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

[Top_Cat]

What are you talking about man ? England won the second test Without Mcgrath and in this test England are in this situation because all the aussie batsmen have failed.

Don't waste your time; he'll disappear again if Australia come back hard in the next Test.

 

[age_master]

No way Australia are going too get that total

they will go after it though, provdiding that early wickets are not lost, probably until 3 wickets are lost (or 4 depending on how Clarke feels, i doubt he will be well enough to bat properly though). might promote Gilchrist to number 4 if they are going after it as he scores fast even when batting defensively.

 

[King_Ponting]

australia will only go after the total if they have a good opening session and start the post lunch session with at least one "set" batsman.

 

[honestbharani]

Pretty simple analysis of this series to date.

Australia came in feeling unbeatable, which was a very understandable mentality. They've played like it for years now.

Australia was stunned on day one of the series. They bounced back and everything seemed like the same old story.

England's young team has, as they say, "not been scarred by ghosts of Ashes past". They took the week off, regrouped, refocussed and came out with Aussie arrogance and self-belief in the next Test.

Australia were found facing a comeback effort, which they've done so many times before, adding to the aura of invincibility. This time though, they failed. I think that hit hard.

For the period of Australian dominance the problem has not necessarily been a gap in talent, but rather self-belief. This England team actually seems deluded into believing that it can compete with and even beat Australia. It's the same way that India was deluded in Australia a couple years ago.

It's the only way that Australia can be beaten. You gotta have faith. Having watched England over the past 4 or 5 Test series, I'm a believer.

I would like to add to that.



The one thing that Australia did and did really well during their latest visit to India was PLANNING. They took India seriously and they had very definite and defined plans for almost everyone of the Indian players. The inswingers to Dravid and Laxman at decent pace, the outswingers with a bit of bounce to Sachin, the moving across the stumps to help Harbhajan to the leg side with the turn, the non-committing on the front foot to Kumble... It was top class and it showed how much hard work they had put in before they came to India. That was what won them the series (although it was stupid of India to have not played a test for 6 months or so and straightaway take on Australia).



But over here, it is pretty obvious that they have absolutely no plans and are simply relying on the skills of their players to win the games. And those skills aren't as good as they used to be, esp. with the batsmen. Hayden has never been anything great over the last year and a half. I have always said that he had gotten too ****y for his own good. Langer is doing well, but Australia are facing one thing that they have never faced before from any other team during their period of dominanace, REAL PACE from bowlers who are more than 6 feet tall. Therefore, most of their batsmen have been caught on the wrong foot, so to speak. And it has reflected in their fielding where most of the culprits have been the same out of form batsmen. Add to that trough of Gillespie, it is obvious why Australia are in this position.


But I won't count them out yet though.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I would like to add to that.



The one thing that Australia did and did really well during their latest visit to India was PLANNING. They took India seriously and they had very definite and defined plans for almost everyone of the Indian players. The inswingers to Dravid and Laxman at decent pace, the outswingers with a bit of bounce to Sachin, the moving across the stumps to help Harbhajan to the leg side with the turn, the non-committing on the front foot to Kumble... It was top class and it showed how much hard work they had put in before they came to India. That was what won them the series (although it was stupid of India to have not played a test for 6 months or so and straightaway take on Australia).



But over here, it is pretty obvious that they have absolutely no plans and are simply relying on the skills of their players to win the games. And those skills aren't as good as they used to be, esp. with the batsmen. Hayden has never been anything great over the last year and a half. I have always said that he had gotten too ****y for his own good. Langer is doing well, but Australia are facing one thing that they have never faced before from any other team during their period of dominanace, REAL PACE from bowlers who are more than 6 feet tall. Therefore, most of their batsmen have been caught on the wrong foot, so to speak. And it has reflected in their fielding where most of the culprits have been the same out of form batsmen. Add to that trough of Gillespie, it is obvious why Australia are in this position.


But I won't count them out yet though.

That's a fantastic post. Very good point about the direct planning for the series.

