Ashes 2011

booth70

Apologies for going off topic but are NZ now officially the worst team in the world??!!;)

Bangers 4 Kiwis 0.....cant believe it!!

http://www.cricinfo.com/bangladesh-v-new-zealand-2010/content/current/story/482130.html

JustinDee

Cremated wrote: »

Any chance of Lee coming back for the Ashes?, he just took 11-2-37-2 @3.36 in his comeback game for NSW...

Retired from test cricket so he can get back to one-day and subsequently back for the CWC.

There is good choice for seamers. Thats not the potential problem area. Spin is.

kryogen

It would be great to have Lee back regardless of what other options are available right now in the pace bowling department, he is a genuine wicket taker and he would trouble the batsmen

Cant see it happening mind you

booth70

JustinDee wrote: »

Retired from test cricket so he can get back to one-day and subsequently back for the CWC.

There is good choice for seamers. Thats not the potential problem area. Spin is.

Apart from the Gabba all the other wickets in Oz are flat batting belters.....so its not a given that the seamers will make hay on these pitches....that applies to the seamers from both teams

booth70

booth70 wrote: »

Apart from the Gabba all the other wickets in Oz are flat batting belters.....so its not a given that the seamers will make hay on these pitches....that applies to the seamers from both teams

Also can't see Australia playing a spinner at the Gabba

booth70

Warney sucks up to Ponting.......what a surprise!

http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/482518.html

JustinDee

booth70 wrote: »

Also can't see Australia playing a spinner at the Gabba

What???
Days 4 and 5 on the Gabba, at MCG and the SCG are consistently perfect for a good turner of the ball with nice bounce to boot.
Flat batting tracks indeed . . .

booth70

For the entire length of the Indian tour he was going on and on about the Ashes and how that was the main event.....

Now with the Ashes coming up he starts rambling about the world cup next year!!!

http://www.cricinfo.com/australia/content/current/story/483020.html

kryogen

Right, but the thing there is that you see, One Day cricket and test cricket are different, and when you are being interviewed about One Day cricket you generally discuss One Day cricket issues

booth70

kryogen wrote: »

Right, but the thing there is that you see, One Day cricket and test cricket are different, and when you are being interviewed about One Day cricket you generally discuss One Day cricket issues

Likewise when you are being asked about the test series in India you shouldn't be talking about the Ashes....this guy is already going to go down as the greatest test captain never to have won a series in India or England...Come January and he'll be the first Australian captain to lose the Ashes home and away

kryogen

And wouldnt all the anti Ponting brigade just love that!

lol he will also go down as the most succesful captain in Australian history

booth70

kryogen wrote: »

lol he will also go down as the most succesful captain in Australian history

Allan Border
Ian Chappell
Steve Waugh
Mark Taylor
Ricky Ponting.....in that order!

kryogen

booth70 wrote: »

Allan Border
Ian Chappell
Steve Waugh
Mark Taylor
Ricky Ponting.....in that order!

thats opinion, the stats back the Tazmanian devil!

booth70

kryogen wrote: »

thats opinion, the stats back the Tazmanian devil!

Jeez.....Using your logic is Murali a better bowler than Warne because he's got more wickets??!!!:(

kryogen

He has better stats alright! course my opinion is Warne is better

you said he will got down in history as blah blah blah

my point is he will go down in history as the most successful captain also

Record books are all about stats man!

booth70

kryogen wrote: »

He has better stats alright! course my opinion is Warne is better

you said he will got down in history as blah blah blah

my point is he will go down in history as the most successful captain also

Record books are all about stats man!

Using the same logic again my point was Ponting may have the most number of wins but Australia have had far better captains than him.... and come January he will go down as the first Australian captain to lose the Ashes both home and away:)

JustinDee

booth70 wrote: »

Using the same logic again my point was Ponting may have the most number of wins but Australia have had far better captains than him.... and come January he will go down as the first Australian captain to lose the Ashes both home and away:)

Even putting aside your lack of cop about the five Aussie test tracks, the stat you claim inevitable is not a stat at all.
Even off the top of my head, the last Aussie captain "to lose the Ashes both home and away" is Allan Border and before him Kim Hughes.

booth70

JustinDee wrote: »

Even putting aside your lack of cop about the five Aussie test tracks, the stat you claim inevitable is not a stat at all.
Even off the top of my head, the last Aussie captain "to lose the Ashes both home and away" is Allan Border and before him Kim Hughes.

