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

[marc71178]

Joyce seems good but he will be inexperienced & Australia could prey on that key fact.

Like they did on Pietersen?

 

[Pedro Delgado]

So you reckon Prior could do both aspects better than Jones & Read, i think not........

Jones is a liability and we cannot afford to have him in the team against quality opposition, against lesser sides his errors are less important. TBH I haven't seen Read bat in a long time so he may have improved, but his test showing was far from encouraging. So yes, perhaps Prior is the answer, do you have any better suggestions?

FWIW I don't think a single change will be made to the England 12.

 

[Somerset]

Like they did on Pietersen?

Pietersen played a number of ODIs against Australia, with success, so Joyce would be a completely different case.

 

[Somerset]

Jones is a liability and we cannot afford to have him in the team against quality opposition, against lesser sides his errors are less important. TBH I haven't seen Read bat in a long time so he may have improved, but his test showing was far from encouraging. So yes, perhaps Prior is the answer, do you have any better suggestions?

FWIW I don't think a single change will be made to the England 12.

TBH, I don't think England will change thier squad either - with the exception of Pietersen, and to a lesser extent Bell and Tremlett, that side to face Australia in the first test was effectively the same side that had been so successful over 2004 and early 2005.

 

[Steulen]

TBH, I don't think England will change thier squad either - with the exception of Pietersen, and to a lesser extent Bell and Tremlett, that side to face Australia in the first test was effectively the same side that had been so successful over 2004 and early 2005.

No, but if Edgebaston sees a copied performance by Jones he's surely out of the team. All it takes is a top-order drop...

 

[Pedro Delgado]

No, but if Edgebaston sees a copied performance by Jones he's surely out of the team. All it takes is a top-order drop...

I dunno. Fletch likes him, he's made these errors intermittently (I'm being generous there) throughout, and he's still #1. It's very difficult to "get dropped" from this England team.

 

[Top_Cat]

No, but if Edgebaston sees a copied performance by Jones he's surely out of the team. All it takes is a top-order drop...

I would hope that it would take more than that.

Anyway, he's still batting well and aside from a massive form drop with the gloves, it's pretty unlikely the selectors will drop a keeper mid-series. Certainly pretty rare in English or Australian circles.

 

[age_master]

Like they did on Pietersen?

or like Bell?

 

[Josh]

I would hope that it would take more than that.

Anyway, he's still batting well and aside from a massive form drop with the gloves, it's pretty unlikely the selectors will drop a keeper mid-series. Certainly pretty rare in English or Australian circles.

All I can say is no wonder Queensland didn't want him lol.

 

[Kevin_Pietersen]

Geraint Jones was quite disappointing with the gloves...I don't see why he had to go for that catch with one hand! He fumbled loads of deliveries behind the wicket too.His batting wasn't very good either apart from his first innings 30 which was quite good compared to the rest of the top order.He seriously needs to pull his socks up.The shot that he got out to McGrath was pathetic! He wasn't commited to the stroke, it was a short arm jab...he didn't follow through with the shot, it was a "can't be bothered" stroke.He could have at least tried to clear Jason Gillespie.He needs to start working more harder or they should bring someone else in for him (possibly: Chris Read? Matt Prior?).
Kevin Pietersen was outstanding! The only one in the England top order that decided to use his cricketing brain on how to combat McGrath's seam movement and Warne's sliders! Batted brilliantly and if he had had more support I think he would have managed to reach a hundred however he was forced to hit out as the tail-enders came out.However, he hit some magnificent shots didn't he? Those slog sweeps off Warne were fantastic and the pull against Lee..I thought he had smacked it straight up in the air! The McGrath straight drive was a classic!! WOAHH!!
England really need to work hard if there are to win the next test match at Edgbaston, they managed to compete with the Australians at some points of the match but they were inconsistent.

 

[Steulen]

I would hope that it would take more than that.

Anyway, he's still batting well and aside from a massive form drop with the gloves, it's pretty unlikely the selectors will drop a keeper mid-series. Certainly pretty rare in English or Australian circles.

Thing is, his normal wk-standard is so below par.
Apart from dropping a few diving catches, he keeps diving in front of first slip, and he fails to take balls cleanly that were just left by the batsman.

 

[Nate]

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.

True, point that.

 

[SpeedKing]

I really doubt that any changes will be made

yeah that is probably going to be the way, chairman of selectors Graveney said he is not going to panic, after all, it is only the first test played at the Aussies Away ground so it is not bad enough to start tampering with the current outfit

 

[irfan]

Vaughan 3,4
Bell 6,8
Flintoff 0,3 (4-183)
Total 24 runs

McGrath 10*,20* (9-82)
Total 30*

its a worrying sign when 3 in ure top 6 gets comprehensively beaten by McGrath..........................................with the bat!

 

[Steulen]

Vaughan 3,4
Bell 6,8
Flintoff 0,3 (4-183)
Total 24 runs

McGrath 10*,20* (9-82)
Total 30*

its a worrying sign when 3 in ure top 6 gets comprehensively beaten by McGrath..........................................with the bat!

When he gets his customary duck at Edgebaston, he will still have a batting average of 30 for the series

 

[King_Ponting]

Yeh thats if hes needed to bat. Still stand by my coment that mcgrath is in better form than englands top 3!!

 

[marc71178]

Even though they put on 80 in the 2nd innings?

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Even though they put on 80 in the 2nd innings?

I think he was joking. In fact I know he is joking. Stands to reason.

 

[Scaly piscine]

Even though they put on 80 in the 2nd innings?

He said 3 in the top 6, not the top 3.

Anyway I see Collingwood has scored another century, granted these last two have been against arguably the two worst county sides in England, but still...

 

[Shane Warne]

Collingwood shouldn't play test cricket. He's just not a good enough batsman. England have a lot of better options, and I'd rather see Joyce, Key, Butcher or any number of other people before Collingwood.

Completely agree.

I really don't know why everyone else has hardons about Collingwood.