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[Cricket] The Ashes 2015 ***OFFICIAL SERIES THREAD***



Gwylan

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
31,830
Uffern
Bet the Aussies wish the 5th test was starting today :lolol: View attachment 67720


Not good for the women though. Poor Aussies, even when the game is going their way, the weather intervenes :lolol:

Does anyone else remember the bad old days when some poor sap would be selected for the Oval test as a kind of audition for selection for a Winter tour? The result was a load of 'one test wonders', including (correct me if I'm wrong) Sussex's Alan Wells.

... and Sussex's Paul Parker
 




hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
62,763
Chandlers Ford
Does anyone else remember the bad old days when some poor sap would be selected for the Oval test as a kind of audition for selection for a Winter tour? The result was a load of 'one test wonders', including (correct me if I'm wrong) Sussex's Alan Wells.

Not jut the old days. Kerrigan pretty recently.
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,464
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Jimmy's injury is not as bad as feared,hence his return to the squad for Footit. The Oval, if he plays, is likely to be his last ever Test against Australia..

Bit of a rash statement?!

He'll be 35 when the Ashes is in Australia winter 2017/18.

Glenn McGrath retired a few weeks short of 37. Jimmy hasn't suffered that many serious injuries, he's kept in good shape. Every chance he could still be bowling come our defence of the Ashes. If he reduces his ODI appearances, even more of a chance. Bob Willis had several knee ops with complications in the '70's and still played just past 35.
 


knocky1

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
13,108
Bit of a rash statement?!

He'll be 35 when the Ashes is in Australia winter 2017/18.

Glenn McGrath retired a few weeks short of 37. Jimmy hasn't suffered that many serious injuries, he's kept in good shape. Every chance he could still be bowling come our defence of the Ashes. If he reduces his ODI appearances, even more of a chance. Bob Willis had several knee ops with complications in the '70's and still played just past 35.



Not a rash statement but based on Jimmy not liking the Kookaburra ballorAustralian pitches. Last series there 14 wickets in 5 games less than Stokes 15 from 4 and an average of 43. He struggles there.

I agree time can prove me wrong. :smile:
 


Eeyore

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Apr 5, 2014
25,929
Not a rash statement but based on Jimmy not liking the Kookaburra ballorAustralian pitches. Last series there 14 wickets in 5 games less than Stokes 15 from 4 and an average of 43. He struggles there.

I agree time can prove me wrong. :smile:

24 wickets in the 2010/11 series, mind.
 




Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,464
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Not a rash statement but based on Jimmy not liking the Kookaburra ballorAustralian pitches. Last series there 14 wickets in 5 games less than Stokes 15 from 4 and an average of 43. He struggles there.

I agree time can prove me wrong. :smile:

He didn't struggle with the ball when he got 24 wickets in 2010/11!!!

38 wickets in 2 away series...I'll take that thank you very much.
 




Bold Seagull

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Mar 18, 2010
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Talking about away pitches and conditions, has too much been made of it because of this unexpected Ashes result?

In 2005, we can consider ourselves fortunate that McGrath got injured for a couple of games, and we played out of our skins against one of the best sides ever in cricket. The following series, we lost Vaughan as captain and Trescothick as opener and lost 5-0, not because of conditions, but because a last horrah of test greats wanted revenge against a ramshackle England.

Then, come 2009, England regrouped while Australia rebuilt as their greats slowly retired. Again the state of the teams determined the result, not the pitches. England then went from strength to strength while Australia declined and won in Australia 2010/11.

In 2013, you could easily see that England were on a decline, and Australia had hit rock bottom but were coming back. Had it not been for the weather, the Aussies may have drawn that series and played reasonably well in the conditions other than the form of Ian Bell at the time. Then in that winter, England's decline simply continued whereas Australia were rising back. Again, England often had them in trouble, it wasn't so much conditions, but again form and the state of the teams.

Come this series, and England have played the conditions well, but again, Australia have been in a transition stage with stalwarts Clarke, Watson, Haddin, then Siddle, Harris not getting a game, they've come over undercooked and England have had a miraculous turnaround. Not so much conditions, but again form and attitude.

Away conditions have always played a part, but a bit too much of that is being made of series results. There are many more reasons for recent series results that just saying it's the home pitches.

In the last 10 years including 2005, we've had: E / A / E / E / E / A / E

In the previous 15 years we had: A / A / A / A / A / A / A / A

And we're now talking about home pitches having too much influence. Not for me, England's 2 whitewashes were more to do with them than what they played on.
 
