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

[tooextracool]

You think? I don't

If you ran a poll on the Bell dismissal, for example - was he definitely out, definitely not out or not sure I'll bet you would get a healthy number of votes for each option.

well id think the vote for not sure would be a substantially higher than the ones for definitely out or not out.

 

[aussie]

Sorry, but I can't remember you ever saying that before - so "as you've been saying all along" is a tad inaccurate.

I did check back the pages on this post from 445 onwars you'll find it somewhere....

 

[aussie]

If MacGill is to play on what I've heard will be a turning OT pitch, Watson must play as Aus cannot go in with only two pace bowlers. However, this makes the side weaker than if MacGill wasn't playing ... a dilemma IMO for the selectors

Australia should not go in with two spinners at here period, the last pitch for the CC match between Lancashire & Essex was an absolute featherbed they are better of picking the same bowling attack or dropping Kasper probably for Tait.

If Watson was to be picked its best Australia hand over the ashes.....

 

[aussie]

Playing Tait would be a risk that the selectors would have to be very brave to make

it could be a risk because he is inexperienced but has i have said because NONE of the english batsmen would have seen him before plus he's got this very slingy action he could be a handful on his debut. Look Edwards & Malinga 2 other bowlers in world cricket who have similar slingy action proved a real handful on their respective debuts i dont see why Tait cant.....

 

[Shane Warne]

Brett Lee is a doubt for the next test.

He's been admitted to hospital with a knee infection.

 

[greg]

Well there we are. This test really could be s**t or bust for the Aussies. Perhaps they should just pick 10 batsmen and try and get away with a draw?

 

[tooextracool]

Really? Well, heres a summary of Aus' batsmen in the second test

first innings

Hayden - horrible, airy drive to wide, first ball
Langer - good ball
Ponting- horrible sweep to innocuous delivery
Martyn - ran himself out
Clarke - bit unlucky, arm ball went reverse
Katich - good ball
Gilchrist - not out

second innings

Hayden - waft at widish delivery
Langer - didnt do much wrong, bit unlucky in the end
Ponting - good ball
Martyn - ugggh
Clarke - must have lost side of it but Ill put it down to good bowling
Katich - ball didnt spin out of rough, call it good bowling
Gilchrist - ugggh

By my calcs, that's 6/13 dismissals where the batsman brought about his own down-fall.

If that's good batting, then I'll give up..

you know 6/13 isnt that much. if you looked at the england batting you'd see the same story. hell if you'd look at any match between any team you'd see the same story. but, the one thing that you conveniently ignored is the bowling aspect. batsmen more often than not dont make mistakes unless the bowlers make them do so. if it didnt take good bowling to create errors, then bangladesh would be getting plenty of cheap wickets. of course there are times when batsmen get themselves out, such as hayden first inning, martyn both innings etc. but to put haydens dismissal in the 2nd inning just down to poor batting is unfair, because it was good bowling from jones. it was a bunch of inswingers followed by away swinger. yes if he hadnt played at it, he wouldnt have been out, but then again if ponting hadnt played that ball from flintoff yesterday, he wouldnt have been out either. good bowling creates mistakes. and the thing about gilchrist as i've said before, is that he plays with risk.did you really expect gilchrist to come in and just plod around? because if you did, you just havent seen how many times hes won games for australia by counter attacking and taking risk.

Take Martyn for example. Last year, he was as good as any player in the world, scoring 6 centuries and playing a no. of match-winning innings. He achieved this by adding discipline to his natural talent and, in effect, making the bowlers play to his strengths.

In the series to date, his ill-discipline has cost him his wicket on 3 out of 4 occasions. Further, he seems intent on playing shots at most deliveries and has even pulled the hook shot out of the closet for the first time in years...

indeed, martyn has got himself out rather than the bowlers doing anything during this series.

 

[aussie]

Brett Lee is a doubt for the next test.

He's been admitted to hospital with a knee infection.

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo , this cant be i'll be on my knee's begging the lord pleaseeeeeeeeeeee for Lee to be fit on thursday, i cant be at OT & dont see neither Lee or Pigeon

 

[tooextracool]

Well there we are. This test really could be s**t or bust for the Aussies. Perhaps they should just pick 10 batsmen and try and get away with a draw?

with the RR the way it has been going this series, id be surprised if we see a single draw(unless it rains) in this series to be honest. on a flat pitch, both teams are going to score at at least 4 an over.

