The Ashes

[fodroy]

i hope i'm not the only one who has no idea what this thread is about.

[stueym]

i hope i'm not the only one who has no idea what this thread is about.

And the poorer US sport culture is for it too A sporting clash between two countries that has been played continuously since 1882 should be acknowledged, and celebrated across the world.

http://www.334notout.com/ashes/ashbegin.htm

A sport where more than two countries play it competitively and when we have a 'World Series" involves actual national teams

[Kamakura]

Damn Warne!

...and he has the audacity to look happy. It's just not Cricket.

[Caravan Ray]

Damn Warne!

...and he has the audacity to look happy. It's just not Cricket.

now 4 wickets down - your pet South African just got the finger

[Caravan Ray]

But before we get too caught up in the frenzy of the next 5 days...

I gotta say - well done chaps - to all concerned. This really has been a great series. And even though we are not enjoying being 'brought back to the pack' one bit - I think every one in Aus is secretly very pleased that England is back and giving us a decent game.

That Flintoff is a real champion - definitley a new Botham. I'm sure we'll grow to hate (and love) him, just like we did with "Beefy" - the mullet-headed old fat bastard that he was.

But there's still not enough mongel in the Poms yet though. We deserved to be thrased in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th tests - yet we drew the 3rd, almost won the 2nd and also gave youse a fright in the 4th.

Anyway, I doff my cap and lower my trousers to the England XI. I didn't think they had it in 'em - but I've been proved wrong. (and no, the avatar isn't me - it's Warney - what an awsome photo! Fag in - trousers down - just how we'll always remember him)

I just hope this last Test isn't a draw - we need a result. If England win - good luck to yez - you deserve it. If we win - even better - we'll take our Ashes home again, see you next time. A draw would really suck.

[stueym]

I just hope this last Test isn't a draw - we need a result. If England win - good luck to yez - you deserve it. If we win - even better - we'll take our Ashes home again, see you next time. A draw would really suck.

Careful what you wish for CR...seen the weather for Friday and Saturday? http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0008

[Caravan Ray]

I just hope this last Test isn't a draw - we need a result. If England win - good luck to yez - you deserve it. If we win - even better - we'll take our Ashes home again, see you next time. A draw would really suck.

Careful what you wish for CR...seen the weather for Friday and Saturday? http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0008

Rain? In England? That can't be right can it?

[Kamakura]

Rain? In England? That can't be right can it?

Ayup. The Prime Minister was on TV earlier exhorting us all to go and perform rain dances. It's amazing what we'll do for a few grams of ash in a jar.
Mind you, at 319 for 7 we might not need it...

btw, your avarar is mildly worrying.

[stueym]

Rain? In England? That can't be right can it?

Ayup. The Prime Minister was on TV earlier exhorting us all to go and perform rain dances. It's amazing what we'll do for a few grams of ash in a jar.
Mind you, at 319 for 7 we might not need it...

btw, your avarar is mildly worrying.

Looks like the dances are working cos here comes the 'bad light"

For our American friends...."bad light stops play" means that the sky is so dark that the batsman could be in mortal danger of the 100mph 5 ounce hard leather projectile that they cannot see. So they stop play....extremely contentious decision causing questioning of many umpires parentage until they introduced light meters to make the decision less arbitary, but it does still piss off many in the stands.

[bz£]

For our American friends...."bad light stops play" means that the sky is so dark that the batsman could be in mortal danger of the 100mph 5 ounce hard leather projectile that they cannot see. So they stop play....extremely contentious decision causing questioning of many umpires parentage until they introduced light meters to make the decision less arbitary, but it does still piss off many in the stands.

I think I'm the only American still reading this, and I already know that. Didn't the Aussies make the decision to not continue after tea? Seemed a little odd, considering the situation they're in, and the weather forecast for the next few days.

Just in case I'm not the only American paying attention: there's no overtime or make-ups or anything. If they don't finish the game in time, it's a draw, no matter who's winning or what the score is. If the whole test gets rained out, it's a draw. And a draw in this test gives England the Ashes trophy, which is why those wacky Brits are all so concerned about the weather at the moment.

[HeuristicsInc]

cricket is so weird.
-bill

[stueym]

For our American friends...."bad light stops play" means that the sky is so dark that the batsman could be in mortal danger of the 100mph 5 ounce hard leather projectile that they cannot see. So they stop play....extremely contentious decision causing questioning of many umpires parentage until they introduced light meters to make the decision less arbitary, but it does still piss off many in the stands.

I think I'm the only American still reading this, and I already know that. Didn't the Aussies make the decision to not continue after tea? Seemed a little odd, considering the situation they're in, and the weather forecast for the next few days.

Just in case I'm not the only American paying attention: there's no overtime or make-ups or anything. If they don't finish the game in time, it's a draw, no matter who's winning or what the score is. If the whole test gets rained out, it's a draw. And a draw in this test gives England the Ashes trophy, which is why those wacky Brits are all so concerned about the weather at the moment.

