Australia 263 (Watson 62; Anderson 5-80; Onions 4-58)
England 116/2 (Strauss 64*)
Andersen and Onions swing the balance in England’s favour as they look to compile a solid reply to Australia’s below par 263.

Day one, all 30 overs of it, belonged to Australia and they began day two on 126-1, with Shane Watson in his new role on 62 and Ricky Ponting on 17, just 8 shy of Allan Border’s all time Australian run record. With more rain forecast for the weekend today would be crucial in deciding how this test would finish.

First ball! Graeme Onions first ball of the day caught Watson sleeping as it nipped back, he was late on it and it cannoned into his pads, plum LBW. 62 from 106 balls, great effort yesterday but no more from him today. Hussey out to join his skipper, and he goes first ball!! Two in two balls from Onions what a start!! Clean bowled leaving a straight ball. Stupid boy, as Captain Mainwaring would say. Wow. Vice captain and Lord’s centurion in next and just about survived the hat trick ball, he did his best to glove it through to Prior chasing a bouncer.

Continue Reading

Ashes Series 2009 3rd Test Buildup

Does the England Starting XI Pick Itself?

Here’s the England Squad for the 3rd Ashes Test at Edgbaston . . .

England Likely Lineup to be picked from: Strauss (c), Cook, Bopara, Bell, Collingwood, Prior (w), Flintoff, Broad, Swann, Anderson, Onions (???), Harmison (???), Panesar

The old mantle in sport of never changing a winning team/formula lives on for the simple reason that for the most part it works. On this occasion, however England’s hands have been tied with the loss of KP delivering a hefty blow to their pre-match preparations. The Ian Bell recall was pretty much a formality, the nearly man of English cricket will want to break his Ashes hoodoo and show the world that style and substance are words that can be used in the same sentence as Bell. The only way he can do this is by securing that elusive Ashes century. With his imperious form in County Cricket and a far blunter Aussie attack – how glad Bell would be to see the back of Warne and Mcgrath – you wouldn’t bet against him.

Continue Reading