Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged

Not that they are in need of them yet. Let's not beat about the bush here, the Aussies got hosed yesterday. It was one of the worst umpiring days seen in recent times, a wicket off a no ball, a phantom edge given out and a catch that didn't carry. The last one was the most disappointing. I only saw two replays and I utterly fail to see how Strauss could claim it, the umpire in the middle could think it carried and if it went to the third umpire, how he could possibly have supported the decision made in the middle. I've thought for a number of years that there seems to be a conspiracy amongst the commentators, all ex-players, about whether catches have carried and the assertion that the player doesn't know if it's carried. I think this is complete bullshit. I caught a few and I knew every time if it carried or if it didn't, you can feel the angle it comes into your hand, is it still going down or going up, if it's going up into the heel of your hand and you haven't had at least three fingers crushed getting under the ball, it's not a catch, if you take enough catches there may be the odd one where you are not sure, in these circumstances the answer is not out. It really is that simple. Don't go looking to blocky, pixelated images to bail you out and commentators should stop vindicating these cheats by suggesting that they may have thought it was a good catch when they know that it wouldn't have felt right going into the hand.

Day five of the 2nd Ashes test, the Aussies can win, England can win, without intervention from the weather a draw is unlikely, so four days or great entertainment and every likelihood of a fifth so maybe some of the obituaries for the five day game can be put on hold for a while? Sadly it's my view that Andrew Strauss has contributed in no small part to the excitement with not enforcing the follow on and mistiming the declaration. Yes, I'm a twitchy pom this morning but I would have batted for another hour, maybe even a session, yesterday morning; five sessions should have been plenty long enough, whether the Aussies for a win or batting out time for a draw, to clean them up. If the decision was made not to enforce the follow on because Flintoff was not able to bowl if we did, then he should not have been picked, the whole strategy of the game should not be compromised by the fitness of one player, known going into the game.