Thanks very much for 'correcting' me....you can add Ponting to that list come January:D

Nation 98

booth70 wrote: »

Thanks very much for 'correcting' me....you can add Ponting to that list come January:D

I would seriously doubt it. Despite this Australian team being considerably weaker than any other of the last 12 or so years, England definately have a fear factor playing in Australia. The combined score of the last 3 Ashes series in Australia is Australia 12 - 2 England and a draw (thanks to the weather).

Danger_dave1

http://www.cricket365.com/basket/7186/story/6492012/Century-for-Strauss-in-WACA-win


England looking positive , Finn getting 2 of the top 3 in the second innings is good sign.

Next match is against South Australia . Looks like they'll stay with the same team . So we know England's starting line up, whats Australia's line up ?

1.katich
2.watson
3.ponting
4.hussey
5.clarke
6.North
7.haddin
8.johnson
9.hauritz
10.Hilfenhaus
11.Bolligner
12.Siddle



Will mckay get close to the squad? Will hauritz be dropped for smith? The selectors and ricky ponting don't have any confidence in hauritz. Smith has only played in 18 first class games and 2 tests tho .

Cremated

Would anyone think Xavier Doherty could get a chance?, he looked impressive against Sri Lanka, with 4/46 from 10 overs...

kryogen

Dont think he will get a chance in the Ashes tbh, Hauritz will get the nod, and he deserves his place imo

Id like to see Smithy get a shot in the Test series but I wouldnt be betting money on it unless there is an injury.

North will probably do his fair whack of bowling, Clarke too possible and the Katich

Cant fooking wait now!!!

Rjd2

Australia won't win. FACT.:P
So says Andy Zaltman of cricinfo...
http://blogs.cricinfo.com/andyzaltzman/

Australia? Don't make me laugh

As the cricket match-fixing scandal pinballs around between annoying, disappointing depressing and alarmingly sinister, this blog will ignore for now the murky morass that threatens to swamp the international game, forget about the potential implications of Zulqarnain’s unscheduled London jaunt, and distract itself from the grim realities of reality with an altogether chirpier topic (from a pre-Ashes England supporter’s point of view) – Australia being not very good anymore. Not bad – just not very good.

I have outlined in previous blogs the reasons why England are unbeatable and heading for a thrashing, and why Australia are in prime position to administer that thrashing, like a grumpy 19th-century headmaster who has been doing strength and conditioning work on his caning arm in readiness for the arrival of a particularly objectionable and naughty boy. Here, to conclude this decisive proof that England or Australia will win or lose the Ashes, is unarguable, laboratory-tested, player-by-player evidence that Australia are definitely going to lose.

Simon Katich
Bums-off-seats left-hander has scored just 134 runs at an average of 22 in his last three Tests, and red-facedly owns up to a 1980s-Australia-throwback Ashes average of just 33 in 11 Tests. Furthermore, he has scored fewer Ashes runs in Australia than Monty Panesar.
Katich is also reported to be suffering from an existential crisis of confidence after accidentally seeing video footage of himself batting (Cricket Australia had successfully protected him from seeing himself for years, using a series of increasingly convoluted distractions, including puppet shows. Katich loves puppet shows. Can’t get enough of them. He owns DVD box sets of all TV puppet shows. And if that is not true, let him sue me.) “Oh my god, no,” he said, dumbfounded, after watching himself ungainlily nudge a leg-side boundary. “I thought I played like David Gower.”

Shane Watson
Like most of his team-mates, Watson is on the slide. Admittedly he has not slid as far, fast or slidily down that slide as some, but after averaging 65 in 2009, he has posted a figure of only 38 so far in 2010. This clearly does not bode well for the New Year Test in Sydney, and the less said about Watson’s 2012, when he looks set to average 16, the better.

He averages only 30 when Australia lose the toss (compared with 47 when they win it), suggesting that Ponting’s coinflipwork and Strauss’s head-or-tail preferences could be crucial to Watson’s success or failure. He also has the >third worst conversion rate of any Australian top-six batsman with 10 or more Test fifties – he has turned just two of his 14 scores of 50-plus into centuries.

