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The Ashes


smoggeordie
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Which do you think is worse to their respective team Ken, the loss of Katich or the loss of Broad? I'd normally say Broad as he's a genuine all rounder, except all of England's batsmen seem to be firing and we didn't need Broad's wickets at Adelaide. Plus we have Bresnan to come in who's OK. Whereas your batting line up looks shakey and both the batsmen you mentioned aren't in any sort of form by the sound of it. So I'd say maybe Katich on balance.....?

 

Or Tremlett who did well in the lead-in game. No, the loss of Katich is critical. The middle order are shaky at best as you say, so if we don't have proven openers that can set up a foundation it will go pear-shaped.

 

I know it's stating the obvious but you need Ponting to start making big scores. I wonder if his head's in the right place though, the pressure must be immense

 

Ponting should drop himself further down the batting order. He's not a number three anymore in my view. But this lot are too scared of changes, as evidenced with the continual faith in North, Johnson (until he was dropped but will probably be re-instated) and even Clarke. We've found ourselves back to where we were in the 80's (only vague memories as I was a child), but back then we didn't have much of a talent pool to choose from but we had a hard arse captain (Alan Border) who kept it together and kept us competitive. Ponting isn't that sort of captain, and the next in line is Michael Clarke. His nickname is 'Pup'.

 

Interesting idea, maybe put Hussey in at no. 3? Personally I wouldn't write off Australia just yet in this series, but some serious improvement is needed with both bat and ball. The team needs some inspiration and some luck, plus England to drop their performance level too.

Yup, I'd do that. In a perfect world I'd have Watson coming in at six as well, but that would leave two spaces open up top and nobody of real substance to replace them. Oh, and we haven't a spinner that causes proper drama against the opposition. Oh, and we haven't a dominating paceman etc etc etc.

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Now then,who'll replace Katich? There is that Hughes, but I think we have sussed him out completely. Who else is there who can open for the convicts? And is Perth likely to regain its reputation as a fearsome hard pitch that'll be a fast bowler's wet dream?

Yeah, Phillip Hughes is next in line I think.

 

Alex, is "kenno" a homage to those Fosters ads? <_<

;)

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Which do you think is worse to their respective team Ken, the loss of Katich or the loss of Broad? I'd normally say Broad as he's a genuine all rounder, except all of England's batsmen seem to be firing and we didn't need Broad's wickets at Adelaide. Plus we have Bresnan to come in who's OK. Whereas your batting line up looks shakey and both the batsmen you mentioned aren't in any sort of form by the sound of it. So I'd say maybe Katich on balance.....?

 

Or Tremlett who did well in the lead-in game. No, the loss of Katich is critical. The middle order are shaky at best as you say, so if we don't have proven openers that can set up a foundation it will go pear-shaped.

 

Has to be Tremlett for me, unless he has a shocker in the warm up game. He's the most threatening bowler and should be really suited to the pitch coming up. Bresnan just doesn't quite look like a test cricketer to me, one day and 20:20 fine but i don't think he can bowl well enough at test level and his batting isnt enough, plus with virtually all the England batsmen in good nick we shouldn't be worrying about batting that far down the team.

 

It is a shame to lose Broad though, he had bowled better than his 2 wickets fro me, and is a big part of this unit we have put together as well as being capable of some runs in the lower order and fielding well. To lose him and have Anderson coming back with jet lag and no sleep from seeing his baby being born isn't ideal, but i'm still very confident.

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Can't post any links cos you have to pay to access the NOTW online, but Shane Warne's been caught knobbing Liz Hurley. Nice area, Shane.

 

Good length Warney!

 

Bowled her a googly, pitched it into the rough etc etc cricket innuendos are so easy.

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Are these new players Beer and Smith any good? Or are we likely to see another Doherty style tonking?

 

I had never heard of Beer until he was named in the 12. All I know about him is that he is a Western Australian left-handed off-spinner, otherwise, apart from a catchy name... :icon_lol:

 

Smith is a wrist-spinning all-rounder and is tipped to be a mainstay in all forms of cricket long-term. Probably a better batsman than a bowler at the moment, his delivers are more arm-ball style like Anil Kumble's were rather than Warne's massive leg breaks. He's an excellent fieldsman.

 

At least the selectors are trying something different albeit even if one selection was forced due to injury.

 

The groundsmen are making sure there's a bit of grass on the pitch, or so I've read. It's going to be the fastest WACA wicket in years and they reckon the game will only last 3 or 4 days.

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Mission accomplished, unless M.Johnson and Harris similarly rip through our top order, balancing the test in the process.

 

Mad decision by the Aust selectors to go in without a spinner. That deck [the WACA pitch] over five days isn't quite the speedsters' paradise of the 80's and 90's, when the visiting Windies' battery pace attack and Lillee & Thomson used to scare the shit out of opposition top orders.

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Great start. Build on that tomorrow and it's nearly within touching distance.

 

It is a great start, but still disappointing because of how we had them when 5 wickets were down and we could have really skittled them out, but far play they fought back and England have ended the day well on top.

 

Managed to stay up till about 7:30 but couldn't make it till the end!

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Great start. Build on that tomorrow and it's nearly within touching distance.

 

It is a great start, but still disappointing because of how we had them when 5 wickets were down and we could have really skittled them out, but far play they fought back and England have ended the day well on top.

 

Managed to stay up till about 7:30 but couldn't make it till the end!

 

Even when we've got their top order completely on their knees they still manage to find a couple of partnerships to prevent an outright collapse and make a game of it and that deserves respect tbh. As Alex has said you can never write them off and that's just one reason why. I just hope our attitude remains confident (as we are the superior team) but never gets complacent, because that's the only way they'll do us.

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