Seems like England are off to a solid start (Strauss notwithstanding). Lets hope they resist the trademark collapse around the 120 mark...

Matt - did you get your aerial set up this time?

I did. Reception is still a bit patchy and if people stand in certain areas of the office it dies completely, but it's better than nothing. I shall tinker with the positioning of it this afternoon while everyone else is in a meeting...

Well, they've now dropped both Vaughan and Trescothick, and then bowled Vaughan through the gate with a no ball, so they're coming close, but how costly might those be?

Only real events so far are Trescothic dropped early on and The Aussies miscalculating the time before lunch and not getting Warne on for the last over.

There's a lot of talk about last week's Test being the greatest ever, and certainly its the greatest I've physically been at, but I don't think it can be the greatest if both sides collapsed in the second innings, for that I'd still keep Headingly 1981 as the greatest modern Test.

I like the way Warne promised his first ball after lunch would be special. It was certainly "special", but probably not quite the kind of special that he meant...

163 for 2. Could be better, but on the other hand we could be all out. :)

163-2 - bit of a dodgy way to lose a wicket, and i'm sure not really the stunner that Shane would have wanted for his 600th, but still. Now Bell needs to make his first decent score of the series for England to maintain the advantage. If they can get to 200-2 with Pietersen, Flintoff and Jones still to go, they'd be looking fairly strong.

I have no idea what you guys are talking about.

And 195 for 2 after the Tea Interval.

And now the magic 200 for 2. We're not scoring so many off each over this time, but we're still looking good. We may even be lucky enough to be up around 300 by the time Flintoff and/or Pietersen get a turn at bat...

Oh, and John V., this is all about the One True Sport, cricket...

And Vaughan gets his century.

At the current rate we're looking good for 320ish at close of play, and it doesn't sound like the bowling is providing much of a challenge so it's entirely conceivable it'll still be for 2 wickets. Huzzah! It's pretty much only me in the office tomorrow so I may risk bringing in my laptop and watching it on TV (reception allowing)...

Not challenging to Vaughn anyway, 34 balls to Bell without him scoring according to the play by play on BBC website.

Bell is still very nervous, when he does hit it he hits it directly to the fielder.

Bell does seem to not be doing a great deal. Not sure if it's "cricket" or not, but it may be worth him sacrificing himself -- 20 from 80 balls isn't helping much. :)

Gillespie is making up for it.

He's just increased his score by 25% in 2 balls -- always a bonus when you underperform; it makes it easier to improve dramatically. :)

And Vaughan stonks up to 150

Vaughan falls victim to a part time Chinaman bowler (just to mystify the uninitiated a little more).

There is a wikipedia page for anyone who doesn't know what the hell Simon is talking about - although I would recommend a stiff drink before attempting it.

And now for the first time in a Test we see what Pietersen will do from a position of strength. He has a good solid base to work from, and England are in a dominant position. He's performed superbly so far when he's had to concentrate and soak up the pressure from dire positions, but how will he play when he has the initiative? Will he take it to the Aussies, or will he play a more classical Test game?

This is the first day of the series so far where it's looked like Test cricket, with figures to match. Careful patient innings, a run rate hovering around or slightly below 4, and a decent total on the board, with the batting side still not half way through the order as close of play draws in.

Almost a let down, but it's a good sign for England. At this stage, it has the look of a Test which could end as a draw, which is a first for a while.

> a stiff drink

Tr.: a drink with high percentage of alcohol

Cricket. They're talking about Cricket.

Anytime the score goes to 162 to 2, they're talking about Cricket. "Just wait till day 3" is also a tip-off.

I would like to like Cricket, I really would. I'm an Anglo-phile from way back -- ever since Monty Python in the 1970's.

Perhaps if America had better coverage of cricket (like ANY at ALL) I'd have a chance of liking it. As it is, it's like having a too-small window into a world you suspect is fascinating, but also suspect is just too weird.

Still, there were some Guys from India who bowled at my college -- it looked pretty cool.

Obviously we'e talking about cricket - the 3rd Ashes test in fact - it's just there's a wikipedia page explaining the term "chinaman" as applied to bowlers...and it's not a model of clarity for the uninitiated.

