Ashes Live Thread

[sunny-dave]

Yes, it will contain spoilers - so look away now if you are waiting for the highlights programme.

[ChillDoubt]

And one brings another! No reviews left for Australia and Smith goes first ball LBW. Hat trick ball coming up for Swanny......

[ChillDoubt]

Getting ahead of myself here as my son points out that it's not a hat trick ball as Broad got Clarke with the last ball of his over and Swann got Smith with the first of his.
Exciting or what?

[douglas9401]

How long does a test match go on before the actual game starts?

[jim360]

And another one! 165-6 now.

Agar's not in the middle. Wonder what he has in store for us this time?

[jim360]

Very finely poised test, this. 174-6, which is roughly where I thought we needed to be by close of play. But 137 runs is such a make-able target, especially the way Australia's tail has played lately. Looking forward to another day's cricket, though I expect it will be over one way or another by about lunch.

[sunny-dave]

Time for some breakfast, plenty of coffee, walk the dogs for half an hour before the heat gets going - then settle down at 11am for the final drama of a brilliant match.

It is (to use Sir Alec's memorable phrase) "Squeaky Bum Time" ...

[berniecuddles]

cant wait dave could be over by lunch with some good bowling i hope

[Sqad]

137 to get...last day on a dry Trent Bridge Test match, with 4 wickets left?

England will have won by lunchtime.

[sunny-dave]

You'd think so Sqad - but "cricket is a funny old game"

( © FS Trueman, G Boycott, TE Bailey etc etc etc)

[Sqad]

dave...LOL...it is. (Not on that wicket dave.....Swann will have a field day)

[sunny-dave]

It does look a tad 'dry' - the close-ups yesterday looked more like the surface of the moon than some of the Apollo 11 pictures :+)

[DTCwordfan]

we shall see, I hope so as to Swann cleaning up and getting that Mosquito out in the first over would be most useful....

[ChillDoubt]

What a day in prospect. Hopefully an England win, but not in the same manner as in 2005 please, not sure my ticker would hold out!
If Agar repeats his first innings performance I'll eat Sir Geoffrey of Boycott's hat!
Meanwhile, here in the South of France we see the cyclists begin one of the definitive stages of the Tour de France, Givors to Mont Ventoux, the longest in this year's TdF. A 21km climb at the end of a brutal day will see someone bathed in glory on Bastille Day in the 100th Tour. Hopefully that someone will be Chris Froome, now a proven climber and time triallist.
Let battle commence!

[ChillDoubt]

The players enter to the strains of 'Jerusalem'.

Here we go, game on.....

[aelmpvw]

won't relax until agar's out

[Zacs-Master]

Chill at the risk of seeming hippo critical (sic) could you give us the scores every now and then? Ta muchly.

[ChillDoubt]

Be my pleasure Zacs. Will be interespersed with the odd trip to the pool to cool off!

[ChillDoubt]

Agar as nervous as a Geordie in a maths test, he's feeling the pressure.

[Zacs-Master]

Thankyou. Just gazing at my pool. Unfortunately it's 3' round and inflatable. Damn dog won't use it anyway.

[ChillDoubt]

Wild slash from Haddin goes wide of Swann and runs away, that's 4 off the total.
Aggers keeps a straight face as he delivers eclesiastical double entendres. I love the schoolboyish sniggers in the background from the fellow commentators.