Rumours that he is an allrounder may prove unfounded. As a bowler, he has never taken more than two wickets in a Test innings in Australia, and has no Ashes wickets under his belt. He bowled just eight overs of purest garbage in 2009, so will have some persuading to do to convince England that he is not rubbish. Mind you, Glenn McGrath was in a similarly unconvincing position after his wicketless Ashes debut in 1994-95. If only Australia had done the decent thing and permanently jettisoned McGrath after that match, as England sportingly disposed of the obviously superior Martin McCague (two wickets in the at Brisbane Test)... if only England had stuck with Gloucestershire left-armer Mike Smith after his wicketless Ashes bow in 1997... if only, if only...

Ricky Ponting
Anyone telling you that Ricky Ponting has not declined over the last few years is either talking about a different Ricky Ponting, or has been poisoned with a mind-altering potion, or has seriously misheard the question, or is Ricky Ponting, or is trying to wilfully engage you in an unwinnable argument whilst their accomplice steals your electrical goods and/or priceless collection of David Boon memorabilia.

Australia’s “Best Since Bradman” has, for the last four years, been approximately Australia’s 27th-best since Bradman – he has averaged 43 in his 41 Tests since the pivotal Adelaide Test of 2006-07, with six centuries (stats eerily similar to Ian Bell’s over the same period, a time in which Ponting proudly boasts the 43rd best Test batting average in world cricket, behind, amongst others, willow-wielders extraordinaire Darryl Tuffey and Brad Hogg, and current table-topper Kane Williamson).

The self-styled “Tasmanian Ian Bell” has averaged over 50 in just three of his last 12 series, having done so in nine of the previous 10, and has scored only one Test century in 16 Tests since the Ashes opener of 2009 − a double against Pakistan after Mohammad Amir dropped a possibly-with-hindsight-although-equally-plausibly-perfectly-above-board-but-still-suspiciously-easy sitter when the Australian captain was on 0.

And if the series gets tight, Australia might as well drop their captain for the final two Tests – over the last four Ashes series, he has averaged under 30 in Tests 4 and 5.

No Australian captain has ever lost three Ashes series. Ten years ago the prospect of Australia losing three Ashes series in the rest of eternity seemed remote. But then again, they said man would never walk on the moon. Ponting is all set to become Australia’s Neil Armstrong.

Michael Clarke
Beset by media and public grumblings, largely due to insufficient runs and insufficient Aussieness, Clarke has averaged just 21 in his last four Tests, including only one score above 15 in his last seven Test innings. After a golden period from 2006-07 up to Headingley 2009, in which he averaged 62, he has averaged only a middling 42 since the Oval Test.
Michael Hussey
Hussey’s almost unprecedented career rocket has altered its course from heading to a place amongst the all-time great, towards crash landing amongst international cricket’s plodding journeymen in three anti-climactic years. Has averaged 25 in his last seven Tests, and just 34 in his last 34, with a pitiful three centuries and a strike rate of 43 (compare this with his first 20 Tests – an average of 84, eight hundreds, and a strike rate of 53). He was once within touching distance of Bradman. Now he rubs statistical shoulders with Wavell Hinds, Manoj Prabhakar, and Chris Tavaré. Could still bump his average back up into the 80s this Ashes, but only if he scores 2500 undefeated runs in the series. This seems unlikely. Hussey has averaged 35 or less in seven of his last nine series, and 25 or less in five of his last 11.

Marcus North
After smiting three centuries in his first six Tests, North has averaged 29 in his last 13 matches. Traditionally in Australia, this leads to impeachment by Parliament and disappearance to the Dirk Wellham Memorial Gulag, 150 miles outside Darwin. North has been out for 10 or less in more than half of his 32 Test innings, and his five ducks make him the most regular duck scorer in the Australian top six since the 19th century. To where some Australian supporters seem to want him to emigrate.

Brad Haddin
The new Adam Gilchrist – in that his most recent performances have not been particularly impressive. Haddin averages 20 in his last five Tests, and 31 in his last 10 since being injured during the 2009 Ashes. In stark contrast to Watson, Haddin averages 33 when Australia win the toss, and 48 when they lose it. The selectors must be bold, and speculatively drop one or the other. Or both, to be on the safe side.

