c4countdown

Bring back Ravi.

Yes the southern know-nothing media will definitely be running that story tomorrow. Wondering if Stokes will get a look-in now he's back fit. Him and Taylor (plays for an amazingly awful team who got obliterated for 34 today) are the next big names to come through batting-wise. Strauss' batting is really getting on my tits mind. Grinding it out nicely then just gets out in the most horrific way he can find.

Broad's been amazing this series so far. That LBW decision was awful but still, amazing to get a hat-trick. Looking like another great test.

That 'U' turn by Dhoni, yesterday, over the Bell run out was the greatest bit of sportsmanship since Arsenal Replayed that game against Sheffieild United all them years ago.
Both decisions more than a little bit swayed by public opinion.
At least Dhoni made his decision quickly.

Bopara in for Trott. Great. Just great.

I just can't believe they went for that shithouse softcock after they made Taylor captain of the Lions - where yet again in a meaningful game Taylor performed well (76 & 98) and Bopara did sweet FA. Just so pissed off, as is every person I know who has some interest in English cricket. The only hope is England play 5 bowlers.

It's getting a bit ridiculous now. England are dominant and ruthless. Still, shit could hit the fan... Bopara's in!

Not any more..

Best England cricket team I've ever seen. And by quite a long way.

ARRRGHHH!!!!!!!! THE AGONY!

294 still well impressive though, as is 710-7.

Jon O'Neill wrote:Bring back Ravi.

Oops.

We're number 1!

in the same way manure are premiership no.1. mediocre opposition. still history will forgive that fact.

Marc Meakin wrote:in the same way manure are premiership no.1. mediocre opposition. still history will forgive that fact.

Oh no they're not

Oh, and screendump that now. Wolves at #2

The cricket rocked - loved every minute of it. As the man himself said, think of the runs he did score rather than the 6 he didn't.

Come on Ravi!

Bopara NOT OUT!? Pinch me.

Not out again. One of the worst innings you'll ever see. So glad they overlooked a young hard-hitting Durham player with tons of potential for that proven shower of shit.

Craig Beevers wrote:Not out again. One of the worst innings you'll ever see. So glad they overlooked a young hard-hitting Durham player with tons of potential for that proven shower of shit.

Guided us home? And bowled quite well.

Craig Beevers wrote:Not out again. One of the worst innings you'll ever see. So glad they overlooked a young hard-hitting Durham player with tons of potential for that proven shower of shit.

I also would have brought in Steve Davies as keeper, and Rory Hamilton-Brown as 12th man.

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:Not out again. One of the worst innings you'll ever see. So glad they overlooked a young hard-hitting Durham player with tons of potential for that proven shower of shit.

Guided us home? And bowled quite well.

Bowled one rubbish over where the batsman hammered two balls straight to the infielder, one of them bounced the other didn't. A regulation win was turned into a toss of a coin because he batted like Boycott but without the mental strength - see the way he bottled pie-chucker Munaf's last two deliveries in the penultimate over, couldn't even lay a bat on them. Left it all to Fatel who got a lucky wide call and then edged one under Dhoni. Bopara hit two boundaries all innings and one of those should have been caught, he hit another one straight up in the air which India's fielders allowed to land in no-man's land. If you think he guided us home you need to give up the game.

I don't mind which young players get a go, as long as they get a chance and aren't held up so a proven shithouse failure can get yet another undeserved cap.

Craig Beevers wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:Not out again. One of the worst innings you'll ever see. So glad they overlooked a young hard-hitting Durham player with tons of potential for that proven shower of shit.

Guided us home? And bowled quite well.

Bowled one rubbish over where the batsman hammered two balls straight to the infielder, one of them bounced the other didn't. A regulation win was turned into a toss of a coin because he batted like Boycott but without the mental strength - see the way he bottled pie-chucker Munaf's last two deliveries in the penultimate over, couldn't even lay a bat on them. Left it all to Fatel who got a lucky wide call and then edged one under Dhoni. Bopara hit two boundaries all innings and one of those should have been caught, he hit another one straight up in the air which India's fielders allowed to land in no-man's land. If you think he guided us home you need to give up the game.

