Wouldn't say outplayed, just on the receiving end of a very good partnership which has been the difference between the 2 sides.

Also, as I've pointed out on another thread, I would love to see the review system changed.....Its quite bizarre that cricket seem to view the system as a tactical part of the game, when it surely should be used as a method of eliminating incorrect decisions.

They need to follow Rugby's example and leave the decision making in the hands of the match officials....Any referals should be made by the umpires alone, not at the request of the fielding captain or batsman.....Hussey was out in the morning session, but England didn't have any referals left.....What should be happening is when an obviously close decision like that needs analysing, then the umpire should be able to request a video decision and then the correct decision will be given.

Completely agree. If they're going to have this technology, they should have to use it for EVERY decision where there can be any doubt.

They also need to either speed up 'Snicko' or just get rid of it from telly replays - what good is it 3 overs later when the batsman's still there...?

superb responce from our boys,was`nt expecting that sort of reply.jobs not done yet tho,early wickets and the aussies will smell blood..just hope the rest of the england batters can do there bit when it comes to their turn at the crease

Would love to see England try and score quickly tonight. 120 in the first session, and then a rapid 50 or 60 after lunch. Declare 250 odd ahead, and put them under some pressure with a session and a half to go.

Doubt Strauss will be up for such tactics though.

Great response. Was hoping for a loss of only 3 wickets at best yesterday. Ponting has not got a bowler to turn to when they are struggling. Johnson is having a shocker so far.

No because that increases the chance of an Australian victory much more than it does us. The captains who get praised for that sort of bold attacking declaration are generally captains who have world class bowlers who could skittle teams out. If we declare 250 odd ahead and they have a session and a half (45-50 overs) then it makes it like a one day game with a target of 5 an over which the Aussies would fancy themselves to get more often than not, but if we make inroads and knock them down to say 35-3 after ten overs, then they will just say fair enough shut the gate, and its an easy job to bat out 35-40 overs with wickets in hand.

Given that the Ashes are at stake, we are in Australia, and we are the holders, there is no point trying to take risks with this one. Better to ensure we get a draw and grind down the Aussies, personally I wouldn't even let them have a bat, just bat slowly through the day, while their fans grumble and curse about boring cricket, let Cook try and slowly accumulate his way to a double hundred and just say to him and Trott and anyone still to bat, today is free runs, bat as selfishly as you want to improve your total, and just sledge the Aussies while you are at the wicket. That will send a message to Australia, we are going to be spoilsports and just bat and occupy the crease this series, and get draws, and you haven't got the bowling power to do anything about it. The Aussies, knowing that as they need to win the series to regain the Ashes, will then know they have to take the intiative, ie score quick runs in the other games to give themselves time to bowl us out....then if we bowl in a disciplined manner it only takes one bad Aussie innings and they could blow a Test.

I'd be happy to bat out 5 draws and sledge the Aussies while we're doing it, then come home with the Ashes.

You have just described Boycott.

superb post...agree 100% about not declaring and giving the aussies a bat leave them to suffer in the field..sends out a message that after 2 days you could`nt bowl us out (should it work out that way)..the onus is on them and i too would take 5 draws....

I haven't heard Boycott saying it, but I agree my post does sound better read in a Geoff Boycott voice....

Good ending to the test, allthough I was hoping that we'd bat all day, forcing their quicks to be bowling all the time in Aussie heat, thus making them tired for the next Test, which has a quick turn around time (starting Friday).

Bar Siddall's hat-trick and a couple of thrown away wickets, this has to be the Aussies weakest bowling line up in my cricket viewing lifetime ('81 onwards). I'll be disappointed if we don't return home with the urn.

confident we can retain the ashes now..my 7/4 looks rather good..well done england

Don't understand Strauss's declaration really. It didn't rub their noses in it as it prevented them having to field all day as people above have suggested he should have done, and it didn't give them any chance of winning, which made it pointless. If anything, it just gave Ponting the chance to smack our attack around a bit...

The best reason I can come up with is that he did it as soon as Cook passed Bradman's ground record. Though I doubt the Aussies will be at all ar$ed by that.

Still, I'm on 3-0 and 4-0 England, so musn't grumble. The toss at Adelaide could prove very important indeed.

brilliant start to the 2nd test..seems we have the aussies on the back foot..ponting exchanging words with strauss at the end of play.just hope we get a good lead and put the pressure on the whining aussies

I'd settle for 325-0 by stumps on the 2nd day

Was a decent 1st over to start with

Great effort in the field yesterday just need to capitalise now and get a 400+ score in the 1st innings which we seem to struggle with.

Apparently this was down to Anderson's sledging of Haddin. LMAO.

all the years of aussie sledging they get a bit back and they dont like it..anyway looks like we`ll get well over 400,pressures well and truly on the aussies when they bat again..keep sledging em jimmy its clear they are feeling the pressure....brilliant knock by cook,its time pieterson chipped in with a ton as well

I was so wrong about Cook, i thought it would take him 3-4 innings to get going, he's been amazing! albeit the aussies bowling attack is laughable, Xavier Dohety looks like a village team bowler he's that poor.

Doherty is terrible.....I thought we used to have problems trying to find our own Warne during the Aussie glory years, but the likes of Croft and Salisbury were spin kings compared to this new Aussie fella.

Australia are a mess. Johnson may have been garbage in Brisbane, but there's always the chance he might click. Can't see Doug the Rug producing a game-changing spell.

Doherty does indeed look out of his depth. If Hauritz wasn't going to be picked, they should have gone for Smith as their spinner.

The thing is, that if they get a good hiding here as seems possible, where do the selectors go next? Bring back Johnson and Hilfenhaus, or scour their 6 first class sides for other options. Goes to show how lucky they were to have Warne and McGrath at the same time.

Some of our spinners back in the day, were not that bad. Peter Such was a good steady bowler as was Richard Illingworth, but we were too busy trying to find our own Shane Warne so we wasted time with guys like Salisbury. The arrival of Warne and Murali meant that we had got the idea we needed a spin bowler who would be a heavy wicket taker, but only a very few spin bowlers in history have been like that, most of the time England have done alright with guys like Underwood or Emburey. Duncan Fletcher realised that and thats why we had Ashley Giles during our most successful period.

Salisbury and Chris Schofield were rubbish, and I didn't think Croft was that good either, he wasn't as good as Such or Illingworth but I suppose at least he wasn't a massive liability like Salisbury or Schofield, those two bowled more short balls than Courtney Walsh. A good over from them was one with only one four hit in it!

I thought Graeme Hick could have been used more as a spinner, I would have kept him in the side throughout the 1990s rather than dropping him, because his bowling was at least as good as guys like Croft, I remember him on a tour of India bowling 40odd overs per innings and keeping it tight.

Our only credible wicket taking spinner was Tufnell but he was too unpredictable a character, but he was another who was always in and out of the team, but he managed to win a few matches for us over the years.

I met Ian Salisbury once. He was a complete and utter c0ckend.

just had a feeling pietersen would chip in with good knock,class act..its up to you bowlers now....

Eng 620-5dec

Aus currently on 53-0

Only Hussey and Haddin seem to be causing us problems, get them two out and the rest should be easy