Mitchell Johnson
Eleven wickets at 43 in his last four Tests, has failed to take more than one wicket in 10 of his last 14 innings - Johnson is becoming the Australian Steve Harmison. If Harmison bowled one of the great series-losing balls in Ashes history in Brisbane four years ago, Johnson bravely attempted to steal his thunder with one of the immortal series-losing spells in Ashes history with his geometry-expanding effort at Lord’s. Having come to England with a reputation as a bowler who could bowl unplayable balls, he proved that reputation well deserved - albeit that the balls were only unplayable due to their being unreachable.

Increasingly expensive, Johnson conceded more than 3.5 runs per over in none of his first seven series, but has done so in four of his last six.

Since apparently breaking through as a top-class allrounder against South Africa in 2008-09 (400 runs and 33 wickets in six Tests), not only has Johnson explored all regions of inconsistency with the ball, he has averaged just 13 with the bat – further evidence of him stepping snugly into the Harmison mantle.

Nathan Hauritz
Since filling his boots against the staggeringly, persistently inept West Indies and Pakistan last Australian summer, Hauritz has taken 10 wickets at 65 in his last four Tests. Statistics can, and often do, lie, but if Hauritz is a genuine match-winning Test-class spinner, then his first-class bowling average of 43 must be in line for Porkie Of The Year. Successor to Shane Warne. In the same way that Graeme Smith is the successor to Rudolf Nureyev. He is OK.

Peter Siddle
Since helping skittle England in their tactically masterful fourth Test complacency-inducing megacapitulation in Leeds, Siddle, who skipped away from Headingley thinking he had cracked Test cricket, has taken just 15 wickets at 41 in six Tests. He averages almost 35 in Australia. He has been injured for a while. He is not as frightening as McGrath, McDermott, Merv Hughes, Lillee or Thomson. Or as good. He is OK.

Doug Bollinger
Has never dismissed an Englishman in a Test. Largely through lack of opportunity, admittedly. Has also been injured, and might not play in the first Test, extending his lifelong habit of not dismissing Englishmen in Tests. Startlingly inept batsman. Possibly hair-replacement-themed teasing victim.

Ben Hilfenhaus
Has never taken five wickets in a Test innings, nor six wickets in a match. Has only played one Test in Australia, and is an English-style bowler who averages 38.7 outside England. He is OK. If Australia pick him and Bollinger, they will lose. The last time they picked two seam bowlers with tri-syllabic surnames – Gillespie and Kasprowicz in 2005 – they lost.

So there it is. It is or isn’t looking good for Australia.

On previous Ashes tours, England’s positive statements in advance of their inevitable first-Test mincing sounded not so much like men clutching at straws as men pointing their fingers nervously at what they thought might be a straw, and mumbling something about being confident that it was probably a straw, and that they were definitely planning to try to think about clutching it. This time their public confidence is well founded. England are quite a good team. As are Australia. It will be a draw. A glorious draw

JustinDee

Rjd2 wrote: »

Australia won't win. FACT.:P
So says Andy Zaltman of cricinfo...

Well he is a very funny comedian so he's bound to know, eh? :rolleyes:
You can hear him on BBC Radio's Seven Day Sunday every week. His Good Sport/Bad Sport round up always a good laugh.

kryogen

Well that article settles it then, may aswell not bother playing the matches

Corsendonk

The Australian public seems to think they are the underdogs, strange time to change your selection panel too.


Daily Mail 10th November

Australia are attempting to get their own fans onside for the Ashes by unveiling their squad for the first Test at Sydney Harbour on Monday.

The showbiz-style event is a desperate bid to drum up support in the country where a poll has shown many Aussies don’t think their side can recapture the Ashes.

Cricket Australia are hoping for a big turn-out when eight of the squad will be presented in front of the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

It is their second shot in the Ashes ‘phony war’, following their decision to project images of skipper Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke on to the Houses of Parliament.

Ponting has failed to gain the lengthy first-class practice he sought by playing for Tasmania for the first time in three years. He was out for 32 against Queensland.

