*Official* Road to the 2010/11 Ashes

[Kylez]

If Graham Onions plays in the test matches, then I reckon he could do well for England with the ball. I think his bowling would be good on the Australian pitches.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

If Graham Onions plays in the test matches, then I reckon he could do well for England with the ball. I think his bowling would be good on the Australian pitches.

Totally agree with that.I think he will be more of a threat than Anderson in Australia.Still think Broad is our most likely matchwinner though out of our pace attack.

 

[andyc]

Johnson and Broad are very similar in the fact that they are just as likely to bowl utter dross as they are a matchwinning spell and out of both sides they are the most likely matchwinning pace bowlers.It will come down to which one of them has more good than bad spells through the series.The daft thing with both of them is that they are likely to have one of each on the same day,possibly even the same session they are that unpredictable.

The major difference being that Johnson actually does it on a regular basis. Broad doesn't, as an average of 35+ and only 3 five wicket hauls speak for.

With a pace attack of Johnson/Bollinger/Hilfenahus (hopefully), spin in the form of Hauritz and possibly Smith, and a back-up option in Watson, I'd say Australia has by far the best pace attack and the considerably better and more balanced bowling unit all-round. Any games that Australia lose will be due to its batting failing as opposed to its bowling.

 

[GotSpin]

The major difference being that Johnson actually does it on a regular basis. Broad doesn't, as an average of 35+ and only 3 five wicket hauls speak for.

With a pace attack of Johnson/Bollinger/Hilfenahus (hopefully), and spin in the form of Hauritz and possibly Smith, and a back-up option in Watson, I'd say Australia has by far the best pace attack and the considerably better and more balanced bowling unit all-round. Any games that Australia lose will be due to its batting failing as opposed to its bowling.

Will Hilf be back for the Pakistan tests in England?

 

[flibbertyjibber]

The major difference being that Johnson actually does it on a regular basis. Broad doesn't, as an average of 35+ and only 3 five wicket hauls speak for.

With a pace attack of Johnson/Bollinger/Hilfenahus (hopefully), spin in the form of Hauritz and possibly Smith, and a back-up option in Watson, I'd say Australia has by far the best pace attack and the considerably better and more balanced bowling unit all-round. Any games that Australia lose will be due to its batting failing as opposed to its bowling.

Johnson only has 5 in total himself in 6 more matches.Hardly brilliant is it.

As for claiming the pace attack is the best i think South Africa might have a fair crack at being better than yours.Lets face it,Johnson bottles it,Bollinger hasn't played anybody half decent yet (yes he has done well but beating up the little nations means nothing) and Hilfenhaus has a lot to prove after such a long time out injured.As for Watson being a test bowler

 

[andyc]

Johnson only has 5 in total himself in 6 more matches.Hardly brilliant is it.

He's got 9 four-wicket hauls compared to Broad's one, though. Point is that while he and Broad can both serve up rubbish, only one of them regularly takes large hauls of wickets and has an average the right side of 30. Johnson can produce some pretty ordinary overs or spells, but as he's shown over time, there'll also be a number of wicket balls thrown in too.

As for claiming the pace attack is the best i think South Africa might have a fair crack at being better than yours.Lets face it,Johnson bottles it,Bollinger hasn't played anybody half decent yet (yes he has done well but beating up the little nations means nothing) and Hilfenhaus has a lot to prove after such a long time out injured.As for Watson being a test bowler

Was implying that Australia's pace attack was better than England's, tbh, other countries had nothing to do with what I was saying. As for Watson, he's definitely good enough for a 5th bowling position; I take it that your judgement of his Test bowling ability is being based on the few overs he bowled in England after just coming back from injury, rather than his Australian summer where he was the only bowler from any team on display to consistently get reverse swing?

 

[BoyBrumby]

Know it's a vastly different format, but Watson's bowling looks to have gone backwards from what I saw in the T20 WC. Bowling wicket to wicket without a hint of movement.

Although I reckon our 5th bowler is going to be a combo of Colly & Trott, so it's still score +1 to Oz there.

If I were choosing the team tomorrow (bearing in mind Onions currently broken) I'd go:

Strauss*
Cook
Trott
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bell
Prior+
Broad
Swann
Sidebottom
Anderson

Can deffo see Morgan getting a run sometime in the summer and if we can beat KP up into moving to #3 could slot in at 5.

 

[GIMH]

The major difference being that Johnson actually does it on a regular basis. Broad doesn't, as an average of 35+ and only 3 five wicket hauls speak for.

With a pace attack of Johnson/Bollinger/Hilfenahus (hopefully), spin in the form of Hauritz and possibly Smith, and a back-up option in Watson, I'd say Australia has by far the best pace attack and the considerably better and more balanced bowling unit all-round. Any games that Australia lose will be due to its batting failing as opposed to its bowling.

Come on candy, this is slightly ignorant. Johnson has had a much more successful career than Broad thus far, but you're talking in the present tense and Broad in recent times has 'done it' just as regularly as Johnson. And unlike Johnson, when the pressure got turned up Broad got better instead of becoming hugely eratic.

 

[Pothas]

Johnson still a much better bowler I am afriad.

Think we will compete reasonanly well and will win at least one test but see nothing other than an Australian win come the end of it.

Still really looking forward to it though, will be interesting to see how a number of individuals go.

