The Ashes 2009

[CatInASuit]

It's that time again when England and Australia clash over cricket.

First Test:
England v Australia at Cardiff
Jul 8-12 (11:00 local, 10:00 GMT)

Second Test:
England v Australia at Lord's
Jul 16-20 (11:00 local, 10:00 GMT)

Third Test:
England v Australia at Birmingham
Jul 30-Aug 3 (11:00 local, 10:00 GMT)

Fourth Test:
England v Australia at Leeds
Aug 7-11 (11:00 local, 10:00 GMT)

Fifth Test:
England v Australia at Oval
Aug 20-24 (11:00 local, 10:00 GMT)

Here's hoping the test is as good as the last one here and that England play better than they did last time in Australia.

[CatInASuit]

First news: England are playing two spinners and Hauritz and Hilfenhaus are playing for Australia with no Stuart Clark.

England has won the toss and will be batting first.

[Stanislaus]

Haivng picked two spinners, winning the toss was a shrewd move. It also means that Strauss will be straight into the lion's den, as the official "target" of Australia. (As if they don't want other wickets.) The other question for the morning is will Cook push on, or get out on 48?

[CatInASuit]

Well, that's Cook and now Strauss gone, so a good start to the morning for Australia.

[Stanislaus]

....and Bopara. 35. Hmmm.

A colleague tried to argue yesterday that England were more than Pietersen. Isn't it pretty to think so?

[CatInASuit]

What's a par score for the ground, do we need 250-300 or is it a 400-500 kind of pitch?

[Stanislaus]

Don't know the ground at all, I'm afraid. The Guardian's OBO coverage suggested it looked like a good batting track, but maybe a little soft, for what that's worth.

[Stanislaus]

And at tea, it's 194-3. Pietersen and Collingwood both on 50s. Shades of 2005 in that session, although it seems that Australia's bowlers have been less than aggressive.

I'm going to stick my neck out and suggest that par is in the 400-500 range, given that performance from two batsmen who understood the need not to get out cheaply.

[CatInASuit]

I think 300 is a minimum for a slow batting track with not that much help for the bowlers. The spinners will come into their own on Days 4 and 5. I think England would be reasonably happy with 300/5 at the end of the day.

I have a feeling the second two innings can be slightly quicker than the first two.

[Duke]

I think 300 is a minimum for a slow batting track with not that much help for the bowlers. The spinners will come into their own on Days 4 and 5. I think England would be reasonably happy with 300/5 at the end of the day.

Yes, but 336/7 is looking a bit more antsy, especially as the two to go were Freddie and Prior. Honestly a bit of an even day, but I think as you do that the spinners are going to find more turn later on. Actually, I'm not foreseeing a Day 5. It's always a bit nervy to say it, but I think England might well have a shot here.

[CatInASuit]

I think at this point England will settle for 350, probably a little below par, but enough to be going on. Hopefully Anderson and Broad can get a few runs, maybe Swann but I wouldn't expect too much from Panesar.

Australia will definitely be looking to get them out in the first hour.

[CatInASuit]

Well 350 up at least, however Broad has gone.

I wonder how close they can get to 400 or how quickly Australia can get the last few people out.

[Duke]

Fine innings by Swann and England reach 435.

Now Flintoff is bowling bouncer after bouncer at Phil Hughes, but Hughes is holding out so far.

[Stanislaus]

And Australia are 142-1 at tea, with the two batsmen not appearing too likely to get out in the near future. There's no swing, which makes Anderson less dangerous; it's still early for the spinners to get anything going; Broad still offers up boundaries when he doesn't need to.

I expect Flintoff will come in pretty soon after tea.

[CatInASuit]

Well, it looks like a nice slow batting pitch, so this will probably go the five days, with Australia looking nice and set on 249/1.

Slightly surprised by the lack of swing and spin off the pitch given what occured on the first day.

To start, I would guess Australia will be looking to only lose one wicket by lunch and try and get as close to the England total by tea, before trying to put up as large a lead as possible.

If they can get a 200 run lead on a day 4/5 pitch, they have a very good chance of winning it.

