OK, best of five then

kmanifold says:

06:22am | 21/07/09

Some pretty average decisions crushed Australia in the second innings but the first innings was no shining light of batting mastership and one or two of our bowlers could do with a master class. Some of the umpiring may have been questionable but we just need to suck it up.

Pete from Sydney says:

08:05am | 21/07/09

Dodgy decisions aside we played poorly….and moon landing anniversary aside, this is the most important thing going on at the moment…time to knuckle down and grind out a couple of wins boys…

Lexi says:

08:15am | 21/07/09

Swings and roundabouts…

What it does show is how absolutely desperate the Poms are for a win.  Let them have their brief moment in the sun.  It’s little more than a week ‘till the next match - their fun will be over soon enough.

C’arn s’tralya!

Sam of Sydney says:

08:16am | 21/07/09

I find some of the comments are amusing. I am sure everyone agrees that the cricket is not anymore a gentleman’s game. Poor umpiring in spite of having neutral umpires does seem to be an issue but the use of technology does have limitations as sometimes it does raise more questions than answers. There are a number of examples of visiting teams getting a raw deal while playing here in Australia but journos here ignore them insisting it’s a part of the game. Well said but if the same happens to our team please have the same attitude. The attitude of insisting that wrong decisions made by umpires cost Australia the match but the ones go in favour of Australia would have no impact on the match.

Andrew says:

08:16am | 21/07/09

Australia needs to look at who is performing well and who isn’t based on the two tests, not on who performed well in South Africa. If this means dropping Mitchell Johnson then so be it.  Australia lost the first test by sheer poor captaincy, the second was through a poor first innings. For the Aussies to win the next couple of tests we need our batsmen to score more runs and the bowlers to finish off the english tail within fifty runs.

RT says:

08:41am | 21/07/09

Andrew@ 8:16, don’t give up your day job. You don’t drop the guy who has been the best performer for more than 20 tests (Johnson) because of two bad ones. The team that lost in Lord’s was the same team that only days before was one wicket away from victory in the 1st test. The only change the selectors should consider is Stuart Clarke for Siddle. Phillip Hughes and Mitchell Johnson are talented young players and will get through this bad patch. I’m more worried about ‘keeper Haddin, who let through 31 byes (though some should have been called wides). One for every year of his life He seems to be there only because he can bat and the team wanted another Gilchrist. But he’s no Gilchrist even though he gets runs sometimes.

Doug says:

08:44am | 21/07/09

Why isnt Clark playing when he is fit? At worst he would tie up an end with the McGrath line he bowls.

Mark Nicholson says:

08:48am | 21/07/09

Ponting was great when all he had to was bat 1 time in 4 and then throw the ball to Warne and the big Fella. He is looking very suss now. Poor decisions in the field and when send ing in batsmen have contributed more to outcomes than poor umpiring decisions.

It’s certainly going to be interesting rest of the series. Given Australia’s past history at Edgbaston handg on to your seats. I forsee a huge Dummy Spit from Ponting in the not to distant future.

pete m says:

08:54am | 21/07/09

RT - I’m more concerned about dropped catches than byes.  If Haddin drops a catch, that’s a killer for team morale.

Johnson will be back.  Remember he’s hardly bowled over there before, and had a tough start with stupid comments from his mum of all people.  He’ll settle down and be our top wicket taker by the end.  I’d bring back Stuart Clark to get some consistent line and pressure on batsmen - he is very underrated for this quality which helps other bowlers take wickets and keeps the pressure on them all.  Not sure what happened in the first dig, but Ponting also being given out when not and Clarke being silly for 1 shot destroyed our innings - 2 little things that had a huge impact in the scheme of the 1st innings deficit.  It will not happen again.

I still cannot understand why Strauss hasn’t been hauled over the coals by the world media.  He must have known his fingers touched grass as the ball came in them and his fingers were NOT under the ball but facing down.  He should have put his hand up to say he wasn’t sure and demanded a video check to vouch the catch or not.  The fact he didn’t went a long way with the umpires, who should have referred it anyway.

Flintoff was almost unplayable.  Well done to him. 

England are now 1 up - should have been 1-1 at worst, but you cannot change history and just have to get on with it.

Dean Felton says:

09:18am | 21/07/09

I can put up with losing to the Poms - once, just - as long as the natural order of things is restored in the 3rd, 4th and 5th tests.  But is anyone else getting just a leee-tle bit tired of the Blokes Punching Above Their Weight?