 

[andyc]

Come on candy, this is slightly ignorant. Johnson has had a much more successful career than Broad thus far, but you're talking in the present tense and Broad in recent times has 'done it' just as regularly as Johnson. And unlike Johnson, when the pressure got turned up Broad got better instead of becoming hugely eratic.

Will concede that, but the point is that Johnson is a proven performer over a long period of time, rather than what could just be a patch of form for Broad.

 

[benchmark00]

Know it's a vastly different format, but Watson's bowling looks to have gone backwards from what I saw in the T20 WC. Bowling wicket to wicket without a hint of movement.

Although I reckon our 5th bowler is going to be a combo of Colly & Trott, so it's still score +1 to Oz there.

If I were choosing the team tomorrow (bearing in mind Onions currently broken) I'd go:

Strauss*
Cook
Trott
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bell
Prior+
Broad
Swann
Sidebottom
Anderson

Can deffo see Morgan getting a run sometime in the summer and if we can beat KP up into moving to #3 could slot in at 5.

Fills me with confidence knowing that Ian Bell is still in contention for a spot in the test team.

 

[GIMH]

Will concede that, but the point is that Johnson is a proven performer over a long period of time, rather than what could just be a patch of form for Broad.

Yes, can't disagree with this. Reckon Broad will end up better though, but maybe that's just me.

 

[superkingdave]

How about that Frankie Bunn eh? Different class

 

[andyc]

Yes, can't disagree with this. Reckon Broad will end up better though, but maybe that's just me.

I smell a very long term avatar bet, tbh.

 

[BoyBrumby]

Fills me with confidence knowing that Ian Bell is still in contention for a spot in the test team.

Hasn't been wholly wanky when he's played #5 or 6, tbf. Just not a test match three.

Trott closest to the exit door IMHO.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

How about that Frankie Bunn eh? Different class

Sorry for going off topic but was it Scarborough he got 6 against in that League cup tie?

 

[Andre]

Know it's a vastly different format, but Watson's bowling looks to have gone backwards from what I saw in the T20 WC. Bowling wicket to wicket without a hint of movement.

Although I reckon our 5th bowler is going to be a combo of Colly & Trott, so it's still score +1 to Oz there.

If I were choosing the team tomorrow (bearing in mind Onions currently broken) I'd go:

Strauss*
Cook
Trott
Pietersen
Collingwood
Bell
Prior+
Broad
Swann
Sidebottom
Anderson

Can deffo see Morgan getting a run sometime in the summer and if we can beat KP up into moving to #3 could slot in at 5.

Reckon if Sidebottom plays he would get eaten for breakfast, to be honest. He's only medium pace and it's rare that the ball swings in Australia for more than a handful of overs. From what I've seen he is more of a swing than seam merchant. Bresnan might be more useful than Sid over here.

Plus, if it doesn't swing, expect to see Anderson drop his head pretty quickly and come onto the bat nicely. Broad and Swann the keys, for mine, unless Onions is fit. Both of those blokes seem to have the ability to make things happen.

Reckon this Steve Finn might have something about him though, will be interested to see how he develops over your summer - his extra height will offer him something different on Aussie wickets which over the past few summers have been pretty lifeless, if not downright slow and low.

How's Tremlett shaping up so far this summer? Injured again? Always thought he had the right mechanics to be useful at international level, just maybe not the gumption.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Andre you have it spot on.Sidebottom is going to be a waste of time in Australia,i wouldn't ever pick him for a test again as he is useless after the first spell.His pace drops and his head goes down so on pitches that won't suit him in conditions that also won't he will be fodder.Anderson has improved but again isn't likely to be a threat apart from once in the series when he gets a 5 for.

Onions,Broad,Bresnan and Swann will be the ones who will take more wickets and maybe Finn if he continues to improve.Bresnan showed in Bangladesh on dead pitches that he could keep pressure on when there was nothing in it for him and his ability to reverse the ball will be useful as will Finn's.

Basically Hilfenhaus and Anderson will cancel each other out,neither was able to regularly bowl the other side out in England so what chance do they have in Australia.Johnson and Broad are both scatterguns,and Bollinger hasn't been tested by a decent side yet so is a total unknown quantity.

If England pick Sidebottom we may as well hand the urn over now.

 

[GotSpin]

Andre you have it spot on.Sidebottom is going to be a waste of time in Australia,i wouldn't ever pick him for a test again as he is useless after the first spell.His pace drops and his head goes down so on pitches that won't suit him in conditions that also won't he will be fodder.Anderson has improved but again isn't likely to be a threat apart from once in the series when he gets a 5 for.

Onions,Broad,Bresnan and Swann will be the ones who will take more wickets and maybe Finn if he continues to improve.Bresnan showed in Bangladesh on dead pitches that he could keep pressure on when there was nothing in it for him and his ability to reverse the ball will be useful as will Finn's.

Basically Hilfenhaus and Anderson will cancel each other out,neither was able to regularly bowl the other side out in England so what chance do they have in Australia.Johnson and Broad are both scatterguns,and Bollinger hasn't been tested by a decent side yet so is a total unknown quantity.

If England pick Sidebottom we may as well hand the urn over now.

Think Hilfenhaus has the edge on Anderson and Johnson the edge on Broad tbh

 

[GIMH]

You're wrong