I don't mind which young players get a go, as long as they get a chance and aren't held up so a proven shithouse failure can get yet another undeserved cap.

I was joking, but you're completely insane.

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote: Guided us home? And bowled quite well.

Bowled one rubbish over where the batsman hammered two balls straight to the infielder, one of them bounced the other didn't. A regulation win was turned into a toss of a coin because he batted like Boycott but without the mental strength - see the way he bottled pie-chucker Munaf's last two deliveries in the penultimate over, couldn't even lay a bat on them. Left it all to Fatel who got a lucky wide call and then edged one under Dhoni. Bopara hit two boundaries all innings and one of those should have been caught, he hit another one straight up in the air which India's fielders allowed to land in no-man's land. If you think he guided us home you need to give up the game.

I don't mind which young players get a go, as long as they get a chance and aren't held up so a proven shithouse failure can get yet another undeserved cap.

I was joking, but you're completely insane.

You can't overlook Dernbach though.

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:
Bowled one rubbish over where the batsman hammered two balls straight to the infielder, one of them bounced the other didn't. A regulation win was turned into a toss of a coin because he batted like Boycott but without the mental strength - see the way he bottled pie-chucker Munaf's last two deliveries in the penultimate over, couldn't even lay a bat on them. Left it all to Fatel who got a lucky wide call and then edged one under Dhoni. Bopara hit two boundaries all innings and one of those should have been caught, he hit another one straight up in the air which India's fielders allowed to land in no-man's land. If you think he guided us home you need to give up the game.

I don't mind which young players get a go, as long as they get a chance and aren't held up so a proven shithouse failure can get yet another undeserved cap.

I was joking, but you're completely insane.

You can't overlook Dernbach though.

Wittgenstein for me any day.

Ian Volante wrote:
Wittgenstein for me any day.

Paul or Ludwig?

Peter Mabey wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:
Wittgenstein for me any day.

Paul or Ludwig?

Ludwig and his poker of course.

I think the Dravid out decision has just undermined the review system completely. That looks like a monumental cock-up to me.

The third umpire has access to superior feeds of the video and audio, so it's pointless to speculate on the decision really.

Craig Beevers wrote:The third umpire has access to superior feeds of the video and audio, so it's pointless to speculate on the decision really.

Fair enough. I love Dravid so I was probably just a bit angry.

Dhoni = chicken captain.

Ffs Ravi.. just cost us ANOTHER game.

Jon O'Neill wrote:Ffs Ravi.. just cost us ANOTHER game.

I heard they'd won the series!

Ian Volante wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote:Ffs Ravi.. just cost us ANOTHER game.

I heard they'd won the series!

Yeah, but because of Ravi giving away his wicket, we only drew the game, not won it.
We would've the series as long as India didn't win the game.

James Robinson wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:

Jon O'Neill wrote:Ffs Ravi.. just cost us ANOTHER game.

I heard they'd won the series!

Yeah, but because of Ravi giving away his wicket, we only drew the game, not won it.
We would've the series as long as India didn't win the game.

Tied, James, Tied!

Good innings though.

Rhys Benjamin wrote:Tied, James, Tied!

Ian Dent wrote:Good innings though.

Sod off.

Ian Dent wrote:Sod off.

I never knew cricket could be this fun.

I'm really bad at these, no idea what they mean.

When I was a kid I supported Lancashire and Liverpool FC, in that order. LFC were a Division 2 club going nowhere. It's fair to say that supporting them has been very rewarding, but what could they ever do now that would surpass what they've done before? So, despite the fact that I watch Liverpool every week and I haven't been to a cricket match in forty years, it doesn't half feel good that Lancashire have won the county championship outright for the first time in my lifetime!

Time for ravi to win us another match...

Jon O'Neill wrote:Time for ravi to win us another match...