And you get the feeling that when Punter slogs that kid’s ball out of the stadium, there’d be a passing Pom in the street outside, ready to catch it.

Jethro says:

09:39am | 21/07/09

Flinty is now assured of a place next to Raleigh, Nelson and Churchill, and a bar for his DSO. Defeated the invaders and saved the English bacon - this time.  If there’s one memory of this series, thats it !

Mave says:

10:06am | 21/07/09

Jesus fellas - england beat ya fair and square…talk about sour grapes…we had 20 years of you lot rubbing our noses in it so take it like a main and admit the better team won.Yeh some of the umpire decisions were dodgy but these even out over the course of a match/series and I forget the amount of dodgy decisions Australia have won games on the back of down under. As for the author of this blog ( I cant call him a journalist cos he doesnt deserve the titel) I expect nothing better after his daft racist comments about Englands 12th man being a member of al-qaeda the other day

philj says:

10:25am | 21/07/09

I don’t mind Freddie cleaning up like he did but why oh why does he have to perform like Kevin Rudd with the arms outstretched as though he is the Messiah?

RT says:

10:26am | 21/07/09

Pete m-can’t remember Haddin dropping many catches on this tour but that might be because not many have come his way. But he needs to tighten up his technique for sure.

I don’t agree with your comments on Strauss’s catch claim. There is no reason to suspect that his appeal was not made in the genuine belief that he caught it cleanly.

The only thing to say about the Ponting 1st innings dismissal was that both the standing umpire and 3rd umpire stuffed it up. Ponting should have been given out LBW, not caught.

Kieran says:

10:36am | 21/07/09

Australia loses and of course it’s not our fault. How bloody typical. When we win of course it is entirely on our own merits. What a pack of whingers.

Matt ,T'ville says:

10:47am | 21/07/09

Look at old mate Mave here (10:06), all chirp and confidence. Sounds a bit like some South Africans I know after they won the Australia series and then got obliterated in the return leg.

As for use of the ol’ faithful comment “all dodgy decisions even out in the end” bollocks. That’s an excuse used by people who have a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach that if they don’t get touched by the lord again they won’t win.

Had two of the three top order who were not out bat around their average Australia wins. Anyway, there are three games left. Freddie was outstanding as usual (even with lucky calls exempt) though the English had best hope against hope that his injuries don’t carry over.

Besides, there’s nothing wrong with losing when you’re actually trying to win. We could have scratched our backsides for two days and wasted all the spectators’ money.

And by the way Mave, calling Penberthy a racist, you’re taking the piss right? Isn’t that what this site is about?

Charles says:

11:08am | 21/07/09

Sour grapes Mr Penberthy - or is this becoming Australian behaviour (all too often we hear what is unAustralian, are you now proposing what is Australian).  Methinks you reduce to writing the complaint that has been levelled by Australian’s against the Poms for all these many years - i.e. you are a b… whinger.

What should we take from this test?  We need to ‘suck it up’ and accept the good and the bad decisions, the bounce of the pitch plus the decisions by the Umpires.

True sportsmen bounce back by showing their mettle - look at Roger Federer’s display winning Wimbledon this year - and that’s what our 11 need to do over the next 3 matches.

I for one look forward to seeing what these young men are made of.

Brian says:

11:29am | 21/07/09

The Strauss catch was OK. Only in super slow mo does it look a bit like it touched the ground but his fingers were still underneath it and there’s no way he could have adjusted his grip in that timeframe. As the SBS presenters said he would not have known eiether way. The umpires did not refer it and that was probably a mistake. Ponting was not caught in the first innings but should have been given LBW anyway.

This could be a very close series. The Aus batting line up is very strong and Flintoff aside England’s bowling does not inspire. Australia’s bowling is nowhere near the quality it used to be. Can you imagine that first test result with Warne and McGrath in the team, would never have happened.

Could still go either way and then there’s the unknown quantity of the weather to consider too.

S says:

11:38am | 21/07/09

pete m,
If Ponting was not out caught, he was out lbw, so you cannot complain about that one

Andrew Strauss says:

12:13pm | 21/07/09

Hi, my name is Andrew Strauss, and i’m a cheat.  I’m also a smug, arrogant prat.  Myself, along with my uninformed illetrate English media mates think that I’m “special” and should get away with whatever i want, but not dirty little Ricky! oh no! he’s a whinging cheat! for even daring to suggest that i might not play in the right spirit of the game!

