The Cricket - ashes 2005

Buick6

too punk to drunk
I love how you Poms get so excited over one close win. There's some total wanker journo from the Daily Telegraph coming and saying how this England team could be the 3rd greatest sporting team of all time and can beat any team on any pitch anywhere in the world!

Hello? 'Anywhere in the world'. Me think syou lot don't stand a chance when you come and play down-under, and the Ashes aint over yet... All that wonderful weather and good vibes doesn't mix will with the English psyche! :cool:
 

rewch

Well-known member
it is this particular type of australian triumphalism that makes telegraph journalists spout utter gibberish... we will see... though i have to say that i really appreciate the spirit of these 2 teams... the hand shakes, the commiserations &c. it certainly makes a very nice change from steve waugh's dour & sour style... let's hope the series stays this exciting to the end...
 

rewch

Well-known member
you appear to be in the belly of the beast... poor you... but i think they are now tired of tearing us to pieces & would quite like a good contest (that they would win, naturally)... eek it's about to start...
 

Diggedy Derek

Stray Dog
What an incredible series that was. I think Shane Warne should have been man of the series- i just can't imagine a more terrifying bowler to face, the personality and thought he put into his bowling was amazing. If it would have been allowed and physically possible for him to bowl from both ends, it would have been a different ball game.

But that couldn't happen, and England deserved to win, surely, outplaying Australia in the middle three tests. Pretty much all the Australian commentators on UK TV said they were quite happy to see the Ashes go back to England. The Australians nearly managed to save the series through some incredible team performances, but England's four seamer attack had variation, aggression and guile that Australia didn't have.

I think it's fair enough for England to be over the moon, just because (a) Australia have been the best side in the world for years and (b) a five test series is such a thorough test, perhaps the most rigorous match-up in sport apart from the Tour de France. After 25 days of play, England deserved it.

Although Clarke and Tait both looked OK, I wonder what will happen to the older Australian players. England were utterly terrified of Gilchrist, but he didn't do anything. Ponting's captaincy was often quite bizarre (although his fielding choices in the last day of the fourth test, with England chasing 129 odd, were inspired).

A real priviledge to watch Warne though. Anyone who boos him just can't appreciate genius. Surely he should be the captain, if only for a couple of years...

Top 5 moments

Flintoff's first over at Edgbaston, taking two wickets and possibly deserved more
McGrath in the first test
Warne's first over in England's tight run chase, inevitably getting wickets
Harmison bowling Clarke with a slower ball in the last over of the day
Pietersen's 150-odd to win it.
 

Rambler

Awanturnik
In the Guardian's report of the final day at the Oval it was mentioned that towards the end of the game, the traditional taunting of Shane Warne (which, in general, is meant good spirit, even if booing him is overstepping the mark) stopped for a chorus of "We only wish you were English", which seems like the most incredible sporting gesture, honest, and an absolutely appropriate way to mark his final Test over here. Even though he could never be captain because of the drug ban etc, he pretty much is by default - he seemed to have much more control and influence over the Australians' game every time they took to the field than Ponting.

That Flintoff over at Edgbaston - the most aggressive over I've ever seen, and in the context of the game, probably a perfect over. England a bit stuck, Langer looking comfortable; call on Freddie and he and Ponting are gone within 6 balls. Magic.

Mention must go to Brett Lee too, who, after Flintoff and Warne must be candidate for man of the series too: had to lead Australia's fast bowling attack half the time; at times he was awesome with the ball; and his batting (!) very nearly won them the series.
 

matt b

Indexing all opinion
i don't understand cricket when stuff actually happens. we've got football for that sort of thing surely?
 

rewch

Well-known member
have to agree with all said... superb series... especially enjoyed the spirit of the two teams... extra especially after such a long period of taciturn sledgeful machine brutality under steve waugh... stereotypically & ethnocentrically used to be australians with chips on their shoulders & something to prove... they seemd at times bemused by the aggression & will but most importantly the camarderie... i had always loathed macgrath, warne, lee, hayden & particularly pointing, but at the end of this series i had come to appreciate four out of five of them... here's to cricket... but most importantly the ashes...

worst moment of the series: australia's run chase at edgbaston... much worse than dr. who
 

Diggedy Derek

Stray Dog
Ha, rewch, which is the 1 out of 5 still off your xmas card list? Ponting? Even Hayden did do that "well bowled" thing when Flintoff got him out...

Agree re: the excellent sportsmanship, particularly Brett Lee who I really liked (as for whether he was any good, however- sometimes he was incredible, particularly when McGrath wasn't around, but he conceded quite a few runs sometime I think, too many to be a possible man of the series I think).

