The ashes

[scouse_git]

how many of u are going to any matches?

im doing 4 out of 5 tests



CMON ENGLAND destroyed those pakis now its time for the CONVICTS

[Rik E Boy]

Going to the Brisbane Test. Now be a good lad and leave your currency and the urn and pi55 off

regards,

REB

ps - Paki who? That was your first series win against them since 1982!

[Booney]

Got tickets for day 3 and 4 of the Adelaide test.Make sure you have a wash before you come out here ya' git!

[Rik E Boy]

Got tickets for day 3 and 4 of the Adelaide test.Make sure you have a wash before you come out here ya' git!

Here ya go scouser http://www.dictionary.com , so you can do your research ha ha

regards,

REB

[mal]

Poms are going to have plenty of good bowlers if fit.
Flintoff,Jones,Harmison,Hoggard,Panesar,Mahmood
Panesar is an excellent left hand finger spinner, might be the surprise packet.
Mahmood after a few tests is now looking a good fast bowler.

The problem is the batting
Strauss is on his first tour here
Trescothik is a failure on our shores
Pieterson is on his first tour here

Get the 2 openers out before 100 and they are in big trouble.
looks like 4-0 or 4-1 in my book.

REB will you give some insights on the PURA CUP this year
when convienient in a new post.?
BAYMAN is about the only good judge of local cricket that I know.

[Maddogmike]

Got 8 tickets for Day 1 & 8 tickets for Day 2 at the MCG. Got 4 pommy mates from my cricket team over here in UK coming across for the Perth and Melb tests. They r gonna cop it in Bay 13.
I personally got day 2 and 3 tickets to Adelaide Oval as well.

[bayman]

BAYMAN is about the only good judge of local cricket that I know.

turn it up i go for a day out i know no more than that, mal is the one he goes almost every day there is a game on at the adelaide oval, he even offers the players advice like i.harvey he couldn't handle the advice so played last year in sth africa instead of for victoria

[mal]

It was my aquantainces who revved up Ian Harvey BAYMAN.

SEASONS PASSES
----------------------

I can access seasons passes to see all pura/ing cup games
played at adelaide oval for 2006/07 for approx $15 for the
season.
Anyone who wants a pass i will put up a heading in September.

[scouse_git]

The problem is the batting.

I personally think its the other way around i think our bowlers will struggle besides pieterson been here already for the icc series

[scouse_git]

oh yes i forgot to say got Brisbane Adelaide Melbourne and Sydney tickets with the mighty mighty army

[Rik E Boy]

The problem is the batting.

I personally think its the other way around i think our bowlers will struggle besides pieterson been here already for the icc series

I agree scouser.

Harmison doesn't have a great record away from home, even though the extra bounce of some Australian tracks will assist his style. Watch him get sucked in and go for a hundred in Perth.

Hoggard good against lefties but a bit of one trick pony. Might get some swing in Brisbane and Perth if the good doctor assists but will struggle in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne.

Jones. I really rate Jones and to me he was one of the pillars for last year's Ashes win for England. Many of our batsmen just didn't know how to play him and the amount of times he captured a wicket early on in his spells was frightening. This year he'll drag his club foot into the dressing room and Fletcher will bend down and kiss his boots 'praise the lord Jonesy is fit' he'll say. Then the Jones boy will promptly break down and be out of action prior to the Boxing day test. NEXT.

Flintoff. I hope this guy is fit becuase he is quite a cricketer. World class but yet to be tested in the toughest arena in test cricket..that's Australia scouser despite Ponting's gift to you blokes last year. I want to see him play in Brisbane. The Poms just love bringing over half fit blokes to this country and that is just one of the reasons why they haven't won over here in 20 years. If they bring Jones and Freddie over the Poms might be racking up the frequent flyer points flying out the replacements.

Panaser. A real cult figure in this England team. Giles days appear to be numbered (well, we've all got calanders I suppose). But when was the last time an overseas finger spinner came to Australia and proved to be a key factor in the series? He'll enjoy Sydney and Adelaide of course and might get something out of Brisbane late in the test. Personally, I'd play him in all five for the variation. Spinners can get good use out of bounce as well as so he shouldn't be left out of the team in Perth for a second rate seamer.

Mahmood. Speaking of. You're joking arent you? If Jones or Flintoff are fit you won't see this bloke. Hell, if Plunkett is fit you won't see this bloke. Dead set fodder and Poms will be chasing a lot of leather this summer if they are relying on this guy to smash through our top order. You never know, he could even play Pup back into form.


The batting line up looks good to me if Flintoff comes back in. I don't rate Trescothick and he won't make too many over here but Strauss, Pieterson, Cook and Bell look the goods. Both of England's top keepers can bat with the new chap (ack forgot his name, surely scouser can come to my rescue here) looked fairly handy with the bat. If anything, England's batting looks better than ours but this time they'll face a fit and rested McGrath, Lee in his home conditions (a much improved bowler from 2005 btw) and of course Shane Warne. Other ingredients will include..umpires that will give us a good run at home (none of this Martyn nicking the ball into his pads and being given out 5hit), a Gilly attack due to less swing on Aussie decks and a certain bloke called Mike Hussey.

