The Ashes 2013

[Alex Holowczak]

Interested to see who they could call up to replace their current crop of batsmen, I saw that Australia A were playing a Zimbabwe Select team. Australia A managed 226 and 156 respectively in their two innings, so there don't appear to be many batsmen waiting in the wings.

That said, Zimbabwe managed just 142 and 11/3 (at the time of writing), so maybe it's just a dodgy pitch.

[Mick Norris]

Interested to see who they could call up to replace their current crop of batsmen, I saw that Australia A were playing a Zimbabwe Select team. Australia A managed 226 and 156 respectively in their two innings, so there don't appear to be many batsmen waiting in the wings.

That said, Zimbabwe managed just 142 and 11/3 (at the time of writing), so maybe it's just a dodgy pitch.

How many did Warner get second innings? I think he failed in the first

[LawrenceCooper]

Interested to see who they could call up to replace their current crop of batsmen, I saw that Australia A were playing a Zimbabwe Select team. Australia A managed 226 and 156 respectively in their two innings, so there don't appear to be many batsmen waiting in the wings.

That said, Zimbabwe managed just 142 and 11/3 (at the time of writing), so maybe it's just a dodgy pitch.

They must have a few more bowlers who can score runs

[Alex Holowczak]

Interested to see who they could call up to replace their current crop of batsmen, I saw that Australia A were playing a Zimbabwe Select team. Australia A managed 226 and 156 respectively in their two innings, so there don't appear to be many batsmen waiting in the wings.

That said, Zimbabwe managed just 142 and 11/3 (at the time of writing), so maybe it's just a dodgy pitch.

How many did Warner get second innings? I think he failed in the first

He added 11 in almost an hour to his first innings contribution of 6.

They must have a few more bowlers who can score runs

Moises Henriques, an all-rounder good enough to score a century and take two five-wicket hauls for New South Wales, top scored with 71 in their 1st innings. Glenn Maxwell is an all-rounder good enough to have scored a century and take two four-wicket hauls for Victoria, who scored 61 in their 1st innings. Both players are the sort of "bits and pieces" players England used to pick occasionally. Think of someone like Mark Ealham and you're there. Maxwell is a bit of a ODI/T20 specialist, and doesn't appear to be bowling in this match.

So yes, Australia do have a few more international-calibre bowlers who are scoring runs.

Alex Doolan made 35 and 52. Five first-class hundreds for Tasmania at an average of 38. Played against Scotland and Ireland for Australia A with scores of 14, 47, 40 and 56*. He looks like the best bet from the A team at the moment. No one staking a big claim to say that they should be picked.

Adam Voges made 150 and 51 for Middlesex against Warwickshire last week. He's 33, so his selection would be in the same mould as that of Chris Rogers.

[Mick Norris]

Swann now passes Gough into the top 10 England wicket takers in tests, 4 behind Caddick

[David Robertson]

I'm currently playing a bloke online, an Aus 1st grade umpire, who has just come off the CA Board. He tells me he's known Warner from youth - nice lad - but he's no Test player. Looks grim for them; they look shot. Hard not to wonder whether Clarke has command of the dressing room

[Paul McKeown]

Landmark for Root as opener. Now for his ton!

[David Robertson]

Interested to see who they could call up to replace their current crop of batsmen, I saw that Australia A were playing a Zimbabwe Select team. Australia A managed 226 and 156 respectively in their two innings, so there don't appear to be many batsmen waiting in the wings

The following Australians (17 players) are currently 'on hand' in county cricket: George Bailey, Joe Burns, Daniel Christian, Trent Copeland, Ed Cowan, David Hussey, Simon Katich, Michael Klinger, Steve Magoffin, Dirk Nannes, Marcus North, Ricky Ponting, Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Cameron White.

Of these, Ponting has retired (& possibly Tait too, in practice); while Rogers & Cowan have been called up. Who else then? Adam Voges has been mentioned; he's in good nick. But the name that jumps off the page for me is Simon Katich. He's in sparkling form for Lancashire

[Mick Norris]

But the name that jumps off the page for me is Simon Katich. He's in sparkling form for Lancashire

Exactly, so that's where he should stay

[Paul McKeown]

But the name that jumps off the page for me is Simon Katich. He's in sparkling form for Lancashire

Exactly, so that's where he should stay

Australia set 557 to win off the last 6 sessions? I assume an English declaration, although I haven't heard it. Doesn't make much difference, though. England will win this.

