[Assail]

Sir Thursday, on Mar 27 2009, 02:33 PM, said:

Assail, on Mar 27 2009, 08:45 PM, said:

Hinter, on Mar 6 2009, 07:57 AM, said:

I know cricket got a kicking in the "Most boring sport" poll, but some of us love the game, and in a few months the greatest test series of them all returns. England will be playing Australia and the winner gets... a very small urn containing some unidentified burnt stuff.

To the English: Do we have a chance? We're playing ok-ish in the Windies on very flat pitches but is that enough to defeat the mighty Australia?

To the Aussies: Yes, you've bossed the game for twenty years but is your young blood in the same class as your retiring heroes?

So English/Aussie discussion and (friendly) abuse in this thread please, although to be honest I don't think it will be the hottest thread ever to appear on the boards!

Gentlemen and Australians? What are you tryin' to say? Hahaha.

As it has been for numerous years, the Australian's will take it again despite losing a couple of our more prominent players of the last couple of years. It's just how it is, England's time has come to take a seat and accept the tyranny that Australia imposes over the sport of cricket! Haha, yes, I have a lot of support for Australia. It's my home after all.

You're forgetting a little year I like to call 2005 . Unless 3 counts as 'numerous'...


Sir Thursday

We shall never speak of this year, Sir Thursday, never.

[Malaclypse]

Oh contraire - we shall be speaking of this year until at least 2011 unless something drastic happens

[Assail]

Malaclypse, on Mar 27 2009, 04:12 PM, said:

Oh contraire - we shall be speaking of this year until at least 2011 unless something drastic happens

Damn admins and their Godliness I just can't compare.

[Cold Iron]

So the news broke this morning:

The king of spin is BACK!

[Malaclypse]

Assail, on Mar 28 2009, 12:54 AM, said:

Malaclypse, on Mar 27 2009, 04:12 PM, said:

Oh contraire - we shall be speaking of this year until at least 2011 unless something drastic happens

Damn admins and their Godliness I just can't compare.

Don't be discouraged. Ignore my admin-ness. I do and most everybody else does. It is irrelevant. I will not rain down fire and brimstone on you for disagreeing with me, well not in any way that has to do with admin-privileges anyway

Cold Iron, on Apr 1 2009, 12:20 PM, said:

So the news broke this morning:

The king of spin is BACK!

Warnie?! Ashley Giles, the King of Spain? explain please ...

[Cold Iron]

Ok I can't find a single news story about this so it may not yet be official but while driving to work yesterday, Shane Warne was interviewed on radio and confirmed his return from retirement to the test team for the '09 Ashes series.

He said he's been training with the Bushrangers (Victorian first class state team) and is fit and training 6 hours a day.

Be afraid.

[Sir Thursday]

Cold Iron, on Apr 1 2009, 11:57 PM, said:

Ok I can't find a single news story about this so it may not yet be official but while driving to work yesterday, Shane Warne was interviewed on radio and confirmed his return from retirement to the test team for the '09 Ashes series.

He said he's been training with the Bushrangers (Victorian first class state team) and is fit and training 6 hours a day.

Be afraid.

What was the date yesterday, CI?

[Cold Iron]

OMG sweet jesus I was DUPED!

This post has been edited by Cold Iron: 02 April 2009 - 01:16 AM

[Corporal Nobbs]

So, the Aussie squad was picked yesterday. No real real surprises
No back-up batsman again.

Ponting, Clarke, M. Hussey, Hughes, Katich, North, Watson, MacDonald,
Haddin, Johnson, Lee, Clark, Siddle, Hillfenhaus, Hauritz, Manou

[Stradivarius]

hmmm could be very interesting this year. vvveerryy interesting. honestly think england have got a chance

[Sir Thursday]

I feel like England were flattering to deceive against the Windies, unfortunately. The visitors obviously weren't really up for it, and while we dispatched them rather clinically, I still have big questions about both the batting and the bowling against tougher opposition.

Anderson has come into form, and if he keeps playing like this I'll be very happy, I just don't trust him to lead the attack just yet. Broad finally started to look a bit more menacing, but once again I have question marks as to whether he can sustain his form. Not sold on Onions yet either. Swann seems like a decent enough spinner...it just hinges on whether Flintoff can get fit or not. With him, the attack looks reasonably strong, without him, not so much.

