*Official* Road to the 2010/11 Ashes

[Son Of Coco]

Swann did have good form prior to the 09 Ashes - but he had only played seven Tests IIRc. With the experience he has gained over the previous year he has come on leaps and bounds, so I don't really think it's an apt comparison.

Also, yeah Anderson is a devil when the conditions and all that jazz, but his record over the past year or so is tremendous, write him off at your peril.

England to win by five or six Tests IMO.

I'm sure Swann has, which is why I wouldn't be surprised if he does go well. Especially given his form against SA. Will be convinced if he takes a few wickets in the first couple of tests.

As for Anderson, his record always seems to be tremendous when he's playing someone else. Good luck to him if he finally comes good and takes wickets against us at home.

 

[GIMH]

You say finally as if this will be his eighth series in Australia...

Also 'against someone else' doesn't carry the same weight as it did in 2006 I'm afraid. You lot are ranked 5th in the world

That's not to say Anderson doesn't have a lot to prove, his record away from home isn't good enough and it's fair enough to expect him to fail. I just think that counting the last away Ashes series for anything when it comes to Anderson is misguided and that his battles with conditions are a bit overplayed. I mean I always read on this site about how it's a batsman's game these days and Anderson has averaged low-twenties for the past year or so, IIRC.

Edit - 22.64 since the last Ashes. Yeah we've played some crud teams in that time but we did go to South Africa, a much better team than Australia. Jimmeh rules.

 

[vic_orthdox]

16 @ 35 vs SA
9 @ 25 vs Bang
23 @ 13 vs Pak

 

[GotSpin]

You say finally as if this will be his eighth series in Australia...

Also 'against someone else' doesn't carry the same weight as it did in 2006 I'm afraid. You lot are ranked 5th in the world

That's not to say Anderson doesn't have a lot to prove, his record away from home isn't good enough and it's fair enough to expect him to fail. I just think that counting the last away Ashes series for anything when it comes to Anderson is misguided and that his battles with conditions are a bit overplayed. I mean I always read on this site about how it's a batsman's game these days and Anderson has averaged low-twenties for the past year or so, IIRC.

Edit - 22.64 since the last Ashes. Yeah we've played some crud teams in that time but we did go to South Africa, a much better team than Australia. Jimmeh rules.

We beat South Africa in South Africa btw...

 

[GIMH]

Yeah I did check the breakdown after posting.

I don't think it's so much a case of who he plays but where. I did acknowledge in my post that outside England he has big work to do.

Remembered him having a better series than a 35 average suggests but I think that's because the Tests he didn't do well in where when I had gone to work after Xmas.

Meh, we'll see

 

[GIMH]

We beat South Africa in South Africa btw...

That was ages ago

 

[vic_orthdox]

I think the biggest advantage that England have is Saker. If there's anyone who can help them bluster, bull**** and barge in to get wickets, he's their man.

 

[GotSpin]

Love seeing GIMH getting proven wrong about an English player

 

[Jarquis]

Where?

 

[GotSpin]

Where?

I mean after the ashes. he said 'we'll see'

 

[Furball]

Yeah I did check the breakdown after posting.

I don't think it's so much a case of who he plays but where. I did acknowledge in my post that outside England he has big work to do.

Remembered him having a better series than a 35 average suggests but I think that's because the Tests he didn't do well in where when I had gone to work after Xmas.

Meh, we'll see

He had 3 good tests, with his series average being ruined by failing to take any wickets in the final Test (and due to batting failures, had no opportunity to rectify this in the 2nd innings.)

It's easy to read too much into Anderson's failings away from home - his away record is poor, but the South Africa series is the only series to date he's played away from home where he's been the undisputed leader of the attack.

His injury is not a blessing in disguise for England - he is our premiere fast bowler and how well Jimmy does will determine how well England do.

 

[tooextracool]

It's conventional wisdom that banging it in is the way to success in Australia but there's barely been a bowler this millennium to go there and support that theory. Even the ones that bowled really well got absolutely smashed- check out how many wickets Kemar Roach and Ishant Sharma left with.

Australia's recent home batting failures have all been exclusively down to swing. At the SCG last year against Asif and Sami, at the MCG the year before when Steyn took ten and at Perth the year before that against (of all people) RP Singh and Irfan Pathan. Jimmeh's absolutely crucial.

Yeah I agree with this. The reason why Anderson has to play is because even if there is a little bit of swing, the guy is deadly to the point where he can change the match in the space of a session. I could care less if he averages 50 odd at the end of the series, what really matters is how many wicket taking spells he can produce.

 

[zaremba]

He had 3 good tests, with his series average being ruined by failing to take any wickets in the final Test (and due to batting failures, had no opportunity to rectify this in the 2nd innings.)

It's easy to read too much into Anderson's failings away from home - his away record is poor, but the South Africa series is the only series to date he's played away from home where he's been the undisputed leader of the attack.

A fair amount of special pleading here, tbf. His record away from home is poor because on the whole he's been poor away from home. I don't really buy the "leader of the attack" thing. In fact I don't know what it means or how it's relevant.

That said he's certainly improved in recent times and if he had a good series it wouldn't be a shock. But it would be something of a pleasant surprise.

 

[tooextracool]

As for Anderson, his record always seems to be tremendous when he's playing someone else. Good luck to him if he finally comes good and takes wickets against us at home.

Think you are putting too much emphasis on the 'record'. Anderson bowled 2 game changing spells in the last Ashes series, one of which arguably won the match for England and sent them 1 up. Im not saying he bowled brilliantly throughout the series, but we all know who had the better batting and bowling averages that series and who actually won.

 

[zaremba]

BTW I don't mean to be slagging Jimmy off - when he's doing his thing there are few finer sights in the game. And of course his injury isn't a blessing in disguise. I think.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

We beat South Africa in South Africa btw...

Yeah and they stuffed you in Australia.

 

[GIMH]

Think you are putting too much emphasis on the 'record'. Anderson bowled 2 game changing spells in the last Ashes series, one of which arguably won the match for England and sent them 1 up. Im not saying he bowled brilliantly throughout the series, but we all know who had the better batting and bowling averages that series and who actually won.

yes yes yes

Anderson bowled better than Flintoff in that Lord's Test

 

[tooextracool]

I wouldn't say that he did, in fact I would say that his spell at Edgbaston was better but I think its fairly obvious that England wouldn't have been anywhere near the position they were if it weren't for Anderson.

 

[GIMH]

Haha, well he bowled better in the first innings. Flintoff's second dig spell was immense but Jimmeh's was more important.

 

[social]

Chances are that we wont be 100% physically or match fit for Brisbane, which is the ground that will suit him best

They then play at Adelaide and I expect him to travel the distance there

So early doors, this news is bad for England