You can be sure that some day, in some test match, some team will make 500+ in the fourth innings to win the match. Just like you can be sure that some batsman will hit six sixes off an over in a test match, or some bowler will take four wickets in four balls in a test match.

You can be equally sure, though, that it won't be this Australian side that will chase 500, it simply doesn't have the quality.

I doubt Oz will survive four sessions, never mind five or six. And there isn't going to be any rain, either. In some sense I feel that Root might as well be given ten overs in the morning to make his double (or not), but I suppose you never know what interruptions there might be. A score of streakers, or a herd of wallabies, interrupting play. Or something. And that's why England will declare.

Anyway, I suppose I should eat some words. These ones:

Hmmm. I would say that England's tail batted well during the team's Golden Era. That period has passed; Broad is unlikely ever to get another century, whilst Swann and Bresnan have forgotten which end is the handle.

Bresnan survived nearly 200 balls for his 38, Swann's 28 was important in nailing an decent England total and Broad's contribution with the bat was vital in the first test match and was of great importance in the first innings of this one, too. Hat's off, too, to Anderson. Only twelve, but forty balls, which stopped any rot setting in, at a point when it wasn't certain whether England would post a decent score or not. It all counts. Actually it did more than that. It made Ozzy heads drop.

I'm looking forward to the next matches in this series, when the English top order will do what we all know it can do. 500 for 3, 600 for 4, whatever. The bowlers will crucify the Ozzies at that point. The present Baggy Greens have neither the spirit nor the quality to resist that sort of bombardment.

[Alex Holowczak]

Australia set 557 to win off the last 6 sessions? I assume an English declaration, although I haven't heard it. Doesn't make much difference, though. England will win this.

There's no reason why England would declare tonight. They'd leave it until as late as possible before start of play tomorrow morning to declare.

You can be sure that some day, in some test match, some team will make 500+ in the fourth innings to win the match. Just like you can be sure that some batsman will hit six sixes off an over in a test match, or some bowler will take four wickets in four balls in a test match.

Is it worth mentioning the "Timeless Test"?

England were set 696 to win, and when the match was abandoned at tea on day 10 - the England team needed to get the ferry home - England were 654/5. The Timeless Test wasn't timeless enough!

[Paul McKeown]

Is it worth mentioning the "Timeless Test"?

England were set 696 to win, and when the match was abandoned at tea on day 10 - the England team needed to get the ferry home - England were 654/5. The Timeless Test wasn't timeless enough!

I take your point, Alex. The problem with scoring 500+ in the fourth innings, beyond that of a deteriorating pitch, is one of time. But such an undertaking would always require a partnership of Bradman and Sobers, say, at their best. And they would achieve it in six sessions.

It isn't going to happen in this test, not because of lack of time, but because it is so difficult that it is hasn't ever been achieved yet. You need great players to break difficult records - and the current Australian team is crap and couldn't contemplate such a feat.

[Paul McKeown]

The following Australians (17 players) are currently 'on hand' in county cricket: George Bailey, Joe Burns, Daniel Christian, Trent Copeland, Ed Cowan, David Hussey, Simon Katich, Michael Klinger, Steve Magoffin, Dirk Nannes, Marcus North, Ricky Ponting, Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Cameron White.

Of these, Ponting has retired (& possibly Tait too, in practice); while Rogers & Cowan have been called up. Who else then? Adam Voges has been mentioned; he's in good nick. But the name that jumps off the page for me is Simon Katich. He's in sparkling form for Lancashire

Surely the simplest thing the Ozzie selectors could do, would be to hand the captaincy to someone else, allowing Clarke, their one class batsman, to concentrate on scoring runs?

[Paul McKeown]

If Oz loses 10 - 0, which is not entirely unthinkable, they would drop below the West Indies in the ICC Rankings. Just saying.

[MartinCarpenter]

Think 10-0 rather unlikely. It'd be much more plausible if Clarke's back went, but he's quite capable of scoring 150+ and its quite hard to lose a test when someone does that.

Seemingly going to be quite a bit of potential weather around going forwards too.