Clarke out, Kattich in. Kattich (and Watson now) is our most reliable batsman, and he's not traditionally an opener either (neither is Watson too, actually).
MERGED - The 2010/2011 ASHES tour thread...all Ashes related chat here please!
- Thread starter Sassy Colin
- Start date
Clarke out, Kattich in. Kattich (and Watson now) is our most reliable batsman, and he's not traditionally an opener either (neither is Watson too, actually).
Ok. For some reason I like Dougie as well, no idea why but he comes across as a good person.
Apparently in 1924, England Vs South Africa.
It really doesn't help when you've got absolute liabilities like Johnson in the side. He's not a 'strike' bowlers dickcheese, once we get Bollinger back into the side we should look a lot better on the bowling front. Hilfenhouse to first change, Bollinger to open the attack and we'll perform.
Watson instead of Cook ... REALLY??? The guy has just smashed a double hundred!!! No way ... Watson is all bleach blong brawn and not much else. Cook will go down in history as one of Englands most consistant openers and probbaly surpass Gooch is run making.
I've always picturised Aussies to support Man Utd/Leeds, signing Waltzing Matilda and drinking Foster. Or at least some Northern team hard as nails.
Exactly. He really comes across as a great character and a real good bloke in all the interviews (and even ads).
Meanwhile Ponting's about as interesting and intelligent as a plank of wood.
Would need the fifth bowling option so you have to pick Watson or Collingwood basically.
Watson instead of Cook ... REALLY??? The guy has just smashed a double hundred!!! No way ... Watson is all bleach blong brawn and not much else. Cook will go down in history as one of Englands most consistant openers and probbaly surpass Gooch is run making.
Hussey beats Bell every time.
And Id take Collingwood over Clarke. More versatile.
Siddle is as erraic/unproven as Finn so that last bowling slot is up for grabs.
Anyway, even that combined team is not good enough to challange India's strength right now.
Watson's been up there with the best players in the world these last few years no doubt about it. He's just so consistent, you never see him fail. Check his recent records.
Plus, he's probably our best bowler too (ATM).
And you wouldn't pick Hussey simply 'cos he made 195.
Id take Hussey over Bell every time.
I've always picturised Aussies to support Man Utd/Leeds, signing Waltzing Matilda and drinking Foster. Or at least some Northern team hard as nails.
WE fecking hate Fosters. It's a hilarious joke that we export that shit to you guys, yet won't touch it ourselves... Though I think we must export a different style of Fosters to the shit we have down here.
Fair enough. But my point was you wouldn't take him off the back of one good innings - which seems to have hid the fact he hasn't made a run for 2 years.
Batting and fielding averages
Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR 100 50 4s 6s Ct St
Tests 22 39 1 1518 126 39.94 2977 50.99 2 11 203 9 16 0
ODIs 117 99 22 3047 136* 39.57 3613 84.33 4 17 305 51 34 0
T20Is 20 19 2 379 81 22.29 265 143.01 0 3 28 21 7 0
First-class 89 156 17 6486 203* 46.66 17 34 73 0
List A 181 160 30 4912 136* 37.78 6026 81.51 6 28 52 0
Twenty20 53 50 9 1309 97* 31.92 879 148.91 0 12 115 61 18 0
Bowling averages
Mat Inns Balls Runs Wkts BBI BBM Ave Econ SR 4w 5w 10
Tests 22 36 2145 1128 40 6/33 6/51 28.20 3.15 53.6 1 2 0
ODIs 117 100 4167 3380 121 4/36 4/36 27.93 4.86 34.4 3 0 0
T20Is 20 15 249 347 10 2/23 2/23 34.70 8.36 24.9 0 0 0
First-class 89 8322 4701 170 7/69 27.65 3.38 48.9 6 1
List A 181 5999 5023 163 4/36 4/36 30.81 5.02 36.8 3 0 0
Twenty20 53 42 850 1071 43 3/10 3/10 24.90 7.56 19.7 0 0 0
No one cares about India. Cricket is England vs Australia.