Under threat: Hussey
Meanwhile, Australia batting legend Mark Waugh has told selectors to axe batsman Mike Hussey and off-spinner Nathan Hauritz.

Both are expected to be included in Australia’s squad for the first Test in Brisbane but Waugh, who played 128 Tests, said: ‘Hussey looks to occupy the crease rather than score runs. He hasn’t made enough big scores recently.

‘Guys like Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson will come into the reckoning if Hussey or Marcus North don’t perform in the first Test. Nathan Hauritz bowls well when he’s not under pressure, but I’m not convinced he’s the man to win Test matches for Australia.

‘The off-spinner I’d like to see come in is Jason Krejza, who took 12 wickets on debut against India a couple of years ago.’

Rjd2

kryogen wrote: »

Well that article settles it then, may aswell not bother playing the matches

He has one article where he says that Australia will walk the series as well.:D

http://blogs.cricinfo.com/andyzaltzman/archives/2010/11/dravids_humanitarian_gesture.php

ustralia, meanwhile, have continued their Ashes build-up with another perfectly judged defeat in the first ODI against Sri Lanka. This was clearly part of a wide-ranging tactical masterplan that has included:

1. Striving ceaselessly to engender complacency in the England ranks. This will not be easy in the modern, professional, hyper-prepared age of English cricket, but you can only admire the persistence with which Australia are going about their task, throwing away winning positions like an attractive but committed nun discards Valentine’s cards. The English press have taken the bait, hook, line and over-excited sinker. Will the team be so easily duped?

2. A long-term economic scheme concocted by the Australian government and Cricket Australia, to unnaturally strengthen the Australian dollar, thus pricing out all but the barmiest of England’s Barmy Army from travelling south. Due to UK government cutbacks, the real army is no longer in a position to supply reinforcements or air support to the Barmy Army, who may be reduced to relying on the Territorial Barmy Army and mercenary sports fans from Serbia and Colombia, and disillusioned former members of the French Foreign Legion.

3. Hoping that Nathan Hauritz is hit on the head by a piece of falling masonry, and wakes up thinking he is Bill O’Reilly.

4. Hoping that the falling masonry then ricochets onto Michael Hussey’s head and he wakes up thinking he is Michael Hussey, 2005-2007 version.

A few weeks ago, I outlined the statistics that prove that England (a) will, and (b) won’t, win the Ashes. I will now do the same for Australia, who can be shown to be either (a) a collection of world-beaters about to explode into life, who, with a small amount of luck, would have won the Ashes in England and drawn an away series in India; or (b) a ragtag baggy-green band of has-beens, haven’t-beens, crocks and losers barely fit even to try to spell the word Bradman.
Part (A): The Indestructible Ricky Ponting And His Fearsomely Invincible Ashes-Scalping Band Of Warriors, set to extend a record of one defeat in their last 13 home series, and 19 wins in their last 26 home Ashes Tests.

Simon Katich
The supernaturally awkward-looking left-hander may look like he is playing a different sport in a different universe to David Gower, Richie Richardson or Mark Waugh, but Katich has a better Test average than any of them. Until the recent India series, he had averaged over 40 in all 10 series since his 2008 recall, in which time he had an average of 54. Also bowls wrist spin. Since June 1993, Australian wrist spinners, collectively, have taken 239 English wickets at 24. Admittedly, other Australian wrist spinners than Katich have taken 238 of them. But the point stands. He is basically Bradman and Warne rolled into one.

Shane Watson
Since his recall as a makeshift opener during the non-victorious 2009 Ashes, Watson has averaged 50.44, making him a 16% better Test opening batsman than Mark Taylor and 53% better than Victor Trumper. You cannot argue with a statistic like that. Because if you did, the statistic would run away and hide. But this one would stand its ground like a man: Watson has reached 50 in 46% of his innings in Australia’s top order (batsmen 1 to 5). Only two batsmen can better that. One is Bradman, with 52%, although if he had played in the modern era, his figures would have been considerably worse (on the grounds that he would have been initially very old, and, latterly, dead). The other is Darren Lehmann (46-and-a-bit%). The new, improved, post-recall Watson can also chuck a bowling average of 24 into the teapot. He is basically Bradman and Warne rolled into one.

