*Official* Road to the 2010/11 Ashes

[Burgey]

Well the side you used to have and the side you now have are chalk and cheese in terms of ability and fear factor.

We are just the same though pal with our results so why are the convicts quick to say we can't possibly win?

Probably because the ball rarely swings here, and your best bowler in Anderson needs it to. As do a number of your support cast. Scarily, Broad is probably the bloke you have who is best suited to our conditions.

And because offies don't generally do well here either, and Swann is a big part of your plans, I'd have thought.

 

[George.Hinton]

I'd be very surpised if England retained the Ashes this Southern summer.

I don't think England are as good as everyone is making out in the warm afterglow of the T20 World cup win.
Sure England drew 1-1 in the tests in South AFrica - a creditable achievement but South Africa were generally stronger throughout that series and its largely due to their inability to finish things off that England didn't lose the series.

Here's why I don't think England will retain the Ashes down under:
1) Australia have the better players - by some distance. Australia's pace attack is
faster, more accurate and has greater variety.
Australia's batsmen are more talented than their English counterparts - Pietersen, tbh, is probably the only truly world class batsman England possess. Australia have Ponting, Hussey, Clarke and Watson.
2) The ball won't swing very much in Oz. At least SA conditions are not too dissimilar to what England get back home. But the hard, dry conditions in OZ are a different kettle of fish.
I can't see England's pacemen having much of an impact out here.
3) Swann won't find Oz pitches to his liking IMO - fingerspinners generally struggle out here and I don't think Swann , in all honesty is better than Bhajji and Saqlain - probably the two best touring finger spinners to have come to Oz in the last few years.
4) Australia are mentally much tougher and far more positive in their approach than SA - if they have England on the mat, they'll finish them off unlike SA.

England are a decent side but if Australia play like they usually do they should win the Ashes back pretty comfortably.

 

[George.Hinton]

. Reckon Swan will do better than most recent visiting spinners, though. Has the ideal game to 'succeed' (as far as a spinner can) in OZ, especially in Sydney, Adelaide and Melbs; tall, rips it and can churn through overs. Just needs to be given free reign to attack, tbh. .

Swann's not that tall - 5"11 I believe - he's shorter than Harbhajan who struggled to get purchase when he was out here in 2007/08.

Unless Swann gets to bowl on a fifth day SCG or Adelaide Oval wicket , I can't see him doing that much.
And even then, success is not guaranteed - the SCG's slow turn of late is a lot easier to play than the wickets from back in the 90's.

 

[TumTum]

I agree Geroge, I think we'll see Australia post 500+ in an innings more times than not IMO.

 

[Jayzamann]

I agree Geroge, I think we'll see Australia post 500+ in an innings more times than not IMO.

Doing that is one thing, but taking 20 wickets in the same match is another

heh.

 

[Riggins]

Pretty sure we've won 1 of our last 6 Tests In Aus, whereas Aus have only won 1 of their last 9 in England.

pretty sure england has only won 1 of their last 11 in aus

 

[Spark]

I agree Geroge, I think we'll see Australia post 500+ in an innings more times than not IMO.

Not if Ponting keeps up current form.

 

[andyc]

Yeah, said it just a day or two ago, but Australia's bowling is quite comfortably our biggest strength for this series. Games will be lost due to poor batting rather than poor bowling.

 

[Jayzamann]

Yeah, said it just a day or two ago, but Australia's bowling is quite comfortably our biggest strength for this series. Games will be lost due to poor batting rather than poor bowling.

Surely minus emotional and family issues, Johnson would be on course to so something similar to England like he did to the Saffers last time around.

 

[Spark]

Yeah, said it just a day or two ago, but Australia's bowling is quite comfortably our biggest strength for this series. Games will be lost due to poor batting rather than poor bowling.

I meant captaincy form as in declarations before 500

Backing Katich and Clarke to maintain their hot streak.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

One thing about both sides,most of us are taking for granted what the sides will be but there is a lot of cricket to be played before November 25th and any player may lose their place if their form tails off or they get injured.

It wouldn't be a major shock if Watson got injured again or North got dropped after failing in England against Pakistan with Asif swinging the ball.Same can be said for Bell or Trott in the England side.

 

[Nate]

Would love to see

Watson
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Smith
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Harris/Hilfenhaus
Bollinger

lining up for the First Test. Though I guess a lot can happen until then.

