Ashes Watch 1 - Bloody weather, bloody rules!
Third Test, Old Trafford
For anyone not familiar with cricket the one thing you might know is that a game can last five days only for it to end in a draw. What you might not realise, however, is that the rules actually conspire with the weather to encourage this ‘outcome’.
Picture the scene on Saturday evening at Old Trafford. After a frustrating day of watching rain clouds stubbornly linger in the August sky, a break occurs and the sun emerges to encourage the Australia and England players to take the field. Six overs are bowled (an over consists of six balls delivered to the batter), the umpires look at their watches, and then signal the close of play. 20 000 fans are sent home in glorious sunshine, with two and a half hours of daylight left, having waited all day to see some play. The Australians are joyous, they’re getting drubbed, but a day has been lost, drastically reducing the time left for England to finish them off.
What about the next day? you ask. Didn’t they start early? Finish late? Miss out on a tea break perhaps? Surely a result is paramount! No, this is cricket, dear boy. Don’t be so vulgar!
Current standing - England 1 Australia 1 with two tests to go.
Posted: August 16th, 2005 under Ashes Watch 2005.
Comments: 5
Comments
Comment from Aginoth
Time: August 17, 2005, 11:24 am
Still Good game though ;o)
Comment from Marlowe
Time: August 17, 2005, 11:38 am
True, a great game, it’s just the outcome that was disappointing. Especially as the Aussies only need to win one test to retain the Ashes now. Let’s hope it rains on their parade too!
Comment from hibiscus anne
Time: August 18, 2005, 12:20 am
A friend of mine is really bummed out about this.
C’mon England!
(I’ve been listening to it on the BBC website audio player, because of my friend’s love of it, though I have NO idea how cricket is played. 
)
Comment from manoj
Time: August 18, 2005, 8:01 am
There was a long drought in Central Africa. The witch doctor had tried all his rainmaking dances, imprecations, but to no avail.
One of the elders observed that rain was never a problem in England, so why not send the witch doctor to London to learn the secret.
Off he went to England, learned the secret, and returned to the tribe.
He informed the leaders that these crazy white men had a big paddock of grass enclosed by a white picket fence.
In the middle were two lots of sticks driven into the ground. Two men, each with a club, stood next to these sticks and waited for a lot of other men to spread themselves all over the paddock. Then two more men, wearing black trousers, four sweaters and six hats, came out to keep a close watch on the men with the clubs. Then one man got a red rock and threw it at one of the fellers with a club. AND DOWN CAME THE RAIN!
Comment from Marlowe
Time: August 18, 2005, 9:41 am
You can usually enjoy the BBC Radio commentary without knowing much about the game Anne. They usually talk about other things, like the cakes they’ve been sent in 
Manoj, that sounds pretty much like Old Trafford, only with 20 000 people watching. Okay, and without the drought. Manchester doesn’t do droughts
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