Listening to Sunday Morning Cricket on BBC..

[SirFozzie]

Wow..

Looked like England had it won, they're chasing a measley 129 to win the Fourth Test Match, and er... well.. Australia has gotten two wickets already, (Including Vaughan for a duck)..

England are 36 for 2.

Shane Warne has both England's wickets, without letting up a run yet.

[sovereignstar]

Inconceivable!

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

Does BBC also cover English Football?

[Crapshoot]

I'm Indian. I root for India and whoever is playing the Aussies. Of course, the press are going to call this the downfall of the great Australian team, forgetting that India was the first team to break the "unbreakable" team. That being said, the English have learnt to play cricket again, and its good for the game.

[Crapshoot]

Foz, any luck finding a bar near Boston thats showing the Ashes ? I have an Australian colleague that I need to direct to one such establishment. :D

[SirFozzie]

Most English Pubs are picking it up.. BBC does have some english footy, but most of it is local, not national. There are sites where you can buy access to live streaming audio from the various stations that pick it up.

If I was going to watch it, I'd get the Cricket View Streaming Pass from DirecTV online.

[SirFozzie]

BTW, England is close, but they keep taking English wickets, England was 108 for 5, needing 21 to win, but they need to avoid losing any more wickets (The last batters are usually the worst)

[andy m]

i can't watch this. its horrible. england should never have enforced the follow on, everyone except michael vaughan knew that this would happen!

[andy m]

116-7. this is just painful.

[Critch]

I've always hated the English Cricket team (though not quite as much as their Rugby or Soccer team) but the Australians have been so arrogant in the run up and course of the Ashes that I kind of half wouldn't mind it too much if England won this one.

So, come on England! (spit).

[andy m]

thank fuck that is over!

critch, you astonish me.

[SirFozzie]

Think England will at least get the draw they need in the Final test Andy?

[andy m]

if they bat first, yes, they can probably get another win. if they don't, i can see australia taking the 5th test. it also depends if simon jones is fit, england really missed his presence today, the 70 odd runs the aussies got for their final 3 wickets almost proved to be match winning.

its such a shame that the 3rd test lost a day to rain or this victory would have wrapped up the series with the game to spare! instead they will have us all nail chewing for one final time this summer in a couple of weeks. looking forward to it (i think!), this has been the greatest sporting competition i think i have ever been witness to.

[bhlloy]

Without McGrath I think England have to be favourites to at least bat out and get a draw. If McGrath somehow makes it back it tips it strongly in the Aussies favour - scary bowling lineup with the new guy Tait instead of Gillespie.

Worrying news about Jones, he has been giving the Aussies nightmares with the old ball and the tail end almost killed England again today when he was out.

Like Andy says if England bat first and put up a big total it will be incredibly hard for Australia to get back in it.

[Crapshoot]

Congrats to England - way to show those Aussie bastards!

[Crapshoot]

Most English Pubs are picking it up.. BBC does have some english footy, but most of it is local, not national. There are sites where you can buy access to live streaming audio from the various stations that pick it up.

If I was going to watch it, I'd get the Cricket View Streaming Pass from DirecTV online.

Heck, if you have any bar reccs for the 5th test in the Boston area, I'd appreciate it.

[SirFozzie]

I don't really go to pubs.. so let me just fair warn you, this is via google.

Good list to start, folks carrying EPL games (either via Sattelite or via FSC)

msn.foxsports.com/story/802702

[SirFozzie]

The list I provided earlier was for soccer, but you can probably call and see if they are going to air the Final Test..

I'm also asking elsewhere

[Mac Howard]

Last night was sporting heaven - Newcastle v Man Utd on Fox Sports One and England v Australia on FS2 simultaneously. The second finished last at around 1.30 in the morning but I couldn't wind down until three :)

England have improved enormously but still lack the confidence to finish games off. They came very close to losing the second test when they had the game almost won. They couldn't take out the tail end of the Aussies in the third test - again with the game almost won. And they came perilously close to losing this one.

The reason Vaughan forced the follow-on, andy m, was that the weather forecast for the 5th day was atrocious and he had to try and win in 4 days. The follow-on was the only way at that point.

Bragging rights are mine around the house this morning - I'm a "pom" living in Australia and usually cricket is not something I talk much about here :)

[21C]

As an Aussie, I'm very much in the minority here ( this is almost treason in these parts ) but I think that the strong performance of England against us is the best thing that could have happened to Australia. The Aussie team and especially the Aussie press is insufferable at times - arrogant is the better word as Critch said. The press has turned on the Aussies and started pointing the finger at who they think is to blame. A bit of humility would go a long way. I've loved the performances of the Aussie team in recent times but success has gone to their heads.

I also thought some of the comments from the Aussie camp about England using specialist replacement fielders were unbelievable! Boo-fucking-hoo! I'm sure the Australians would be saying the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot. The fortress is crumbling.

[andy m]

The reason Vaughan forced the follow-on, andy m, was that the weather forecast for the 5th day was atrocious and he had to try and win in 4 days. The follow-on was the only way at that point.

this is england though. as an ex-pat you should know that you can't forecast mondays weather on saturday! its never accurate. i'm up early this morning and it looks like its going to be as beautiful day today as it was yesterday.