 

[social]

I would like to add to that.



The one thing that Australia did and did really well during their latest visit to India was PLANNING. They took India seriously and they had very definite and defined plans for almost everyone of the Indian players. The inswingers to Dravid and Laxman at decent pace, the outswingers with a bit of bounce to Sachin, the moving across the stumps to help Harbhajan to the leg side with the turn, the non-committing on the front foot to Kumble... It was top class and it showed how much hard work they had put in before they came to India. That was what won them the series (although it was stupid of India to have not played a test for 6 months or so and straightaway take on Australia).



But over here, it is pretty obvious that they have absolutely no plans and are simply relying on the skills of their players to win the games. And those skills aren't as good as they used to be, esp. with the batsmen. Hayden has never been anything great over the last year and a half. I have always said that he had gotten too ****y for his own good. Langer is doing well, but Australia are facing one thing that they have never faced before from any other team during their period of dominanace, REAL PACE from bowlers who are more than 6 feet tall. Therefore, most of their batsmen have been caught on the wrong foot, so to speak. And it has reflected in their fielding where most of the culprits have been the same out of form batsmen. Add to that trough of Gillespie, it is obvious why Australia are in this position.


But I won't count them out yet though.

Exactly right.

They respected India and almost totally changed their game-plan from the previous series on the sub-continent. That took planning and discipline.

Its obvious from the first 3 tests that the Aus batsmen felt that they could simply bludgeon the English bowlers into submission. Unfortunately:

a. the English bowlers are better than they thought;

b. the pitch conditions havent always been appropriate for that approach; and

c. the English were prepared for that approach, put men back to cut off the boundaries, and waited for the mistakes that come from this risky tactic.

It's no surprise that the only significant innings played by an Aus "batsman" to date came from Langer at Edgbaston. He played a "traditional" test innings (like Aus batsmen played in India) not a glorified ODI one.

 

[Sanz]

I would like to add to that.

The one thing that Australia did and did really well during their latest visit to India was PLANNING. They took India seriously and they had very definite and defined plans for almost everyone of the Indian players. The inswingers to Dravid and Laxman at decent pace, the outswingers with a bit of bounce to Sachin, the moving across the stumps to help Harbhajan to the leg side with the turn, the non-committing on the front foot to Kumble... It was top class and it showed how much hard work they had put in before they came to India. That was what won them the series (although it was stupid of India to have not played a test for 6 months or so and straightaway take on Australia).
.

Also not to forget that almost every Indian batsman deciced to hibernate after their series win in Pakistan and Sachin's injury. That said, full credit to Aussie bowlers to take advantage of that and equal credit to aussie batsmen for giving their bowlers enough scores to defend.

 

[Shane Warne]

I would like to add to that.



The one thing that Australia did and did really well during their latest visit to India was PLANNING. They took India seriously and they had very definite and defined plans for almost everyone of the Indian players. The inswingers to Dravid and Laxman at decent pace, the outswingers with a bit of bounce to Sachin, the moving across the stumps to help Harbhajan to the leg side with the turn, the non-committing on the front foot to Kumble... It was top class and it showed how much hard work they had put in before they came to India. That was what won them the series (although it was stupid of India to have not played a test for 6 months or so and straightaway take on Australia).



But over here, it is pretty obvious that they have absolutely no plans and are simply relying on the skills of their players to win the games. And those skills aren't as good as they used to be, esp. with the batsmen. Hayden has never been anything great over the last year and a half. I have always said that he had gotten too ****y for his own good. Langer is doing well, but Australia are facing one thing that they have never faced before from any other team during their period of dominanace, REAL PACE from bowlers who are more than 6 feet tall. Therefore, most of their batsmen have been caught on the wrong foot, so to speak. And it has reflected in their fielding where most of the culprits have been the same out of form batsmen. Add to that trough of Gillespie, it is obvious why Australia are in this position.


But I won't count them out yet though.

That's an absolutely orgasmic post, my god that's good.

Wow...Just...WOW.

 

[andyc]

I would like to add to that.