David Infense says:

12:15pm | 21/07/09

Trivia: Australia has had 5 century makers in the first two tests. England has had just the one. Australia has taken 36 wickets. England has only taken 26 (and even then 3 of the batsmen they got out were incorrect decisions).

Alan says:

12:29pm | 21/07/09

Ah Mr Pemberthy,

I think this troll article succinctly sums up why you were removed from even such a joke of a ‘news’paper as the Tele for being wildy out of touch with your readership.  Read the comments here, particularly from an Australian perspective, and it might dawn on you that your 80s style of ‘whip up the proles’ writing is thankfully in the past and shows no sign of a comeback, consigned to history with the equally arrgant cricketers of the day. 

As mentioned - Punters dismissal was a choice of LBW or catch, not was he out.  The disputed catch - in this day and age you play to the whistle, so don’t blame the players with this much money riding on results.

With a bit of luck, journalistic excellence like this and your Al-Qaeda one will soon make the powers that be at News realise that you’re very much yesterdays man, and you’ll soon be consigned to filling up a Wordpress blog with your drivel.

Look at the way the UK press (and travelling army) graciously acceded that the last Ashes was won by great swansong players wishing to give it their all one last time, and maybe look to them for inspiration.  Seems your readership would appreciate that too.

Rob M says:

12:29pm | 21/07/09

Get over it Penberthy. Your man Ponting is a proven loser on English soil.

If he couldn’t win the ashes over there with Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath propping him up, he’s not going to do it with that medicore bowling line-up.

iansand says:

12:31pm | 21/07/09

Australia did not get over 400 runs in the 4th innings to win.  Oddly enough, not many teams have.  If they had succeeded it would have been a spectacular victory.  As it is, it is the norm for test cricket.

Nothing to see here.  Move along please.

Peter says:

12:36pm | 21/07/09

Great chance to drop the dead wood e.g. Pup.  We need man to do a man’s job Go Katt not the boy pup please

Mike says:

12:53pm | 21/07/09

Well, we are a bunch of whingers aren’t we? The thing that irks me is that it’s the same people who usually say “it evens out over the course of the match” who whinge when it doesn’t go our way.

And by the way, Cricket Australia has been *dead against* umpire referrals. It’s mostly been the other countries that have pushed for more scrutiny.

And honestly, this is great cricket. Why complain?

Brad Mann says:

01:04pm | 21/07/09

I like seeing Australia lose, and I know I’m not the only Australian who does.
I particularly like seeing the likes of Ricky Ponting and Peter Siddle lose. Ponting, in my view, is a whiny twerp with woeful double standards of “sportsmanship”. Like Waugh, he’s a champion of sledgeing (aka name-calling and bullying). Siddle looks like he’s in a meth-rage and needs to tone down the aggro. Watching him bowl is like watching 10 Lleyton Hewitts screaming “c’mon!” Go the Poms (and any other cricket-playing nation for that matter).

Matt ,T'ville says:

01:22pm | 21/07/09

Hey Andrew Strauss(12:13), thanks mate we appreciate your honesty… off the field. Per chance you can give one K Pietersen a lesson in humility also. I hear he wasn’t good enough to play for South Africa. Shame that, though he does have nice hair.

Matt ,T'ville says:

01:33pm | 21/07/09

Great call Brad Mann (1:04) we should take all passion and controlled agro out of cricket. When there’s a wicket every one should golf clap and proclaim just how jolly a good show it was. That will pull massive crowds.

As for sledging (aka name -calling and bullying) how dare our captain give anyone a spray. I’m sure when you see Flintoff or any other player mouthing off they’re just asking how the kids are doing at school.

In any event I’m sure England has a sports psychologist who can help placate the pain of players being called “Fatty Boomsticks”

Al says:

01:36pm | 21/07/09

We should follow Ponting’s lead and shrug off the umpiring what-ifs.
Ponting hit a great tone in his comments after the match. The applause the English gave Ricky, who’s atop the pommy hate list, was a nice moment.
It’s going to be a brilliant series.

nigel says:

01:40pm | 21/07/09

Hey Brian (11.29am): Your guide dog is barking to be let outside to do its business.

