England win the Toss - bat first

[tjwmason]

25-0 after 7 overs and a bit.

I don't think that my heart can cope with 5 days of this.

http://www.ecb.co.uk

[Clintmax]

1. I wish I knew more about this game.

x(

[ikri]

2. Have a read of..

A beginner's Guide to Cricket

In the last 20 years English cricket has been little more than an excuse to get drunk for 5 days straight while shouting abuse at Australians. It has only been in the last couple of years that a lot of people have actually realised that there was a game taking place on the field in front of them.

[Clintmax]

3. LOL!

Thanks for the link!

[tjwmason]

5. It's actually very easy to understand on a low level.

There are two teams of 11, one bats first with the other fielding, then they swap (that's one innings).

The fielding team are spread across the field at the instruction of their captain. One of the team will be bowling - usually there will be 4-5 bowlers on a team who take turns.

The batting team have two men on the field at any one time.

The bowler bowls the ball to one of the batsmen who attempts to hit it. If he hits the ball then he can run the length of the wicket (with his partner running the opposite way), if he does so he scores 1 run. If he hits the ball sufficiently that it travels to the edge of the field he scores 4 automatically, if he does so without the ball touching the ground he scores 6.

If he is out, then the fielding team has scored 1 wicket, he has to leave the field and the next batsman comes out. As there are 11 on a team, and two are needed to bat, when the fielding team has gained 10 wickets the batting team are all out.

He can be out in a number of ways. If he hits the ball and a fielder catches it before it touches the ground he is caught out. If the bowler bowls the ball, and it hits the stumps behind the batsman he is bowled out. If he prevents the ball from hitting the stumps with his legs (rather than his bat) he is out leg before wicket (lbw). If he hits the ball and tries to run but the fielding team manage to hit the stumps before he has reached the far end he is run out.

The scores are given as runs-wickets. Thus is a team has scored 75 runs, and lost 3 wickets it's 75-3. The team with the most runs scored at the end of the match wins. If the match has not been completed in sufficient time (in a test if both sides have not batted and bowled completed twice over in 5 days) then the match is drawn.

England are now 96-1.

[tigereye]

12. thanks for the explanation

being an Anglophile, I have always wondered what the hell was going on whenever I see cricket on TV.

[AussieDave]

10. No you don't - it's as boring as bat-poo

they can play for 5 days and STILL not get a result.

But then I'm prejudiced......

[billyskank]

4. DUDE THSI IS HUGH!!!!111

We won the toss! Eat that, Australia!!! ;)

[tjwmason]

6. Do I detect a note of sarcasm?

:shrug:

[billyskank]

7. Sorry, just horsing around

Lost two wickets already...oooooooooo...for 104 though, which isn't too shabby.

[billyskank]

8. Aagh! Another one!

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PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
PANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTSPANTS
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(etc)

[tjwmason]

9. It's terrible I know

2 wickets before lunch.

On the otherhand - it's typical English style. Winning easily would just be un-sporting.

[billyskank]

11. 207 for 4

Aahh the tension! I can't stand it!

[billyskank]

13. 261 for 4

:scared:

[swimboy]

14. Thanks for the updates. I will try to follow this.

[tjwmason]

15. Freddy's out for 72.

282-5

:cry:

[sasquatch]

16. "Well done. Well Played. Well well"

*falls over dead*

[tjwmason]

17. Day two's underway

England all out 373.

Ashley Giles made a good stand of 32 (he plays at number 9).

The Ozzies are off the mark at 1-0.

[billyskank]

18. Let's hope for a couple of wickets straight after lunch, eh?

A wicket before lunch would seem a bit much to ask for... :)

[tjwmason]

19. That would certainly help me calm down

Straight after lunch could well be a good time - the batsmen won't be totally settled into the crease.

But I wouldn't turn one down before lunch either....

[tjwmason]

20. Final day now.

Everything uber tense.

England 373 & 45-1.

Australia 367.

If England can just prolong the game to the for the whole of today then we've won back the Ashes.

[billyskank]

21. I can't believe we got the Aussies all out for less than 373

When I last checked they were 367-6, to which I thought "for fuck's sake..." :(

Then I find we got the last four out for just a few runs! The cricketing gods are smiling on Albion.

If the Aussies still haven't got us all out by lunch time then I think the ashes are ours.

[tjwmason]

22. That was very impressive.

The weather was undoubtably a major factor - hopefully is far drier today to keep our batsmen going well.

It does my nerves no good - but part of me would like to see us out for a low total, followed by a wonderfully barnstorming run-chase by Australia. It wouldn't really be a fitting end to this series if the two sides were sitting around in the changing rooms waiting for the clock to reach the relevant time so that a draw can be called.

[tjwmason]

23. Not looking good - 2 wickets down this morning.

71-3 :scared:

[billyskank]

24. Be brave, Mason!

Take heart.

[tjwmason]

25. I'm keeping my upper-lip very stiff.

Half of the problem is that I want to be watching the damn match, rather than reading occasional up-dates on a web-site. :grr:

[billyskank]

26. Trescothick's gone lbw.

Flintoff is up to bat.

[tjwmason]

27. Freddy's a good batsman - but not at playing defensively.

If the other's have been out for such low totals it suggests still quite a bowlers wicket - the chance of his knocking a ball way up into the air, and thence to the willing and waiting hands of an Ozzie fielder are not good (from England's perspective).

[billyskank]

28. Aw for fuck's sake

Flintoff's gone, caught and bowled by Warne, for 8. :(

[tjwmason]

29. But we've managed to hang on until lunch.

127-5.

Maybe Pieterson will decide that this is the time to show some of the promise which was being talked about before the series.

[billyskank]

30. We need to post a score sufficiently big

that they won't be able to beat it in a few hours. If the lower batting order collapses as well then the Aussies can still win.

[tjwmason]

31. It's going to be a very long afternoon.

We need to give the low-order some valium - they just need to sit tight and stay on the crease for the afternoon.

It's bad cricket I know - and perhaps we should play to win the game rather than the series - but as long as they don't get too jumpy we should be able to pull it off.

[billyskank]

33. 173 for 5

Is there a smiley for biting your nails?

[tjwmason]

34. It looks like Pieterson's being very free with the bat.

6 4s and 4 6s.

[tjwmason]

35. Another wicket - Collingwood's out for 10.

188-6.

I think that if England are still in and are over 200 at tea they should declare, just for the fun and thrill of it.

[billyskank]

36. Now Jones

199 for 7. :banghead:

[tjwmason]

37. Pieterson's got a century 105*

220-7. :relaxing-ever-so-slightly:

[billyskank]

38. Time is perhaps on our side now

?

[tjwmason]

39. It is definitely getting late in the day

I say declare at tea. Let's take a gamble, I'm sure that the Ozzie's would give some fantastic cricket.

[billyskank]

40. My Indian friend here says even the Aussies cannot score 220 runs

in two and a half hours.

[AussieDave]

32. Hopefully when I wake up tomorrow morning,

England will have won - they deserve it......

[AussieDave]

43. And they did !! Congratulations to the Poms !!!

[billyskank]

41. Are England going to play until Australia have got them all out

do you think? :shrug:

[replacement]

42. Well it's all over- match drawn and England win the Ashes!

:party:

[Chichiri]

44. Is there any streaming video of a cricket game I can watch?

I'm intensely curious to see a match.