The Ashes, 4 Th Test, Melbourne, Day 2

[ChillDoubt]

Starts in half an hour. KP needs to stay measured but also needs to marshall the tail as best he can, a captain's innings if you will.
300 would be nice, 260 odd closer to reality if form is anything to go by.
C'mon England, let's see a bit of grit and determination, with no little application.
Losing the Ashes so tamely has been devastating, 5-Nil would be catastrophic.

[ChillDoubt]

First over and KP looks as if he wants to get on with it.
This could go either way......

[ChillDoubt]

Oh dear, Bres gets a loosener come bouncer first ball and he spoons it up for a dolly.
Why have WE not bowled like this at ANY time in the series?

[jim360]

A wonderful, wonderful start. Sort of.

[ChillDoubt]

KP trys to brass it out with Johnson and attempts to slog him...........epic fail and the castle goes.
Will be lucky to make 250. The catastrophe is very much on......

[sunny-dave]

Oh dearie me ...

[ChillDoubt]

Luckily I'm in work for 8 a.m. tomorrow so at least have a very good reason to be abed early!

[ChillDoubt]

Broad goes leg before to the mercurial Johnson, who had the Man of the Series award wrapped up after the 2nd Test.
Hope Monty doesn't have to wear too many before we're all out.

[ChillDoubt]

Monty does indeed wear one....smack in the middle of the gentleman's area. Ouch!
After a minute or three he's back over his bat and continues manfully.

[ChillDoubt]

Monty leaves one from Lyon and a bit of turn sees it clip the off stump. England all out for 255, 45 short of a half decent total.
Can our bowlers get an early strike? We'll find out in 10 minutes or so.

[ChillDoubt]

Oz move along nicely to 19-0, England short on ideas from the off.
Why has there not been a bouncer, slower ball, Yorker or anything els out of the ordinary? We look like average pie chuckers at best. Show a bit of invention or something out of the ordinary, PLEASE!

[ChillDoubt]

As I posted, Jimmy gets a tickle from Warner and Johnny B gets his first Test match victim with the gloves.
Just another 2 before lunch and it's game on.

[jim360]

Only got one of those two more you wanted, but still, 38-2 ain't bad.

[jno]

and nobody still to come but Clarke, Haddin, Smith..

I'm still struggling to understand just where it's all gone wrong. England are not, on paper, a bad team and were top-ranked quite recently. And yet on this tour they've played like a bunch of bunnies from Day 1. (Perhaps Day 2.)

[seekeerz]

See, if you can do it, so can we !! Been out all day and just catching up with the happenings, doesn't look pretty !!

[seekeerz]

Well that's not too flash, 9/164 at stumps for the Ozzies ..could be a turn around for the visiting team

[humbersloop]

and hopefully Haddin's run out of people to rally the score this time, so if the England openers can actually apply themselves we might make a game of it

[jno]

they're not still playing Gillespie, are they? Last thing we need is another double century from the number 11.

[humbersloop]

looks like Lyon to bat tomorrow

[grumpy01]

England looked together in the field today.Perhaps Swann and Prior were the problem.