Posted by 
Yesterday’s theme was of how bowling success can be about playing well frequently rather than extremely well occasionally.
You remember great bowlers for the occasions when they took 7-20; when the ball was swinging or turning a mile. But often those performances aren’t what made those players’ reputations. It’s often about the times when there was a massive partnership and the ball was doing jack shit. What does a bowler do then? Can he motivate himself?
None of England’s bowlers are greats, but they seem wise to the fact that the 65th over can be as important as the first. Graeme Swann was mauled in his first few overs, but didn’t go to pieces. Steven Finn’s second spell was an improvement. James Anderson has returned to Australia to show that he’s not wholly reliant on swing and that he shouldn’t be typecast as the cannon fodder of four years ago.
Mike Hussey knows you’re sometimes up against it too; that there are occasions when you’re under pressure personally and the scoreboard doesn’t look too smart.
England really looked good today. If Broad gets a couple they will hound Australia over the course of the series
Yo Poms!! Eat this :
The ‘best’ spinner in the world?
1. Has an average of 40 vs India n Australia
2. Hasn’t played against Sri Lanka.
3. Has a combined wicket tally of 70 against Bangladesh+Pakistan+West Indies off his total of 114 wickets.
Way to go cricket experts.
Yo, the coder! Eat this:
Best spinner in the world?
1. Yes.
2. Clearly.
3. Not really bothered about those numbers he just is.
Graeme Swann’s average against India and Australia – 40
Xavier Doherty’s average against the combined might of Australia’s state teams – 48
Dear ICC Test Rankings, please consider middling-to-poor performance against Australian domestic sides as a reliable indicator of Test worth from now on.
Averages 40 vs India, you say? That’s 8 runs a wicket better than Warne managed.
Jim Laker never played against Sri Lanka. He must have been really shit.
Shane Warne never played a single match against the great Australia side of his era.
Swann has not played against the Ottershaw reserve XI.
He has never taken my wicket (and I am notorious for edging behind)
He is dead to me
What a surprisingly adult and sensible pair of opening posts on the Ashes. Furthermore, you’ve stated a couple of opinions in there somewhere. I’m getting a bit worried, can we have a bit more silliness please? I’m not very fond of change.
Sorry, Howe_zat. This sometimes happens.
As soon as the Test’s over, we’ll revert to ‘look what colossal balls everyone is talking’ mode.
How many near misses equals a wicket?
I don’t ask for the sake of the team but rather that I can’t have a drink until we take one -I can’t go through the entire evening dry
Evening, Tight.
Internet access has now been restored to this particular area of Galway after the snow storm here earlier, so I’m back sitting in the corridor of uncertainty catching up.
Have you changed tactics and now decided that not drinking will get a wicket? In which case I will not drink with you and we can see what the critical mass of “not drinking” is before a wicket falls.
The BBC have decided that Ireland is exempt from cricket broadcasting tonight, so 5 Live SX (Ireland) just has reruns of Fighting Talk.
Watching the score tick over on Cricinfo is a bit like watching the cricket on Cefax in t’ old days.
As long as you have a duvet, any corridor can be your home…
The whole not drinking thing is totally my fault. For some reason I thought we might take some early wickets so I would get to drink more and yet at the same time totally justify my eventual alcohol induced blindness. The plan has backfired somewhat.
This has coincided with two bottles of Apple Vodka selling for £20. As yet I cannot taste the sweet nectar
Wow! Cricket on Ceefax – now that takes me back, although probably not as far back as I would like…
I think I will need the duvet soon as the C of U is Baltic. I used to ask myself why they put chairs in hotel corridors – after all you were never that far away from your room that you’d want to have a nice sit down on the way.
Now I know. This chair is placed at the exact point that the wifi signal drops.
Is this the official through the night thread? I’m flagging already. About to reach for the red bull.
If nothing else comes of the C of U experience you will at least know that you could survive as a tramp. As long as you get WiFi (obviously).
Although if you were a tramp this ridiculous not drinking until a wicket falls situation wouldn’t really cut it. The tramp version involves drinking supermarket own brand cooking brandy after every ball.
It’s Official! This is a thread. And it’s the night. And Sam’s reaching for the Red Bull.
All of which I think is summed up perfectly by the title “The cricket after the new ball matters too”
Hey, we’ve started a new “thing” – the “Through the Night” thread.
KC – would you like to designate which of your daily posts (if there be more than one) is the TTNT?
And Ged, can we have the inaugural Venn diagram?
I reckon, if we ask nicely, O’King will grant a special thread for such TTNT matters. Like he did for The Words of Hayden which is now sadly redundant.
Anyway. I’ve just watched the first hour and a half in an Ozzie bar, walked home and found that they’ve taken a 50 run lead in that time. Annoying.
OK – heading off back to my internet-silent room.
Sitting wrapped in a duvet on this public corridor looks really strange.
Tight – let us know when the “not drinking” strategy was abandoned as it seems that there’s no way we’re going to get a wicket at present.
See you tomorrow on the TTNT?
As special thread would have the advantage of containing my sleep deprived ramblings. There could be a warning on the thread “May contain sleep deprived ramblings”
I’m starting to crumble on my not drinking stance. What am I proving? And how will I know if I have succeeded in proving it? And is tequila the only alcohol that a stimulant?
Sober disappointment is the worst disappointment of all.
Night JF. You have done us all proud with your hoboesque corridor commentary.
See you tomorrow on the TTNT (TM)
TBL. Could you try abandoning this ‘no drinking’ strategy of yours? I fear you’re jinxing everything.
Double D – I am willing to try anything. And by that I obviously mean I will try anything that doesn’t take much effort.
LUNCH!
Well lunch and some form of alcohol takes no effort.
Then I am your man. I actually saved some prawn toast to sate me during the lunch break. I can always add a swig of the good stuff to the mixer.
Excellent stuff. I now fully expect at least one wicket within the the 1st 3 overs after lunch.
Let’s hope so. It’s a binary situation. Not drinking didn’t work so if drinking doesn’t work I’m all out of options.
Bloody hell. Gooch just got slater out.
Indeed sam. Let’s see if England can hold on for 5 sessions.
All I have to do is drink through 5 sessions and we will be fine….
If Gooch can take Slater’s wicket anything is possible
DD – this is actually more entertaining than the live stuff. Lovely flipper to get stewart out.
Shane Warne was rubbish wasn’t he? He couldn’t even be bothered to put that zinc powder on his nose. Only having it on your lips is plain weird.
Was that the flipper or was that the manawangerdangerplang?
Did we make the 5 sessions? I went to the toilet and missed the end.
I’m diving into the derek pringles.
Hmmmmm three overs and no wickets….
Hmmmmmm. What did you drink?
Apple Vodka – it is my Ashes drink of choice. And I drank all the beer last night…
Starting drinking spirits at 2am is actually quite a bit more difficult than I thought it would be.
This is just like the old days. It’s the hope that kills you.
Either hope, alcohol poisoning or sleep deprivation.
I’m dying inside
Get dernbach in.
Get anybody out
Damn you Brad Haddin! Damn you!
It’s quite entertaining to be greeted with this in the morning.
DD, the words of Haydos have always been redundant.
Morning gents.
I fully expected Hussey still to be batting this morning.
Tight – what drinking strategy do you have for Bat for the Draw ?
If we bat the draw I’m going to get drunk. If we lose I’m going to get drunk.
That’s the sort of plan that will live long in the annals of strategy