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Shane harwood? what that victorian bloke? ha what a joke. Cant believe he is next in line after tait..

I think he's just Australian and in the Country, a bit like Mike Whitney in 1981 who had hardly played first class cricket and was just in the Country playing mainly for Gloucestershire 2nd X1.
McGrath won't be playing and if Lee is a serious doubt, you never know.

 

[aussie]

bmp, for all those who dont live in England here todays front page Flintoff is a super hero now

 

[BoyBrumby]

it could be a risk because he is inexperienced but has i have said because NONE of the english batsmen would have seen him before plus he's got this very slingy action he could be a handful on his debut. Look Edwards & Malinga 2 other bowlers in world cricket who have similar slingy action proved a real handful on their respective debuts i dont see why Tait cant.....

I'm sure Banger's county chums down at Somerset can fill him in. 12 overs for 100-odd IIRC?!

NB: before any irate South Australians shoot me down, my tongue is firmly in my cheek!

 

[aussie]

I'm sure Banger's county chums down at Somerset can fill him in. 12 overs for 100-odd IIRC?!

NB: before any irate South Australians shoot me down, my tongue is firmly in my cheek!

Ha well i wont read too much into that one county match last season.

 

[cricket player]

bmp, for all those who dont live in England here todays front page Flintoff is a super hero now

HAHA

Freddie boy is reall becoming a popular icon in england good

 

[Magrat Garlick]

I'm sure Banger's county chums down at Somerset can fill him in. 12 overs for 100-odd IIRC?!

NB: before any irate South Australians shoot me down, my tongue is firmly in my cheek!

Still, those are Shahadat (and Harmison)-esque figures

 

[chalky]

In all 4 innings he has balls that he cannot be blamed for being dismissed from..

Every batsman receives good balls, he's just been unlucky to get 4 in a row.

As for unconvincing - I don't know how you can say that about either Edgbaston innings - the first one lasted 3 balls, and he hit 6 runs off the first 2.

The second innings came in under a lot of pressure and scored a very good 20.

Could Ian Bell be the new Ramprakash? Scores loads of runs in county cricket, looks great scoring 20s & 30s in tests but not able to move and score big runs. He reminds me a bit of Ramps at the crease aswell looks very good technically but you just wonder about how strong he is mentally.

For my two penneth batting is about how many runs you score not how good you look scoring them. I hope Bell can get some big scores soon (Bangladesh doesn't count) or we may still be waiting for him to come good by the time the next ashes series rolls along.

 

[Shane Warne]

Could Ian Bell be the new Ramprakash? Scores loads of runs in county cricket, looks great scoring 20s & 30s in tests but not able to move and score big runs. He reminds me a bit of Ramps at the crease aswell looks very good technically but you just wonder about how strong he is mentally.

You do have a point there. Good observation.

 

[aussie]

Could Ian Bell be the new Ramprakash? Scores loads of runs in county cricket, looks great scoring 20s & 30s in tests but not able to move and score big runs. He reminds me a bit of Ramps at the crease aswell looks very good technically but you just wonder about how strong he is mentally.

For my two penneth batting is about how many runs you score not how good you look scoring them. I hope Bell can get some big scores soon (Bangladesh doesn't count) or we may still be waiting for him to come good by the time the next ashes series rolls along.

fair observation but i dont think Bell will be like ramprakash, its only because he come up againts the 2 aussie legends he has looked a bit out of sorts i'm positive that he has the ability to make runs againts all the other test nations & australia when McGrath & Warne go off the scene.....

 

[superkingdave]

Could Ian Bell be the new Ramprakash? Scores loads of runs in county cricket, looks great scoring 20s & 30s in tests but not able to move and score big runs. He reminds me a bit of Ramps at the crease aswell looks very good technically but you just wonder about how strong he is mentally.

For my two penneth batting is about how many runs you score not how good you look scoring them. I hope Bell can get some big scores soon (Bangladesh doesn't count) or we may still be waiting for him to come good by the time the next ashes series rolls along.

he's only got one 20 so far, so to talk of him scoring 20's and 30's and not being able to go on is a bit premature imo

 

[twctopcat]

Coming in after seeing your captain failing to play a forward defensive yet again can't help with bell's confidence. I would consider putting him in at 5 after kp if the run continues, giving him a better chance of settling into an innings under hopefully less pressure.