The Ashes tour 2015

[God is an Englishman]

Pitch "doctored" again. Could be another 2-3 day test. Surely if Clarke wins toss, he'll bowl this time?

Just reading about how thr pitch is doctored. Just think, people think the English are the best at whingeing. This series has conclusively proved that the Aussies beat us at that.


Oh and another one retired.

Pitch has been prepared as requested, you know that as much as anyone.

You insult our intelligence denying it, I expect better of you.

Well Cook has come out and said he hasn't spoken to anyone about it, that doesn't mean someone else hasnt.

I don't believe it's an issue anyway and I don't believe that ALL teams don't do the same.

[Steve#4]

Well Cook has come out and said he hasn't spoken to anyone about it, that doesn't mean someone else hasnt.

I don't believe it's an issue anyway and I don't believe that ALL teams don't do the same.

Agree, i believe Cook if he says that but not ECB or Other influential figures.

[Cat In The Hat]

What a load of wank.

[God is an Englishman]

For about 2 years now I've been saying how poor warners first innings scores are. It seems that finally the media have caught up.

[Bomber]

I would'nt bother with Bumber when it comes to whinging, he knows full well that the orstrayuns are the biggest whingers in the world. On top of that he's a polak!! You know that lot, they went over to England in their droves, you can see them in any public toilet, they are the ones with a mop in their hands.

Says the bloke who came here for a better life and made Elizabeth famous for what the area now is. Oh the irony!

[Bomber]

Well Cook has come out and said he hasn't spoken to anyone about it, that doesn't mean someone else hasnt.

I don't believe it's an issue anyway and I don't believe that ALL teams don't do the same.

Agree, i believe Cook if he says that but not ECB or Other influential figures.

This is the thing - they can do what they like, its their home series, but don't deny it doesn't happen. And to say we do it, well lets assume one day we struggle with quick bowlers like we did with the Windies did 30 - 40 years ago - would we try and change the WACA wicket? Never even a thought. Have we denied the Indians a test match at the SCG, which clearly is traditionally a spinners deck? Never. But carry on, it is quite funny listening to people deny the obvious, and at the same time try and say somehow I am whingeing about it.

[God is an Englishman]

Stop whingeing Bomber it's unbecoming of you. Take your defeat like a man.

That you think every country apart from Australia do it is truly laughable. They all do it, every pitch has to be prepared and they are prepared in certain ways. Your pitches are prepared pace friendly - doctored.

[Wayne Kerr]

ENGLAND might have sealed its own Ashes fate by ordering curators to prepare docile wickets in order to negate Australia’s ferocious pace attack.

After Chris Rogers and Steve Smith punished England’s bowlers on a lifeless Lord’s day one surface, some within the UK media wondered whether the hosts had fallen victim to their own pitch doctoring.

Sam Peters, writing in the Daily Mail, was among them.

“It’s a dangerous game for England to play,” Peters wrote. “For all the talk of care-free, attack-minded cricket, the only conclusion that can be drawn from the two pitches we’ve seen so far, is that England are worried Australia’s pace attack. It smacks of weakness.
“England have prepared sub-continental wickets, without a front line spinner. After losing a toss that now has far too much significance, England will almost certainly have to bat last to save the game.”

He added: “The short-sighted policy also does a disservice to two other groups of people: Firstly, England’s pace bowling attack which rightly believes itself to be the collective equal of Australia’s — albeit without Mitchell Johnson’s searing pace — and secondly, the paying public who want to see wickets with pace and bounce. It used to be known as an ‘equal contest’. Genuine edges should carry to the slips in Test matches. At the moment, they rarely do.”
Nasser Hussain, also writing in the Mail, expressed concern that England might have ordered docile pitches after taking a 1-0 series lead in Cardiff in order to blunt Australia’s chances of bouncing back.

“I worry that England may attempt to just kill off the series by producing flat belters that go five days every time,” Hussain wrote. “It makes the toss disproportionately important.

“If Australia had lost the toss and been flogged around like England were on Thursday, they would have finished the day completely demoralised. As it is, they are right back in the series.”

Ian Botham wasn’t so convinced. Although not happy with Lord’s day one strip, the former England all-rounder questioned whether Australia’s attack was capable of taking 20 wickets on such an unresponsive surface.

“ ... there are no demons in the Lord’s surface and nothing that should have the England batsmen concerned — the Aussie bowlers should find it just as hard as ours have,” Botham wrote in the Mirror. “The big problem for Australia is that they must find a way to take 20 wickets to get back into the series and from what I’ve seen so far, you shouldn’t be losing that many unless it changes drastically.