Well, he's done it right this time.

But, GO, GO, JONNY BAIRSTOW.

Bopara edged most of his boundaries and looked dodgy, Bairstow just came in and hammered the ball out of the ground. Hope Stokes gets fit again soon, two gingers in the batting line-up would be unstoppable.

Craig Beevers wrote:Bopara edged most of his boundaries and looked dodgy, Bairstow just came in and hammered the ball out of the ground. Hope Stokes gets fit again soon, two gingers in the batting line-up would be unstoppable.

Can't disagree with the latter.

My Dad's email has just been read out!

FFS. Cardiff's shithole of a ground gets another Ashes Test to turn into a turdfest nonevent. They've also got the 2012 T20 Finals day, which is even more of a ludicrous misfit.

Hmm, why only three tests against SA? And yet we get endless bloody ODIs foisted on us.

Craig Beevers wrote:FFS. Cardiff's shithole of a ground gets another Ashes Test to turn into a turdfest nonevent.

No they don't.

The BBC wrote:The 2013 Ashes Tests will take place at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:FFS. Cardiff's shithole of a ground gets another Ashes Test to turn into a turdfest nonevent.

No they don't.

The BBC wrote:The 2013 Ashes Tests will take place at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval

It's got one in 2015, Rhys.............

James Robinson wrote:

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:FFS. Cardiff's shithole of a ground gets another Ashes Test to turn into a turdfest nonevent.

No they don't.

The BBC wrote:The 2013 Ashes Tests will take place at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval

It's got one in 2015, Rhys.............

But we don't have the Ashes after that in England until 2017

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

James Robinson wrote:

The BBC wrote:The 2013 Ashes Tests will take place at Lord's, Trent Bridge, Old Trafford, Chester-le-Street and The Oval

It's got one in 2015, Rhys.............

But we don't have the Ashes after that in England until 2017

Yes we do...

Ian Volante wrote:

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

James Robinson wrote:

It's got one in 2015, Rhys.............

But we don't have the Ashes after that in England until 2017

Yes we do...

Isn't the Ashes a biannual event?

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:

Rhys Benjamin wrote: But we don't have the Ashes after that in England until 2017

Yes we do...

Isn't the Ashes a biannual event?

This is a leap series - it's so the players can catch up with themselves after flying round the world so many times.

I think you mean biennial anyway Rhys.

Ian Volante wrote:

Rhys Benjamin wrote:

Ian Volante wrote:Yes we do...

Isn't the Ashes a biannual event?

This is a leap series - it's so the players can catch up with themselves after flying round the world so many times.

Marvellous.

It's a farcical situation really. Cardiff couldn't cough up the money they owed the ECB and have asked for more time to pay. Meanwhile you've got Headingley who couldn't afford to bid for the Ashes Tests, so in the future they're going to get less money coming in... and will be even less able to afford to bid.

Cardiff getting a second Ashes Test to ruin is bad enough, but I still just can't get my head around them getting the T20 finals day. For those that don't know the T20 finals day is two semi finals and a final of the domestic 20 over competition all played on the one day, it involves county teams so you generally a spread from around the country. So you'd think they'd go for somewhere with good transport links (the venue is notorious for being impossible to get to/away from) and that is fairly central... That's before you get into the more general crapness of Cardiff (awful slow pitch, small capacity, outfield doesn't drain properly, lazy groundstaff)

Craig Beevers wrote:lazy groundstaff

Citation needed.

JimBentley wrote:

Craig Beevers wrote:lazy groundstaff

Citation needed.

I remember listening to one of their rained off ODIs before the Ashes Test they stole off a proper cricket ground. They were under-staffed and fannied about getting the covers on and off. If you've ever listened to the diplomats and fence-sitters on TMS you'll know they don't criticise things like that unless Boycott's on or it's something that's exceptionally poor.

Hope to god England don't bowl first in the second T20 game.

Is anyone watching India v England

I'm reading something about a media blackout............