*Official* First Test at the Gabba

[Prince EWS]

You're dreaming buddy. Copeland is a rich man's rich man.

Haha yeah I have much more love for Copeland than Khawaja as well tbh.
Both have come in and dominated over short sample sizes though. It'd just seem a bit weird saying we don't have batting depth the equivalent of Copeland and then saying Khawaja doesn't count because he's inexperienced.

 

[Prince EWS]

FTR, still maintaining NSW has the better bowling attack when compared with Australia. We're that good.

 

[GotSpin]

Yeah, there were only two things that really split Hilfenhaus and Siddle for me going into into this Test (I would have played Dougeh regardless so it was down to those two for me) - incumbency, and the fact that I don't really like Siddle as a new ball bowler. The former is obviously no longer a factor and the latter is definitely a lesser factor than Siddle's superb form now.

Anyway, second innings still to come, so Hilfenhaus could take six and keep Dougeh out yet. As I've said numerous times now though, it's a good situation for Australia to be in with so many good bowling options. If only we had backup middle order batsmen the quality of Siddle, Hilfenhaus, Harris, Cameron etc. Admittedly, Khawaja's probably the equivalent of Copeland.

With all our bowling depth at the moment it'll be interesting to see how long Johnson can hold onto his spot if he fails to perform.

 

[pietersenrocks]

He didn't bowl too many overs, so a bit harsh to judge him just yet. Don't think he bowled as he would have wanted to this afternoon though.

hope he doesn't do that this time around because that would leave us with almost no chance of winning.

 

[Prince EWS]

With all our bowling depth at the moment it'll be interesting to see how long Johnson can hold onto his spot if he fails to perform.

Meh. Don't care how he bowls as long as keeps taking relatively cheap wickets.

SL	Home	07/08	2	8	30.12
Ind	Home	07/08	4	16	33.12
WI	Away	2008	3	10	34.70
Ind	Away	08/09	4	13	40.07
NZ	Home	08/09	2	14	11.00
SA	Home	08/09	3	17	25.88
SA	Away	08/09	3	16	25.00
Eng	Away	2009	5	20	32.55
WI	Home	09/10	3	17	28.08
Pak	Home	09/10	3	12	25.66
NZ	Away	09/10	2	12	23.08
Pak	Neut	2010	2	3	72.33
Ind	Away	10/11	2	8	32.62

I've just learnt to accept the fact that he'll always appear to be bowling worse than he actually is. Even during his supposedly terrible away Ashes he took 20 @ 32. Surprisingly consistent numbers from series to series for a bowler so widely known for being inconsistent.

 

[GotSpin]

Meh. Don't care how he bowls as long as keeps taking relatively cheap wickets.

SL	Home	07/08	2	8	30.12
Ind	Home	07/08	4	16	33.12
WI	Away	2008	3	10	34.70
Ind	Away	08/09	4	13	40.07
NZ	Home	08/09	2	14	11.00
SA	Home	08/09	3	17	25.88
SA	Away	08/09	3	16	25.00
Eng	Away	2009	5	20	32.55
WI	Home	09/10	3	17	28.08
Pak	Home	09/10	3	12	25.66
NZ	Away	09/10	2	12	23.08
Pak	Neut	2010	2	3	72.33
Ind	Away	10/11	2	8	32.62

I've just learnt to accept the fact that he'll always appear to be bowling worse than he actually is.

Despite the fact that he's been averaging 35 of late with the ball?

 

[Spark]

And as stated this was a slow, not-very-bouncy pitch that demanded a full length and basically made anything short of a length useless. We know how Johnson does on those.

 

[Prince EWS]

Despite the fact that he's been averaging 35 of late with the ball?

Averaging 32 with the ball in India is a good return. He had a very poor series in England against Pakistan but that followed a run of seven series in which he only averaged over 30 once (and even that was hardly the horror series it was made out to be with 20 @ 32).

I think we naturally give him less latitude because of how he looks.

 

[Spikey]

FTR, still maintaining NSW has the better bowling attack when compared with Australia. We're that good.

Mark Cameron would have got a hat trick too. Before Lunch. And then a double hat trick after Lunch. He's just that good. Whoever we decided to open with (Jaques, Hughes, Katich, Watson...just put the names in a hat and decide it that way) would have seen us safely to stumps giving us a lead of about 278.





brb changing pants.

 

[GIMH]

Meh. Don't care how he bowls as long as keeps taking relatively cheap wickets.

