* * * The Ashes - Official Thread * * *

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Essentially, there are always marginal decisions in any session, or day, or test, or series. The fact is Australia have been trounced by this England side. The side on top always get the rub because typically they are generating more chances (like Man U with penalties). Was very funny to see McGrath on the TV last night not bothering to defend his 5-0 prediction. They are so deluded. Bubble has fully burst. I hope we win 3-1 and then maybe the convicts will start to realise their day is gone.

Suck it up Australia.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

To be fair to McGrath, its the one day, when he has bigger things to think about.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I'll give you that.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Richie Benaud and Mark Taylor have been pretty critical on the coverage I have seen. Taylor was saying this morning that it is very difficult to be good when you dont have a strike bowler and have 3 third string seamers in the side. They have been on the slide for a while now and it must be difficult to come to terms with when you have been so dominant for so long.

Should make for some interesting Test cricket for a while as neither India nor SA look particularly good either at the moment.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Richie Benaud and Mark Taylor have been pretty critical on the coverage I have seen. Taylor was saying this morning that it is very difficult to be good when you dont have a strike bowler and have 3 third string seamers in the side. They have been on the slide for a while now and it must be difficult to come to terms with when you have been so dominant for so long.

Should make for some interesting Test cricket for a while as neither India nor SA look particularly good either at the moment.

Their lack of bowling depth is incredible. They have nothing.
Not one of Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Bollinger or Watson would get near the England attack. Hazlewood is reckoned to be the next up-and-coming one, but in the ODI I went to in the summer he looked fairly ordinary, too.

The spinners are an even bigger embarrassment. Smith can neither bat, not bowl. I have literally no idea what they are thinking there. Beer looks okay, but has played EIGHT first class matches! Doherty looked like a village cricketer. Why on earth is Nathan Hauritz not playing? At least he'd be reliable, and could hold up an end.


Looks like India are going to come from 1-0 down to win teh series in SA.BBC SPORT | Cricket Scorecard
SA are a decent side though, but they are hugely reliant on Steyn and Kallis.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

The England batsmen have not had to target Beer because there are runs to be had from every bowler. It would be interesting to see what would happen to Beer if he was the only weak link and we set about him. Not sure we know if he's any good yet because he hasn't been pressed.

 

[Danny-Boy]

Their lack of bowling depth is incredible. They have nothing.
Not one of Johnson, Hilfenhaus, Siddle, Bollinger or Watson would get near the England attack. Hazlewood is reckoned to be the next up-and-coming one, but in the ODI I went to in the summer he looked fairly ordinary, too.

The spinners are an even bigger embarrassment. Smith can neither bat, not bowl. I have literally no idea what they are thinking there. Beer looks okay, but has played EIGHT first class matches! Doherty looked like a village cricketer. Why on earth is Nathan Hauritz not playing? At least he'd be reliable, and could hold up an end.


Looks like India are going to come from 1-0 down to win teh series in SA.BBC SPORT | Cricket Scorecard
SA are a decent side though, but they are hugely reliant on Steyn and Kallis.

Agree with comments about bowling, I think Aus will go down our route of "height=potential bounce". Can't see a small player like Darren Gough who used to have genuine pace getting a look-in. I think it's down to levels of eneral fitness, plus there is no doubt that cricket in Oz is no longer the No.1 summer team sport that it was.

I played for a grade team in Adelaide in 1991/2. For committing to a 60-over game on Saturday over two weekends they expected you to train on both Tuesday and thursday evenings if possible. That's a big commitment for essentially club cricket.

 

[Titanic]

SA v India in Cape Town is boiling up nicely.

SA lead by 151 with only four 2nd innings wickets in hand. Kallis (in pain) and Boucher at the crease.

Some absolutely FANTASTIC multiple appealing from Sreesanth! Simon Taufel remains unmoved.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Taufel

 

[KZNSeagull]

Looks like India are going to come from 1-0 down to win teh series in SA.BBC SPORT | Cricket Scorecard
SA are a decent side though, but they are hugely reliant on Steyn and Kallis.

Is it wrong of me to say that I hope SA lose? There is nothing worse than having to endure endless adverts about how they are the best team in the world. I cannot wait to see the look on Smith's face if they do lose. They are a decent side but I really dont want them as No1 in the world, thanks very much.

 

[Seagull over NZ]

Can't have SA as the number 1 team with a spinner like Harris in the team. India deserve it and I hope they win this test. However, Boucher is looking like playing one of those nuggety innings that could lead them to post a challenging target. Another reason for India winning is that we can play the no 1 nation this summer, and it should be a great series. India still have a quality batting line up although Dravid is not the player he was. Their bowling is a bit suspect as Zaheer Khan can't keep going forever. Sreesanth and Sharma are not much more than OK. Looking forward to a cracking summer.

