The 2013 Ashes Thread

[Stevie_J]

Faster pitch should help Finn.

 

Last chance saloon though.

And his home ground, too.

[opinions4u]

How would I have lost when the board in the bookies said draw 100/1, this was at lunch yesterday. ( I know I lost because England won). This draw was for a tie.

 

Did you bet on "draw" which means the games doesn't reach a conclusion?

 

Or did you bet on tie, which is very much a conclusion?

 

They are very different things.

[dave_ragg1984]

Did it say "draw" or "tie"? They are different results.

 

-

[Stevie_J]

Did you bet on "draw" which means the games doesn't reach a conclusion?

 

Or did you bet on tie, which is very much a conclusion?

 

They are very different things.

Neither of which were ever going to happen, when looking at the score and weather at lunch yesterday.

[opinions4u]

Neither of which were ever going to happen, when looking at the score and weather at lunch yesterday.

The tie was on the table. I'd suggest 14/1 would have been a fair price.

[Stevie_J]

The tie was on the table. I'd suggest 14/1 would have been a fair price.

Of course it was. Ignore me.

[jsslatic]

Finn should benefit from a bouncier wicket at Lords.

 

Even if he does, I'd be tempted to replace him with Onions at OT where there may be more seam movement and then he'll also have a test under his belt in time for a home game for him at Chester-le-Street.

[TheBigDog]

Team unchanged for 2nd test. Finn spared the chop.

 

Squad is unchanged - but the team is yet to be confirmed. Expect Bresnan to replace FInn.

[deyres42]

Bairstow is lucky that he is one of the media darlings, his only innings of note came in the same game v the Saffers last year - Compton was a bag of nerves in the home games v NZ but he'd have a right to feel pretty pissed about the lack of backing he got.

 

Finn seems to have been affected by the run up changes, speed gun says the pace is there but there doesn't look to be any aggression or rhythm in his bowling.

[perfectOzblue]

Bairstow is lucky that he is one of the media darlings, his only innings of note came in the same game v the Saffers last year - Compton was a bag of nerves in the home games v NZ but he'd have a right to feel pretty pissed about the lack of backing he got.

 

Finn seems to have been affected by the run up changes, speed gun says the pace is there but there doesn't look to be any aggression or rhythm in his bowling.

Another distraction for the Aussies as they prepare for round two...

 

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/michael-clarke-called-shane-watson-a-cancer-on-the-team-says-former-coach-mickey-arthur-20130716-2q26s.html

[leeslover]

Warner is licking piss off a nettle in the Telegraph.

[leeslover]

"Warney" that is

[razza699]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/10181374/Ashes-2013-England-were-lucky-and-Australia-can-still-win-this-series.html

[Stevie_J]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/10181374/Ashes-2013-England-were-lucky-and-Australia-can-still-win-this-series.html

I think most of what he's saying is right. Take Jimmy out of the side and I don't think the Aussies would be too worried at all. He's the difference between the sides for me. England's batting line-up is stronger but the Aussies have more pace and genuine all-rounders.

 

I'd be very disappointed if his 2-1 prediction was right though. England should have enough to keep the convicts from heading home with the urn.

[pukka]

Shane warne has the best tactical cricket brain out of anyone I've heard speak about the game. He was easily Sky's best commentator - why they have let him go is beyond me.

[opinions4u]

I think most of what he's saying is right. Take Jimmy out of the side and I don't think the Aussies would be too worried at all. He's the difference between the sides for me. England's batting line-up is stronger but the Aussies have more pace and genuine all-rounders.

We have to assume Michael Clarke will deliver as a batsman in all the remaining tests.

 

If we don't improve in a number of areas we will lose the series.

 

Swann with bat and ball. Root and Bairstow with bat. Finn with ball. And everybody except Bell who got in and failed to move on to a big score.

 

Fortunately they are talented enough to know this and to do something about it. We should win this series.

[pukka]

I'm in the minority, but in my opinion we shouldn't be going in with only 4 genuine bowlers, an injury to one or a loss of form and you are running one into the ground. (ala anderson) We should be going in with 5. I'm a big fan of Bresnan. He bats and would give us an extra bowler.

 

It would be bairstow missing out for me.

