Blogs

fifth test, day four

January 5 00:35

England end the series in fittingly spineless fashion on day four...
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fifth test: day three

January 3 23:06

Pietersen is still there, but with only Read and the tail for company, we could be in for a short day tomorrow with England just 12 runs ahead....
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fifth test, day two

January 2 22:51

If someone else was at the crease other than the wildly unpredictable Andrew Symonds then Australia would probably take the honours, but 'Roy' has a penchant for the erratic....
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fifth test, day one

January 1 23:54

Why do England always lose wickets in clusters? One inevitably brings two and, given the batting to come, could well bring three, four, five or six....
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fourth test, day three

December 28 00:36

It's a dark day indeed when an unbeaten 26 from Chris Read is the only highlight for England...
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red herrings and an apology

December 27 11:22

We all agree England's selection has been misguided, but would it have made any difference?...
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fourth test, day two

December 27 01:56

Symonds and Hayden have put England to the sword, but both men owe Rudi Koertzen a drink...
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fourth test, day one

December 26 01:24

Warne once again shows why he's the greatest spinner who has ever played the game...
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farewell to one of the greats

December 21 13:09

Warne is about more than just bowling skill. When Warne bowls, it's theatre....
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third test, day five

December 18 04:44

Has any cricketer ever had a more embarrassing final moment as a Test cricketer than Geraint Jones?...
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third test, day four

December 17 05:00

Good first session for England, but some of the bookies might have over-reacted...
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third test, day three

December 16 05:10

Frustrating time for England as half-chances go begging and more umpiring decisions go against the tourists...
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third test, day two

December 15 04:38

The end of the series appears nigh after England's woeful display on day two in Perth...
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third test, day one

December 14 02:20

No matter what happens in the rest of the third Test, let's hope Duncan Fletcher and co realise they have finally stumbled upon the right formula for future success....
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nineties spirit england's best chance?

December 12 20:26

Do the England players really think they can win? And if not, is that our best chance of making things respectable?...
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defeat makes me sick as a pigeon

December 6 09:35

Watching the defeat in Adelaide was worse than watching a pigeon peck disconsolately at a patch of dried sick....
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second test, day five

December 5 03:09

Can England bounce back from this humiliating defeat? Common sense and history suggests not...
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second test, day four

December 4 02:59

He may have got Adam Gilchrist out, but Ashley Giles looks increasingly pointless....
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second test, day three

December 3 02:37

England have bowled well in Adelaide, but giving two lives to Ricky Ponting has all but ended their hopes of victory....
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second test, day two

December 2 02:43

Shane Warne has been reduced to bowling like Ashley Giles in the face of Kevin Pietersen's genius....
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second test, day one

November 30 23:52

Duncan Fletcher joins Andrew Strauss in England's insane asylum after the second-Test team is announced....
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three and easy for england

November 29 07:18

If England are going to keep any kind of foothold in this series, then three things need to happen before the second Test in Adelaide....
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affable aussies? no thanks

November 28 10:25

Nick Miller welcomes the return of the nasty Aussies, because it's so much easier to hate them that way....
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first test, day five

November 26 23:58

Australia may have crushed England in the opening Test, but their attempts to bully the opposition were less effective than their cricket....
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first test, day four

November 26 01:47

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results". Is Andrew Strauss insane?...
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first test, day three

November 25 02:31

Could Ricky Ponting's baffling decision not to enforce the follow-on have a financial rather than cricketing explanation? A three-day Test means an awful lot of refunds...
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life as an england fan

November 24 13:36

Nick Miller is finding it hard to come to terms with England's return to the dark old days in the first Test of the Ashes series....
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first test, day two

November 24 02:09

It may sound negative, but England would probably settle for just making Australia bat again to secure victory in Brisbane....
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first test, day one

November 22 23:16

Never mind Harmison's first ball, it really all started going wrong when they played the national anthems. What a disgrace....
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no sleep 'til brisbane

November 22 08:19

The long wait is almost over, and my body clock has finally been dragged kicking and screaming onto 'Ashes Time'....
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ashes needs another england win

November 20 14:37

England winning the Ashes this winter will do me, and countless other English cricket fans a power of good....
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encouraging signs for england

November 19 12:14

After the insane over-reaction to England's meaningless one-day defeat to the Prime Minister's XI, things are looking up for Andrew Flintoff's side....
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aussie fan pays price

November 16 20:02

Two of my mates are going Down Under to watch every minute of the Ashes with the Barmy Army - and here's a little teaser of things to come from them....
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aussies follow english blueprint

November 16 16:09

Australia's squad for the first Test suggests they'll be following England's lead and picking five bowlers....
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better now than later

November 15 09:08

It might sound harsh, but losing Trescothick is the best thing for all concerned....
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cook's chance to shine at opener

November 14 15:32

Marcus Trescothick's departure from the Ashes tour due to health reasons could mean a big chance for Alastair Cook to shine....
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shah the man to replace tresco

November 14 13:09

Robert Key looks set to get the nod to replace Marcus Trescothick on England's Ashes tour, but I'd go for Owais Shah....
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tresco exit a massive blow

November 14 12:24

Marcus Trescothick's withdrawal from the Ashes tour is a crushing blow for England - but it gives Ian Bell the chance to exorcise his Aussie demons....
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take a punt on ponting

November 14 09:53

Totesport are offering 1/2 that Ricky Ponting outscores Ian Bell in the Ashes this winter, and that's a bet too good to pass up....
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freddie flexes his muscles

November 12 14:18

It's harsh to drop wicketkeeper Chris Read, but let's give Andrew Flintoff the benefit of the doubt. For now....
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england make first mistake

November 12 12:27

Losing to the Prime Minister's XI will have no bearing on the Ashes, but recalling a bumbling wicketkeeper will......
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some mindless optimism

November 10 10:48

On paper, Australia should wipe the floor with England this winter, so why do I feel so chipper about our prospects?...
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vaughan return full of risk

November 9 12:08

Will Vaughan really be fit for Perth? But more importantly does he deserve to be picked? I'm worried already....
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they don't like it up 'em

November 8 17:12

Both England and Australia both have their share of critical old boys, but who will the pressure tell on first?...
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we're in the twilight zone

November 8 16:52

My name's Dave and I am an Ashes Addict. Spare a thought for me and thousands of others in the coming weeks....
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a night-time thrill

November 7 11:26

While hosting the Aussies in England is always a thrill, for me an Ashes series Down Under brings an extra excitement....
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let the drama begin

November 4 18:08

Andrew Flintoff insists England will cope with the pressure during the Ashes - but I'm not so sure our office will......
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lee's going to the dogs

November 3 11:48

My ears pricked up this morning when our greyhound desk annnounced: "Star of Dromin has whelped a litter of seven pups to Australian star Brett Lee."...
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ashes buzz starts to build

November 2 17:10

There is an expectant buzz around our office as the pinnacle of cricket is once again upon us....
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two shanes are better than one

November 2 16:27

His name's Shane, he's got blond hair, he's never shy of a word or two and he might just be Australia's key man in this Ashes series....
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five is the magic number

November 1 15:50

England must not sacrifice a fifth bowler to accommodate six specialist batsmen in Australia....
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England Profiles

Andrew Flintoff

ROLE: All-Rounder

TESTS: 62

BAT AVERAGE: 32.91

BOWL AVERAGE: 31.32

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Australia Profiles

Adam Gilchrist

ROLE: WicketKeeper-batsman

TESTS: 85

BAT AVERAGE: 48.80

BOWL AVERAGE: n/a

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