 

[Nate]

ashes is such a different kettle of fish to regular cricket, it's all about how you cope with all the tremendous external pressure. In 06/07 england were badgered into the ground by everyone in aus, the press, the crowds it was quite intense at the time and you could tell there was nowhere to hide even for a guy who thrives on it like fred who looked quite down and out at the time. When we go to england i think our players really lose it sometimes, the small grounds, the noise, the tabloid press, the enormity of the occasion, i think it becomes like a pressure cooker and you can tell that a) it revs up the home bowlers and b) it throws our batsmen off their game. Plans go to pot, selectors go nuts trying to find any magical combination, it's insane.

What i'm trying to say in a long winded way is that we can discuss how good each side is till the cows come home, but to a certain degree (once each side is past a certain proficiency threshold) it becomes slightly irrelevant.

+111111111111111111111111111

 

[Jarquis]

I'd be very surpised if England retained the Ashes this Southern summer.

I don't think England are as good as everyone is making out in the warm afterglow of the T20 World cup win.
Sure England drew 1-1 in the tests in South AFrica - a creditable achievement but South Africa were generally stronger throughout that series and its largely due to their inability to finish things off that England didn't lose the series.

Here's why I don't think England will retain the Ashes down under:
world class batsman. Australia have Hussey

4) Australia are mentally much tougher and far more positive in their approach than SA - if they have England on the mat, they'll finish them off unlike SA.

Heh.

I agree Geroge, I think we'll see Australia post 500+ in an innings more times than not IMO.

Heh.

pretty sure england has only won 1 of their last 11 in aus

Pretty sure you're wrong.

 

[zaremba]

FWIW I don't think Oz's batting is far superior to ours; better, yes, but not out of sight.

It's the pace attack that scares me the most, tbh. Don't rate Bresnan, Finn's about 4 and looks a stress fracture waiting to happen, Jimmeh's neutered if it don't swing, Shahzad looks like he's been picked as much on what he can do with bat as with ball and Sid's permanently broken and keeps working out the combination to the larder.

Leaves Broad, pretty much. Lot of weight on those narrow shoulders.

Yup, all true. We got annihilated last time with Super Fred in the team so the omens are not good.

Tbf Bresnan is rated by Andy Flower so he might surprise us. But world-beater he ain't.

 

[FBU]

Probably because the ball rarely swings here, and your best bowler in Anderson needs it to. As do a number of your support cast. Scarily, Broad is probably the bloke you have who is best suited to our conditions.

And because offies don't generally do well here either, and Swann is a big part of your plans, I'd have thought.

How does Hilfenhaus manage? Will there be any reverse swing at any of the grounds?

 

[Pothas]

Yup, all true. We got annihilated last time with Super Fred in the team so the omens are not good.

Tbf Bresnan is rated by Andy Flower so he might surprise us. But world-beater he ain't.

Would be very pleasantly surprised if he did well in Australia but am far more fearfull of him batting at 7 with Prior at 6, idea fills me with terror to be honest, fortunately I think it is quite unlikely.

 

[Burgey]

How does Hilfenhaus manage? Will there be any reverse swing at any of the grounds?

He doesn't do that well tbh, or hasn't exactly shone at test level here anyways.

You might get some reverse, but our blokes go ok with that too - Johnson for one.

Really though, it comes down to the fact that this time, barring injury or selectorial brain-fade, we'll have Dougeh.

Dougy.

Dougeh.

 

[Top_Cat]

How does Hilfenhaus manage? Will there be any reverse swing at any of the grounds?

Has been a bit up-and-down. Had one breakthrough season (Tas won the Shield that year and he was a big reason from memory) and he took a lot of wickets at Bellerive. Since then, dunno if he's had a sub-30 season. Is far worse away from Bellerive too, has been helped a bit by how green it's been in the past few seasons.

The ball is most likely to reverse in Sydney and Adelaide I'd have thought. Not really enough to do serious damage, though.

 

[andyc]

Would love to see

Watson
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Smith
Haddin
Johnson
Hauritz
Harris/Hilfenhaus
Bollinger

lining up for the First Test. Though I guess a lot can happen until then.

Yep, that's my team as well, with Hilfenhaus taking the new ball with Doug.