It's a total nonsense they played well to only lose 4 wickets in day with the bad forecast for today and iffy one on Sunday winning the game chasing nearly 500 is pretty much out of the question. Had they played rash shots trying to score at four an over on another painfully slow wicket they might have been following on by now and giving the Aussies a chance of a victory. That batting performance had pretty much ensured they'll be going home without winning a test, even though England have had three or four batsmen out of nick, Anderson struggling for rhythm after Trent Bridge and the dodgy team selection in this game. If they can't get over the line and beat us when we're short of our best they'll be screwed if we play well in the winter.

As much as Warne has talked some shite this series, can't help but find him fascinating when talking about how to get someone's wicket

Fair play to the Aussies today for having a go.

Hopefully England will have the bollox to send Bell out to open. Maybe get Prior up the order or even open with him and go for the win......

block the game out, its test cricket not some one day slog----why even give them the chance of contriving a win

Ihave sent out pieterson and bell and also moved broad and Swann up the order. We have nothing to lose, we should go for it

Decent start, if Trott and Cook can keep it ticking over for another 10 overs we should be looking for a win with KP, Bell, Prior and Woakes all very good one day players.

Wickets in hand is the key we need to reduce the chase down to as few overs as we can. If we get to 20 overs left only two down we can win it, go out slogging and lose 3 or 4 quick ones and the chase is over before it's started.

So do you still think they should block it out? And the Aussie chance of winning is Nil......

And wasn't one of them Hansie Cronje against England? £€$.....

Someone just told me England were 50-1 before play today.....

Pietersen absolutely spanking them here (may have put the mockers on him).

With Bell, Prior & Woakes still to come I can't see England not winning.

TripleDecker is probably gutted that we aren't 79-0

This is fucking hilarious.

If anyone heard the interview with Faulkener (who is masking his test debut) last night slating England for being boring. I honestly think Clarke thought England wouldn't try to win and he declared in attempt to prove his point Shane Warne as well

Haha took 9/4 about the draw about twenty mins ago.

Bit sickening, wouldn't like to be the umpire in this situation.

Had 20 on us at 7/1. Sickening way to lose that like. I feel robbed.

Michael Clarke is a fucking awful moaning knobhead

Yet again stupid rules damage test cricket. It's ok having a light readig but the light should surely be offered to the batsman like what used to happen. The aussies had to go off at old trafford and now this. It just pisses people off......

Seriously what an awful way to end a days cricket.....

A fitting end to a contrived day, any victory would have been hollow, just happy the Aussies didn't steal a stupid win to boost their confidence

With the minimum of respect, we had that game in the bag, until Clarke called the light. It would not have been a hollow victory. He called our bluff, we stuck it right up him and he shat it.

Hilarious, Clarke busting to get off the field.

They have made complete tits of themselves today and shifted all the momentum back to us, cheers Pup.

Bad light needs taking out of the game though, full house and floodlights with modern day equipment nobody is going to get seriously hurt.

Day night matches use a white ball. If your taking light out of the equation are you saying use a white ball for tests. I had 9/1 the England win, when it seemed the Aussies would offer England the chance to go for it. Like Ritchie gutted but think it was right decision. We've got the momentum for going over there and doing them in their own backyard and for those saying they should have played on...What would you have said at 206-9 with the 10 and jack at the crease.

Can't argue with any of that
Though you should have mentioned how shite bairstow is for completeness sake !

I am glad the players went off.

It would have been a pointless win, and by going off it made the aussies look bad.

Oh, and if the boot had been on the other foot our players would have been off in a shot.

Great sseries though, but slightly disappointed that we didnt play to our potential and actually hammer them into humiliation.

Thats what they used to do to us.

Of course we would have done the same thing but I very much doubt cook would have been into the umpires faces as much as Clarke was. Also I doubt when the umpires took the reading cook would have been edging to see it. Cook has at least got morals. The Aussies spent the summer slagging broad off for not walking then end the series quite disgracefully and basically made fools of themselves. I honesty believe cook would have handled the situation far better. Cost me 160 notes so obviously slightly more pissed off than most about it

It's only day two fortunately because looking at tomorrow's forecast we could have to wait until Friday to wrap things things up.