Ricky Ponting
Unquestioned member of Tasmania’s All-Time Greatest XI, nominated for ESPNcricinfo’s all-time Australian XI (ahead of Greg Ritchie, Trevor Chappell and even Garfield Sobers), a giant of the modern game with career averages of 54 in all Tests and 60 in his 79 matches at home. Ponting averaged 12 in his first home Ashes, 52 in his second (up by 40), and 82 in his third (up by 30). He will therefore improve by another 20 to average 102 in this, his fourth. The last time he tried to regain the Ashes, he began the series with 457 runs in two Tests, treating England’s bowlers like a hungry lion devouring a bucket of zebra-print hot dogs. Look out England, the baggiest of all the greens has statistics on his side, and statistics are more powerful than God, as the Pope himself must surely acknowledge, privately if not publicly.

Michael Clarke
Averaging 54 since being dropped five years ago, Clarke might have been officially awarded Australian Cricket’s Least Threatening Face Since Kim Hughes at the International Sporting Intimidation Foundation’s recent Hall of Shame Awards (surprisingly defeating Nathan Hauritz), but Clarke can waggle an Ashes average of 55 in England’s direction. No England batsman can waggle anything close to that back at him. (Apart from Trott, who has only played one Ashes Test, an insufficient waggling sample).

Michael Hussey
Despite his recent slump, Hussey can still boast a career average of 49 – better than any England player to have made his debut since Ken Barrington in 1955 (other than the still-early-in-his-career Trott). He has also been building up his confidence by going to sleep in pyjamas embroidered in solid gold thread with his averages in all home Tests (62) and in the 2006-07 Ashes (91). He wakes up every morning, folds his pyjamas neatly, puts them under his pillow, and mutters, “I’m not finished embroidering you yet, Mr Jim-Jam.” Was averaging close to 100. Now chips in with occasional useful knocks. He is, therefore, basically Bradman and Warne rolled into one.

Marcus North
The most devastating batsman in the history of Test cricket. Once he passes 21 (10 innings, five hundreds, four more innings over 67). As soon as those first 21 runs are out of the way, he basically becomes a more reliable version of Bradman. Also a better bowler than Warne (based on best Test figures at Lord’s – 6 for 55 versus 4 for 57).

Brad Haddin
A significant improvement on the painfully run-of-the-mill Adam Gilchrist. If you only take the last two-and-a-half years of Gilchrist’s career (average 30, to Haddin’s 38). Haddin also lines up 44 boiled eggs on his breakfast plate every Sunday morning, representing his average in Tests in Australia. He then draws an England wicketkeeper’s face on each one, and says, “I’m going to have you on toast,” whilst telling his wife and son that England’s wicketkeepers in Australia have, between them, averaged 20 in the last 35 years.

Mitchell Johnson
Bowled like a distressed haddock in the 2009 Ashes, and still took 20 wickets (more than any English bowler) at a not-nearly-as-shambolic-as-you-would-expect-and-better-than-Brett-Lee-ever-managed-in-an-Ashes-series average of 32. If he even bowls as well as psychologically well-adjusted haddock this time round, he could cause major damage. Has taken 84 wickets at 25 in his 17 home Tests. Aerodynamic face could prove useful in warmer conditions.

Nathan Hauritz
The lynchpin of Australia’s Inculcating Complacency strategy, Hauritz exudes the fearsome threat and intensity of a soldier. Unfortunately, the soldier in question is a small rectangle of buttered toast, not a hollering, scimitar-toting warrior. But Hauritz took 29 wickets in six home Tests in 2009-10, at an average of 26, and had a better average than Swann in 2009. He averages 34 with the ball and 25 with the bat in Tests, compared with 50 and 16 in other first-class cricket, making him 50% better at international cricket than normal cricket and thus, statistically, the greatest big-game player in cricket history. Probably.

Ben Hilfenhaus
Top bowler in terms of wickets (22) and average (27) in the 2009 Ashes, and averages a 19th-century-style 14 in home Tests. Albeit in only one match. Against West Indies. In previous Ashes series in Australia, England have had problems with bowlers possessing Hilfenhaus’ two main characteristics as a bowler − he swings it, and he’s Australian.