The one thing that Australia did and did really well during their latest visit to India was PLANNING. They took India seriously and they had very definite and defined plans for almost everyone of the Indian players. The inswingers to Dravid and Laxman at decent pace, the outswingers with a bit of bounce to Sachin, the moving across the stumps to help Harbhajan to the leg side with the turn, the non-committing on the front foot to Kumble... It was top class and it showed how much hard work they had put in before they came to India. That was what won them the series (although it was stupid of India to have not played a test for 6 months or so and straightaway take on Australia).



But over here, it is pretty obvious that they have absolutely no plans and are simply relying on the skills of their players to win the games. And those skills aren't as good as they used to be, esp. with the batsmen. Hayden has never been anything great over the last year and a half. I have always said that he had gotten too ****y for his own good. Langer is doing well, but Australia are facing one thing that they have never faced before from any other team during their period of dominanace, REAL PACE from bowlers who are more than 6 feet tall. Therefore, most of their batsmen have been caught on the wrong foot, so to speak. And it has reflected in their fielding where most of the culprits have been the same out of form batsmen. Add to that trough of Gillespie, it is obvious why Australia are in this position.


But I won't count them out yet though.

I'd been thinking that too (but you said it better than I ever could have). The English team have simply outplanned them, they have plans on how to bowl and bat to almost everyone.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

If England do manage to win this series, it's going to be very interesting to see what happens next time, on Australian shores if Ponting is still captain and the teams are roughly the same. I wouldn't expect too many changes really, except probably no Hayden or Gillespie for Australia. You'd expect Australia's planning and so on to improve, and assuming that both teams continue to dominate the rest of the opposition between now and then, that could be the real world championship series, and probably the last hurrah for guys like Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist etc in test cricket.

 

[andyc]

The only way Australia can prevent a loss in this test is if every batsman goes out with the same purpose. If that purpose is to play for a draw, then every single batsman needs to have that same purpose. I can just imagine a horrific period of play tomorrow where Ponting, Hayden and co. go at it and Langer's left by himself trying to hold it together.

 

[marc71178]

England are favourites... you would be mad to bet against a series win for England.

If it were a 3 Test series, then yes - but it's a 5 Test one...

 

[Slow Love™]

But over here, it is pretty obvious that they have absolutely no plans and are simply relying on the skills of their players to win the games.

They do actually have a plan (which they've adhered to quite well) - it involves repeated bouncers to KP and Flintoff, in the hope they'll mis-hit one. It's even worked a few times.

(It was a really good post though.)

 

[andyc]

If they do play for a draw, it could help the Aussie bats find some form.

 

[Craig]

If they drop Hayden - do they have a specialist opener to replace him? You could say Jaques bue he seems more of a middle order guy to me.

 

[Prince EWS]

Jaques is definately an opening batsman. They also have Hussey.

But neither are in the squad, so it wont happen this series. If Hayden is playing absolutely pathetically, I can see Katich being promoted to open, but hes not in the best of form either.

 

[Pedro Delgado]

Right then, what's the verdict? Anyone prepared to back Australia to get the runs, or to draw?

I'm gonna go for an England win, with the King of Spain taking four wickets, Fred and the fiery Welshman to reverse it and grab the rest late on, Aus all out for 347.

Thereby keeping my 2-3 series prediction result alive!!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I think Australia can do it, but in my opinion they won't. Picking an england win by just after tea, Australia making 220.

 

[andyc]

I think Australia can do it, but in my opinion they won't. Picking an england win by just after tea, Australia making 220.

Good point, they can do it, but they won't. They'll be seemingly down and out and Gillespie and someone else will block them to the end.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I have a nagging doubt lurking at the back of my mind that a few folk have been too quick to write Oz off in this test. They'll have to bat exceptionally well (better than any test side has batted before chasing a 4th innings total in fact), but I still think the Oz top order will come good at some point in this series. Perhaps the discipline needed to chase such a huge total will be the spur they need.

I'm hoping I'm totally wrong tho.