Ah the silly season ...

[blamebrampton]

It is our habit to be complete slugabeds on Boxing Day*. Which is why Mr Brammers staggered from bed and into the shower at 3pm. On coming out of the shower, with something approaching a compis mentis, he looked at the cricket on the television and asked, 'How's it going?'

'Good,' I replied. 'For me.'

He peered at the score across the bottom of the screen. His jaw dropped. 'Oh what?! Holy Mother of God!' Yep. 9 wickets had fallen for 92 runs.

In a bid to cheer themselves up, the Australian commentary team showed the score cards from the Centenary test back in 1977, where Australia also suffered a first innings batting collapse, but England suffered a worse one. Of course, I was busy laughing at Mr B through this period, so when we turned back to the telly, we were momentarily baffled as we read down the order. 'Who? What?' we said.

'Oh, it's 1977,' I said as the England card came up and I recognised names. 'I remember that era -- was there ever a more pernicious phrase in the English language than caught Marsh, bowled Lillee?'

'I'll let you know in a few days,' moped Mr B.**


* And sundry other days throughout the year when we think we can get away with it.
** A minute later Australia were dismissed for 98. The commentary team are cheering themselves up with the possibility that this is just another fabbo bowling wicket, which I would scoff at, but given how this series has been going so far ...

Comments

Cautiously happy.

[wivern.livejournal.com]

My goodness. Cricket is a funny game.

[shocolate.livejournal.com]

You slept through it, leaving me here gibbering!!

98.

Ach, centenary test is all very well - what happneed in the 1977 Ashes!!

[shocolate.livejournal.com]

And all caught behind or in the slips... self destructive insanity!!!

[17catherines.livejournal.com]

Yes, I was watching that - wandered out to the kitchen, wandered back, saw the scoreboard and went, wait, G Chappell?!

My brother is an MCC member, and is at the game today. I took great pleasure in emailing him and asking whether this was a test match or a one-day game?

[jekni.livejournal.com]

All out for 98! Yahooooo! I gave up barracking for Australia in the cricket about 15 years ago. The lack of sportsmanship and sheer nastiness of running up 600+ innings left me feeling tarnished. And I was born in Essex, anyway!

Ponting must go

[ms-kilian.livejournal.com]

Opps - Aussies just gave the Brits 5 off a no ball! tee hee!
Normally I am an Aussie supporter, but I have no respect for Ponting and his men. I hope this ushers in the next era of Aussie cricket - a return to grace.

[femmequixotic]

One of my dearest friends emailed me just a few minutes ago from Oz, saying "are you having a good time, enjoying our collective decimation?"

Why yes, yes, I am. *g* And now I cross fingers, toes and eyes for the rest of the match...

[noeon.livejournal.com]

Poor Mr B. I bet he woke up quickly after that.

(It's a wonderful thing, isn't it?)

[brissygirl.livejournal.com]

I can't stand the game! I find that the Aussie are all out before lunch quite hilarious!

[shu-shu-sleeps.livejournal.com]

I missed the total drubbing being busy visiting a friend in hospital - and just heard our pitiful score on the news! Holy CRAP! Not sure I want to see anymore... well done England.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

It appears THat someone nipped out between innings and changed it to a batting track.

Gigglesnort

[drgaellon]

You realize that was entirely unintelligible to most of us in America... and SOME of us are working on Boxing Day. (It's 7am here in New York, and I'm awaiting a phone call from the night hospitalist to endorse, then I'm off to the hospital myself...)