The Ashes are coming home!

[luckyeddie]

Same as with McGrath.

No reason at all, then - or rather, no reasoning.

 

[luckyeddie]

Personally I don't really regard the Twenty20 defeat as especially humiliating.
And while to lose a tour-game is, it's still not exactly a disgrace to be ousted by Smith and Jayasuriya.
If it'd been being bowled-out by the disgrace that is Andrew, Laraman, Francis and Blackwell, that'd be a different matter.

The disgrace is that Zummerzet were then beaten by Jockland - and there's no Rahul McDravid to blame for that. Not only that, but the wurzel munchers had Jayasuriya and Smith in that side too.

So Australia lose to Somerset who lose to the Scots.

Scottish fan to claim world championship in 5....4....3....

 

[badgerhair]

IF Thorpe retires?
He's already confirmed it.
I don't feel the inexperience will neccessarily be an express problem - I just feel Butcher is a better batsman in Pakistan and India than Pietersen.

Butcher didn't do particularly well when he toured India. The reason that Pietersen shot up the pecking order in terms of England hopefuls was that he was the only batsman to succeed on the Academy/A-Team tour of India, on which he made mincemeat of the Indian spin bowlers. Yet you consider that Butcher is the better prospect for a tour of South Asia. Would you care to elaborate a little on your reasons for your interesting opinion?

Cheers,

Mike

 

[King_Ponting]

The Aussies looked scared... The Ashes are coming home!

Indeed the ashes may well be off to england......... If Australia dont up there performances

 

[aussie]

Indeed the ashes may well be off to england......... If Australia dont up there performances

Dam straight

 

[pskov]

The disgrace is that Zummerzet were then beaten by Jockland - and there's no Rahul McDravid to blame for that. Not only that, but the wurzel munchers had Jayasuriya and Smith in that side too.

So Australia lose to Somerset who lose to the Scots.

Scottish fan to claim world championship in 5....4....3....

Bangladesh Vs Scotland to play in a World Championship decider!

 

[aussie]

Butcher didn't do particularly well when he toured India. The reason that Pietersen shot up the pecking order in terms of England hopefuls was that he was the only batsman to succeed on the Academy/A-Team tour of India, on which he made mincemeat of the Indian spin bowlers. Yet you consider that Butcher is the better prospect for a tour of South Asia. Would you care to elaborate a little on your reasons for your interesting opinion?

Cheers,

Mike

Butcher batted pretty well in India in 2001 he scored 215 runs at 43 and i remeber him battig improving steadily has the series prolonged especially at Ahemedabad whenhe scored a 52 and 92. In sri lanka in 2003 he wasn't superb but he played the spinners pretty well.

Even though KP had a good time againts the spinners but you must agree that the quality of spin bowling he would have played is nothing compared to facing Harbhajan, Kumble & Kaneria

 

[Richard]

That he cant bowl wicket-taking deliveries on flat pitches

Well, Flintoff rarely even bowls them on seamers, in fact, not that he's really got many chances in his Test-career.

 

[Richard]

I dont know how good Joyce is either has well bt he has been plundering runs for Middlesex for while and i have heard his name been mentioned for while so he seems pretty good

And yet we mustn't simply assume he's good because he's been scoring stacks on Lord's featherbeds the last 4 years.
He might have technical faults that need cleaning-up before he becomes an international-standard batsman; he might be another Knight\Hick\Fairbrother.
Let's just hope not!

 

[Richard]

No reason at all, then - or rather, no reasoning.

Very, very straightforward - lack of the ability to bowl wicket-taking deliveries (in McGrath's case only on flat pitches between 2001 and 2004).

 

[Richard]

The disgrace is that Zummerzet were then beaten by Jockland - and there's no Rahul McDravid to blame for that. Not only that, but the wurzel munchers had Jayasuriya and Smith in that side too.

So Australia lose to Somerset who lose to the Scots.

Scottish fan to claim world championship in 5....4....3....

And the reason?
Jayasuriya vs Aus: 101 off 70
Jayasuriya vs Scots: 0 off 3
Can't simply assume that the Scots got him out - chances are he simply played a poor stroke against Sco having not done so against Aus.
Not to mention that Aus punished Somerset's excuse for an attack far, far, far, far more efficiently than Sco did.

 

[simmy]

Indeed the ashes may well be off to england......... If Australia dont up there performances

Well the last performance we have to go by... is... Aus beating by Bangladesh.

Fantastic result for everyone not in Australia I imagine!

Admittedly, if Aus win today against England.. a lot would be rectified... another loss however ...

 

[King_Ponting]

another loss however ...

And the Aussies would be crusified by the english press. And serious questions will be asked of the Aussie team by the Australian and Worldwide press as well

 

[Richard]

Butcher didn't do particularly well when he toured India. The reason that Pietersen shot up the pecking order in terms of England hopefuls was that he was the only batsman to succeed on the Academy/A-Team tour of India, on which he made mincemeat of the Indian spin bowlers. Yet you consider that Butcher is the better prospect for a tour of South Asia. Would you care to elaborate a little on your reasons for your interesting opinion?

Pretty simple - I've watched Pietersen bat, and I know his background, and it's clear he's not yet especially accomplished with the ball that turns away from him (hardly surprising with his technique, really). Regardless of whether he conquered the wonderful spinners going around in Indian domestic cricket in the trophy commonly regarded as something between a joke and a vain attempt to attain higher standards, I'm not going to take anything too seriously until I see some evidence that he's capable of bucking the relatively common trend in both his home countries.
Not to mention that Butcher was one of several England batsman to look convincing on the one turning pitch on the last India tour (scores of 51 and 92 in that game). Batted pretty well throughout, indeed (run out first-innings on the Bangalore seamer, not out in the second-innings).

 

[simmy]

And the Aussies would be crusified by the english press. And serious questions will be asked of the Aussie team by the Australian and Worldwide press as well

HAHA.. thanks for finishing my sentence. You Aussies must be pretty furious...

Its one thing losing to Somerset (although two classy bats did the damage but to lose to Bangladesh

 

[luckyeddie]

And the reason?
Jayasuriya vs Aus: 101 off 70
Jayasuriya vs Scots: 0 off 3
Can't simply assume that the Scots got him out - chances are he simply played a poor stroke against Sco having not done so against Aus.
Not to mention that Aus punished Somerset's excuse for an attack far, far, far, far more efficiently than Sco did.

Your final point doesn't make sense, Richard - it negates the all the previous points.

(I think)

Unless I'm supposed to take the first 3 words of it literally - "not to mention", of course.

 

[Richard]

Why does it negate all the previous points?
The last was completely unrelated to the previous ones.

 

[simmy]

Managed to do it again! Pieterson in the best one day knock I have seen in this country steers England home.

Will Australia ever win on this tour?

 

[luckyeddie]

Why does it negate all the previous points?
The last was completely unrelated to the previous ones.

The emphasis is the complete opposite of the earlier points you seemed to be trying to make.

If Australia punished Somerset's attack far, far more efficiently than Scotland did, that is no reason at all for Scotland beating Somerset and the Zoider drinkers scalping the convicts. It clouds the issue.

The only conclusion I can draw is that you seem to be implying that Scotland have a better bowling attack than Australia, which is clearly nons.... hang on a minute...

(checks today's result)

... I stand corrected.

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Will Australia ever win on this tour?

Australia have already won on the tour, twice. They are 2 wins and 4 losses, so far.