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

Magrat Garlick

Rather Mad Witch
FaaipDeOiad said:
If McGrath is out, does Tait open the bowling with Lee then?

It's certainly going to be tough for Australia with McGrath out if they have to bowl first again on a flat pitch. WIth no McGrath, batting first and making a decent score really becomes key for Australia, as it gives Tait and Lee something to play with. It's hard to know exactly how Tait will go in his first test, but if he can bowl the way he did last summer he's guaranateed to have some success, regardless of the conditions or the opposition.

Frankly, I'd love for him to have a good test just so people would shut up about him playing at Durham, as it's really getting tired. He's also a great deal of fun to watch, so it will be good as a spectator if he does get a go.
And I'm hoping he has a mediocre one to shut up both camps. Some of the Aussies here make it sound like he's the next Malcolm Marshall or something...
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
Samuel_Vimes said:
And I'm hoping he has a mediocre one to shut up both camps. Some of the Aussies here make it sound like he's the next Malcolm Marshall or something...
In fairness, his 65 wickets in last year's Sheffield Shield says a lot - that's the second-highest ever haul. Mind you, that might say more about the standard of Australian batting to come when the old guard hang up their zimmer frames than any ability of Tait.

I hope he does ok, and I really hope it's a hard, bouncy track at Trent Bridge.
 

FaaipDeOiad

Hall of Fame Member
Samuel_Vimes said:
And I'm hoping he has a mediocre one to shut up both camps. Some of the Aussies here make it sound like he's the next Malcolm Marshall or something...
He's not the next Malcolm Marshall (at least not yet :p) but his record warrants a fair look as far as I'm concerned, and at least there's a reasonable basis for hyping him up.. McGrath, Lee and Gillepsie all got smashed around at times early in their career and went on to be international stars, and none of them ever took 65 wickets in a season on a flat home deck. Writing him off because he bowled two bad spells at Durham when he was 21 is just ridiculous.
 

Slats4ever

International Vice-Captain
luckyeddie said:
In fairness, his 65 wickets in last year's Sheffield Shield says a lot - that's the second-highest ever haul. Mind you, that might say more about the standard of Australian batting to come when the old guard hang up their zimmer frames than any ability of Tait.

I hope he does ok, and I really hope it's a hard, bouncy track at Trent Bridge.
nah the standard of batting in the Australian Sheffield Shield is extremely high. As can be seen by the performance of many Australians in English County Cricket over the last few years.
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
Slats4ever said:
nah the standard of batting in the Australian Sheffield Shield is extremely high. As can be seen by the performance of many Australians in English County Cricket over the last few years.
Look, ma!

I caught another fish. :D
 

greg

International Debutant
Slats4ever said:
nah the standard of batting in the Australian Sheffield Shield is extremely high. As can be seen by the performance of many Australians in English County Cricket over the last few years.
Which has been getting steadily worse, relatively speaking.
 

Tom Halsey

International Coach
marc71178 said:
The thing is, regardless of that stat, Giles played a very big role in winning the 2nd Test with his 1st innings effort and has at times bowled very tightly to the top order only to be hit about by tail enders.
Agreed.

That said, he cost us the match in the 3rd Test by bowling so bloody **** on a pitch so suited to him.
 

Nate

You'll Never Walk Alone
Go figure. I decide to back Kasper and Tait gets picked. Hopefully it`s a joke.

If McGrath doesn`t play, then Lee and Tait to open. :drools:


I`m at a Drama performance all of tomorrow, so I won`t see a thing really. Guess I can watch a bit at 12.
 

luckyeddie

Cricket Web Staff Member
Tom Halsey said:
Agreed.

That said, he cost us the match in the 3rd Test by bowling so bloody **** on a pitch so suited to him.
It didn't suit the spinners AT ALL after the first 2 days.

The turn was there, but that is of no value at all without pace or bounce. On a slow, lifeless pitch, the batsman can get forward to anything of a full length and smother the spin very easily. Anything not of driveable length, he has ample time to play from the crease (which may explain the ease in which the previously much-maligned Bell played Warne).
 

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