It's The Ashes!

[viktorvaughn]

I want onions to get 5.

Time to drop Broad for a bit?

 

[Diggedy Derek]

Yeah, I think Broad needs to find some wickets somewhere, probably at a lower level. Amid all the talk of Mitchell Johnson being rubbish, he's probably been more effective than Broad.

Big chance for Ian Bell today....... for the millionth time.

 

[viktorvaughn]

Yeah, I think Broad needs to find some wickets somewhere, probably at a lower level. Amid all the talk of Mitchell Johnson being rubbish, he's probably been more effective than Broad.

Big chance for Ian Bell today....... for the millionth time.

Yeah Broads bowling average is over 40 and against Oz I think is 60 or so...

Batting average 29 which is obviously decent. He does strengthen the tail but if it's not swinging and Anderson is ineffective then we need a strike bowler to take wickets. Freddie is going to be gone soon too. Drop Broad for a bit, he's young and get some more experience... Question is who to bring in..

I was dead against giving Harmy one more go but maybe it is needed.

Come on Bell kick in! Though I don't get the people who hate him, his average is over 40, more than Athers and Nasser (though obv they brought other things to the table).

 

[don_quixote]

last weeks discussion i know, but if bell is apparently tainted, then key is dead in frickin water. he has a test match average of 31.00. take away his 221 on a flat track against the worst west indies side ever and it plummets to 23.08. his final tour with england to south africa in 2005 was littered with some of the worst shot selection i can remember from an england batsman. pretty much shouldn't be touched by england again and it's a dark day if an injury crisis ever leads to him being called up again. we're constantly told he 'handled the aussies well in 2002'? with scores of 1, 1, 47, 23, 0, 52, 3, 14 - absolutely laughable. if he'd batted nearly as well as we seem to be told he did then we'd have run the aussies a lot closer considering how well vaughan was playing that tour. compare to bell's run of 50, 0, 60, 26, 0, 87, 7, 2, 71, 28 in 2006 and you begin to see how it really compares. i still desperately wonder why key is consistently mentioned and called up to lions squads when he should be politely patted on the head, said good luck captaining kent and let some of the younger players come through.

worried about the rain.

 

[don_quixote]

i'd stick with broad myself for consistency, but if had to call anyone else it's still back to harmison.

 

[crackerjack]

i'd stick with broad myself for consistency, but if had to call anyone else it's still back to harmison.

Has Sidebottom fallen out of the reckoning? Surely he'd chip in more wickets than Broad and his batting's ok (test ave 16)

 

[viktorvaughn]

Has Sidebottom fallen out of the reckoning? Surely he'd chip in more wickets than Broad and his batting's ok (test ave 16)

Forgot him. Trouble is - is he too similar to Onions and Anderson? Ideally we could do with a really tall quick bouncy bowler to balance the swingers, ie Harmison if he was actually consistent!

 

[routes]

defo sidebottom ahead of harmison.

rain, schmain. eng to declare tomorrow lunchtime on first innings total of 590 - 6 and bowl aus out for 200. punter top scores for aus with 49, run out by a direct hit from strauss while scampering a single to get to his half century... *sigh*

 

[...]

Wait a second, there's a cricketer called Onions?? That's superb.

 

[don_quixote]

i dont think we'll get the chance to find out, but for me, sidebottom is far more average than stuart broad and wouldn't get many more wickets.

whatever happened to tremlett and saj? although i imagine saj was a fletcher test-tube baby.

 

[routes]

nah mate sidebottom is damn good, was wisden english cricketer of the year in 2008! if broad gets a rest i hope they go with him rather than harmison...

didn't 'they' tamper with saj's action causing him to totally lose his radar for a bit?! he seems to be on the way back now... gwarn saj!

 

[don_quixote]

yeah but you can't be awarded wisden cricketer of the year if youve already won it and they do 4 or 5 every year. bell won it too in that year.

 

[crackerjack]

yeah but you can't be awarded wisden cricketer of the year if youve already won it and they do 4 or 5 every year. bell won it too in that year.

You what? That must make it the world's most pointless award. England probably only blood 3 or 4 new players a year, which means you'd have to do really shite to get picked and not win it.

Useful info on Key btw. Why do so many people bang the drum for him? Has he been amazing for Kent ever since then?

 

[don_quixote]

i think it's lazy journalism. in 2008 he averaged 31.80 in first class cricket. this year he's doing a lot better (52.1) but kent were relegated and that makes a big difference nowadays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisden_Cricketers_of_the_Year

it's not just reserved for english players, and are those who have affected english cricket, so the non-english players who win are usually those of a touring side, hence boucher last year, chanderpaul and khan the year, mohammed yousuf before that etc,

in affect it's a pointless award, yes. and anyone who has ever been half decent for england gets one.

 

[crackerjack]

Swann nearly got Ponting with a bat-pad, should've had him with an LBW, then bowled him thru the gate.

Fantastic bowling from Swann.

This is a real possibility now.

 

[hucks]

So, we've passed the mid point of the series now. What do people think? It's pretty unarguable that this is not as good as 2005 - there was no meandering to a draw then, every game was gripping. As well as less exciting, there is less quality this time round. I can't remember either side bowling well in two consecutive sessions.

I also note that my prediction (3-1 Aus) is now fucked.

 

[routes]

i think so much depends on strauss. so far he has had a brilliant series, averaged 60odd, captained with growing authority, handled the media circus well. any talk of this being flintoff's ashes is horribly premature, he looked in serious trouble as that test went on..

 

[don_quixote]

i predicted 2-2. i'll temper that to 1-1. which would be a shame.

problem is, with neither side having a really good spinner, it's all reliant on pace attacks. but when the pace attack have no help from the overhead conditions they rely on batsmen being raw and having to play themselves in. anderson and onions are lethal when the ball is swinging but are stuggling to make anything without it.

australia's batting looks far superior even now for my money (even if we had pietersen back). bopara, bell and cook need centuries, not in "you'll be dropped if you don't" fashion, but to put pressure on their captaincy. they're all making it a little easy, shall we say.

but it's nice that we're ahead, and odds on to win the series.

england's bowlers are better, australia's batsmen are better. it's not 2005 in the talent department, but for series excitement it's coming closer than i thought it would.

 

[don_quixote]

last test squad + harmison, sidebottom, jon trott

VERY interesting selection of trott.

 

[viktorvaughn]

I guess maybe they'll rest Fred for a game and maybe drop Broad and bring in Sidebottom and Harmy giving both swing and bounce options...? Or maybe Broad will stay for his batting..

Can't see Trott coming in?