Regarding Waugh's team however, I've got a feeling that that era tried to go a little way towards being a bit more open culturally- I think they went on cultural visits now and again, for instance. Could be wrong, but they weren't always that bad.
 

rewch

Well-known member
still can't abide ponting... you're right about waugh & co. re. culture... i meant things like no laughing on the field & no fraternization... not clapping others' centuries... that swine healey behind the stumps muttering constantly... as opposed to brett lee going up to strauss to make sure he was ok... reckon tait chucks it though
 
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don_quixote

Trent End
ponting reminds me of dubya. and penfold.

i think brett lee came across so well because of the undying effort, even when it's all lost - see the grimace on his face as he's bowling to hoggard right at the death...

coupled with graces and actual recognition of the england side, even when his teammates were cranking up the dismissal of the england side.

it was simply brilliant sport throughout, genuine respect between both sides, genuine competition, fight, some of the closest matches in history - and character! personality! - where's that in the football side nowadays? i couldnt care less if theyre fighting in clubs and drink driving, theyre still bland bland bland bland bland.


there's also the advantage of the building of character in cricket, in that theyre in the spotlight for longer. and it's constantly one battle after another - here's warne vs strauss, here's lee vs flintoff...

basically ive become such a convert over the past couple of years. i prefer the atmosphere, i prefer the laziness, i like the fact it gets me outside, i like that being a student i can go and watch county championship matches during the holidays.

i like that every match is exciting, unless it's horribly one-sided. which, of course, unless it's an international match (if zimbabwe or bangladesh are involved, you wouldnt bet on them winning), you dont know it will be until the first innings is over...

i think i've been spoilt with the away series against south africa and this ashes series though. two of the most exciting months ever, possibly.

i hope there's 5 tests against india... doubt there will be :/
 

Rambler

Awanturnik
Re. Lee - yeah, maybe not possible man of the series wholly on playing ability, but like Flintoff and Warne he seemed to be involved in absolutely everything throughout the series, and at the end it looked to me as though he was bowling so aggressively just to stop himself breaking down; even Warne had given up by that stage...

One question to any Australians - clearly there are question marks over Hayden (who I've always despised: the ugliest man in sport?), but surely there must be some over Damien Martyn too, who, I believe had the worst average of Australia's batsman (and worse than two of their bowlers), and contributed a measly 4 catches in the field. Even Ian Bell managed to do a proper job in the field.
 
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simon silverdollar

Guest
does anyone know when the cricket goes over to Sky? will channel 4 still be able to show the England v Pakistan test this winter?
 

k-punk

Spectres of Mark
Yes, I am a convert to cricket too. I've managed to attune to the 'tension plane' of the game, so that was once seemed tedious is now pure suspense. It helps that the teams played so aggressively and were so well-matched, although it has to be said that the drama was contributed to by that tendency of English teams in any sport to flirt with snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. The incredible drama of the Edgbaston victory need never have happened; with more ruthlessness, it should have been a comfortable England win... But, as the series progressed, the England team grew into the unaccustomed role of winners. Clearly Duncan Fletcher is responsible for their acquiring that sense of belief and for the evident team comaraderie and organization that is so painfully lacking in the England football team. It was definitely a threshold moment: England, with a young side, look like they will only get better, while Australia, so dependent on the ageing McGrath and Warne (who might be ageing but is far from fading), look like they will have to rebuild. And yes, it was a pleasure to watch Warne, a true great, and the relentlessly positive Brett Lee.
 

matt b

Indexing all opinion
simon silverdollar said:
does anyone know when the cricket goes over to Sky? will channel 4 still be able to show the England v Pakistan test this winter?

the summer series will be on sky from 2006

winter tours have been sky only for years.
 
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simon silverdollar

Guest
matt b said:
the summer series will be on sky from 2006

winter tours have been sky only for years.
oh bollocks. just as you start to like something, it's taken away...
 

matt b

Indexing all opinion
k-punk said:
. Clearly Duncan Fletcher is responsible for their acquiring that sense of belief and for the evident team comaraderie and organization that is so painfully lacking in the England football team

england have been an improving side for the past 4 years- steadily climbing up the rankings to second in the world. this has far more to do with the fact that there are a bunch of good players, playing well for the first time since the 1980s (when there was gower, gooch, gatting, lamb etc etc). throughout the 90s england were poor due to a lack of world class players- no other reason (IMO, like, but my first live test match was the oval during the 1984 'blackwash' series, so i trump yah!)
 
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