130 odd runs with around 10-13 overs to go they could afford to have a dash at it because there were wickets in hand if they got out.

England kept the pressure on by taking wickets regularly throughout the day and stopped Aus from launching that final assault at the end. Even so, you could see that Ponting was thinking of winning at a couple of stages in his innings but after he lost Warne he decided that it was gone and that a draw was the best possible result.

It was a great game.

[Edited on 15-8-2005 by TP]

Cat & Mouse.......... sums it up.

It was Saturday's rain that saved them....

Bring me sunshine.... :cool::cool:

Bang on there Martin.

TP said in another post that you don't see many tests go to five days with the Aussies. I bet they're mighty glad this one didn't go to five days otherwise they'd have been sunk without trace.

All credit to them for grinding out the draw and especially Ponting who played a mighty innings, but the psychological advantage is with England now.

Australia have been bought down to earth and they know that they only saved the game because it was shortened.

Ponting is the only one of their batsmen who's managed to put together a knock that lives up to reputation and it must be a sickener for the top order batters to see Warne consistently ouplaying them (but credit to Warney as well for a gutsy match). They just don't seem to be able to handle reverse swing do they?

Just shows that without McGrath and Warne on top form to restrict the opposition the mighty Australia look like a much more ordinary side

I don't know Jools. The rain worked in our favour for sure, but I think it's biggest impact was slowing the momentum that England had built.

I think if it had of been 5 days and England bowled like they did in that last innings then there's no gaurantee that they would have taken the wickets. If the total was too big then Australia would have just held out for the draw. They batted yesterday with the total in the back of their minds so were positive and looking to score runs up until the point where there were no recognised batsmen left. Just look at the running between the wickets that Ponting and Clarke/Warne were doing ... looking to turn singles into 2's etc. They believed they had a chance - slim yes, but a chance. They would have played differently if the total to chase was 500.

After being dominated so much and turning that around to get the draw, and after being dominated at Edgbaston and Eng only winning by 2 runs I actually think the momentum has swung back to Aus. Especially after Punters innings. They will take a lot of positives out of that game and look to build on it. I also think that some selection changes will be made for the 4th test and Aus will be a better team for it.

If England still had the psychological advantage why did they all have their heads down yesterday and feel gutted that they didn't win the test?

I don't think we'll agree on this one, but it doesn't matter, either way it's shaping up as the most entertaining Ashes series for 18 years and that can only be a good thing.

TP

I thought they should have asked Ponting what it was like captaining the number 2 side in the world!!.... ;) without Lee & Warne they'd be sunk at the mo (he is quality), McGrath was struggling and picked up wickets when we were throwing the bat at anything that moved - Gilespie is a waste of space, and just one bastman who scored over 100 for the number 1 side in the world, bit poor ain't it?

England lost that test, they should have won it, they should have if Vaughan hadn't taken the new ball straight away and let Jones carry on swinging it (he was scaring the crap out of them) - that is why we started to mop up the tail enders towards the end of the day after it had been used - the Aussies cannot handle the swing and it will win the series for England.

These have been quality matches and the closest series I can remember and I hope it continues - we now have bowlers that can do real damage with the ball and at more than one time in an innings and batsmen who are not afraid to give it out....;););)