You are here

ashes 2006-07

Melbourne Day Three: Numbers galore

Submitted by rickeyre on December 29, 2006 - 12:44pm

190: The approximate number of overs left unplayed when the Melbourne Test finished two and a bit days early.

244,351: The cumulative number of spectators at the MCG over the three days of the Test, an average of 81450 per day. The record cumulative crowd for a Test in Australia was 350,534 for the MCG Test against England in 1936-37, a six-day Test thus averaging a mere 58422 per day.

Midwinter-Midwinter points after Test Four

Submitted by rickeyre on December 29, 2006 - 2:35am

I'll write more about the Melbourne Test on what should have been either Day Four or Day Five, but for now here are my votes for Day Three of the Melbourne Test, ie, the day that Australia thwacked England by an innings.

Three points: Brett Lee; two points: Shane Warne; one point: Stuart Clark.

With one Test remaining, we have a clear leader. No prizes for guessing who...

Melbourne Day Two: Queenslander! Queenslander!

Submitted by rickeyre on December 27, 2006 - 11:59pm

I was just about to congratulate Andrew Symonds for being the first non-white person to score a Test century for Australia in men's cricket. Of course, he's the second... one Jason Gillespie beat him to the punch by eight months.

Still, it's testimony to the conservative, imperial institution that Australian cricket has been over the past century and a half. It's getting better - very, very slowly.

Melbourne Day One: Whoa Nellie!

Submitted by rickeyre on December 27, 2006 - 1:48am

"It wasn't enough for Melba to become one of the greats of the Golden Age of Grand Opera. She wanted to be the greatest. her glorious voice took her to the top; her ruthless determination to overthrow any rival kept her there long after the voice had begun to decline. Revealed in this relentlessly candid yet sympathetic study is Melba the drama queen, the monstrous prima donna, the canny businesswoman, the generous and kindly friend, the unique star who refused to fade."

Warnie to quit

Submitted by rickeyre on December 20, 2006 - 6:21pm

Well I'll be.

I really thought he was going to stay on for the 2009 Ashes. What we will now see is a SCG dead-rubber which plays second fiddle to Warnie's swan-song in the manner of Steve Waugh 2004.

Here's the SMH report broken just a few minutes ago.

I wonder if Cricket Australia will give him a gold watch, or maybe a gold mobile phone...

Midwinter-Midwinter progress points

Submitted by rickeyre on December 19, 2006 - 11:24pm

With two dead erasers still to go in The Ashes of 2006-07, The Biggest Tasmanian Since Errol Flynn has a slender lead in the polling for the Midwinter-Midwinter.

B.T.S.E.Flynn is one point ahead of The Bloke Named After Eddie's Football Team, with, not the Lord of the Rings, but the Lord of the Text Alerts one point further back in third place.

For an explanation of what the hell the Midwinter-Midwinter is all about, refer to my post of November 24 on the subject.

It's all over before Christmas... again

Submitted by rickeyre on December 19, 2006 - 10:41pm

"What depresses me most is not the fact that England lose in Australia, but that they're laying down and dying."

These were the words of Ray Illingworth yesterday, one of the many who have tried and failed the seemingly impossible task of elevating England to a competitive cricketing nation.

Pages

Subscribe to ashes 2006-07