You are going down.

regards,

REB

[am Bays]

You forgot one other important point REB, since the trent bridge disaster in '05, Matty Hayden has pulled his head in actually respected opening bowlers and accumulated runs for the first 2-3 hours of an innings before looking to dominate and attack.

None looking to smash the 2nd ball of a match through cover and being caught at Mid-off a la Edgebaston.

We've been a tad better since we respecting opposition rather than trying to dominate them. Our biggest problems last time was that we didn't respect england and thought we could smash them as we had done for the previous 16 years. Different England side with a bit of "bottle' about them in 2005.

We show them some respect and play to our abilities on our home decks where as you correctly pointed out it doesn't swing so much , you can play off the back foot with more confidence (thereby reducing the risk of one swining back and keeping low for the LBW when playing the cross bat shots) and they can't employ a Durham 2nd XI scrubber as a sub-fielder, and the only chant we'll hear from the Barmy Army will be: 'You're too Goooooood" You're too Goooooood"

80 TM

FWIW the last time English orthodox spinners dominated here was when they had two of them (Edmonds (LH) and Embury (RH)) in 86-87 and they could work in tandem

[blink]

Both of England's top keepers can bat with the new chap (ack forgot his name, surely scouser can come to my rescue here) looked fairly handy with the bat.

Chris Read


With Vaughan now certain of missing out who will captain England for the Ashes? They have had so many of late, it is hard to keep up. Who out of Trescothick, Flintoff & Strauss (if all fit to play) will get the job?

[Rik E Boy]

Well it would be Straussy Blinky. South Africans have a great record of captaining England in Australia too ha ha.

regards,

REB

[mal]

REB have to disagree with you, to beat Australia you need to
get 20 wickets a simple methodology the Poms have failed to
do for the last 2 decades.
The reason they won the ashes in England was the ability of
Harmison, Flintoff and Jones and to a lesser extent Hoggard to
put pressure on our batsmen and consequently dismiss the Aussies.
The conditions suited their bowlers, they will not have that
advantage on our harder decks which are less congusive to late and
reverse swing, but there bowling is thier best chance to salvage a test win.
Thier batsmen WILL struggle more under our conditions.
STRAUSS is a star player and much will depend on him.
TRESCOTHIK has a poor record on our pitches Lee and co. will destroy him.
PIETERSON is a slogger and his contributions will make a difference.
COOK and BELL accumalate runs against inferior nations
COLLINGWOOD is a bits and pieces nothing player[ a poor mans Symonds !]
FLINTOFF is a slogging allrounder type and not a front line test batsmen[yet]
The other bowlers show distinct limitations to batting ability.
JONES the keeper is adequate but suspect.

In a nutshell get STRAUSS out early, contain PIETERSON and there is
very little resistance after that.

The main reason why we will beat them is Warrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrney
the best spin bowler on the planet.

4-0 or 4-1 in a whitewash, over to you Ritchie, marvellous preview that.

[blink]

It is certainly looming up as being a whitewash Mal, but I wouldn't discount the Poms that easily.

They are a talented bunch of cricketers and if they get a lot of things going their way the could be a real threat. I am thinking win count more along the lines of the previous Ashes series, but the results reversed Australia's way.

I also really like the look of Monty Penasar. I don't see him taking a huge amount of wickets, but he could definately help apply the pressure by tying up an end.

[blink]

Whilst we are on the subject of the Ashes - how does everyone think the Australia side could (or should) look for the 1st Test in Brisbane? FWIW here is the side I think that will walk onto the Gabba on November 23.

J Langer
M Hayden
R Ponting
M Hussey
M Cosgrove (if the selectors truly picked the best players in Australia on form, this would be D Lehmann)
A Symonds
A Gilchrist
S Warne
B Lee
G McGrath
S MacGill

Unfortunately I think Clarke may get the nod over Cosgrove. Watson will be competing with Symonds for the all-rounder spot.
MacGill will probably not play in Perth, and possibly Melbourne - to be subsituted for either Tait or Gillespie for these tests.

[am Bays]

Blink, compared to Hodge, Jaques and Watson in the recent Australian A Top End tour, Cosgrove couldn't make a run (only one score above 50) where as the other three tonned up twice, with Jaques make back to back double tons.

Cosgrove would just make the 2nd team ATM

He is a behind: Langer, Hayden, Ponting, Martyn, Clarke, Hussey, Symonds, Watson, Jaques and Hodge in the pecking order.....

[blink]

So which of Clarke, Jaques, Hodge or Watson would you put in place of him??

Watson may beat all of them, due to his all-round capabilities, but like I said, Clarke will probably get the nod for the 1st test at least.

[am Bays]

ATM all four, but Clarke on the fact he is a right hander, better fielder.....