SL	Home	07/08	2	8	30.12
Ind	Home	07/08	4	16	33.12
WI	Away	2008	3	10	34.70
Ind	Away	08/09	4	13	40.07
NZ	Home	08/09	2	14	11.00
SA	Home	08/09	3	17	25.88
SA	Away	08/09	3	16	25.00
Eng	Away	2009	5	20	32.55
WI	Home	09/10	3	17	28.08
Pak	Home	09/10	3	12	25.66
NZ	Away	09/10	2	12	23.08
Pak	Neut	2010	2	3	72.33
Ind	Away	10/11	2	8	32.62

I've just learnt to accept the fact that he'll always appear to be bowling worse than he actually is. Even during his supposedly terrible away Ashes he took 20 @ 32. Surprisingly consistent numbers from series to series for a bowler so widely known for being inconsistent.

The numbers don't make it a good series though. As you know from watching that series, Johnson's bad performances were influential in losing Australia the series. No amount of number-balancing at the times where he wasn't a complete joke make up for that.

 

[andyc]

WAG!

 

[flibbertyjibber]

Is it too late to add this moment to the ashes moments thread?

A hat trick on your birthday is like Boycott getting his 100th hundred on his home ground in a test.Will go down in cricketing folklore.Brilliant moment for the lad,bowled well once he pitched it up.England need to take note.

 

[Furball]

Meh. Don't care how he bowls as long as keeps taking relatively cheap wickets.

SL	Home	07/08	2	8	30.12
Ind	Home	07/08	4	16	33.12
WI	Away	2008	3	10	34.70
Ind	Away	08/09	4	13	40.07
NZ	Home	08/09	2	14	11.00
SA	Home	08/09	3	17	25.88
SA	Away	08/09	3	16	25.00
Eng	Away	2009	5	20	32.55
WI	Home	09/10	3	17	28.08
Pak	Home	09/10	3	12	25.66
NZ	Away	09/10	2	12	23.08
Pak	Neut	2010	2	3	72.33
Ind	Away	10/11	2	8	32.62

I've just learnt to accept the fact that he'll always appear to be bowling worse than he actually is. Even during his supposedly terrible away Ashes he took 20 @ 32. Surprisingly consistent numbers from series to series for a bowler so widely known for being inconsistent.

His SR during the Ashes in 09 was very good, what let him down was going for over 4 an over throughout the entire series. Drop his series economy rate to 3.5, which is still expensive, and his 20 wickets suddenly cost 28.35, which on paper looks a lot better.

 

[four_or_six]

Johnson's even less likely to get dropped now Hauritz has gone, because of his batting. The tail would look terrible.

 

[Prince EWS]

Johnson's even less likely to get dropped now Hauritz has gone, because of his batting. The tail would look terrible.

Unless we brought in Steveh.

 

[four_or_six]

Unless we brought in Steveh.

Or Cameron White.

 

[Uppercut]

The numbers don't make it a good series though. As you know from watching that series, Johnson's bad performances were influential in losing Australia the series. No amount of number-balancing at the times where he wasn't a complete joke make up for that.

Yeah, but the point is that this is rightly seen as an ultra-mega-low-point in Johnson's career and still he managed to come out of it with a bunch of wickets at a reasonable average. It's a cliche to say that if that's what his results are like when he bowls pus he must be pretty lethal when he bowls well, but his figures elsewhere actually do back it up to some extent.

 

[vcs]

If Australia win the first session tomorrow, England are in for a long, hard grind in this Test match.

 

[Woodster]

What an opening day to the series. Fairly disappointing from an English perspective, definitely Australia's day, but not a major disaster. A couple of quick wickets at the end of the day may have evened it up again, but it wasn't to be, Katich and Watson were pretty solid there.

A score of 260 is generally way below par at the Gabba, but I think with the pitch and conditions as they were, a score of around 350 would have been decent. The fact we didn't get there is because the players that made a start didn't go on and get to three figures, has been a perennial problem for England in the past.

Siddle's exploits will have left many Aussie posters on here eating a huge slice of humble pie, he found exactly the right length, fuller than his usual area, and drew the batsmen forward. Think a few of our batsmen will be disappointed with their shots on reflection, a few loose drives.

Bell was the exception, he looked in excellent touch, it was an important innings and we needed him, and he delivered in taking us to a total of respectability.

It looked on the whole a pretty average Aussie attack today. Hilfenhaus and Johnson lacked a bit of pace, Siddle got his radar spot on after his first spell, and Doherty shouldn't worry us too much. Watson played a useful enough hand and was no doubt aided by the swing being around for most of the day.

The fact it did swing all day should give England hope. Fingers crossed the conditions are the same tomorrow.

 

[kingkallis]

If Australia win the first session tomorrow, England are in for a long, hard grind in this Test match.

Naah, this is not that superbly authoritative Aussie line up. A good spell from Broad or Anderson can change the result of the game, just how we saw in the last Ashes.