The Ashes

13:39 / 12.09.05

My tummy hurts. The Australian innings, if it comes soon enough for possibility, is going to be _apocalyptic__ - sixes and wickets all over the place.

Jub

13:48 / 12.09.05

I still refuse to get complacent. The way Warne's been playing, I can well imagine that scenario happening and the Aussie's retaining it. Gah!!

Axolotl

13:55 / 12.09.05

Damn this is exciting stuff. If the tail-end can hang on, they'll be true heroes. Otherwise it'll be down to our bowlers. This is real desperate last stand stuff, and horribly exciting. If the aussies go to bat soon, it'll be even more exciting and I don't know if I can cope.

Loomis

14:13 / 12.09.05

STarting to look grim now ...

I hope our batsmen still go for it, whatever time they come in.

I want my mummy.

14:25 / 12.09.05

Do. Not. Declare. My mento powers say do not declare.

14:43 / 12.09.05

Is England going to try and bat to the end of play? I agree, do not declare, do not declare...

Loomis

14:52 / 12.09.05

Vaughan won't declare. It would be an insult at this point anyway I would say. What would be the point?

Well that's it. Congratulations to England.

Man of the series? Probably Freddy though I imagine it would be Warne if we won.

I fear to read back on the comments i made earlier in this thread! Humble pie on special in Australia right now. Still, it's good for cricket, grumble grumble ...

All in all, a fantastic series. The best I can think of, and I hope the next few series between these two sides continue like this.

Axolotl

15:28 / 12.09.05

Pietersen's out, but too late to give the aussies any hope.

Goodness Gracious Meme

15:30 / 12.09.05

Fucking hell!

Rah Ashley Giles.

Got home in time to see him smacking McGrath for a four.....

Way to respond to pressure, baybeeeeee.

The commentators are stumbling over their words in their excitement!

Fucking wonderful test series/advert for cricket

15:45 / 12.09.05

I want to have the entire English cricket team's babies. Oy, magical people, make it so!

Psych Safeling

15:48 / 12.09.05

Two out in, what, five minutes? Tell you what, them Aussies don't give up easily. 17 runs an over for 20 overs? in, erm, an hour and a half?

15:52 / 12.09.05

So everyone is out, and the venerable TMS'heads are getting very excited about what exactly is going to happen now.

Fred Truman: "I-I-I mean, what the blistering cock is going to happen now? I-I-I mean, are the Australians going to bat?"
Aggers: "Executive relief sir?"
Fred Truman: "Get back down there bitch."

This is a more-or-less verbatim record.

16:03 / 12.09.05

Paul Hogan! Paul Robinson! Alan Dale! John Howard! Natalie Stott-Despoya! David Campese! Angry Anderson! Kylie Minogue! Leyton Hewitt! Paul Muldoon! John Kinsella! John Kinsella! Can you hear me! Your boys played very well at the end and provided a gripping finale to a thrilling test series!

Goodness Gracious Meme

16:11 / 12.09.05

oh ffs. We're currently 'off for bad light' while the umpires decide what to do.

Tricky decision, hah?

16:15 / 12.09.05

I think it's all over bar the shouting, or rather the declaring...

16:21 / 12.09.05

I think the 'confusion' was in order to allow the ground-keepers to get control of the place so there isn't any awkwardness.

16:23 / 12.09.05

This has been an amazing series, despite not being much of a monarchist I hope that there's some honours for the team as with the Rugby team a few years back, let me know when the bus through town is...

Quantum

16:45 / 12.09.05

I can't believe it. Surely there must be some secret rule that will snatch victory from our grasp at the last moment? Will they really dust off the open topped bus? Can it be true we actually *won*?

Cherielabombe

16:52 / 12.09.05

Oh thank god it's over.

But congratulations England!!

Krug

21:16 / 12.09.05

It's a dream come true.

And in 18 months with no Warne, McGrath and who knows who else, the Ashes should be ours.

21:39 / 12.09.05

so st shane took 12-for in the match; but dropped the ashes!!

en-ga-lund, en-ga-lund, en-ga-lund.... la la la, oh i can just hear it from here, swilling pints and cheering and being all happy. all over a little urn. little. tiny. really very small, i mean, what is all the fuss?

we'll look after them well if you let us keep them...

---

01:25 / 13.09.05

Cool, we won!

It's good to see that we didn't buckle under pressure right at the end.

William Sack

13:51 / 13.09.05

This test series for me has been the most exciting sporting spectacle I have ever witnessed. There is just nothing like a test cricket series - 30 days of sport, and in the case of this one, still in the balance fairly late into the final day. Just remarkable.

I think I need a few days to catch my breath and catch up with all the work I haven't been doing, but I hope this thread doesn't die straightaway. It has been fun.

22:02 / 13.09.05

thanks so much for starting it, cash! i agree, it has been an enthralling thread and one i have many times gone straight to in the morning...

(i should be doing more work, too!)

surely this is one of the great series of any sport, not just ashes series? i'm no historian, but will this rate in legend in years to come as the thriller in manila, or lance's seventh straight, or maradonna's hand of god? to wrest the ashes from the iron grip of the holders of sixteen years, in the last sessions of the last day of the last of five five day tests; phew - i'm tired just typing that!

but even if australia had won, we would be eulogising how they came back in the last session of the last day, blah etc [probably saint shane hitting a single through extra cover for the winning run off the last ball!!] fantastic stuff, and in such spirit. this is cricket.

William Sack

09:29 / 14.09.05

but even if australia had won, we would be eulogising how they came back in the last session of the last day, blah etc

Australia's refusal to die quietly was one of the things that made this series so compelling. For there to be a great winner, there often needs a great loser, and the Aussies were just that. Even when they were underperforming substanstially they made it incredibly difficult to beat them.

22:01 / 14.09.05

Even when they were underperforming substanstially...

and that is why, i think, that vaughan is not so quick to pronounce his side as the world premiere test team. the aussies clearly underperformed across much of the series and are still, on paper, a superior side.

that said, you have to bring the game to the park and the poms were valiant, committed, focussed and there enough all series to take the cake. good upon them and what a great result for cricket with now real competition.

if only we could get the windies back to their exhilerating frightening best...!