The only thing we need to do to win the Ashes is win our fair share of the tosses. We’re 0-2. I forget what it was in 2005 but I recall it was shocking.

mac says:

02:35pm | 21/07/09

sow and you shall reap…
Ricky had practised the dodgy way of game by claiming as catches what he had picked from ground…
he is the one who advocated the philosophy of the catching fielder’s word is final in case of any contentious catches…
In this test match, this has been demonstrated by England by claiming the catch of Hughes….
Ricky had never been a good leader or a good captain.
He happened to be in the company of good players such as warne,mcgrath,gilly,hayden etc. Ever since theyt’ve left, ponting is left for ideas for he cannot guide his young team.. He is a good batsman but not a good captain.
I wouldn’t be surprised if england beat us blue black….

Andrew says:

02:47pm | 21/07/09

RT: The bottom line is that Johnson has been claimed as the our strike bowler and in two tests he has not delivered the goods. Should we continue to use the same guy in the hope he comes good, while someone like Stuart Clark carries the drinks…...?

BIG AL says:

02:49pm | 21/07/09

We were beaten by the bad umpiring decisions.  They would have accounted for more than 115 runs.  England’s MVP was Rudi Koertzen.

True we made mistakes, but we can still win the series if we SOS for two more pacemen in case Lee and Clark are still unfit.  Flintoff was extremely hostile, and we need someone to emulate him, but it won’t be the tired trio we played in the first two Tests.  SOS!!

Nelson Munce says:

04:05pm | 21/07/09

Great result, thoroughly deserved, Flintoff’s a genius.

As a great man once said… “Haw haw!”

realto says:

04:51pm | 21/07/09

Big AL - who are the two mystery pacemen that are going to answer your SOS? Bollinger is the only player with test potential not already in the UK. I reckon you’re dreamin’ son. All we need is for Johnson to recapture form and focus, and maybe put Stuart Clark in if fit. Forget that crock Lee, he’s a goner.

And thankfully unlike you the team won’t be dwelling on the umpiring in the 2nd test. That’s for losers, eg India on its last Australian tour. Just remember the poms have to at least win one and draw one of the remaining three tests to win back the ashes. They can’t afford two losses.

Ben from Perth says:

05:12pm | 21/07/09

Forget getting over the loss, two tests in I’m still trying to get over Stuart MacGill’s commentary and Marto’s death stare.

Robert Symons says:

05:30pm | 21/07/09

FF (aka Freddie Flintoff) should be better referred to as PPP (aka Pompous Pommy Prick)

Adam says:

07:52pm | 21/07/09

For god’s sake, It’s “Lord’s” not “Lords”.

And while I’m here, would it kill us to concede that England outplayed us? Better team won, simple as that. Anything else is a very sad excuse.

Mike says:

11:32pm | 21/07/09

The first two tests have set it up for a fantastic series. I believe cricket, more than any other sport, benefits from the “human error” factor to create debate and controversy, it gives us something to talk about in the pub! As an Englisman I know that we certainly haven’t had the best rub of the green through the years in sport, “Hand of God”, Ronaldo/Rooney sending off, etc. etc. etc. sure, England got some lucky, some might say, match winning breaks at Lord’s but can any Australian say, hand on heart, that they have never? As for gamesmanship, you reap what you sow Ricky.
P.S, I can’t stop watching Ponting dropping that gimme at slip, priceless.
P.P.S, Looking forward to SA battering Aus in the tri-nations!
Tongue firmly in cheek!
Good luck at the Edgbaston Bullring.

BIG AL says:

09:48pm | 22/07/09

REALTO   maybe it’s you who are dreaming mate!    Johnson to somehow regain focus, and Clark to be fit!  Both very unknown factors.  Hilfenhaus, Johnson and Siddle bowled their hearts out and would start another Test as tired men.  If we can’t get Lee and Clark match fit we are in desperate trouble, that’s why I say get Bollinger and maybe the Victorian Nannes as insurance.

I don’t advocate carrying the negatives of the Lord’s Test into the next one, but I hope they can “turn the scars into stars” and fill their guts with determination to avoid rash shots and make every genuine opportunity count.    Go Aussies!!

From Ashes to Ashes says:

06:15am | 24/08/09

Seriously ... Freddie Flintoff needs a suntan. Ricky Ponting needs a holiday. And the Ashes .... are turning into mud after they were sprayed by the Poms’ champagne.