2009 Ashes Series - England vs. Australia **Spoilers**
- Thread starter oli collett
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We can only dream fella.
They should get a runner for him while batting, and either field him in the slips or let him sit out England bowling (sub).
We'd have a huge boost if he could return; even when injured, he rode out a very accurate session from the Aussie bowlers and got a half century in another innings.
The Aussies have momentum now; and we've not got our two best players. Don't forget - we need to win to get the Ashes, if we draw they retain it. :/
Hmmm. Quite pleased with that result, tbh.
You and me both
...quite pleased at how the Aussies hit back with a crushing win....disappointed that they allowed Swann and Broad to get 50+ runs but in the end it didnt make much of a difference if any....glad to see Johnson bag 5 wickets...hes been under a lot of criticism lately but finally shined through.Looking forward to the Oval test...will be interesting to see if England play Flintoff...with him in the side they have a very good chance of winning...without him i dont think they have a very good chance.
I reckon the Poms will play Flintoff. They'll do everything in their power to ensure he's at the Oval.
The bigger is what to do with the rest of the squad.
After England's farcical performance in the first two days of the fourth Test, there was more than a faint whiff of Dad's Army about Headingley when defeat was sealed on Sunday.
First came the apocalyptic warnings about the rest of the series - "We're doomed - doomed!" Then came the frantic call to arms for the aged and infirm, in this case 39-year-old Mark Ramprakash and the retired Marcus Trescothick. Then, as everyone remembered that it's actually 1-1 rather than 0-4, Andrew Strauss took on the role of Corporal Jones: "Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring!"
All the while, the beaming smile never left Ricky Ponting's face.
Punter has enjoyed himself in Leeds from the moment he arrived. The fact that a full-on English autopsy is now being conducted by the fans and media just makes it even sweeter for him.
"Ah, that's obviously all started, so for us that's terrific," he said with satisfaction in his post-match news conference.
"It'll be difficult for them to bounce back now. Everything is heading in the right direction for us at exactly the right time in the tour."
Strauss, red-cheeked and heavy of heart, did his best to pacify the angry hordes. "I'm never going to make excuses for the way we played on the first morning - the reality is that the first session was awful."
What went wrong? "It's hard to put my finger on it." Has the momentum decisively swung back Australia's way? "I'm yet be convinced it means anything, that word."
(Source).
The difference between both teams right now can be summarised in a single word: leadership. Ponting has rallied a weak Australian side containing rookies and inconsistent bowlers, while Strauss has failed to maintain the momentum after Lords and seems incapable of inspiring his troops.
Judging by history, an English win at the Oval is all but certain (Australia hasn't won an Oval Test for more than 20 years) but even this would only result in a 2:1 series victory, which is less than impressive. England is still a long way from being a #1 team.
The bigger is what to do with the rest of the squad.
After England's farcical performance in the first two days of the fourth Test, there was more than a faint whiff of Dad's Army about Headingley when defeat was sealed on Sunday.
First came the apocalyptic warnings about the rest of the series - "We're doomed - doomed!" Then came the frantic call to arms for the aged and infirm, in this case 39-year-old Mark Ramprakash and the retired Marcus Trescothick. Then, as everyone remembered that it's actually 1-1 rather than 0-4, Andrew Strauss took on the role of Corporal Jones: "Don't panic, Mr Mainwaring!"
All the while, the beaming smile never left Ricky Ponting's face.
Punter has enjoyed himself in Leeds from the moment he arrived. The fact that a full-on English autopsy is now being conducted by the fans and media just makes it even sweeter for him.
"Ah, that's obviously all started, so for us that's terrific," he said with satisfaction in his post-match news conference.
"It'll be difficult for them to bounce back now. Everything is heading in the right direction for us at exactly the right time in the tour."
Strauss, red-cheeked and heavy of heart, did his best to pacify the angry hordes. "I'm never going to make excuses for the way we played on the first morning - the reality is that the first session was awful."
What went wrong? "It's hard to put my finger on it." Has the momentum decisively swung back Australia's way? "I'm yet be convinced it means anything, that word."
(Source).
The difference between both teams right now can be summarised in a single word: leadership. Ponting has rallied a weak Australian side containing rookies and inconsistent bowlers, while Strauss has failed to maintain the momentum after Lords and seems incapable of inspiring his troops.
Judging by history, an English win at the Oval is all but certain (Australia hasn't won an Oval Test for more than 20 years) but even this would only result in a 2:1 series victory, which is less than impressive. England is still a long way from being a #1 team.