You are quite correct Ben, in actual fact I was speaking to a UK friend in London who was watching when they came off. His view is, this is what could get the Aussie captain fired from the job. It was a very weird situation. Now the umpires were probably minutes away from making that decision but it is true that the batsmen can 'ask' for the light. Maybe one of them had to pee....who knows

Bill, Yes cricket is weird but if you get into it and follow it, it can range from turgid and boring through to intense and exciting. Hence the great passions held by many in the rest of the world and even in parts of the US where tiny pockets of afficionados get together to thrash around.

[HeuristicsInc]

it's just strange the way one team gets all their points then the other, and this rain thing you mention, and the ... er, i dunno. all the descriptions i've seen make it sound bizarre, but really all sports are bizarre when you look at the rules.
i almost got to watch the game a few years ago when india was in the championships whatever in the middle of the night in nyc, but the room was full and i went to bed instead. i still have not actually seen a game at all.
-bill

[bz£]

Well, it was immediately after the tea interval-- they came back on the field and decided not to resume play. BBC commentators thought there could be some decent logic to the decision, but they also thought that Ricky Ponting probably burst an artery when he saw the batsmen come back inside.

To me, it seemed too conservative a decision, given that Australia needs to win-- when a draw is the same as a loss, sometimes you just have to take risks. And things were going well, too; they were at something like 115-0.

And Bill, it's a lot like baseball. Not just superficially; try explaining baseball to someone who's never seen it before. It's complicated and wacky. On the surface, think baseball, only it's almost impossible to get anyone out, only two bases, and the batters run back and forth (and they don't have to run on a hit if they don't want). Every "single" counts as a run and everyone gets to bat until they're out. No foul balls: you can hit in any direction.

That kinda sums it up; they use all kinds of silly words like "silly" but that hardly matters. It's often pretty boring, but so is baseball. Where it works is like the end of the second test: you know that "bottom of the ninth, two outs" feeling, where you never know if the next pitch will be the last, or if the batting team will manage a comeback? In a close game, that tension can go on for hours. (Or days!) There's nothing quite like it.

And the best thing about cricket is that you can chase all the silly cricketers off the pitch and then have a nice game of Aussie rules football on the same ground.

[Bjam]

Go rent or buy Lagaan. It's pretty long, and there's a lot other than the cricket aspect, but it's an awesome movie that I encourage you all to see if you wanna find out about cricket.

(In history class we had to watch a Bollywood movie all the way through or take a test on the India unit we were finishing up. So everyone else in the grade took a test, while our class watched a movie for a week.)

[stueym]

damn Ben you got it on there? DirecTV wanted some obscene amount of money so I was prepared to listen/watch on the bbc.co.uk site

[Caravan Ray]

Go rent or buy Lagaan. It's pretty long, and there's a lot other than the cricket aspect, but it's an awesome movie that I encourage you all to see if you wanna find out about cricket.

(In history class we had to watch a Bollywood movie all the way through or take a test on the India unit we were finishing up. So everyone else in the grade took a test, while our class watched a movie for a week.)

Awsome Bjam!
A Frenchman I work with told me yesterday that the only time he came close to understanding cricket was after watching a Bollywood movie about it. He had no idea what the movie was called and I had no idea how to find it.
I think you've just answered our question!

[Caravan Ray]

Well, it was immediately after the tea interval-- they came back on the field and decided not to resume play. BBC commentators thought there could be some decent logic to the decision, but they also thought that Ricky Ponting probably burst an artery when he saw the batsmen come back inside.

To me, it seemed too conservative a decision, given that Australia needs to win-- when a draw is the same as a loss, sometimes you just have to take risks. And things were going well, too; they were at something like 115-0.

Have faith in The Punter, Shallow One.
A couple of hours isn't much in the big scheme of things. With Haydos and Langer finally getting some runs - I sense they're planning on sticking around for a few days and knocking up 600+. Then let Warney and The Pigeon clean up the Poms 2nd innings - they've always looked a little fragile on the 4th and 5th days in every test - we wont need to bat again.

[Kamakura]

cricket is so weird.

You're not wrong. This is probably the best explanation...

Cricket: As explained to a foreigner...

You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's in the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in and the side that's been in goes out and tries to get those coming in, out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out.

When a man goes out to go in, the men who are out try to get him out, and when he is out he goes in and the next man in goes out and goes in. There are two men called umpires who stay out all the time and they decide when the men who are in are out. When both sides have been in and all the men have been out, and both sides have been out twice after all the men have been in, including those who are not out, that is the end of the game.

From the famous 'Cricket Tea Towel'

[bz£]

damn Ben you got it on there? DirecTV wanted some obscene amount of money so I was prepared to listen/watch on the bbc.co.uk site

No, I've been listening on the BBC web site. When I'm awake that early.

[j$]

.. are ours, all ours *bwah ha ha*

[and before certain grouches start complaining about the 'winning' draw - I would point to the Old Trafford Draw, that we would have won easily if not for bad weather, so I'm kind of seeing those cancelling each other out. And frankly if the Walkabout is full of whining about 'we wuz cheated' then it just makes it all the sweeter. Not that it makes up for the Northern Ireland result.]

[stueym]

Ahhhh the quiet satisfaction of a winning draw

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4237610.stm

Well done England...Its been a long 18 years. And well played Australia