“It is not the kind of pitch I like to watch cricket being played on.”



Michael Vaughan, writing in the Telegraph, noted there had been “grass on this pitch earlier in the week but it has had the pace taken out of it deliberately”.

“ ... by producing a surface like this Australia have been handed a great opportunity to get back in the series because when you take pace out of a pitch you run the risk of losing the toss and having days like this,” Vaughan wrote. “England do not need to do that. If you lose the toss on day one there should still be enough in the pitch to create chances.

“England are promoting attacking cricket. They want to play with a free spirit and aggression. England’s batting line up wants to attack but they need the surface to be able to do that. When you take pace out of the pitch you are saying you do not trust our batsmen to face Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc. You are also telling me that you think the Australian batsmen are better than they are.

“James Anderson and Stuart Broad fancy knocking over the Australians. They know they can pick holes in their techniques on pitches where there is seam movement. But they too have been nullified by this surface.”



While most media debate centred on the state of the Lord’s wicket and the innings of Rogers and Smith, Barney Ronay, writing in the Guardian, instead focused on David Warner’s bright, brief cameo at the top of the order.

“Warner walked off, shoulders slumped, having contributed what was immediately portrayed on social media as a contender for most blockheaded shot of the summer, a moment so sweet for many England fans the only real regret was he could only do it once,” Ronay wrote. “Warner had gone out to make a statement. And that statement was: I still can’t bat in England. Warner had talked before this series about “turning hundreds into big hundreds”. Here at least he’d turned a 30 into a big thirty. Warner, who’d spent 24 balls getting to six and then 18 making his next 32, had confirmed what so many suspected, that he simply can’t play the longer, harder game on slower harder pitches. And so on ad unfunny infinitum. New, ascetic Dave had passed.”

But Ronay urged caution: “And yet, the suspicion remains he might just have the last laugh on this one. Warner is simply too pure a talent not to come good at some point. This was a dream of an opening day for Australia on a pitch that will quicken up. They have runs in the bank and a world No1 batsman in the series. For all the social media jollity, the diminished returns of Australia’s newly tethered attack dog, somewhere between Lord’s and the Oval they might just have the best of Warner to come.”



Ian Herbert, writing in the Independent, was similarly wary when assessing England’s prospects over the next four days.

“More significant than what has just passed on a docile pitch is what lies ahead next for England,” Herbert wrote. “The dynamics are difficult when there are 300 runs on the board and a wicket down. Australia can expect to accumulate 550 at least and that creates a very different land of opportunity for the bowlers.

“Mitchell Johnson will have the surety of a vast total, as well as the Lord’s slope, to speed him on his way from the Pavilion End, sometime late on Saturday. We should expect that it will take more than the cavalier spirit of the new England to quell him. Centuries will need to be compiled, not crashed; a process of endurance with caution threaded through the middle order’s ambition, because Australia are not about to post a total that cannot be wafted away with impunity. We are asking for depths in this young side which have yet to be seen.”

[Bomber]

Stop whingeing Bomber it's unbecoming of you. Take your defeat like a man.

That you think every country apart from Australia do it is truly laughable. They all do it, every pitch has to be prepared and they are prepared in certain ways. Your pitches are prepared pace friendly - doctored.

Bollocks - where did I say every other country does it? I don't see the Windies or Saffers doing it. The worst culprits are India and England. If you cant see that, then you know a lot less about cricket than I ever gave you credit for (or so blinkered that its quite beyond funny).
And pace friendly? Put simply, Adelaide Oval !

[God is an Englishman]

I thought you were taking the piss at the start, now I've realised you're being serious.

All countries do it, if they didn't there would be no cricket. A pitch is a result of what the groundsman does to it. He doctors it.

It seems to be that Aussies are just looking for an excuse to why they've played so shit and been outclassed across the board.

You keep saying the spin friendly SCG that hasn't existed for years

You mention the pace friendly AO, a wicket that's been used for one year, possibly two. Let's see how that beds in first.

So only one test pitch of 6 isn't pace bowler friendly. The Indians would say that's doctoring as it isn't set up for spin.

Bottom line, the cons have decided that they have the right to say how a pitch should be and if it doesn't match their standards, it's been doctored

[Bomber]

I thought you were taking the piss at the start, now I've realised you're being serious.

All countries do it, if they didn't there would be no cricket. A pitch is a result of what the groundsman does to it. He doctors it.

It seems to be that Aussies are just looking for an excuse to why they've played so cabernet and been outclassed across the board.

