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

[tooextracool]

ok here is my england test XI:
strauss
vaughan
bell/key
thorpe
pieterson
flintoff
jones/prior
giles
hoggard
jones
harmison

and my england ODI XI:
tresco
strauss
bell
vaughan
pieterson
flintoff
read
giles
jones
harmison
gough

 

[mavric41]

Not for stealing a loaf like the rest of them?

hehe

 

[Jamee999]

I'm hoping to go to the first tour match: Australia vs Leicestershire, it looks like it'll be good.

 

[age_master]

im gonna tip 5-0 (4-0 maybe with wether), i think Australia are putting alot of preparation into this tour, like the indian tour and should come out at their best.

McGrath and Warne to dominate with the ball

Ponting and Hayden with the bat, the lower order wont get that much of a chance

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

jones/prior

Why no Read in the test side?

Good to see an English fan who actually thinks England should pick their best bowlers in the ODIs. Playing rubbishy bowlers like Kabir Ali and Wharf just because they can bat a bit is not a good move at all. There's a reason Australia picks four genuine bowlers in their ODI side, including those who are there primarily to take wickets and not just to keep the runs down.

Anyway, here's my Australian sides based on personal preference and not a prediction on selection.

ODIs
Gilchrist
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Symonds
Clarke
Hopes
Hogg
Lee
Gillespie
McGrath

If Hayden blows it in the first few ODIs, consider opening with Clarke and bringing Hussey in at 6. Same story with Hopes and Watson or White.

Tests
Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Katich
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
McGrath

 

[Jamee999]

My England XI's:

Tests

Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan*
Thorpe
Pietersen
Flintoff
G.Jones(wk)
Giles
S.Jones
Hoggard
Harmison
Back-up Batsman:Butcher
Back-up Bowler: Anderson

ODI

Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan*
Pietersen
Flintoff
Bell
G.Jones+
Giles
Hoggard
Harmison
Anderson
Back-up Batsman: Collingwood
Back-up Bowler: Wharf

 

[tooextracool]

Why no Read in the test side?

because last i saw him, his technique wasnt upto test match standard. one good year in domestic cricket wont change that for me, he may have improved but i really doubt that we can afford to go in with 6 batsmen for the ashes, especially if we have pieterson and flintoff batting at 5 and 6, who are prone to throwing their wickets away.
im not a big jones fan, but i think he deserves more chances, and one can only hope he has FINALLY realised that test cricket is not about playing your shots before getting set.
were i to pick an aussie ODI side though, it would look like this:
clarke
gilchrist
ponting
bevan
martyn
lehmann
symonds
hogg
lee
kaspa/gillespie
mcgrath

unfortunately as we know, that wont happen

 

[age_master]

lol yeah i cant see Bevo getting a late call up

 

[Dydl]

Put me down in the 'Brett will do well if he gets into the side' camp too

They should just give him a chance...my name down too.

I'm not going to predict the number of tests won/lost. I just predict that Australia will win.

 

[Craig]

I think it'll be 3-1 to Australia


In a perfect world it would be 5-0 to England, with Flintoff and Vaughan scoring centuries out of their a***s and Anderson, Sajid Mahmood and Flintoff (in between bowling Lancashire to the quadruple of the championship Div 2, C&G, National League div 1 and Twenty20 ) spearheading the England attack which tames Hayden, Ponting, Langer, Martyn, Gilchrist and Clarke, who only score the one century between them whilst Glenn McGrath shows them how to do it with 2. The Aussies go home dejected and a long period of England dominance. In the end, Australia get so desperate they get the scummy Chris "I think I'm bigger than Lancashire so when they sack me I take them to court" Schofield to go over there and play for New South Wales whilst waiting for him to qualify for residency so he can play for them. However, he gets sent to prison after it being found out he was an illegal immigrant and lives torturously ever after.
After that little bit to show mr Schofield that NOBODY is bigger than Lancashire, the Ashes would be contested competitively and fairly forever and ever. The End

In reference to Vaughan, do you consider him to be a traitor because he was born in Manchester but plays for Yorkshire (I guess he could justify supporting Man Ure if he wanted to or Man Citeh?).

 

[Craig]

he has a point, to an extent. harmison has always been considered to be a better bowler against right handers than against left handers and hoggard has always been better at bowling the ball that leaves the right hander than the one that leaves the left hander.

Personally I find it easier bowling to left handers then right handers.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Good to see an English fan who actually thinks England should pick their best bowlers in the ODIs. Playing rubbishy bowlers like Kabir Ali and Wharf just because they can bat a bit is not a good move at all. There's a reason Australia picks four genuine bowlers in their ODI side, including those who are there primarily to take wickets and not just to keep the runs down.

I think they rate Kabir Ali more than Jones/Hoggard in ODIs, because they tend to leak runs all over the place and never really take wickets, and there's no one to really keep it tight. Though apparently Simon Jones bowled well in a league game against Glamorgan last week - got quite a bit of swing under the lights.

I'd like to see Jon Lewis given a go in the ODI side instead of all of those though - not sure he'd do much better than Wharf, but he can't do much worse.

 

[Mister Wright]

I'm hoping for a competitive Ashes series, but I don't think it will be, although Harmisson did take a hat-trick the other day, and if he finds form at the right time, he could be a handful for Australia.

No matter what the English do with the bat in their hands, the only way to win cricket games (without declarations) is by taking wickets, so the bowlers will have to be bowling as a team and all are going to have to be in great form (at once).

 

[steds]

In reference to Vaughan, do you consider him to be a traitor because he was born in Manchester but plays for Yorkshire (I guess he could justify supporting Man Ure if he wanted to or Man Citeh?).

Not really, because he moved over there with his parents at a young age. If he left for Yorkshire at an age when he should have known better, I'd consider him a traitor then

 

[steds]

Though apparently Simon Jones bowled well in a league game against Glamorgan last week - got quite a bit of swing under the lights.

but who was he playing for?

 

[Magrat Garlick]

but who was he playing for?

Um, oops. Brain fade...

 

[luckyeddie]

Not really, because he moved over there with his parents at a young age. If he left for Yorkshire at an age when he should have known better, I'd consider him a traitor then

Best thing to come out of Yorkshire is the M62

 

[superkingdave]

Also it was a day match, no lights involved - thought there was a lot of rain.

 

[superkingdave]

BTW some guy in the times was suggesting today that they might go with Flintoff at 7 in the ashes.

Tresco
Strauss
Key
Vaughan
Thorpe
Pietersent
Flintoff
Jones
Giles
Hoggard
Harmison

Its a bit short on bowling but if we get rolled first test i can see it happening

 

[Magrat Garlick]

It's very short on bowling - would require Vaughan and Pietersen to bowl a lot, because Freddy/Hoggy/Harmy all are bowlers that tire very fast...

Alternative is picking Bell at three as an all-rounder