- This topic has 33 replies, 23 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 6 months ago by
.
- Posts
these things have a habit of coming back to bite you, but Husseys form has been very ordinary aside from the warm up game. Katich is their form player but frankly hes a decent batsman playing to top of his ability rather than a world beater
they are not two players that should have england running scared at all
Despite his working over by Harmison (who should have been picked…the old english problem of avoiding tricky characters seemes to have reared its ugly head again), Hughes will not like a slow low pitch, if it turns out that way. Saw him play a supeb innings at the Oval few weeks back (thank Angus Fraser you stupid fat middlesex prat), but he does appear to need the ball coming onto the bat nicely
Lees absense will slow down Englands scoring rate, but is still good news. if only for his presence and experience
Toss is vital.
Australia wins within 4 days if they bat first, otherwise it’s a tough one.
Draw 200
Ravi Bopara (res. Andrew Flintoff)Being less than cognisant with cricketing form I will deploy my abilities as a weather student for this series; an ‘edge’ not to be underestimated when the words ‘Cricket’ and ‘England’ occur in the same sentence.
The first three days look okay but Saturday looks to be a possible washout with beefy showers on Sunday. Given South Wales has a climate akin to Manchester (where this match should be played
) I make the draw odds-on.Bopara seems a progressive batsman and with Lee out of the Oz attack I’d like to think he’ll accumulate decent scores.
From a point of view of maximising scoring on the ‘power player’ in this competition it would make sense to choose a proven all-rounder. Suspect Flintoff will be ‘focussed’ on his comeback.
Incidentally, if I were a nine-to-fiver and was looking forward to a full weekend’s play on the box or at the ground I’d find it annoying that the last day was a Sunday, with the possibility (ignoring weather) that the match would be over either before or shortly into the final day.
Why the Wednesday start?
Drone,
Wednesday start because they play again at Lords next week starting on Thursday and under ICC rules (I think), there have to be three clear days between consecutive test matches.
I reckon leaving Harmison out for this match is the right decision, as the wicket won’t be his ideal, whereas Onions is at least accurate and has the prospect of lbw decisions on a slow, low pitch. No surprise if they were switched for Lords though, where Harmison got five in the first innings in 2005.
One thing that struck me from the Lions match was how poor Haddin was behind the stumps – the two catches he dropped to his right hand were ones you’d have expected any county keeper to have collected easily with both hands, but he was diving one handed at them becuase of poor footwork.
Much talk about the batting and bowling, but could the close catching be the difference betwen these teams?
its definitely an important aspect not talked of yet AP. Australia’s fielding against the lions was not upto their usual level. Michael Clarkes back troubles seem to be effecting his dexterity, there is no Symonds, no Hayden in the slips and Marcus North is hardly athletic in the field.
Like you say about Haddin too, he may make Prior look like Jack Russell.Its one aspect that for the first time in a while England may be able to match the Aussies in.
I haven’t got a clue about cricket (or horse-racing some wags would say!) but anyway
Draw 200
Ricky PontingHaddin is no great shakes as a keeper. I’d still rate him ahead of Prior though. And if we go with Monty, I’m not sure we’ll have that much of an edge in the fielding department.
- Total Posts 17716
Not content with using Geoff Miller’s inverse logic to exclude Steve Harmison from the squad, the ECB and/or selectors have immediately released Ian Bell to play for Warwickshire.
If nothing else, Harmison would surely have been a valuable back-room asset and could have given the sort of support to Stuart Broad that he needed during the T20 World Cup.
You couldn’t make it up.
Wednesday start because they play again at Lords next week starting on Thursday and under ICC rules (I think), there have to be three clear days between consecutive test matches.
Thanks APR
I was going to ask why the need to shoe-horn in five tests before the end of August, but having now lookied at the full Australian tour itinery I see there’s seven
one-day internationals due in September.Two Windies Tests, three Windies ODIs, the Twenty20 Cup, five Oz Tests and seven Oz ODIs in the space of one English summer.
Utterly daft IMO and no surprise Michael Vaughan felt the need to retire at the tender age of 34.
Burnout, overkill and the nauseous over-egging of a pudding already sumptuous enough to demand it be enjoyed in only small portions at seemly intervals, lest we get heartily sick of it.
Sound familiar racing fans?
Draw – 200
Pieterson.
In what has been described in certain circles as a "chief executive’s pitch", a draw is nailed on imo. Glamorgan will **** themselves if this ended in 3 days. Flat, slow and like a road. Big runs for KP and Ponting, and runs for everyone else.
YAWN.
There’s something about an abnormal box serving as a cricket ground that typifies the Ashes.
) I make the draw odds-on.
one-day internationals due in September.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.