First the good news:

Australia 1st Innings
190 all out

Now the bad news:

England 1st Innings
21 for 5

The hazards of peaking too early
Not a bad recovery from Pietersen though

Worse news. 5/156 needing 420 to win. If Warnie wasn't in the team it would be an even series, with the batting and pace bowling about even--maybe a slight edge to Australia due to Glen McGrath. But Warnie seems to have the middle and tail end batsmen completely spooked, especially in the second innings of matches, when there's a few rough patches to aim for. Warne had five fieldsmen in close after a few overs today. Your batsmen have to attack him, the way guys like Sehwag and Tandulkar do. You might lose a wicket or two, but you'll lose them anyway by playing defensively--there's five fieldsmen around the bat who don't drop catches. And you'll have more runs to show for it.

I've seen Warnie belted out of the attack before--it can be done. For England to have any chance this must become your batting strategy.

Bring back Botham

You might already have one (like John Cleese said about the Holy Grail in "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"--we've already got one, "it's very narce"). His name's Pieterson.

We live in hope!

John and Andy,

Good luck for Edgbaston. England can win if they do the following;

1. Try to survive the first session from Lee and McGrath, then
2. Attack Warnie.

It's great being an armchair expert.

Our only chance? Heavy machine guns for all England slip fielders.

I suspect you are going to have some fun taunting us over the Ashes. Australia outplayed us in the first test and they will probably do the same for the rest of the series.

I hope they replace Giles with Collingwood. I think we have to give up the idea of spinning the Australians out. Collingwood will help to bolster the batting. We definitely need it.

John and Steve,

You'll probably think I'm a lunatic, but I think England are a real chance. A good spell by McGrath and a few dropped catches turned the tide at Lords. Also, the Aussies are a little jittery after 7/7. Gillespie said on Melbourne radio today that the team would probably favor returning home if there was another terrorist attack. No way this will be a walkover. Watch for a few batsmen going after Warne. I'll put my head on the block and predict a draw (that way I can make a prediction and still sit on the fence)


p.s. talk about famous last words.

Like me you underestimated England. It was indeed one of the great test matches. It is being played in the manner of the one-day game (mainly because our young players have been brought up this way). Trescothick, Pietersen and Flintoff in the first innings were sensational. Flintoff was even better in the second innings. Watching Flintoff driving the world's fastest bowler, Brett Lee, back over his head and on to the grandstand roof on Saturday, was one of the greatest sporting moments I have ever seen. However, the whole test was full of such incidents. What about when Warne bowled Strauss by turning the ball 35.1in. How does he do that?

I still think Australia will win the series. Man for man, they are the better team. However, Flintoff is capable of anything and Strauss, Bell and Jones will all improve as the series goes on. It should be an exciting few weeks. What with West Ham being back in the premiership, my sporting life is pretty good at the moment.

This was the most exciting test match I've ever seen (I didn't underestimate England too much--I did predict a draw ). With McGrath out, the sides are very even. Flintoff, Trescothick, Harmison and Pieterson are rising to the occasion and could turn the tide in England's favor. Against that is Australia's superior fielding and the tenacity of Shane Warne. Can't wait till tomorrow.

The third test has just started. The surprise news is that McGrath and Lee are playing. As far as McGrath is concerned, this seems to be a big gamble. England won the toss and are batting. Therefore McGrath has to bowl straight away. The pitch is significant. It is unlikely to take much spin (although this will not stop Warne). It looks like a batting pitch and the question is: will the bowlers be good enough to bowl out the other team twice. After 15 minutes the English openers have looked very comfortable (no swing yet).

Bad day at the office for Australia. Losing the toss was the start of it. Gillespie looks like he's lost form completely and playing McGrath has backfired. McGill will play at Trent Bridge, IMO. Our batsmen will need to save this Test and there's no Steve Waugh. Hard to believe that a total of seven chances were put down by fieldsmen and keeper. I can't wait to hear what Roy and H.G. say about this.

Mark, its a batters track,I think both sides will score heavily, and a draw seems like the most realistic outcome. Still its great were giving you a real go for thr first time in 18 years.

Hi Steve,

It's a flat pitch but by tonight will be fairly scuffed and rutted (I think our batsmen deliberately scuff it up as much as possible. As this practise appears to favor Warnie in the second innings of matches, I must commend it as an excellent innovation, although not entirely in the spirit of fair play). I think we're toast. There'll be several changes for the 4th Test.

p.s. I heard a rumor that it rains a lot in Manchester. If rain intercedes on our behalf, resulting in a draw, we'll have to claim (like GWB) that God is on our side.

Rain is indeed your best chance. It has been fascinating watching the confidence of this once great team disappear. The most noticeable thing yesterday was how the Australian team reacted to the barracking of the crowd. I am sure this partly explains the mistakes they have been making in the field.

The real problem for the Australians is that they only have three test class bowlers: McGrath, Warne and Lee. This is reflected in the decision to include McGrath in the team. Despite his figures, McGrath bowled well without any luck at all. However, his performance has declined as the test has gone on and if called upon, will struggle in England’s second innings.

The key bowler in this test is Simon Jones. He can do what no other bowler in this match can do. He can get the ball to swing both ways (the pitch is giving the bowlers very little help at the moment although the spinners will cause problems as the game goes on). Vaughan still does not fully trust Jones and he was under bowled yesterday. He constantly caused problems for the batsman yesterday and I suspect the same will happen today. If England can get them all out for less than 245 and enforce the follow-on, they will win. If not, the rain will probably mean a draw. However, the tide has turned, Australia is no longer the best side in the world.