Doug Bollinger
A strong if belated start to his Test career has brought him 49 wickets at 23 in 11 matches. Glenn McGrath’s first 11 Tests brought him 34 wickets at 33. If Bollinger plays another 113 Tests like McGrath, and maintains the same statistical superiority, he will end his career with 836 wickets at an average of 15.2. Charges in like a vengeful Halloween pumpkin seeking retribution for having its flesh ripped out and replaced with a cheap candle. May scare Ian Bell.

TrueDub

Zaltzman has articles on a number of items in cricket, all tongue-in-cheek and designed to make to chuckle and think.

While we're at it, could people provide links to these articles rather than quoting them in full please? It saves having a huge post with nothing said by the original poster, and would save us from any plagiarism accusations that may fly.

Dozen Wicked Words

TrueDub wrote: »

Zaltzman has articles on a number of items in cricket, all tongue-in-cheek and designed to make to chuckle and think.

While we're at it, could people provide links to these articles rather than quoting them in full please? It saves having a huge post with nothing said by the original poster, and would save us from any plagiarism accusations that may fly.

Full quotes are handy for those browsing boards in a mobile fashion though.

Danger_dave1

God how lame is the new add of the ashes, with the english players as gladiators, Andrew Strauss's Roar is so gay .

Cremated

Well Xavier Doherty gets into the squad for the first Test,

Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Usman Khawaja, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Xavier Doherty, Ryan Harris, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger...

crackit

Cremated wrote: »

Well Xavier Doherty gets into the squad for the first Test,

No he doesn't. He gets named in the provisional squad which will be trimmed after the next round of shield games and before the first test.

Cremated

crackit wrote: »

No he doesn't. He gets named in the provisional squad which will be trimmed after the next round of shield games and before the first test.

Well that's what I meant, and it will be cut down after the Domestic games ...

crackit

Yep but I expect the final squad to be what we expected. I think this is a final warning/kick up the arse for the Australian batsmen who are misfiring and an indication Australia are yet again going to try another spin option.

Hugely harsh on Haurtiz IMO. He's bowled well for 18 months and getting tonked around in India (where, lets face it, everyone gets tonked around at some stage) is probably going to end his test career.

Corsendonk

Well if the first few hours of action of the Australia A game is a sign of things to come my money is on England. Aussies 75-5 with Hughes failing, Khawaja only making 13 and Ferguson 7. The last two were named in the Australia Squad earlier in the week so the likely batting replacements if the Aussie batting isnt up to scratch in Brisbane. And this is the second choice english bowling attack!

crackit

Corsendonk wrote: »

Well if the first few hours of action of the Australia A game is a sign of things to come my money is on England. Aussies 75-5 with Hughes failing, Khawaja only making 13 and Ferguson 7. The last two were named in the Australia Squad earlier in the week so the likely batting replacements if the Aussie batting isnt up to scratch in Brisbane. And this is the second choice english bowling attack!

So Englands second string bowlers (who won't play in the test matches) being on top of Australias second string batsmen (who won't play in the test matches) makes you think it's a sign of things to come and England are favourites.

Fantastic logic!

It looks a good day to bowl. I think we'll know more when England bat against the very, very, very in form Cameron. If there is still some juice in the pitch when england bat, and if Cameron comes up with the goods, he might just be the dark horse to gain a test place regardless of the 17 named.

Corsendonk

crackit wrote: »

So Englands second string bowlers (who won't play in the test matches) being on top of Australias second string batsmen (who won't play in the test matches) makes you think it's a sign of things to come and England are favourites.

Fantastic logic!

That second string Australian line up have been touted as the replacements for Hussey et al if they fail in Brisbane.

mike65

Yes thats 10 pm the following day of course but no way round that, thanks to the conditions set down. 60 mins per night.

Fiskar

Purrfect!

Straight after the grand slam of darts, well atleast if it's this week

Thanks OP

TrueDub

Merged threads for cleanliness sake.

djimi

crackit wrote: »

Hugely harsh on Haurtiz IMO. He's bowled well for 18 months and getting tonked around in India (where, lets face it, everyone gets tonked around at some stage) is probably going to end his test career.

