: Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:05 pm  

100% Wire wrote:

Just a shame that this great sporting occasion wasn't viewable to everybody rather than just the people able to afford Sky..... oh well... ECB are richer for it i'm sure

Is on five later

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 7:58 pm  

Ingurland.....Ingurland.

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:52 pm  

100% Wire wrote:

Just a shame that this great sporting occasion wasn't viewable to everybody rather than just the people able to afford Sky..... oh well... ECB are richer for it i'm sure

I don't have Sky either, I used to up till this year, but I've really enjoyed listening to it on TMS, and of course there's the highlights on 5. You get better analysis and discussion of the game when you listen to it on the radio and you can have the cricket on all day whilst doing other stuff, in the past if I was watching cricket that was the day taken up sat on the sofa.

I enjoy it more this way, its like going back to the old days, my grandad grew up listening to Test matches on his wireless, now I'm doing it.

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 8:57 pm  

I actually prefer listening to cricket for some reason, I've followed most of it via TMS, with a couple of good books, with SKY player on the laptop when I hear something I want to watch, or want to watch a particularly engrossing passage of play.

Not too keen on the SKY commentary at times, I know it is the SKY way but they seem to sensationalise everything and are OTT at times, I've listened to Shane Warne quite a bit and he has usually been good, but TMS is always a bit more reasoned.

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:08 pm  

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:35 pm  

Asim wrote:

Not too keen on the SKY commentary at times, I know it is the SKY way but they seem to sensationalise everything and are OTT at times, I've listened to Shane Warne quite a bit and he has usually been good, but TMS is always a bit more reasoned.

Like Tuffers and Matthew Hayden both talking up the praises of Englands premier fast bowler Steve Harmison.

: Sun Aug 23, 2009 11:46 pm  

Robbie Rotten wrote:

When KP comes back, do you think Colly will be dropped to accommodate Trott?

I've said before that would be Collys last test if it were up to me. He's a fighter and thats great but he just doesn't score enough runs on a regular enough basis to warrent his place when theres so much compatition.

I'm a huge Bopara fan aswell and would love to see us find a place for him but thats going to be tough. Ian Bell had 2 decent knocks in his series but overall i'm not convinced by him. Alistar Cook needs to work really hard at his game aswell but i don't see him being dropped.

The batting line up needs looking at and that can't be clouded by us winning the Ashes. If there was a new test starting tomorrow and KP were fit i'd go with-

Cook
Strauss
Pietersen(our best batter and he must start to take more responsibility)
Trott
Bopara
Prior

that would be my top 6.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:21 am  

Thank you England. Thank you.

Will enjoy my day over here.

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 12:39 am  

Awesome. Warched all day and decided to go to the gym for a bit, and of course missed the climactic moment.

Just watched it now, fantastic.

Sky have just shown some of the England players and ground staff sitting on the outfield having a picnic of sorts (beer, I imagine), at 1.38am.

Good on yer lads!!

: Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:52 am  

NickyKiss wrote:

I've said before that would be Collys last test if it were up to me. He's a fighter and thats great but he just doesn't score enough runs on a regular enough basis to warrent his place when theres so much compatition.

I'm a huge Bopara fan aswell and would love to see us find a place for him but thats going to be tough. Ian Bell had 2 decent knocks in his series but overall i'm not convinced by him. Alistar Cook needs to work really hard at his game aswell but i don't see him being dropped.

The batting line up needs looking at and that can't be clouded by us winning the Ashes. If there was a new test starting tomorrow and KP were fit i'd go with-

Cook
Strauss
Pietersen(our best batter and he must start to take more responsibility)
Trott
Bopara
Prior

that would be my top 6.

I'd keep Bell going because I think he has something, and I don't think he's that far off being a top player. He scored centuries in three consecutive Tests against Pakistan, and was a run away from a Test double century against South Africa, so he has done it at the highest level, he's got 8 centuries and 21 fifties in Tests. To think we were still talking about bringing back Ramprakash for this Test - a player whose record doesn't come close to Bell's.