The ashes

[mal]

Got a sneaky suspicion if Australia want to fight fire with fire
that Tait must be in the equation.
Also Watson might be a better Test allrounder than Symonds
Symonds is dynamite in the one day games.
Watson could end up being a very good batting allrounder, he has
made a lot of runs batting at number 3 in domestic cricket.
When he bats 6 or 7 he has battled for runs.

MALS preferred line up
-------------------------

LANGER
HAYDEN
PONTING
HUSSEY
CLARK
WATSON
GILCHRIST
LEE
WARNE
TAIT
MCGRATH

or Jaques/Symonds for Clark and Watson.
Cossie might struggle against genuine fast bowling
so I woul not pick him YET.
I would introduce Cossie against a friendlier attack.

Haddin is stiff not to be a regular keeper he would walk
into most international teams, including England.

[Maddogmike]

Nice thoughts MaL - Dont discount Dizzy though. He is still around the mark after a solid series against the Bangers (i know, i know!)
I would think he is still just in front of Tait as at now.

Adam Griffin is one to watch for one dayers coming up - having a very impressive 2nd half of the season for Leicester. Bowls good yorkers and nips them about from about 6'4"

Any other thoughts Mal?

[Maddogmike]

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


As much as I love Lehmann - Can people please stop saying he should be playing. He won't be playing again for Oz and that is that.
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.

[Rik E Boy]

Got a sneaky suspicion if Australia want to fight fire with fire
that Tait must be in the equation.
Also Watson might be a better Test allrounder than Symonds
Symonds is dynamite in the one day games.
Watson could end up being a very good batting allrounder, he has
made a lot of runs batting at number 3 in domestic cricket.
When he bats 6 or 7 he has battled for runs.

MALS preferred line up
-------------------------

LANGER
HAYDEN
PONTING
HUSSEY
CLARK
WATSON
GILCHRIST
LEE
WARNE
TAIT
MCGRATH

or Jaques/Symonds for Clark and Watson.
Cossie might struggle against genuine fast bowling
so I woul not pick him YET.
I would introduce Cossie against a friendlier attack.

Haddin is stiff not to be a regular keeper he would walk
into most international teams, including England.

Not a bad side mally. I still say Jaques for Langer and I agree with mike about Dizzy who deserves first crack at the Poms ahead of Tait who can be a bit wayward. Interesting to note that Langer has made some comments regarding how he is going to handle the short ball. Better off leaving that stuff to McGrath I would reckon JL. Good luck to whoever represents the best team in the world in the 'retribution' test series. Can't wait..anything to put this awfull football season into the soon to be forgotten past.

regards,

REB

[Booney]

Gillespie's form on returning from last years Ashes was more than solid with the Redbacks and he deserves to be in the first team at the Gabba.As fantastic as McGrath has been for us over many years,and I am far from writing him off,I would like to see us have a back up for him,I hope Stuart Clark is fit and ready as he may be our best option behind Dizzy and BLee,Taity still needing some control before he is truly world class.Should be an eye opening year for our selectors as Tait and Clarke may have to front up for us on home soil.

I also agree with Jaques for JL,the opening partnership as we all know is crucial to a teams fortunes and I can see Haydo's playing a few more years,so settle him and Phil in with each other.

[blink]

When West Indies and South Africa toured Australia last summer, they made a mention that they are suprised that Dizzy was not in the team as he is one of the bowlers that the batsman in each side thought was most dangerous, and they respected the most. They were relieved to see him not playing.

I would think that Dizzy would be ahead of Clark and Tait for the fast bowling line-up. I still think that for the tests where conditions suit (definately Sydney & Adelaide and possibly Brisbane) that the selectors will play both Warne and MacGill, along with Lee, McGrath and an allrounder (Symonds or Watson).

[mal]

Nice thoughts MaL - Dont discount Dizzy though. He is still around the mark after a solid series against the Bangers (i know, i know!)
I would think he is still just in front of Tait as at now.

Adam Griffin is one to watch for one dayers coming up - having a very impressive 2nd half of the season for Leicester. Bowls good yorkers and nips them about from about 6'4"

Any other thoughts Mal?

Yeah Gillespie will start in front of Tait at this stage, the worlds best allrounder!
Clark has done well with the ball but how do we fit them all in.

Im a fan of big Adam Griffith he has a terrific economy rate in the domestic
ing matches, the only query I have with that economy rate is that he does bowl
his 10 overs in one early spell often and does not bowl at the death when run rates
are esculating.
His stablemate Wright is a terrific ing player as well, has he recovered from injury yet?

[mal]

Monty Panesar bowled a ball that shook the earth[advertiser report today]
Funny enough I saw the Bangledesh left hand spinner bowl the same ball
twice in one test v Australia...from memory it was clark + martyn who copped
the deliveries ?

M/MIKE how good is Monty Panesar he has bagged wickets in the Paki series, but I think he bowled in the 2nd inning's most times on wearing pitches.
Looks a wildcard on the ashes tour.

[mal]

Something you should all know.
BAYMAN was a first class cricketer for 3 years.
He failed grade one three times !

[blink]

The English media have pumped Monty up into a cult-figure. He can certainly bowl - but bowling well in Australia is another thing.

Funnily enough, Duncan Fletcher also said that Monty is the best finger spinner (flight & control wise) going around in world cricket today - and yet he was not named in the initial 30-man English squad for the ICC Champions Trophy?!?

I would have thought he would have been a walk-up choice seeing as Giles is still injured...

[RoosterMarty]

Tait is still young, give him time. Maybe later in the Ashes he can have a crack, depending on how our other pacemen go.

Monty bowled 'The Ball That Shook The World' according to the British tabloids, they are comparing it with Warnie's ball against Gatting!!

Let's see how he goes down in Australia first....


edit: sorry mal just noticed you said that before i did! you are right about the Bangladeshi bloke... but when a Pommy does it then its suddenly much better

[Maddogmike]

Unfortunately i have been forced to watch the smellys vs Poms series lots over here - being on holidays for past 3 weeks and with little to do in between playing cricket.

Monty's ball to get Younis Khan was decent - but didnt spin massively. It was the fact that Younis was in the form of his life having made 170 in the 1st dig and then 40 easily in the 2nd. It was similar to Giles bowling Martyn last Ashes....

I am sick already of Monty's towel head celebrations. He jumps and does little skips litle an absolute Blouse!

Bring back more of the Danish Kaneria celebrations when he got Pieterson in the 2nd innings. He ran around the circles for about 20 seconds flapping his arms and waddling his bum like a duck!! Brilliant!

[Jimmy]

ill be back in the country for a holiday then and i will be GLUED to the TV watching it....gonna be one massive series...and ill be at my local over here watching every ******* ball too.....COME ON YOU AUSSIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Jimmy]

is there footage of this ball by the turbaned one called 'the ball that shook the world'

LMFAO!!!!!!!!!

[MLFC]

The "Turbinator" has nothing on us aussies. If he has one bad test the next few will also be shockers. Seems to be the pattern with him. Interesting to see how hw goes in Australia