[andy m]

I also thought some of the comments from the Aussie camp about England using specialist replacement fielders were unbelievable! Boo-fucking-hoo! I'm sure the Australians would be saying the same thing if the shoe were on the other foot. The fortress is crumbling.

indeed. and as Jonathan Agnew pointed out - Simon Jones was in hospital, and Clarke was on the field for all of 11 overs in the previous test!

[kiwiLB57]

I can't say that (as a Kiwi) I have ever cared about the Ashes. England vs. Australia. In cricket. Test match cricket. Twenty five days of play (thats five five-day matches) to sort out who is the winner between a nation we love to beat at sport, and a nation we really love to beat at sport. What can I say.

But during a late night bout of channel surfing I watched the final session of the first test where England won by 2 runs. That was just amazing.

I am still chuckling at the stoic England commentators who, when Australia only had 20 runs left to win, were saying things like "the England Team won't be panicking yet, what what" and "Michael Vaughn looks as cool as a cucumber, no signs of panic there, what what".

Wont be panicking yet? Are you mad? The Airmobile riot police battalions were in the air and about to land on the pitch if the Aussie tailenders had snatched that win.

Everybody down here (in New Zealand) are of course rooting for England to win. Its not that we really hate the Australians, we are just sick of them being so bl00dy good at absolutely everything.

Superb stuff and I have been following it rather closely. What what.

kiwiDE57

[Crapshoot]

Kiwi, I think everyone outside of Australia was rooting for the English to win - so we share in that sentiment. :D

[SirFozzie]

One suggestion from rec.sport.cricket is the MIT Student Center would be a good location, but I haven't found a place to see it in a pub yet.

Online Streaming Video through CricInfo (pay) or BBC Audio (Free) might be the best bet

[Crapshoot]

One suggestion from rec.sport.cricket is the MIT Student Center would be a good location, but I haven't found a place to see it in a pub yet.

Online Streaming Video through CricInfo (pay) or BBC Audio (Free) might be the best bet

ooh, good idea. Cricinfo actually apparently has issues with the rights in the US- but that may well be for matches involving India only. the MIT student center seems like it might be a good bet if India was playing (it was at Carnegie Mellon :D), but it might be worth a try.

[SirFozzie]

CricInfo goes through DirecTV streaming I think

[Mac Howard]

this is england though. as an ex-pat you should know that you can't forecast mondays weather on saturday! its never accurate.

Coming from Manchester no one understands that better than I do ;) But that's precisely why you don't make a decision that would rely on good weather throughout the five days. The follow-on gives you the chance of cutting the match short which allows for rain-affected days. The risk, of course, is that you may be batting on a deteriorating pitch in the fourth innings.

But it worked. The game was over in 4 days and the Monday weather irrelevant.

[andy m]

what a wonderful series. i have never been so nervous about a sporting event, i think i will miss it. such an entertaining pair of teams, though i didn't follow much of it on tv as it just made me way angry / nervy...

[Crapshoot]

Congrats to the Pommies- a well deserved Ashes victory. At this point, England might be the best team in the world - havent said that for a while. That being said, lets see you folks in India next summer to see if you can survive where most havent... ;)

[andy m]

i'm looking forward to seeing how England cope with the new challenges, should be exciting! hopefully the chaps will have learned how to cope a little better with spin bowling by the time they hop on the 747 to India.

[Crapshoot]

i'm looking forward to seeing how England cope with the new challenges, should be exciting! hopefully the chaps will have learned how to cope a little better with spin bowling by the time they hop on the 747 to India.

Haha - I naturally hope that they rediscover their old form against India. I think England loses again, unless they get a spinner who can actually.. spin the ball (Giles is great as a supporting bowler, but as a strike bowler ? ). Pace in India is a fairly thankless task, though Pathan is our current "great new hope."

[Crapshoot]

That being said, Freddy Flintoff is the next Botham, and this time - its for real. Bloody hell, I think he's better than Botham.

[andy m]

there is no such thing as an English spinner at the moment sadly! i love Gilo, but yes, he's only really useful for sucking up overs and changing the pace. the only thing the English attack will have going for them out in India is their consistency. i am presuming that the weather isn't entirely condusive to swing bowling :)

and yes, Flintoff will have a better career than Botham when its all done and dusted. he can bowl and bat more consistently, and in the same game too. absolutely scary player.

sad to see Warne's last appearance against England (at least on our shores) today, he almost won Australia this series on his own. i think he could probably play another 10 years though! already carries a lot of fat and it doesn't seem to make a difference, and trundling 3 or 4 paces then flicking your wrists around isn't exactly an ability that will disappear over night.

[AlexB]

I'm andy and a few others are aware of this, but for the rest of the guys here, Ashley Giles got a new nickname last year (genuine story) - he was having a load of mugs printed up for his county that were supposed to read 'The King of Spin', but an unfortunate printing error earned him his new nickname:

'The King of Spain' :D

[Mac Howard]

Great victory! I no longer have to bite my tongue when cricket comes up in the conversation over here :)

[andy m]

that Giles story is superb - its amazing that it caught on really!

[Groundhog]

How about Warne's bowl shortly after McGrath's wicket (the 3rd of the day)? He bowled it like a meter to the right, and it kicked back at the wickets on an insane angle... it struck the batsmen's leg but was given not-out (though the computer generated line showed it nicking the stumps, but still, you can't blame the umpire for that call). When Warne's on, he's on.