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Uncle Buck

Ghost Writer
Jul 7, 2003
28,075
In 2013, you could easily see that England were on a decline, and Australia had hit rock bottom but were coming back. Had it not been for the weather, the Aussies may have drawn that series and played reasonably well in the conditions other than the form of Ian Bell at the time. Then in that winter, England's decline simply continued whereas Australia were rising back. Again, England often had them in trouble, it wasn't so much conditions, but again form and the state of the teams.

In 2013 only 2 of those tests did the weather have any impact.

The game at Old Trafford the Aussies were on top in and would probably have won and the game at the Oval, where time was lost to weather, hence Clarke's declaration, which England nearly got, until Clarke started bitching about the light.

England handed Australia their arses at Lords and Durham and won a bit of a thriller at Trent Bridge.
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,464
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In 2013 only 2 of those tests did the weather have any impact.

The game at Old Trafford the Aussies were on top in and would probably have won and the game at the Oval, where time was lost to weather, hence Clarke's declaration, which England nearly got, until Clarke started bitching about the light.

England handed Australia their arses at Lords and Durham and won a bit of a thriller at Trent Bridge.


My point being that series result wasn't so much the pitches.

The rain effected 3rd test was crucial. Going into the 4th test 2-1 rather than 2-0 could have transformed the series. England weren't playing brilliant cricket. Chester-Le-Street ended up being a decent looking victory, but actually was a lot tighter than the 74 run win looks.

To be fair to Clarke in the 5th, he tried to get a result for the match and made an attacking declaration to force it. That was great for the public, and any captain would have bitched about the light, umpires cocked that one up.

We'll never know, but had they won that 3rd OT test which they deserved to do, it could have been a very different result in Durham.

All I'm saying is this series to my mind wasn't decided on the pitches. Australia in 4 out of those 5 test out scored England in the first innings, and didn't let England get to 400 in any of those first innings. That wasn't a side struggling with the conditions.
 




knocky1

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
13,108
No changes for England as Anderson has not recovered.

Australia may bring in Cummins for Hazlewood and swap the Marsh brothers. Clarke needs 172, I think, and to be once out or 222 and twice out to get his end of career average over 50, where it has been most of his career. Definitely hopes he does not get that.

Sitting on £40@75/1 for England Series win. Have 3-1 but Forgot to back 3-2. Come on England.
 


hans kraay fan club

The voice of reason.
Helpful Moderator
Mar 16, 2005
62,763
Chandlers Ford
No changes for England as Anderson has not recovered.

Australia may bring in Cummins for Hazlewood and swap the Marsh brothers. Clarke needs 172, I think, and to be once out or 222 and twice out to get his end of career average over 50, where it has been most of his career. Definitely hopes he does not get that.

Sitting on £40@75/1 for England Series win. Have 3-1 but Forgot to back 3-2. Come on England.

How do you mean, forgot to back? Just put a saver on an AUS win now, surely?
 


knocky1

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
13,108
How do you mean, forgot to back? Just put a saver on an AUS win now, surely?

I bet on all series scores to England from 2-1 up and backed a drawn series. The 3-2 missing was noticed after Lord's by which time the odds were too short. So I followed the advice on the Bet365 thread that hedges are for gardens and bet England to win at Edgbaston then put those winnings on winning at Trent Bridge. So up enough to not cover an Australian win at 13/8. I will be squirming over the next few days no doubt.
 










knocky1

Well-known member
Jan 20, 2010
13,108
I'm not starting it with my previous record but isn't it about time for the Oval Match thread to kick off?

I can't start it either. It is necessary for me to eat Ham and eggs and go for a swim in the sea before 11am. We also need@Titanic.
 




Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,464
Hove
Confession. I've given up my ST's for Saturday as I've been gifted some Oval tickets. Couldn't not go after such a memorable series.

However, in superstitious terms, this is great news for the Albion, poor news for England....
 


brightonbutterfly

New member
Feb 18, 2009
74
Southwick
Confession. I've given up my ST's for Saturday as I've been gifted some Oval tickets. Couldn't not go after such a memorable series.

However, in superstitious terms, this is great news for the Albion, poor news for England....
Hope the lucky recipients are going to make lots of noise and provide witty remarks on play/players as we are used to! Enjoy the cricket.
 


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