And we're back. Bell edges one over the slips in the first over back.

Starting to rain.

FFS. Rain coming over and the covers are on. Going to be a frustrating session with plenty of stops and starts.

Edited by vaughn2111: 5/8/2013 11:04:19 PM

Weatherman afro.

Rain has well and truly fucked us over ashes are over for this year ;(

Australia have all but won but rain is going to stop it happening. Unlucky in a way but if Australia were not already 2-0 down then it would not matter nearly as much.

If you hadn't jinxed it... :P

You never know, we might still get 30 or so overs in. Anything can happen :p

The rain's getting heavier

1st test we lost by 15 runs, it was that second test we had a shocker

Well, I'm going to bed :lol:

The second those covers went down it was game over. Any time they went to come out and play England would have been in the Umpire's ear telling him it was too wet. Disappointing end.

Disappointing end but we always knew we weren't a real chance of winning this series, the major goal is the series back here. But hey, we've still got 2 tests left, imo level the series at 2-2 and I'd consider the tour a success.

:lol: love this picture

Apparently some of the players are putting a treatment on their bats that stops fine nicks from showing up on hotspot. :-k Sounds like something KP would do.

A massive success, some were tipping a 5-0 whitewash.

The next few tests should be a good opportunity for our batsmen to spend time in the middle.

:lol:

This. I still consider we were a touch unlucky in that first test, but at the end of the day our batting top and middle order lost the series in the first two games. Shocking performances.

We'll probably only lose 4-0 now. :lol:

This series is a failure, in no way can it be described as anything else. The plan was to win the Ashes, that has not happened. FAILURE

I was just thinking that. I mean...you go into a series planning to not win? What the fuck is wrong with you?

I think this ashes series waould have been a little different in planning for team, with the return series happening straight after. Of course they'd plan to try and win, but I'm sure reallistically, they knew it was extremely unlikely. I wouldn't blame them for using this series to attempt to get their own lineup right, and to get some good ideas on what the english offer. And if they strike a couple of psychological blows with a win, then it's a bonus.

With our squad and preparation, there was no way we were going to win the ashes In England. The general feeling was that we could handle England retaining the ashes as long as we win it back in our summer.

This series was never going to be ours, but if we finish the series well it will be great preperation to win back the urn here. Will be interesting to see what the selectors do with Rogers now we can't win the ashes.

No wonder they lose when they've got such a defeatist attitude.

Play him as a opener, he is our second best batsman. Do they want to win? Dropping Rogers would be the most stupidest thing ever done by any selection committee ever in the history of all sport.

:lol: I always get a chuckle out of people saying "most stupidest".

Rogers' average for the series is only 30.83 any way.
Watson is 24.33
Smith is 30.16
Haddin 26.50
They're all as bad as each other tbh.

Yeah it was a bit of hyperbole. Rogers' first class record is in a different universe to Watson, Smith and Haddin. Rogers' had a disappointing first couple of tests but came good in the first innings of the third test, the second innings is a bit irrelevant seeing it was not a normal innings.

Well summed up.

I think a lot of the controversy around the DRS really seems to come from people (players included) seemingly not understanding how the system works. Obviously there has been a couple of shockers (mostly based on human, rather than technological, errors), but generally it has been ok. The Pieterson one for example - there had to be clear proof it wasn't out. Even though there was no hotspot, this isn't proof that there wasn't a fine edge, and the given the position of bat in relation to body, pad, and pitch, there is little else the noise could have been other than bat on ball, or an incredibly unfortunately timed bat creak (it can happen). Ultimately not enough proof to overturn it.

The DRS is a lot like the challenge system in the NFL where if there isn't adequate reason to overturn then the ref/umpire's decision stands.

However that decision yesterday to give not out for that LBW challenge was just confusing. The ball pitched in line, hit the batsman in front of the stumps, hawkeye said out. But they didn't overturn the not-out call. That's just perplexing.