How on earth did Mitchell Johnson get 166 test wickets?? hes an embarrassment, surely youve got better bowlers around the circuit than this guy? what about Mark Cameron? the guy who played in the Aussie A side he looked quite good, certainly a better bowler than Johnson.
Flat pitch or not to let a side get to 400 + for just 1 wicket is shocking bowling.
Flat pitch or not to let a side get to 400 + for just 1 wicket is shocking bowling.
Hard to read, but I mean his 'recent' record. He was pretty rubbish at the start of his career, and could never string games together thanks to constant injury troubles.
But he announced himself two summers ago and hasn't looked back since.
What a phenomenal few days, can't go to bed on this one. Having grown up watching aussie batsmen put us to the sword time and time again, this is bloody marvellou!!!
Looking at the stats, the numbers dont look THAT good!!!
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...s=1;template=results;type=allround;view=match
Apart from the majority of cricket fans around the world... who happen to be Indian!
As soon as the India vs South Africa series starts, thats where the majority of the global audience will be ... and rightly so as that is without doubt the 'El Classico' right now.
Hey .... RedNome!!!!! You exist!!!! you are my hero ... I love your photo thread!!! Its the best thread in the entire cafe. You rock man!
It might be a weaker australian team but that's irrelevant for me, england teams of yesteryear would have folded after being so far behind after 1st innings.
To see the aussies drop easy chances and look so ragged is fantastic. I thought watson was gonna cry at one point
El Classico? Where's the history between India and South Africa to merit even the merest comparison with Barca vs Madrid?
India vs South Africa is just a game between two sides which happen to have decent teams right now. England Australia is the real cricket.
The Ashes are the pinnacle of the game, nothing trumps England v Australia and thats accepted around the globe, its so much more than just a test series its a rivalry long beyond the game of cricket, some random series in India dosnt come close im afraid.
Im not being a WUM!!! Less people live in the ENTIRETY of the UK and Australia than there are cricket fans in India! Its purely a numbers observation!
But we're talking about real fans...
Sorry, those trumping up 'The Ashes' in this series are deluded. The standrad of cricket being played is just too low. Its the 4th best team vs the 5th best. Its like being asked to get excited about the modern day Liverpool vs Everton.
yes, like Ingurluund who drink beer all day long so they can sing like boistrous pricks at the end of the day. Is that what makes a 'true fan'?
Sammy's lost it.
Leave him alone.
Leave him alone.
Yep, these bloody lunch breaks dont go down too well when its 0230 in the morning!!! I dont want any bloody lunch.
Since he's come back into the side he's averaged 48.7. Which is pretty handy for an opener who can bowl first change.
Though I was taking his ODI form into account too, which I shouldn't have.
If it was up to me cricket would just be the Ashes every couple of years and scrap the rest of it. We don't need all those other cheating, bribing and scamming countries, they only ruin the game. It's just not cricket.
Maybe keep the West Indies.
How about the hundeds of thousands of Indians who were moved to South Africa during colonial times .... let alone the million+ citizens of the rainbow nation who are descendents of these early migrants? More Indians were sent to South Africa than English men sent to Australia. Its where Ghandi first noticed the issues of discrimination and racism which inspired him to take on the Britsh empire that eventually won India its rightful independence.
Im just saying like ....
Shame on you Mike, I would have thought that a man of your considerable knowledge would know such basic history?
I'm Indian and the only cricket I can ever be bothered to watch is the Ashes, not even World cups and T20's, but unfortunately not everybody thinks like that. India is cricket mad, much more than you guys are aware of and a cricket series involving India attracts higher television audience.
If that's the marker for popularity, I'm afraid you will lose. It's like a bit saying West Ham vs Millwall is the best game of all time because it was the oldest derby and Real Madrid vs Barcelona will come next. I hope you don't take offence to the analogy.
@ Johnson going for 3.91 an over in a test match. Managed to pass the lunch break by successfully winding sammsky up. Of course I was joking.