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I agree about the leadership thing, but see it more as indicitive of English sport in general- just a lack of the last 1% killer instinct required. When Australia haven't scored a lot of runs it's because England have bowled well, when England haven't scored a lot of runs it seems at least part due to discipline. Don't get me wrong- I'm rubbish at cricket and recognise that they're all very good at it, but Australia seem to have the better test match mentality.
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Lots of people are backing Ramprakash for a recall now..
He has been the best batsman in county cricket by a long way for the last few years - playing on his home ground.. would it be any worse than playing Bopara/Bell?
He has been the best batsman in county cricket by a long way for the last few years - playing on his home ground.. would it be any worse than playing Bopara/Bell?
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Thing is though, they said that in 2006/07 when they were looking at calling him into the squad at the last ashes, and that was 2 1/2 years ago and he's still scoring runs!
9 matches, 14 innings, 1204 runs, 5 100s, average of 100.75. I believe he's averaged on or around 100 for the last 3 years. He's also first to 1000 runs this year.
As a short term measure, you could do worse.
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Nothing wrong with bringing in a scapegoat though!
I think what will happen is:
Flintoff -> Harmison
Trott -> Bopara
and that'll be it.
Well, that says it all really, doesn't it?
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On another note - did anyone see "the fanatics" were claiming responsibility for setting off the fire alarm at the England team hotel? Not a good precedent to set for fans..
Very poor form indeed. Personally I find the Fantatics to be a complete embarrassment. I think most of them should never be let out of the country, let alone near the stands.
But they were not responsible for the fire alarm:
Quick update on England's fire alarm fiasco in the early hours of this morning. West Yorkshire Fire Service have said the alarm was set off by a small fire in one of the rooms.
A spokeswoman said firefighters wearing breathing apparatus entered the room and extinguished burning clothes after they were alerted at 4.49am by the automatic alarm.
It is understood some clothing had ignited after being left close to a lamp and the occupant had tried to put the fire out in a sink. The cause of the fire is being treated as accidental.
(Source).
England’s players were left shivering outside Leeds’s Radisson hotel the night before the first day, after a female guest accidentally set her drying underwear alight.
[...]
The unnamed woman had tried to wash her stockings and knickers, leaving them to dry by a lamp. A source at the hotel said the guest feel asleep, forgetting about the drying underwear.
When she woke, she hurriedly trying to extinguish the flaming in the sink but the resulting smoke set off the alarm.
(Source).
West Yorkshire Fire Service said the alarm was set off after some clothing had ignited after being left close to a lamp. The cause of the fire was being treated as accidental, the spokeswoman said
(Source).
I think I trust the West Yorkshire Fire Service to correctly assess the causes of an early morning fire alarm. Verdict: the Fanatics are lying.
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Ah cheers for that - what worries me is that the "army" will end up doing a lot worse..
LOL @ the story though - unnamed woman trying to wash her stockings and knickers in a hotel room. I wonder what she'd been up to..
Ramprakash would be a very bad idea. I just can't see how the selectors could draft in a player with zero international test form over the last seven years.
And I concede that Bell was also a bad recall. He just doesn't seem to know how to bat against a world-class bowling attack.
The real, and very basic problem is that England have lost the ability to play first-class cricket. Test match batting, with basic footwork, along with bowling a consistent line and length seems to be beyond them. It's no surprise that they lost to the best team in the world if they can't enact the basics.
At the beginning of this Ashes, I really didn't mind who won as long as the series was tight, exciting and well contested. This really disappointing display of amateur cricketing has left me feeling rather disinterested and very disappointed.
Yes the lower-order stand in the last innings was entertaining, but if you're relying on the last five wickets to make centuries in order to stay in contention, then something is inherently wrong with the team's performance.
And I concede that Bell was also a bad recall. He just doesn't seem to know how to bat against a world-class bowling attack.
The real, and very basic problem is that England have lost the ability to play first-class cricket. Test match batting, with basic footwork, along with bowling a consistent line and length seems to be beyond them. It's no surprise that they lost to the best team in the world if they can't enact the basics.
At the beginning of this Ashes, I really didn't mind who won as long as the series was tight, exciting and well contested. This really disappointing display of amateur cricketing has left me feeling rather disinterested and very disappointed.
Yes the lower-order stand in the last innings was entertaining, but if you're relying on the last five wickets to make centuries in order to stay in contention, then something is inherently wrong with the team's performance.
No, I don't believe so. My respect for the Barmy Army is only slightly higher than my opinion of the Fanatics, but I don't believe there is any malice in them, and I would expect a higher standard of behaviour.
Yes, that did cross my mind.
I read an interesting stat yesterday but cant remember it. It was something to do with how the batting average of the tail was almost the same as the middle order. There has been some exciting cricket in the first 3 matches but now its all going the wrong way.