In the batting department, all the batsmen have had their recent averages inflated by all the flat decks in the Caribbean and the soft stuff they've been served up since getting back. I feel like Pietersen is a bit out of form despite him averaging in the high 40s, for example. Bopara and Strauss seem to be our form batsmen, but Strauss struggled last time he played against Australia, and Bopara is still new to international cricket and hasn't faced a pace attack as good as the Aussies' yet. I'm somewhat reassured by the fact that if we play with Flintoff, Broad and Swann we bat down to number 9 though.


Sir Thursday

[Corporal Nobbs]

Sir Thursday, on May 22 2009, 10:26 AM, said:

I'm somewhat reassured by the fact that if we play with Flintoff, Broad and Swann we bat down to number 9 though.


Sir Thursday

Is this why Panesar is out of the team? Or is he just out of form.

[caladanbrood]

Currently listening to commentary of the final one-day match, and they're discussing the Swann/Panesar thing. Panesar is playing ok, but Swann is in the form of his life at the moment, basically is what it boils down to...


I think England will gain a lot of confidence from the West Indies series... they have comprensively out-played them, and although the Windies are a very weak team at the moment, it will definitely have helped the England team get into the groove. I still expect the Aussies to win fairly comfortably though, I'm afraid. May depend if Flintoff can get back from injury - his batting won't be great, but his bowling is always worth putting into the team. In place of Bresnan, I would imagine from the current team. A few of the pitches might be worth putting Monty and Swann in, but not many, to be honest...

[Corporal Nobbs]

caladanbrood, on May 27 2009, 03:35 AM, said:

A few of the pitches might be worth putting Monty and Swann in, but not many, to be honest...

Heard a rumour around here that all the pitches will be doctored for spin, since we haven't got a spinner,
and we can't play spin. As shown in the SAF series, and ODI's against Pakistan.

[caladanbrood]

I hardly think that's likely, to be honest. The Cardiff pitch is fairly atrocious, but apart from that they're just normal, at the moment. We don't manage to pull of as many underhand tactics as you guys

[Sir Thursday]

Corporal Nobbs, on May 26 2009, 06:26 PM, said:

Sir Thursday, on May 22 2009, 10:26 AM, said:

I'm somewhat reassured by the fact that if we play with Flintoff, Broad and Swann we bat down to number 9 though.


Sir Thursday

Is this why Panesar is out of the team? Or is he just out of form.

People were starting to realise that Panesar is a very one-dimensional spinner - he doesn't have any variation in his game to make him threatening if his Plan A isn't working. The wickets weren't coming for him, so they decided to give Swann a try, and he came in and took wickets right away, thereby supplanting Panesar as first choice. Thing is, he's only really played against the West Indies thus far (although the pitches in the Caribbean were very good batting decks), so I don't know how he'll fare against tougher opposition.


Sir Thursday

[caladanbrood]

Didn't he play on the subcontinent last year? Though obviously, the pitches down there are a spinner's heaven...

[Corporal Nobbs]

caladanbrood, on May 27 2009, 06:20 AM, said:

...We don't manage to pull of as many underhand tactics as you guys

We may tread the line of sportsmanship occasionally, but only when the authorities are watching.

[Sir Thursday]

caladanbrood, on May 27 2009, 05:39 PM, said:

Didn't he play on the subcontinent last year? Though obviously, the pitches down there are a spinner's heaven...

Ah yeah, you're right. Forgot about those. He played in two of the test matches in India. Took 8 wickets in two games there, not a bad return. The key evidence to my mind that he's ahead of Panesar right now though is that in the five innings he bowled in the Caribbean he took 5,3,5,3 and then 3 wickets at an average of 24. Very nice numbers . Panesar bowled three innings on that tour and only took 5 wickets at an average of 54. And when you factor in that Swann is far superior with the bat and in the field, it's a no brainer really. The only real question mark is that Swann bowls off-spin, and might therefore be easier to deal with given that he's not going to have as much rough to work with...


Sir Thursday

[Corporal Nobbs]

So, only a couple of days away now.
Team has pretty well picked itself.
Lee has probably got in with that one spell, though no break thru with the new ball
is a worry. Hopefully Siddle and Johnson will open the bowling.
Hauritz shouldn't be picked (shouldn't have evened toured)
Stuart Clark will get his spot.

Thoughts on the Pommie team.
I noticed 3 spinners in the squad,
lends weight to my all poms are cheating bastards theory. See post #34

This post has been edited by Corporal Nobbs: 03 July 2009 - 09:37 PM