You keep saying the spin friendly SCG that hasn't existed for years

You mention the pace friendly AO, a wicket that's been used for one year, possibly two. Let's see how that beds in first.

So only one test pitch of 6 isn't pace bowler friendly. The Indians would say that's doctoring as it isn't set up for spin.

Bottom line, the cons have decided that they have the right to say how a pitch should be and if it doesn't match their standards, it's been doctored

Clearly your missing the point and see more merit in going off on tangents. I cant see anywhere where any Aussie is blaming doctored pitches for their poor showing. They have batted and bowled poorly and England have bowled well and deserve their 3-1 lead - no question. In fact last night was the first time since Lords that the Aussies batted to the conditions - and patient, test cricket was finally in their mentality and they are on top as a result in this test so far.
But regarding the pitches, even you would have to admit you will get consistent pitches over here. Over there, its a dustbowl when Swann's in hot form, then suddenly green tops when Aussies forgot how to play on a seaming pitch from one tour to the next.
Again, nothing wrong with that!
But it is what it is, and to call it anything but fact (especially when trying to refer to it to as a whinge) is hilarious. Even the English commentators/media are agreeing with me.
Now buy me beer at next Friday's lunch as payment!

[God is an Englishman]

If I was to mention anything like this, I would be accused of whingeing.

My defence would be that in just stating a fact.

You would call me a whinger none the less.

Amazing, how you've gone from highlighting the Aussie stupid take on whingeing and moved on to showing the Aussie hypocrisy.

[Bomber]

If I was to mention anything like this, I would be accused of whingeing.

My defence would be that in just stating a fact.

You would call me a whinger none the less.

Amazing, how you've gone from highlighting the Aussie stupid take on whingeing and moved on to showing the Aussie hypocrisy.

You'd be incorrect again then. That's two beers now. Lucky I have to shoot off now - it will save you buying me beers all of next Friday!

[God is an Englishman]

If I was to mention anything like this, I would be accused of whingeing.

My defence would be that in just stating a fact.

You would call me a whinger none the less.

Amazing, how you've gone from highlighting the Aussie stupid take on whingeing and moved on to showing the Aussie hypocrisy.

You'd be incorrect again then. That's two beers now. Lucky I have to shoot off now - it will save you buying me beers all of next Friday!

I've lost count of the amount of times I've stated a fact and been told I'm whingeing.

Better make mine a pitcher.

[Steve#4]

One thing that irked me last night and am surprised no one has mentioned that The Oval is now known as KIA Oval. That is disgraceful, faarkn Sluts who sold out there

[God is an Englishman]

One thing that irked me last night and am surprised no one has mentioned that The Oval is now known as KIA Oval. That is disgraceful, faarkn port who sold out there

It's had a sponsor for a few years now. Was the Fosters Oval for a while.

It's just the Oval though to most.

[Steve#4]

Last night was the first i heard if it, cringed when i saw the reference. Never heard of the Fosters Oval i must admit.

[God is an Englishman]

Got an old Surrey shirt here with Fosters as the main sponsor.

[Steve#4]

I don't doubt you, just never heard of it. Hate when Iconic stadia is sold out for the dollar, next it will be Vauxall Lords

[God is an Englishman]

I don't doubt you, just never heard of it. Hate when Iconic stadia is sold out for the dollar, next it will be Vauxall Lords

At least the Oval is near Vauxhall. Completely agree? Which is why everyone just calls it the Oval.

[Cat In The Hat]

Are the stumps blue for a reason?

[God is an Englishman]

Are the stumps blue for a reason?

Charity Day for Cricket United.

[Bomber]

Heavy rain looks England's best bet for this test.

[Scholes]

DEAD RUBBER

[God is an Englishman]

Heavy rain looks England's best bet for this test.

Yes, it is.

Stand up, if you're 3-1 up.

Sit down, if you're 3-1 down

[Cat In The Hat]

What shall I do then?

[God is an Englishman]

What shall I do then?

crouch down

[swannsong]

Can't get any audio for GEM on my computer (not sure why) and for some reason Cricinfo keeps redirecting, but I gather England finished up 3-2 winners.

[Bomber]

Can't get any audio for GEM on my computer (not sure why) and for some reason Cricinfo keeps redirecting, but I gather England finished up 3-2 winners.

Yes 3-2. Sounds like a close series on that score but every test on its own was a thrash, so wont go down as one of the more memorable series. Perhaps the royals will be handing out honours and knighthoods to the English mob again?
Anyway, you're only as good as your last test and still ranked higher......

[Cat In The Hat]

wont go down as one of the more memorable series

I think Hawkesy will remember it for years to come, and remind you of it periodically.