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The Ashes are coming home!
- Thread starter simmy
- Start date
King_Ponting
International Regular
.............. waits for the crusifiction by the englaish press of australia and the immediate knighting of one kevin pietersen
FaaipDeOiad
Hall of Fame Member
The Australian press are reacting more with shock than disdain, from the little I have seen. There's been a bit of "disgraceful performance" sort of stuff, but the leadoff sports story on Sunrise this morning began with the line "it's the end of civilisation as we know it". Not sure about the English press, but I think it might be similar, along with lavish praise for the English players.King_Ponting said:
Pedro Delgado
International Debutant
Lavish praise on a few aye, and deservedly so. However I still maintian this will have minimal bearing on the Tests and still think 1-3 or 0-4. McGrath looking good again (as we all knew he would) and Warne will have a big say in the matter. Gillespie would've had Marcus caught at slip yesterday too if it was a Test which doesn't auger well. As I said before it may well "look" close, and we may take Australia to fourth and fifth days, but class will out I think, at the back of it all.
Shades of '97 so far, although to be fair this England team is a lot better than that one.
Hope I'm completely fecking wrong though.
Anybody here putting folding money on England to win the Ashes?
Shades of '97 so far, although to be fair this England team is a lot better than that one.
Hope I'm completely fecking wrong though.
Anybody here putting folding money on England to win the Ashes?
simmy
International Regular
The Aussie bowling line up is the same (as far as I am aware) to the one in the last few Ashes encounters... the England batting however has come on massively.
How can this not have an effect on the test series? Ponting looked bermused yesterday as a captain, Gillespie and Kaspo were a shambles (again)... Warne is an amazing bowler but he cant win it by himself (perhaps before but not against this England side).
The commentators said it and I completely agree that... an "Old England" would have folded when Vaughan, Jones and Solanki fell in quick succession. There is a new mentality... and its putting doubt in the Aussies. By the way... losing to Bangladesh MUST be hurting them... and I'm sure there will still be a wound come Ashes.
How can this not have an effect on the test series? Ponting looked bermused yesterday as a captain, Gillespie and Kaspo were a shambles (again)... Warne is an amazing bowler but he cant win it by himself (perhaps before but not against this England side).
The commentators said it and I completely agree that... an "Old England" would have folded when Vaughan, Jones and Solanki fell in quick succession. There is a new mentality... and its putting doubt in the Aussies. By the way... losing to Bangladesh MUST be hurting them... and I'm sure there will still be a wound come Ashes.
simmy
International Regular
FaaipDeOiad
Hall of Fame Member
Yes, England are a better team than in the past... who is denying that? The point is that Australia are still a better team, and that fact is likely to come out in the Ashes.simmy said:
Langeveldt
Soutie
I'm sorely tempted to stick a fiver on.. What are the odds like?Pedro Delgado said:
FaaipDeOiad
Hall of Fame Member
What a joke.simmy said:
Since the start of 2004, Australia have won 30 of their 41 ODIs and experienced only a minor blip or two on this rampant journey. But two defeats in as many days, following two more - in the Twenty20 game and against Somerset - have exposed most of the frailties in the side, which many regard as over-the-hill and jaded.
Who are these people who regard them as "over-the-hill and jaded"? A few months ago when they thrashed New Zealand people were writing articles saying that they were too good to be allowed to play international cricket, then they lose a couple of games and they are over-the-hill? People really need to get some perspective.
Pedro Delgado
International Debutant
Yes our batting has improved, but how many of the current line-up have played/succeeded agianst Warne?. Gillespie is having an off period granted, but form is temporary is it not; even bowling like a drongo he still would've got Tres yesterday with a slip in.
The Tests will be a better barometer rather than a few ODI wins I feel, we've been here before and gone on to lose by a margin. Ponting does look a little fragile I admit, but will it matter in the Ashes when Warne and McGrath are setting their own fields. I guess we'll know more after the first two Tests, but for now the pecimist in me is going with the history books.
The Tests will be a better barometer rather than a few ODI wins I feel, we've been here before and gone on to lose by a margin. Ponting does look a little fragile I admit, but will it matter in the Ashes when Warne and McGrath are setting their own fields. I guess we'll know more after the first two Tests, but for now the pecimist in me is going with the history books.
Pedro Delgado
International Debutant
Langeveldt said:
England 7/2
Draw 5/1
Australia 2/5
FaaipDeOiad
Hall of Fame Member
What did Botham say about McGrath? I noticed Nasser bashing him a bit, despite the fact that the only person who bowled as well as McGrath yesterday was Harmison. I'm also inclined to wonder if Hussein thought McGrath was so poor when he got out to him 8 times in tests.social said:
Pedro Delgado
International Debutant
Nasser is just saying Glen has lost a little zip is all, which it true. Dunno what Beefy was on about and frankly I don't care; great player but terrilbe, jingoistic commentator. Sheesh.
Pedro Delgado
International Debutant
By the way, anybody see McGrath send Banger back with the words "f**ing w***er" yesterday? Lol. Aggers' was horrified of course, "no need for that on the cricket field", good grief where's he been for the last ten years?? This is McGrath ffs, quite a temper.
social
Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Amongst a number of comments, when the commentators were discussing the Australian batting line-up, Botham, upon describing Kaspa, Gillespie, and McGrath as "the quicks" then added "but that's being a bit generous to them."FaaipDeOiad said:
To me, a few of the English commentators are enjoying seeing Australia getting beaten a bit too much and way too early. If I were them, I'd keep it on an even keel until the Ashes were won because you can almost guarantee that when you bet against a champion, they have a habit of making you look foolish.
BTW, Ive found Nasser to be fairly tame in his comments compared to some others. If anything, he is copping stick as well because others act like Michael Vaughan is the second coming and that Nasser was a hack.
FaaipDeOiad
Hall of Fame Member
I've seen all of Glenn's career, or at least very very close to it, and I honestly believe he has never bowled as well as he is right now, or how he did before this tour at least. He was simply incredible from the Australian summer through to the New Zealand tour, and his tour of India was great too. His spell on a flat WACA pitch against Pakistan... and his reverse swing destruction of New Zealand in the first test... just brilliant stuff. Besides, he's really not bowling much slower than he used to, he's always bowled within himself in the mid to low 130s (81-85) sort of range.Pedro Delgado said:
Pedro Delgado
International Debutant
That doesn't surprise me.FaaipDeOiad said:
<through gritted teeth> The man is a legend. The death of McGrath seems to have been greatly exaggerated. Still think Warne is the key though, to a certain extent you can try and see the new conker and McGrath off, but you can't really do that with Warne can you.
I wish they'd both fecking retire.
