***Official*** Australia in England (The Ashes)

[Scaly piscine]

I'm surprised they're bowling Lee so much, the battle/interest is surely Gillespie v Kasper, maybe they're going to let Lee rest through most of the second Leicestershire innings.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Just noticed Krezja is playing for Leicester, and is apparently in due to Sadler retiring hurt. Got a Lee special?

Lee seems to be bowling really well, according to the BBC commentators at least. Has three wickets, a retired hurt from a nasty bouncer

Not a Lee special then.

 

[Burpey]

This Leicestershire team seems pretty hopeless ... trust the Poms to give us one warm-up FC match against a team that doesn't have one international !

 

[sledger]

You'll be regretting that comment by the end of the series if he gets in.

quite probably yes.

 

[Mister Wright]

Australia 0/67 off 13. Hayden 41 (34) & Langer26 (44).

I don't think Hayden will have as bad of a series as many people on here think.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Not a Lee special then.

Eh?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Where is the coverage?

BBC radio online.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/default.stm

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

75 for Hayden and he's gone, Clarke coming in at 3 and probably Katich at 4.

 

[Slow Love™]

Eh?

I think he's referring to beamers, rather than bouncers.

I haven't seen anything re: the Leicestershire match outside of scorecards - what's the feeling on Hayden's innings? He always seems to play so much better with Langer at the other end (who doesn't seem to be doing too bad himself considering his lack of recent cricket).

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I think he's referring to beamers, rather than bouncers.

I haven't seen anything re: the Leicestershire match outside of scorecards - what's the feeling on Hayden's innings? He always seems to play so much better with Langer at the other end (who doesn't seem to be doing too bad himself considering his lack of recent cricket).

To be fair, the bowling wasn't much good. I listened on the radio and they were really taking them apart quite brutally, but I gather the pitch is quite flat and they're facing county trundlers and spinners like Jason Krezja. Time in the middle will be good for both of them though, and Lee's wickets should help his confidence going into the first test.

Gillespie and Kasprowicz seem to be neck and neck really. Gillespie had an average first spell but came back very well apparently, while Kasprowicz was pretty good too. I think, unless Michael does something spectacular in the second innings, it's definately a McGrath/Lee/Gillespie/Warne affair next week.

 

[greg]

This Leicestershire team seems pretty hopeless ... trust the Poms to give us one warm-up FC match against a team that doesn't have one international

!

Well we gave ourselves a warm up against Bangladesh, so now we're evens

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Clarke gone for 9 now. Australia will be just short of a first innings lead by stumps. Hoping to be close to wrapping it up by stumps tomorrow, I should think.

 

[aussie]

Looks like Lee has sealed his test place now, nice to see JL getting some good early runs & Matty showing that he could still a major force in the test series.

 

[aussie]

Clarke gone for 9 now. Australia will be just short of a first innings lead by stumps. Hoping to be close to wrapping it up by stumps tomorrow, I should think.

not good, he's keeping Hodge interested

 

[Adamc]

Heh, both wickets have fallen to a trundler who previously had three wickets in 31 FC matches.

 

[tooextracool]

For me, Harmison looked most dangerous at Edgbaston and Lords, and Flintoff at Lords and Headingley. In fact, at Lords he was pretty much unplayable, and sent down one of the best spells of the series. Harmison as you say likes uneven bounce, but he also looked good when it was seaming at Lords.

harmison may well have bowled well on a seaming pitch, but hes also equally likely to waste it by bowling too short, like he did in the tests against bangladesh and at headingly.

Jones will be much better when it's seaming, I think,.

nope, jones will be at his best when he gets the ball to reverse

factor in the tests, I don't think. The Australians will clearly target him, and if he's anything other than a 30+ average stock bowler I'll be shocked, and England need to be bowling Australia out regularly for sub-400 totals to win this series. The best bet, is a situation like Lords where they can get wicket which has some grass on it and seams a bit early on, and hopefully win the toss and send Australia in with it overcast and bowl them out for 250 or less.

for me any seaming wicket on which england can bowl australia out for 250, australia can bowl them out for 125. their best bet IMO is a wicket like the one they got at edgbaston against the WI last year which was slow and turned a bit.

 

[tooextracool]

Team I'll be supporting: England
Team who I think will take the Ashes home: Australia
Series score: 3-0
Top batsman from either side (most runs): Damien Martyn
Top bowler (most wickets): Glenn McGrath
Top English batsman: Ian Bell
Top Australian batsman: Damien Martyn
Top English bowler: Simon Jones
Top Australian bowler: Glenn McGrath
Surprise package for England: Graham Thorpe(to score a century at the Oval)
Surprise package for Australia: Simon Katich
Man of the Series: Glenn McGrath
Biggest Disappointment for England: Steve Harmison(more concerned about how his pace has dropped during the ODIs)
Biggest Disappointment for Australia: Adam Gilchrist
Winner at Lords: Australia
Man of the Match at Lords: Glenn McGrath

 

[King_Ponting]

Looks like Lee has sealed his test place now, nice to see JL getting some good early runs & Matty showing that he could still a major force in the test series.

if i rember correctly didnt hayden score a centruy against the same team in the one day warm up match?

 

[marc71178]

Eh?

Well it must've bounced

 

[marc71178]

This Leicestershire team seems pretty hopeless ... trust the Poms to give us one warm-up FC match against a team that doesn't have one international !

It's not their fault Leicestershire chose to put that side out.