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

[Pedro Delgado]

Oh was it you? Sorry old man.

I was gutted when Warne missed out on bowling Jones through the gate by a coat of varnish.

Would have put him on the Lords honors board for the first time.

I honestly thought it hit the stump, and the bail stayed on. They only showed a replay once for some reason. Mind you I'd had a few sherberts.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Hell is a place where Bradman is English.

As an pom, couldn't agree more.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

How damn shocking are the English press?

Great way to encourage your side... and unfortunately, I think it will only get worse. I feel so sorry for them. If anything, criticise the selectors!

Players ignore it, as do real cricket followers. Interestingly but, the Ashes legend arose out of a hack story didn't it. What are the Aus tabloids making of it by the way?

 

[vic_orthdox]

What are the Aus tabloids making of it by the way?

A lot of focus on Warne. But pretty much "that'll put the Poms back in their place" - seen articles writing off Flintoff already, in fact writing off England straight away afterwards. Mind you, that was Murdoch papers, The Age was much more balanced and fair in its critique.

 

[PY]

Along with the ginger and steds?

I think for these purposes, Neil is totally safe.

 

[luckyeddie]

Read "The Times" this morning.

Article by Simon Barnes was pathetic.

Typical of the Pommy press - overkill whether they lose or win.

I knew the handbag thing would come back to bite them on the ****.

I really liked the guy a few years ago when he used to write clever little DD-like spoof articles (not as good as mine, of course, but well worth a read ), but at the moment he seems to think that he has to be 'clever' with many his articles (hence the Emily Dickinson reference, the 'Dear Australia' etc).

Still a quite, quite brilliant writer and one of my favourite sports writers, but I really wish he would stick to the point sometimes.

As far as today's two articles go, I think he's actually got it totally and utterly spot-on. The inference is that it is a confidence thing, an inferiority complex thing, an unable to grasp the nettle thing, a capable of thrashing everyone else but not the one that really matters thing, and a few other things as well.

The only one he missed was the fact that it was an unable to apply the pressure a second time once Australia had forced themselves back into the game in the third session on Thursday thing.

I'll agree with you if you delete the word 'pathetic' and substitute in its place 'excellent'.

 

[superkingdave]

Simon Barnes is a prat

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I think for these purposes, Neil is totally safe.

On the basis that he doesn't turn it?

 

[BoyBrumby]

On the basis that he doesn't turn it?

The ones that Warne doesn't turn seem to be the ones causing us all the probs! On that basis Neil must be doing ok....

 

[badgerhair]

As far as today's two articles go, I think he's actually got it totally and utterly spot-on. The inference is that it is a confidence thing, an inferiority complex thing, an unable to grasp the nettle thing, a capable of thrashing everyone else but not the one that really matters thing, and a few other things as well.

The only one he missed was the fact that it was an unable to apply the pressure a second time once Australia had forced themselves back into the game in the third session on Thursday thing.

I am as yet unconvinced of this. I am rather of the opinion that the assembled gentlemen of the press are busily talking about their own feelings and emotions and projecting them on to the England team. I would prefer to hold fire until after the Second Test before I take one poor match as evidence of very much - otherwise I'd have been busily predicting wholesale slaughter of the Australians in the one-dayers after their first loss to Bangladesh. I'm happy to agree that there are some disturbing signs arising from England's performance in the Lord's Test, but to make the sweeping judgements that a number of people are already making is in my view premature.

It was certainly a McGrath thing, and it was also a Warne thing, and you don't need to have an inferiority complex or be a scared rabbit or whatever in order to get out to those two.

Let's let the story unfold a bit further before we decide how it's going to end.

Cheers,

Mike

 

[chris.hinton]

We where poor Batting, we bowled well but Pietersen dropped catch may have cost us, Aussies have the best 2 bowlers in the last 15 years in McGrath and Warne they have taken 900 test wickets between them... there no need to panic

But i will make 2 changes to the 12 man squad Drop Giles for Joyce and G Jnoes for Read

 

[tooextracool]

Flintoff vs SA in 2003 was extremely unlucky.

and flintoff in SL & WI was extremely lucky.

 

[marc71178]

Lets hope Jones goes through a similar run for the rest of this series then!

 

[tooextracool]

How damn shocking are the English press?

Great way to encourage your side... and unfortunately, I think it will only get worse. I feel so sorry for them. If anything, criticise the selectors!

i think that was expected though. whenever australia do lose the ashes they are gonna cop a hell of a lot from both the english press and the australian press.

 

[aussie]

and flintoff in SL & WI was extremely lucky.

since he came of age has a good enough bowler in IND 2001, Flintoff before Bridgetown 2004 was always unlucky

 

[tooextracool]

since he came of age has a good enough bowler in IND 2001, Flintoff before Bridgetown 2004 was always unlucky

nope, he came of age as a bowler only during the summer of 2004, until then he didnt merit his place in the test side as a bowler alone.

 

[aussie]

nope, he came of age as a bowler only during the summer of 2004, until then he didnt merit his place in the test side as a bowler alone.

true but what i'm saying is before that 2001 tour his bowling wasn't good enough to doing well in either test or ODI's, but when he took the new ball in that series he started to show promise with the ball.

 

[tooextracool]

true but what i'm saying is before that 2001 tour his bowling wasn't good enough to doing well in either test or ODI's, but when he took the new ball in that series he started to show promise with the ball.

it undoubtedly got better, because he got a lot more accurate, but he still wasnt anything special, more a batting all rounder than anything else.

 

[aussie]

it undoubtedly got better, because he got a lot more accurate, but he still wasnt anything special, more a batting all rounder than anything else.

yeah pretty much but has i was saying before after his 1st 5 for at bridgetwon that was like his breakthrough performace with the ball after alwas being so unlucky, but as u rightfully said he truly came of age in the 2004 summer.

 

[Barney Rubble]

G.Jones can't keep, C.Read can't bat, time for M.Prior?

They could do a lot worse. It took one game of watching Prior for me to rate him higher than Jones, and I was one of those championing Jones' cause to begin with. I still rate him, but he is beginning to let the side down, and I believe that Prior is simply the better player, in both departments.