The Ashes Thread

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Yeah, and I'm sure if we looked at the English county statistics we'd find another few Australians kicking around doing really well. I remember a few years ago when Stuart Law and Jamie Cox were topping the batting averages, they couldn't get a look-in to the Australian team.

 

The English county scene is flourishing at the minute, Gaz. It's the best it's ever been in my humble (and usually correct) opinion. If you do well in the top English county leagues these days, you're a top player.

 

@ Darkstrider
I did write could have, if you ask me Pieterson was pretty lucky that he was dropped thrice, wasn't run out twice and was given not out twice... in the same innings.

Having said that I do not deny that Kevin is a great batsman in his own right, IMO his footwork surpassed that of any other batsman in either team in the series.

Despite having the better tactical mind I am not wholey convinced that Warne would be the better choice for captain in the Australian team. I doubt it would do justice to Ponting (no matter how bad he is doing) and public oppinion of Shane in Australia is not too high (especially from the women).

In short keep Warne as the 'pseudo captain' captain of the team.

 

@Stu oh I know you did but aggressive batsmen have to ride their luck more

What impressed me about his innings was his patience in not trying to bludgeon every ball to the boundary; and apart from a couple of errant swings at warney played balls on their merit.

As regards the captaincy of Oz i think really it's too late to make warney captain, Ponting is unable to think outside the box which Vaughan seems able to do, and also afraid to change things if they're not working. I just want the ashes to be competituve in future series.

Especially in 14 months when hopefully I shall be in Oz watching it live....

 

That's ALMOST as it happened. Damn I'm good .

 

Possibly should start a new thread, but the English squad for Pakistan has been announced.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/england/4258436.stm

 

This just in... Kasper, Gillespie and Martyn get the axe from the Australian Test squad, while Hayden loses his one-day spot. Good to see that the selectors have taken the Ashes debacle as a serious wake-up call.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=4110

Shane Watson, Luke Hodge and Stuart McGill have earned spots in the Test squad, while James Hopes, Symonds, Hogg and Bracken have landed one-day side berths.

I'm interested to see how Hopes goes; Symonds is established already and is unfortunate not to have had a greater opportunity to date. Lord knows we need another solid all-rounder; Warnie and Lee have been pulling that duty in England.

 

I guess that none of that is really surprising. Who will open the batting in the one day games? I reckon Langer should be given a go as he was giving it a fair whack in the test matches.

 

Now this is rubbing it in a little...

Barmy Army tour Sydney!

Nicely done though, its fair to say the true fans, the Barmy Army, who've stuck by the team through everything, so they deserve to live in the moment.

As for the Pakistan tour squad, it's pretty much as expected. I'm gutted that Dazzler pulled out of the ODI squad though, he's such a ledge.

I would have liked to see Graeme Swann in instead of Shaun Udal though!!

 

Ooooh, that's taking your life in your own hands, BA! I expect to hear stories of a few rather nasty encounters from this weekend, although I'd probably rule out hospitalisations. Still, they're probably safer in Sydney than anywhere else in Australia (except Melbourne), and if that plague has to be unleashed over here, Sydney's an appropriate enough spot for it.

Nail in the coffin? Fat chance. Beating us over here, that would be the nail in the coffin.

Plus it also gives us Aussies a reason to think the hardcore English cheer squad are as big a bunch of arrogant, obnoxious wankers as we first believed (I'm sure the same principle applies in reverse, too). See - everybody wins... well, except the Australian Test side.