[Stanislaus]

With the ball swinging more, England had a much better morning, with 2 wickets for Anderson (and a crucial one from Panesar). But post-lunch, Clarke and North seem to be settling in nicely.

(Incidentally, the Guardian's Hawkeye tool adds quite a lot to Internet spectatorship.)

[CatInASuit]

They have the same tool on the Timesonline site as well. Hawkeye gets everywhere these days.

So the Aussies on 379/5 at the end of play with Rain expected over the next couple of days. I would guess this one is going to head for a draw.

[Duke]

A little worse than that, actually...479/5. I really didn't think this was going to last the whole five days but it looks like I was wrong.

Sadly it looks like Monty is not ready to come back to the Test arena. He got Ponting but that was more from a lapse of concentration than from good bowling. England really need to find a better bowling option. Onions would be a much better choice for the second Test, I reckon.

[CatInASuit]

Well the weather looks good for England today. Plenty of rain forecast.

Otherwise, they really need to go the Aussies out with a lead of less than 150.

[Stanislaus]

Well, I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't this. If Bopara hadn't got himself out cheaply, I'd have thought I'd slipped into an alternate universe.

[Duke]

Well, don't let England rest on its laurels just yet. Pietersen and Collingwood were out to somewhat loose shots (especially Colly, quite uncharacteristically for him).

[Stanislaus]

Yeah, normal service has been resumed. Good thing too - it's not the despair that gets me, it's the hope.

[Duke]

Steady on, fellows--Australia 22/2 after Punter goes to an lbw incorrectly called a catch.

[Stanislaus]

Now that's comedy! Still, I bet he took it in the Spirit of Cricket.

Rain's on, covers are on, players are off. The forecast today was for showers so hopefully it won't be a long delay - only cowards pray for rain.

[Duke]

Now that's comedy! Still, I bet he took it in the Spirit of Cricket.

I suppose that's a "No"

[Stanislaus]

Aw, life can be so cruel. No, hang on, not cruel. What's the word? Oh yeah. Funny. Life can be so funny.

[CatInASuit]

And England goes 1 up with a win at Lords.

Who would have thought it after the performaces frmo Cardiff.

Excellent result indeed.

[CRSP]

Good result. Hopefully it won't be another 75 years until another Ashes win at Lords

[CatInASuit]

So, who should they get to replace Kevin Pietersen?

It's probably going to be Ian Bell, but personally, they should go down on bended knee and beg Marcus Trescothick to open again, move Cook to 3 and Bopara to 4.

Here's hoping Flintoff remains fit as well.

[CatInASuit]

And so with the unsurprising news that Bell is a straight replacement for Pietersen, the Aussies come up with dropping Hughes for Shane Watson.

With Watson opening the innings as well, apparently

Panesar will be out of the 11 as well, but that's not surprising at all. It's one spinner only at Edgbaston. Odds on Onions to keep his place above Harmison as well.

[CatInASuit]

Well after the opening day was definitely Australia's, this morning has definitely belonged to England.

Here's hoping we can get them out for less than 250.

[Angua]

Fingers crossed that we can!

[CatInASuit]

And the final morning of the Third Test dawns with England having the possiblity of going for the win and Australia going for a draw. There can be up to 98 overs bowled today and with the Aussies on 88/2 still 25 runs behind, we have a chance.

If they can bowl as well as they did on Day 2 morning and knock them over for less than 250 total, the evening session could set up a real run chase. If Australia can bat until tea, the game will probably be all but over.

[CatInASuit]

And here comes the fourth test with the major injury worry for England being the fitness of Flintoff, so it looks like Harmison might get a game after all. I would much prefer him bowling than Sidebottom.

Odds on that Broad will stay in the team as his bowling may not be totally up to scratch, but his batting will be required if Flintoff is out.

Still 1-0 to England with two to play.

[CatInASuit]

And after two days, this game has innings defeat written all over it for England.

[CatInASuit]

am cry

[CatInASuit]

In the end, we won.

That is all.

[ivan astikov]

Is this match still going on? This is what put me off cricket; it took forever!

[Angua]

Nah, it finished yesterday after we got the Aussies all out again. And that meant WE WON!!