Could this *really* be cricket?

England 5-341 (89 overs)

Oog.

The Chinaman entry seems ok, I think the story of this Test and possibly the series is going to be reverse swing and how well or not both teams get to use and play it.

mmm maybe ...then I'm not really a cricket buff. I'm not sure that occasionally listening to Test Match Special counts ;-)

Not a particularly auspicious start to the day...

I think 500 is out the window now, probably going to be something like 420, although I'd love to be wrong.

If we can maintan the same runs per wicket ratio we could be looking at almost 580 with another 55 overs. If only averages meant something... :D

Rain stopped play.

Having said that, Jones seems to be more dangerous than Bell right now.

That was before the rain, obviously...

Now they're wittering about the likelihood of it being a draw I guess that's a reasonable forecast. If England get up to 600 in the First Innings then I'd have thought a draw likely, if its less than 400 then I doubt (unless it rains it off), it will be a draw.

428-6, I'm happy to say that I'm getting wronger by the moment :)

If they can keep it up we may well do 500 after all.

The kiss of death there, looks to have all gone tits up now :(

Gillespie breaks his drought.

The last ball of a session seems to have special powers.

Unfortunately I wasn't watching the TV for this this morning:

1214: Warne's concentration is momentarily disrupted as the 'npower girls' walk past the sightscreen as he is preparing to bowl.

To be fair, you can disrupt Warne's concentration just by mentioning women, he really doesn't have the best track record on that front. If England really want to win at all costs, they should just hire a lot of pretty young women and stick them in the seats either side of the sight screen behind the batsman. His line and length would go right off... as it were.

Dare one think that Australia might have to follow on...

3 wickets in 40ish runs isn't impossible, but I wouldn't bet any money on it. A follow-on would be nice, though...

oh. Don't worry. You are going to win this match.

"You are going to win this match."

Don't be too sure; we've snatched defeat from the jaws of victory enough times in the past... :)

:-D

After all it is in Manchester and rain is everyone's next door neighbour there.

I *like* that hover-cover.

Even if we get the Aussies out for under 244, we'd be insane to enforce the follow-on (attrocious weather excepted). No-one wants to bat on that pitch on the last day, especially not with Warne to spin it at you.

To be honest though, I see the Aussies getting around the 260/270 mark and avoiding the possibility anyway. Just a hunch. Warne and Lee are proving stubborn at the crease...

Bloody rain. I sense a draw on the horizon...

It will pass and there'll be play this afternoon.

This is why cricket is superior to baseball:

http://www.putfile.com/media.php?n=081005_ariflo_lowell_hiddenball_350-wmr

It appears that there's a bit of running, and the guy stops on third base when the ball is thrown back to the pitcher. While the runner on third's not paying attention the pitcher tosses the ball to the third baseman, and based on his assumption that the pitcher still has the ball the runner moves off the base a bit and the baseman tags him and he's out.

It may be a legal play, but it's sneaky and underhanded and quite simply just isn't cricket...

And if a batsman leaves his ground in cricket while ball is in play and his wicket is struck down? That's surely run out.

No discernable play in Manchester. Consolations of a sort were losing the Bledisloe Cup match to the AB's and "The Big Lebowski" following.

Way to go, dude. Take the quiz and let the clouds clear.

http://www.alansmind.com/lebowskiquiz.php

Cricket. Blink and you'll miss it. From today's paper:

Play lasted for 32 minutes in the afternoon, long enough for Warne and Jason Gillespie to steer Australia from 7-214 to 7-245.

No follow on. Yay.

" And if a batsman leaves his ground in cricket while ball is in play and his wicket is struck down?"

It was the way they did it, rather than the fact it's doable. Surreptitiously handing off the ball, then hiding it in the voluminous glove is *sneaky* and *underhanded* and not sporting at all...

Warne finally gone, though I doubt anyone would have begrudged him getting another ten runs before departing the field.

Yeah, he deserved his first Test 100, but still, that's Cricket. Now, we need a swift 300, and then set a really aggressive field, and we're in with a good shout.

We've knocked them over in three sessions or less three times but that doesn't mean they couldn't just plant the bat and stonewall all day.