 

[Pavilionaire]

The thing about last night's play was how poor the Aussie bowling attack is. Effectively, they lost the series overnight.

Their last throw of the dice seemed to be when they took the second new ball with England around the 260-5 mark. Far from looking threatening or doing any damage it was England who gained by the ball coming off hte bat that bit faster and crisper.

As has been said, they've got NO test class bowlers; worryingly for them, Johnson was back to bowling his first test filth.

I was pleased to see Bell get his first Ashes ton. I hope Figjam looks at that knock and sees what can be achieved by showing some judgement and patience, because for Pietersen a ton was on the table and he missed out.

Once again, I'll watch tonight in the hope Prior can get his ton.

 

[simmo]

Essentially, there are always marginal decisions in any session, or day, or test, or series. The fact is Australia have been trounced by this England side. gone.

Suck it up Australia.

Agree 100%

In Ricky Ponting's second innings in the last test, he could have been given out twice LBW (on both occasions, HawkEye said umpire's call clipping the stump, but neither time the umpire gave it, fair enough) but because we are dominating we still got him out at 20. Because we are creating more chances any chances that are 50-50 could have gone our way do not seem relevant. Hussey should also have been given out LBW in the first test in the 60's? when he eventually made 180. It was very costly at the time however (Oz got 150+ first innings lead) but we got a draw in that test and it was negated and quickly gets forgotten.

Because Australia are not potent as a bowling force, Bell's escape at 65 cost them another 50+ runs (plus probably some of Prior's runs). Cook's no ball dismissal was even more costly but that is just basic cricket, it is the Aussie spinner, own fault for bowling a no ball. At village cricket a spinner will be pilloried for bowling a no-ball what is a test spinner doing it for?

 

[sten_super]

Cook's no ball dismissal was even more costly but that is just basic cricket, it is the Aussie spinner, own fault for bowling a no ball. At village cricket a spinner will be pilloried for bowling a no-ball what is a test spinner doing it for?

These no balls seem to be a real problem. Apparently in the nets they are all constantly bowling no balls; I wonder why Cooley has not done anything about it? It was reported yesterday that in the series so far Australia had bowled 19 no balls to Englands 7. It has now cost them a wicket in each of the last two tests, and a good number of runs.

 

[simmo]

These no balls seem to be a real problem. Apparently in the nets they are all constantly bowling no balls; I wonder why Cooley has not done anything about it? It was reported yesterday that in the series so far Australia had bowled 19 no balls to Englands 7. It has now cost them a wicket in each of the last two tests, and a good number of runs.

I was just thinking that in a test it is now really really pointless to bowl a no ball or even be close to bowling one, because if you get a wicket with it the chances are the umpire that if a wicket falls and he thinks that you are even close to bowling a no ball he may refer it. Which is what in reality happened with Bowden and Dar, they just thought you know what there is a chance he has bowled a no ball there and I want to check this to make sure I am not going to be made to look an idiot in one minute when TV replays show his foot was over the line. It is a good thing because it will reduce the number of no balls (which at the end of the day are illegal balls). I mean England only bowling 7 in 9 innings is very, very good, a few years ago Bob Willis used to bowl that many in a spell!

 

[Titanic]

SA v India in Cape Town is boiling up nicely.

SA lead by 151 with only four 2nd innings wickets in hand. Kallis (in pain) and Boucher at the crease.

Some absolutely FANTASTIC multiple appealing from Sreesanth! Simon Taufel remains unmoved.

Kallis has been awesome all day. 295-8, leading by 293.

100's in both innings, the first South African to do that on home soil.

Going to be a tough ask for India... but all 4 results are still possible.

 

[Mellotron]

How far off are England from being good enough to challenge the likes of India/SA for top spot?

 

[Titanic]

How far off are England from being good enough to challenge the likes of India/SA for top spot?

It's hard to tell when we are playing such a weak Australian side.

However, on present form, it should be a great summer contest against India!

 

[Simster]

Kallis has been awesome all day. 295-8, leading by 293.

100's in both innings, the first South African to do that on home soil.

Going to be a tough ask for India... but all 4 results are still possible.

Indeed, that match looks fantastic, and the South African score card looks like the sort of card the Aussies in their prime used to post whenever they were in trouble. With the teams just two runs apart in the first innings, South Africa have gone from 98/5 & 130/6 to their current score of 326/8.

 

[sten_super]

How far off are England from being good enough to challenge the likes of India/SA for top spot?

As others have said it's difficult to tell. There are no great sides at the moment, only two or three good sides. I'd reckon us to beat India in England but probably lose away, and SA would be a tight series in either country. In terms of getting to No 1 in the world I'd say it's more important to win the other series (such as Sri Lanka home and away) that we traditionally struggle in.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

England are definitely already good enough to CHALLENGE for top spot.