Fuller Pilch
Hall of Fame Member
Be honest. They won one test and absolutely fluked another (fair play and congrats to Stokes and Leach though).
I have a feeling that Scott Boland will fill his boots once or twice.
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*Official* England in NZ 2023
- Thread starter G. S. Kohli
- Start date
I have a feeling that Scott Boland will fill his boots once or twice.
Molehill
Cricketer Of The Year
That's my point, England were awful in 2019 and yet still somehow didn't lose the series. They're clearly not awful now and have the likes of Bairstow, Archer, Woakes, Wood currently sitting outside the First XI.
As for Boland, he'll be 34 and he's never bowled in England before. He already seems surplus to requirements in India despite the home team picking 2 seamers.
Fuller Pilch
Hall of Fame Member
Okay I understand that point. The home team can pick 2 seamers because their 3 spinners bat so well. It is a massive benefit for team balance.
Nintendo
Cricketer Of The Year
Aus side is also a ton better tbf. Head has shown an ability to make runs in conditions where the ball is seaming everywhere vs anderson and broad, smith and marnus are both at peak form and will have county games leading in, usman even if he averages 30 is worth more then both of our openers combined from last series, green balances the side a ton better and should perform better then head did last time around, carey is a better keeper bat then paine, and we have starc-cummins-haze-green as a frontline 4 man attack with neser and boland in reserve + jhye if he's fit.
Not saying AUS will win, I reckon england will win 3-1, but this Aus side is better than the one that toured in 2019. Should be a really exciting series.
Howe_zat
Audio File
England are obviously much better placed than in 2019. Issue is Australia are better as well, especially in the batting, despite the last two tests.
In 2019 they had spent a year, without Smith, being generally quite poor in the batting without needed to have the challenge of India in India to expose it, and there was no guarantee that Smith coming back would fix everything. obviously it more or less did, and since then Labuschagne, Khawaja and Head have all become world class. Warner has regressed, but he was poor in 2019 anyway and England weren't able to exploit it. The bowling attack is pretty much the same with the addition of Boland (possibly in place of Hazelwood), which is a bit of an unknown but probably not a step down.
In 2019 they had spent a year, without Smith, being generally quite poor in the batting without needed to have the challenge of India in India to expose it, and there was no guarantee that Smith coming back would fix everything. obviously it more or less did, and since then Labuschagne, Khawaja and Head have all become world class. Warner has regressed, but he was poor in 2019 anyway and England weren't able to exploit it. The bowling attack is pretty much the same with the addition of Boland (possibly in place of Hazelwood), which is a bit of an unknown but probably not a step down.
Shady Slim
International Coach
australia need not fear archer woakes or wood imho
but aside from broaderson robinson is the one that could really eat
Molehill
Cricketer Of The Year
Not sure Australia are better. The seam attack has fitness question marks hanging over Starc and Hazelwood. Khawaja averages 19 in England whilst Head had an abysmal 2021 stint in County Cricket and there is little evidence to support the fact he's world class anywhere but Australia. So much of the batting depends on 2 players.
I don't think Australia will fear any England bowler but they'll certainly respect our attack.
Alot will depend on the fitness of our bowlers - Woakes, Archer and Wood have all have their fair share of injury problems but if fully fit and firing we'll have 6 excellent bowlers to rotate.
Woakes is a key player - at home he's been a world class performer - averaging 35 with the bat and under 23 with the ball.
The Ashes will be close, and if the weather behaves itself, we could get 5 results - it could easily go 3-2 to either team.
Howe_zat
Audio File
I agree that there's fitness questions over their attack but they have very good depth in their seam bowling to cover.
And you can poke holes in the records of Khawaja and Head, but not in a way that you can't do for most international batsmen, and they have enough runs in recent seasons to be in the top 10 ranked bats in the world. That's a clear improvement on their batting going into 2019 which was what I was trying to say. In the run up to that series Australia's batting was a complete mess - in the year preceding the series they had Harris, Paine, Finch, Labuschagne, S Marsh and Handscombe all play at least a few tests while averaging in the 20s.
Flem274*
123/5
Farrrk I'm torn between wanting Bazball to meet an inevitable Starc 2015 WC Final or Wagnerball 2014 - 2020 conclusion and wanting Australia, who think they are so different, to be humbled like all the other world class attacks by Bairstow and the like.
I hate England far more so I guess I'd like Australia to be ambushed for 2 tests before Starc rediscovers his 150kph inswinging yorker. If the English scum could show Australia that their medium quicks like Haze and Boland are just as sloggable as everyone elses that would be nice though.
I hate England far more so I guess I'd like Australia to be ambushed for 2 tests before Starc rediscovers his 150kph inswinging yorker. If the English scum could show Australia that their medium quicks like Haze and Boland are just as sloggable as everyone elses that would be nice though.
Naa.. It'll be 4 or 5 nil.
Aussies will wet themselves when being Bazball'ed... just like they did at Headingley
CricAddict
Cricketer Of The Year
I don't think it will be 4 nil or 5 nil since Smith, Labu and Cummins are too good to fail in all tests but in case they lose that way in Ashes and also lose BGT 3-0 or 4-0, then it will be up at par with the 8-0 loss that India faced in England and Australia in 2011.
Smith and Cummins are great players.
I have a suspicion that Labu is about to entre a lean time in test cricket. Mark Wood kinda had his number at the back end of the last Ashes tour. We shall see.
Howe_zat
Audio File
Some will have a go at you for stating 18 players in your list of 10 here. I like it though - you set out your goals and then delivered above and beyond.
Thank you kind sir.
Molehill
Cricketer Of The Year
He's barely scratched the surface though. I mean there were 14 Sussex players who averaged more than Head during his County stint in 2021!!
Thanks pal! Haha, yes I am.Congrats @SteveNZ Hope you are getting married on a non-Bazball day.