He just said how he saw it and to be fair it looked the same to me. He knew he hadn;t caught it as did their vice captain. But they still let it get referred, after Ponting moaned about the catch he did/didn't make it seems highly hypocritical from them. The Bell out/not out was a dubious one from our side as well, if he felt the nick he should have walked, but hard to say if he did or didn't.

Collingwood retires then. (from test cricket at least)

Does that make Bell a cheat then??

Hughes knew he never caught it and his face showed it, he then suddenly started celebrating. Cheating or not it was a very low thing to do.

As for Bell, batsmen don't walk these days and he said he felt he had not touched it which hotspot confirmed.


Great day for England, the barmy army were going mental!!

Think the Aussies should forfeit overnight, just to save face. They are woeful.

Yet snicko said otherwise as did the umpire Problem with Botham though, is he opens his mouth before he engages his brain. Great player, terrible pundit.

To retain the ashes in Oz was immense, to win the ashes series in Oz is incredible, but to win the ashes series in Oz with potentially 3 innings victories is unbeliveable.

Like i said earlier in the thread Aussie cricket is in turmoil and most of us saw this coming. Without taking anything away from England the aussie batting was very fragile and the bowlers were completely inffective, this series was only going one way. I think they have only scored more than 300 twice in the entire series and to think England still have Broad, Finn, Panesar & Shazad waiting in the wings.

Good times lie ahead me thinks for Englaish cricket.

How many times have England gone up to a man for a catch behind the wicket yet not referred it when the umpire has given not out?? Were they cheating?? The word 'cheat' is a powerful word and Botham may have a history of saying it like it is, but he should use his words with more care so as not to get a reputation for bias and double standards, particularly in his position as a pundit and one of the greats of the sport.

Your right though for all Aussie have been poor, England have been superb and couldn't have won anymore convincingly.

There is a massive difference between going up for a catch if you think a batsmen has nicked it as opposed to claiming a catch which never carried, two completely different things. The nick could be several things but as a fielder you know if a catch has carried or not, Hughes knew it never but then when the slips came running towards him he was not strong enough to say 'sorry guys it never carried' and then threw the ball up and acting like he was a hero. Botham was right and if we had not have had video replays who knows what would have happened.

I don't think there is much of a difference and as you know many appeals are very much choreographed. When 6 or 7 players go up for a catch behind but fail to follow that up with a referral when the umpire decides n/o, i think that leaves every bit as much doubt about their integrity as the Hughes and indeed the Bell incident does. All players look to gain some kind of advantage wherever they can, some call it cheating, some call it gamesmanship. Fact is only Hughes will know whether or not he 'cheated', he doesn't need Botham to read his mind for him live on TV.

They are not even remotely similar, one is an appeal as you have heard a noise, if the umpire says no you have a choice to review it or not, same with lbw's.

Claiming a catch you know has not carried is completely against the spirit of the game, it was written all over Hughe's face. Botham is their to give analysis and comments and say what he sees, which he did.

Only Hughes would know whether he knew the ball carried or not the same as only Bell knew whether or not he heard the snick that the umpire, the aussie fielders and snicko heard. The haste in which Botham used the word 'cheat' is what i find disappointing.

It would be interesting to know his thoughts were on rlthisrl and if he was as quick to use the same hasty language he used yesterday.

To be fair, I'd expect him to say the same.

He would have been on the commentary team when it happend, but the only comment i can find is from Nasser.