sidelined

12 responses so far ↓

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  Nic White // Dec 19, 2006 at 2:52 am

  Yay!

  Would have preferred a the full five matches being important though. The victory feels a bit hollow.

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  David Jackmanson // Dec 19, 2006 at 8:43 am

  No. No it doesn’t. Not one little bit. Feeling solid as a rock, over here.

  

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  Shaun // Dec 19, 2006 at 8:45 am

  Hollow? Nay good sir. It is just the sweet feeling of revenge.

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  Five // Dec 19, 2006 at 9:36 am

  No, not hollow. Wonderful, calming, restorative and fulfilling!

  Especially now Aussie blokes don’t have to give up sex to win the Ashes.

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  wrongun // Dec 19, 2006 at 10:08 am

  Ashes story to dine out on: I was finalising a pleading during the lunch break and thought I’d managed to turn the telly on just in time for the resumption, only to see all the Aussies running around partying.

  Insert random comment about work-obsessed lawyers [here].

  Seriously, though, this is bloody good stuff.

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  Bring Back CL's blog // Dec 19, 2006 at 10:13 am

  Very disappointing series between two flawed sides.

  might write more on this later.

  Only an insecure country like Australia would get excited about the Ashes.

  Cricket is a great sport but it doesn’t compare with international sports like football or even basketball

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  Shaun // Dec 19, 2006 at 10:42 am

  No Homer,

  Sporting insecurity is when you call have a “World Series” and only the host country (and the odd Candian) are invited. The Ashes rivalry is over a hundred years old and one of the grand traditions of world sport.

  Still, we are going to be buggered when Warney packs it in.

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  Bring Back CL's blog // Dec 19, 2006 at 1:28 pm

  same horse different jockey.

  We should have only celebrated two things in two years for sport.
  Last year for eventually getting into the biggest sports event in the world after 32 years.
  This year for the women winning the world cup in basketball. ( I hate basketball too).

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  Shaun // Dec 19, 2006 at 9:19 pm

  The Grinch who Stole the Ashes.

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  Bring Back CL's blog // Dec 20, 2006 at 9:54 am

  as one who successfully predicted the Ashes win both by the poms over there and by us here I offer the following observations.

  It was easy to predict 2005.
  We had an aging team with batting deficiencies which would only be exposed by high class fast bowling.

  The poms had three bowlers who could bowl over 90 mph, had three who could swing the ball and two who could simply bowl tight an one end whilst some rested.

  High class fast bowling with the ball swinging was always going to test our batsman.
  When the poms started to out-field us then it became inevitable.

  1) They rested on their laurels
  2) they did not give replacements for Vaughn and particularly Jones enough time to settle in.
  3) Freddy had to bowl too much yet he bowled with less pace and less accuracy
  4) Harmy couldn’t take the pressure off indeed quite the opposite
  5) Jones the WK showed he wasn’t a test WK and almost lost some tests when they were on top. Surely they should have realised what would happen if the pressure was on.
  6) Giles ONLY works if the four quicks are bowling reasonably well. Monty is a wicket-taking bowler.
  7) You must have a winning attitude. If you go in attempting to draw you will inevitably lose
  Freddy is no captain. Standing on the edge of the pitch to lefthanders when it hasn’t worked simply means you are stupid. Mahmoud was a bowler England needed yet Freddy treated him as if he couldn’t bowl.

  Having said all that I wouldn’t mind backing England in the next series to win easily with either Vaughn or Strauss as captain.

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  mal // Dec 20, 2006 at 8:14 pm

  Is it unaustralian to be disappointed that we’ve won them back so easily? I wanted us to win, but even more I wanted another fingernail chewed to the quick, sphincter-clenching, bleeding eyeball, edge of the seat series like the last one. This series has had its moments, but playing at their absolute best England are really only able to hold Australia., and as soon as the Poms ease off a little, then Aus just surges past.

  None of this stops me gloating at the Poms at work though .

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  Nic White // Dec 21, 2006 at 1:54 am

  My point is that they didn’t field a real team, so we ran over them. Bit lame and not all that satisfying. It’s not a real victory for me until we beat a competent squad without injuries to key players. I’m with Mal on this.