How many runs will Alastair Cook score in the 2013/14 Ashes?

[morgieb]

Just saying that they won't put the fear of god into England as the Aussie side isn't as good as in 09 and they couldn't beat us then so why now with the same attack?

That's different from 'England will be laughing' though IMO.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

That's different from 'England will be laughing' though IMO.

The laughing comes once the barmy army start singing the Johnson song and he gets upset.

 

[uvelocity]

hopefully davey gravey vaults the fence and snots a few

 

[Son Of Coco]

Coco, what is your explanation for Clarke's poor series (187 aside it was a bad series for him)? Did England bowl well to him? Was he a bit out of form?

I would say a bit of both just as is the case with Cook. If you Aussies claim to have found Cook's achilles heel, we can say that we've found Clarke's because he could only get a century on a road and Australia are supposed to be preparing bouncy wickets. God help Michael Clarke...

Clarke was obviously woefully out of form and got himself out more than the bowlers got him out. Plans are overrated. He's due a 50+ average in this series, because that's how cricket works.

 

[Son Of Coco]

I've always thought of Australia being a very hard place to bowl in general. For years the McGrath/Warne factor glossed over this for you guys - meanwhile whilst the rest of the world had to suffer (mostly in vain).

In 10/11, I think what we saw was quite simply mediocre bowlers toiling in unhelpful conditions (compounded by a batting lineup unable to concentrate for more than 10 minutes) So welcome to reality, Australia!!

The world we've lived in for decades!

Some of the same bowlers are playing now...well, at least one. There's no excuse for consistently bowling both sides of the wicket and too short all the time. The batsmen, by playing so well, make it hard. But we managed to bowl some fairly ordinary stuff in England the year before that too. So I don't think it being difficult to bowl in Australia had a lot to do with it.

 

[GuyFromLancs]

Some of the same bowlers are playing now...well, at least one. There's no excuse for consistently bowling both sides of the wicket and too short all the time. The batsmen, by playing so well, make it hard. But we managed to bowl some fairly ordinary stuff in England the year before that too. So I don't think it being difficult to bowl in Australia had a lot to do with it.

Hilf bolwed well in 2009, but I knew this success wouldn't be replicated in 10/11. Siddle (IMO) also looks more dangerous in England. Although I accept he toils well everywhere.

Now call me out by all means, but Harris' style also (again IMHO) makes him look like a bowler more suited to England than Australia. But I'm sure there will be a flurry of people to correct me on this, and tell me that at home he should be renamed Wasim Ambrose

 

[Son Of Coco]

Harris will be fine here. Bowled well against England in Australia last time. And Siddle is simply a better bowler now, he pitches it up more and stays in the right areas more often. Ponting said in his book that in 2010/11 the bowler's inconsistency meant plans to Cook and Trott weren't followed. Apparently it got to the point where they forewent team meetings before the Perth test because inevitably they did the opposite to what was discussed.

 

[uvelocity]

thats a load of ****. you only had to look at pontings fields in brisbane to see the bowlers had no hope.

 

[Tangles]

Punters trying to make all the loses someone else's problem. And Clarke is the non team player?

 

[Son Of Coco]

I'd be very surprised if bowling short and all over the place was a part of the team plan. I wasn't there though, so I don't know.

 

[uvelocity]

I'd be very surprised if bowling short and all over the place was a part of the team plan. I wasn't there though, so I don't know.

im pretty sure it was exactly plan b

 

[GuyFromLancs]

I'd be very surprised if bowling short and all over the place was a part of the team plan. I wasn't there though, so I don't know.

I'd be surprised if the plan included Ricky averaging 16 with the bat too. So he has little room to moan about that series

 

[Tangles]

Ricky's thoughts. "It's not my fault bitches"

 

[GIMH]

The plan probably didn't include a rocket throw from the other end of the wicket to run him out either, but then again that was the series before

 

[Dan]

The plan probably wasn't to lose three games by an innings. I think all members of the team can take part of the blame for the plan not being followed, tbh.

 

[uvelocity]

ponting set deep **** fields and clearly told them to bowl short. i will hear nothing otherwise. else he is as thick as two bricks putting fields to **** bowling

 

[Burgey]

The plan probably didn't include a rocket throw from the other end of the wicket to run him out either, but then again that was the series before

Who was it who threw that ball?

 

[Son Of Coco]

I'd be surprised if the plan included Ricky averaging 16 with the bat too. So he has little room to moan about that series

Spot on comment about the bowling in that series. Well done

Just like the bowler's can't do much about the batsman's efforts when they're batting, there's not a lot the batsmen can do in the field when the bowler's are serving up a steaming pile of ****.

If the bowlers weren't following the plans set for the batsmen, and he's the captain, then he has everything to moan about. The very fact it took McDermott to come back and suggest maybe they pitch it up doesn't say a hell of a lot for the thinking (or lack thereof) that went into efforts in 2010. You don't have to know a hell of a lot about the game to watch Cook and Trott bat and think short on middle and off isn't the best place to bowl to them...but that's what we did. Consistently. Match after match.

Of course you could argue they were in such good form they made our bowlers look worse than they actually were. There seemed to be a marked difference in the areas we bowled then and in the last series in England though. I have my doubts we have the bowlers in the 1st test capable of maintaining similar pressure...but we'll see.

 

[Tangles]

We have one who wont maintain pressure period.

 

[GIMH]

Who was it who threw that ball?

Freddie Flintoff mate, good question