Edited July 16, 2013 by pukka

[dave_ragg1984]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/theashes/10181374/Ashes-2013-England-were-lucky-and-Australia-can-still-win-this-series.html

 

Australia did not play as well as they can in Nottingham, but very nearly won the match.

 

 

England played nowhere near as well as they can, but won the match. You could also say that England played nowhere near as well as they can, but nearly hammered Australia. Agar gets given out (when he was) on 6, and we have a lead of about 100 going into the second innings. As it ended we had a deficit of 80.

 

I wouldn't really take too much notice of anything Warne says about England. Everytime he talks about us, he just tries to hammer us. During the Champions Trophy, he commentated on the England v Australia match and all he did was criticize us in a game which we won comfortably, and in a tournament in which we were pretty close to winning.

 

I'd be tempted to stick with Finn in the next test. He had a pretty bad game in the last match, but he hasn't become a terrible player. Providing the pitch should help him, I'd give him another chance on his home ground.

[Stevie_J]

 

 

Agar gets given out (when he was) on 6, and we have a lead of about 100 going into the second innings.

I agree but, on the flip side, had Broad done the right thing and walked, the Aussies would have been chasing a smaller target to win.

[rudemedic]

I agree but, on the flip side, had Broad done the right thing and walked, the Aussies would have been chasing a smaller target to win.

On the flip side to that if Erasmus had done the right thing and not overturned the Trott decision for lack of conclusive evidence, as agreed by the ICC, the the Aussies could have been chasing a larger total still.

 

Swings and Roundabouts, the records show England won and in a few years only true Cricketing geeks will be able to recall the drama and controversy that got that result.

 

Bring on the second test.

[dave_ragg1984]

On the flip side to that if Erasmus had done the right thing and not overturned the Trott decision for lack of conclusive evidence, as agreed by the ICC, the the Aussies could have been chasing a larger total still.

 

Swings and Roundabouts, the records show England won and in a few years only true Cricketing geeks will be able to recall the drama and controversy that got that result.

 

Bring on the second test.

 

 

So we can all agree, if the Umpires had got all decisions right we would have absolutely battered them? ;-)

[Monty Burns]

No I dont think KP does any worrying. But if Cook isnt then he isnt doing his job right. Would Watson, Siddle and Pattinson get in our team? I think yes. Have the Aussies shown they are better than people thought? Yes. Its gona be a great series and like you said, harder down under. I love Cricket its great.

[leeslover]

If we make 500 runs we will win the test. our underperfoming batsmen are still better than their very average bowlers. Get Swann and Broad in on the act and we are cruising.

[slystallone]

^{I'd be tempted to stick with Finn, but I would fully understand if they go with Tim B - maybe for the fact that his batting is slightly better than Finn's if there isn't much in the bowling?}

 

^{Great Test last time, closer than I thought it would be. Roll on Tomorrow, think it'll be another cracker.}

[dave_ragg1984]

No I dont think KP does any worrying. But if Cook isnt then he isnt doing his job right. Would Watson, Siddle and Pattinson get in our team? I think yes. Have the Aussies shown they are better than people thought? Yes. Its gona be a great series and like you said, harder down under. I love Cricket its great.

 

 

Watson would walk into our ODI team, but would struggle to hold his place in the test team. He doesn't score anywhere near enough runs, and I don't think we would pick him for his bowling. Siddle and Pattinson (and Hilfenhaus if he was fit) would be fighting with the crop of pretty good fast bowlers that we have who are all trying to get in/stay in the team. So they would be in some times, but others they wouldn't.

 

They are by no means bad players, but they shouldn't scare or worry quality international batsmen (of which we have a few). Just like the aussies won't be too worried about facing Finn, or Bresnan, or Onions. There are 2 genuinely world class bowlers playing in the series, and they both play for England. The rest are good, but not great. Whereas with the past Australian teams, if McGrath or Warne didn't get you, someone like Gillespie would. And they are the sort of bowlers that a batsman should worry about.

 

Cook the batsman won't be worried about facing their bowling attack. If he is doing his job right (which he is doing) he will know that if he applies himself like he knows he can, he will score runs.

 

If Cook the captain is doing his job properly, then he won't be too worried because he knows that if he captains the team properly, and the team perform, we will win.

 

If we play as well as we can, and they play as well as they can, then we will win this series. And in the last match, we played nowhere near as well as we can, and we still won.