Of course all of this shows that historians/armchair experts make fairly poor predictors of future outcomes. Shame really!

I was at an indoor hockey tournament last Sunday, and I can tell you that the event of the morning at Edgbaston practically brought the tournament to a halt!

A most enjoyable series thus far, at just over half way through...

Ed

Australia need 423 to win the Third Test.

2nd Innings

J L Langer c G O Jones b M J Hoggard 14
M L Hayden b A Flintoff 36
R T Ponting not out 35
D R Martyn not out 2

Extras 13

Total 100

Flintoff has been bowling beautifully. The match-winner, Simon Jones, has yet to bowl.

All square with two tests left. England are entitled to feel confident about their prospects, given their mastery of the new bowling paradigm: reverse swing.

Terry Aldermen was given credit for swing bowling the Ashes back to Australia in 1989. Andy Flintoff and Simon Jones are attempting to "reverse swing" them back to England.

This is without doubt the best series for 20 years, and much closer than I had dared to hope, Have you heared the new Australian prayer. "Please god keep Warnie fit."

I don't think my predictions were too bad.

Yes, that's some mighty fine predictin'. I predict Australia will regroup and win the fourth test. England's failure to win in Manchester will come back to haunt them. Australia escaped with a moral victory ie. they were outplayed, but salvaged a draw.

John and Steve, what do you predict?

I suspect you are right but I am English and will go for another draw (weather once again saving the Australians).

Actually, I think England would have won the last test if it had not been for Simon Jones having to go off injured just as the ball was getting old enough to swing both ways.

You still have two world class bowlers but that was not enough to save you. The injury to Simon Jones was a problem and the English attack looked less dangerous in the second innings. Collingwood will probably replace Jones in the final test. That might help us get a draw (we might also need the unpredictable weather that we get in England in September).

There is indeed a first time for everything.
I leave the country for a month and when I return England can play cricket and the Aussies are in turmoil
What was that little strop from Ponting about when he was run out?

I think Ponting was just angry at being run out by a bad call from Damien Martyn. Expect Australia to regain its' mercenary mindset when McGrath returns for the fifth Test. Simon Jones' injury is a concern for England.

Hi John, Andy Mark well its D-day tomorrow, how do you see it going, I am predicting a draw, I also think at least one day will be rained off..

A draw. We will not get five full days and I expect the groundsman to produce a batsman's pitch. I hope they pick Collingwood instead of Anderson. We need his batting rather than his bowling. He is a steady bowler and will keep things tight and therefore allow the others to do the damage. Anderson is too erratic and he has a poor batting record.

A draw. We will not get five full days and I expect the groundsman to produce a batsman's pitch. I hope they pick Collingwood instead of Anderson. We need his batting rather than his bowling. He is a steady bowler and will keep things tight and therefore allow the others to do the damage. Anderson is too erratic and he has a poor batting record.

I'm getting a sense of deja vu here...

I think it's going to be mighty close... Australia won't give up without a fight, and remembering how close the games England won have been to losses, I'm less confident about England's chances.

For McGrath and Warne it's their last tests in England, and possibly against England. I'm sure they'll find this highly motivational. With S Jones out, perhaps some of the momentum is with the away side, and this may have a negative effect on the English.

For me the crucial phase is England's first innings. If the openers put on 100+, it will probably mean a draw. If a couple of wickets fall before fifty, it will be Australia's victory.

What a great result

It has been a LONG time coming!

It's really pleasing that the weather played less of a role than it might...

And is it slightly ironic that KP of all players was dropped twice before going on to make 150+??

Had he not been dropped = for the afternoon!

A most enjoyable series (result even better!)... they should release a realtime ball by ball dvd box set of each day of each test.... and we can all grow happy and old watching them, waiting for cricket to return to terrestrial in the UK.

Ed

The man who impressed me most was Giles. Especially as I have been suggesting he should be dropped from the team. It was a great example of a limited batsman employing sheer guts and determination to survive.

Ladies and gentlemen, normal service has been resumed

That is a little harsh. It is one thing to beat the world champions in England to beating other good sides in their own country. One also has to remember that England did not have Simon Jones. As I said several times last summer, his reverse swing played a key role in defeating the Australians. The England bowling line-up is very different without him. The other point is that England lack a top class spinner. They will always struggle in countries where games are often won on the last two days on a turning wicket.

The fifth test has just begun and the barmy army, including all those wacky Monty Panesar devotees decked out in fake beards, are very confident of England's chances.

In support of this, they cite as evidence the indisputable fact that England have not lost a single Test match this year.

Just turned on my radio - ABC - to keep abreast of the offical lies of the day for those resident down under, only to discover the cricket has taken over.

Again!

I switch off in disgust.

Cricket is a sport to be played on a nice day, especially in the clubhouse beer garden afterwards.

Watching is slow and tedious.

Listening is sheer torture.

Especially when the result can be predicted with accuracy using a one-sided coin.

Please allow me to be the first POM to offer congratulations to the Aussies, and that bloody phenomina, Shane Warne.

We have been throughly out batted, out bowled, out fielded, out thought, and most worryingly, out fought. Sept 2005 seems a VERY long time ago..........

On a positive note, the army of England supporters who have followed their side around this country have provided great entertainment, humour and color and given the series much of its carnival atmosphere.

Unlike supporters of other countries, they will support their side through good times and bad and are not afraid to show up en masse to proudly support them, even when their team is losing. They have an irrepressible spirit and a fine sense of humour. Top marks from me.