Who are they going to go with instead; Steven Smith? Hauritz isnt world class but hes done alright and I would have fancied him to do okay against England. From what Ive seen of Smith (which admittedly isnt a lot so I could be way off the mark) Id not be surprised if he gets a serious thumping by Englands batsmen; Ive not been impressed by him at all from what Ive seen.

crackit

I'd say it will be Doherty with a slim chance of Krezja. I agree Hauritz isn't world class but, as you said, I think he'd do fine against England. I also think it's a bad idea to abandon the Hauritz project on the back of 1 bad series. There was far too much chopping and changing of the spinners post-Warne. They have spent time on Hauritz and I don't think it should be abandonded as easily as it seems it might be.

What I think will happen is that if Hauritz doesn't get off to a flyer in the first test he'll be made the scapegoat and replaced. He got a lot of stick for his performance in India especially in the 2nd test but I didn't see a lot of Aussie bowlers doing much there either!

What's hurting Haurtiz as well is the 2 shield games he was sent to play. He bowled 2 overs in the first match and he's bowled 1 over of the current game and we're in the 4th innings!

I doubt it will be Smith anyway. He's nowhere near a good enough bowler. In fact I'd go as far to say as he's not very good at all at the minute. I'd be quicker to give Katich a few overs than Smith to be honest. Thats not to say he can't get there and improve but he's not even close at the minute for my money

JustinDee

crackit wrote: »

I doubt it will be Smith anyway. He's nowhere near a good enough bowler. In fact I'd go as far to say as he's not very good at all at the minute

He will develop into a good spinner. Is actually a better bat than bowler.
When he peaks he'll be a more than handy second spinner batting at 6.

Hauritz will be the first choice turner.

Danger_dave1

Well smith goes for some runs in Englands innings . 10 overs for 57 runs with no wicket. So id say we'll be waiting till the next ashes for his appearance

I dont understand why Xavier Dothery is even being considered ? One good performance in the ODI against Sri Lanka ? . Its the eve before the ashes, they invested to much time in Hauritz not to give him the Series.

Cooks starting to find a bit of form, is footwork is much better than it has been for a long long time. Still think Austraila will get him out easily enough .

Katich was injured in his Sheffield cup match, Shoulder injury . They dont think its that serious , but if he was out and with no phil hughes in the squad who will open with watson ?

kryogen

Doherty wont get near the team, Hauritz is the number 1 spinner and deservedly so in all honesty, Smith has plenty of potential and is no slouch with the bat either but Doherty shouldnt and wont get near the test team

Rjd2

Danger_dave1 wrote: »

.

Katich was injured in his Sheffield cup match, Shoulder injury . They dont think its that serious , but if he was out and with no phil hughes in the squad who will open with watson ?

If Katich was to pull out which he won't then their would be no reason not to bring Hughes into the squad.

crackit

Yeah if Katich is gone then Hughes comes in.

The only option in the previously named squad would be Hussey but he's been struggling with form so you can hardly ask him to do that.

Personally I'd go with Jacques if he's in any kind of form domestically. Last time he picked up a bat for Australia in a test he scored 100 out in WI. I think he has a test match average of over 50 as well.

I've no idea if he's in good nick, though, and obviously Hughes is ahead in the pecking order so it's never going to happen.

crackit

Also, for those of you watching the A game. What do you make of Cameron. I think he's put himself in the mix for a spot if Australia fall down with the seam options after a couple of tests. His Shield form couple with a superb performance here definitely puts him in with a shout IMO

Corsendonk

crackit wrote: »

Yeah if Katich is gone then Hughes comes in.

The only option in the previously named squad would be Hussey but he's been struggling with form so you can hardly ask him to do that.

Personally I'd go with Jacques if he's in any kind of form domestically. Last time he picked up a bat for Australia in a test he scored 100 out in WI. I think he has a test match average of over 50 as well.

I've no idea if he's in good nick, though, and obviously Hughes is ahead in the pecking order so it's never going to happen.

58 NO for Hughes might just be enough. 118 from Hussey in second innings must surely have saved him as Ferguson(7, 10)and Khawaja(13, 0) both failed in the A game. Jacques made 28 and 20 against Tasmania in a low scoring game.

Cremated

The team has been named,

Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger.

Hauritz out and Doherty in...