And your first wicket is gone.

Now Australia have to score a world record for the fourth innings to win, but there is time for them to get there with all of tomorrow to go as well as the rest of this evening's session.

Australia seem to be playing to draw rather than to win... It had better not rain tomorrow!

Ok, 98 overs, almost 400 to get, so it's doable for either side but I'd guess that a draw or a victory for England are the more likely outcomes. Judging by the last few overs yesterday it seems that Australie don't put much faith in their chances of winning, so I'm guessing they'll just be trying to drag it out...

One down already. At this rate it'll all be over by lunch. :)

As someone pointed out on the BBC forum, Austrailia need to stay in for longer than they've managed the rest of this summer just to draw. My colleague here is assuring me they will be all out for lunch :)

There's a few twists and turns in this yet.

Well if they plan on winning they'll *really* need to improve on the 2.75 runs they're getting an over... :)

"Well, this is an interesting incident, Brian," said one radio commentator to another. "I don't think there have been any mysterious materializations on the pitch since, oh since, well I don't think there have been any -- have there? -- that I recall?"
"Edgbaston, 1932?"
"Ah, now what happened then...?"
"Well, Peter, I think it was Canter facing Willcox coming up to bowl from the pavilion end when a spectator suddenly ran straight across the pitch."

There was a pause whilst the first commentator considered this.

"Ye..e...s..." he said, "yes, there's nothing actually very mysterious about that, is there? He didn't actually materialize, did he? Just ran on."
"No, that's true, but he did claim to have seem something materialize on the pitch."
"Ah, did he?"
"Yes. An alligator, I think, of some description."
"Ah. And had anyone else noticed it?"
"Apparently not. And no one was able to get a very ditailed description from him, so only the most perfunctory search was made."
"And what happened to the man?"
"Well, I think someone offered to take him off and give him some lunch, but he explained that he'd already had a rather good one, so the matter was dropped and Warwickshire when on to win by three wickets."
"So, not very like this current instance. For those of you who've just tuned in, you may be interested to know that, er... two men, two rather scruffily attired men, and indeed a sofa -- a Chesterfield I think?"
"Yes, a Chesterfield."
"Have just materialized here in the middle of Lord's Cricket Ground. But I don't think they meant any harm, they've been very good-natured about it, and..."
"Sorry, can I interrupt you a moment Peter and say that the sofa has just vanished."
"So it has. Well that's one mystery less. Still, it's definitely one for the record books I think, particularly occurring at this dramatic moment in play, England now needing only twenty-four runs to win the series. The men are leaving the pitch in the company of a police officer, and I think everyone's settling down now and play is about to resume."

It's a given that without a reasonable knowledge of Cricket the HHGTTG is occasionally even more opaque than it would be otherwise.

I was suddenyl reminded of that bit after the umpteenth mention of Simon Jones. :)

Lunch. 2 down, 8 in hand. Actual score is borderline irrelevant.

I'd be happier if Australia were making some sort of attempt to win rather than aiming for the draw; we may have been better off declaring a bit earlier yesterday to give a more realistic target, but we've more or less forced them to play safe.

A good couple of wickets there, I think Ponting's is the key, they could go quite quickly after that with an agressive field.

1 session - 5 wickets. With Ponting still out there, looks like a draw to me

The excitement! I just hope I get home in time to see the end!

update: 271/7

One wicket remaining, 24 balls left... I can't watch!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooo! A draw! Man, that sucks...

Mat, hope you are fine? :)
Hard luck. Your team did played with spirit and confidence.

I watched the last few overs peering between my fingers, praying to some non-specific deity for that last wicket... A draw was bound to happen, but to come so close and be denied a victory is just agonising! I guess this is kind of the inverse to our victory by 2 runs last match, but that doesn't make it any better, and my nerves are shot to pieces now. :)

The weather wasn't on your side, Mat. We got out of gaol because of the lost time.

Gee that was a great roll-up to the match yesterday - wonder what tickets for Trent Bridge are going for now.

There are a few tickets for Sunday on eBay -- one pair are currently at £255 with about 6 hours left to bid. If only I were rich! :)