Wow. Actually did (will do, anyway) worse than the first innings. Somewhat embarrassing.
MERGED - The 2010/2011 ASHES tour thread...all Ashes related chat here please!
- Thread starter Sassy Colin
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Johnson gets Swann as well. This is a bit embarassing for England now.
Australia win and level the series 1-1
So much for a toothless attack. Terrible batting performance for England, very well played Australia.
Momentum shift.
Momentum shift.
Great performance by the Aussies, looked like they would collapse again after the first innings but their bowlers have done a terrific job and along with Hussey helped the Aussies canter to a win in the end.
A bit of thinking for Strauss & Flower to do ahead of the boxing day test, their batting performance was embarassing. I still think England will win the series, problem for the Aussies is will they change the attack and bring in the spinner (which I think they have to do). Also, question-marks over Ponting's availability but I think he should be ok unless the doctors tell him not to play.
A bit of thinking for Strauss & Flower to do ahead of the boxing day test, their batting performance was embarassing. I still think England will win the series, problem for the Aussies is will they change the attack and bring in the spinner (which I think they have to do). Also, question-marks over Ponting's availability but I think he should be ok unless the doctors tell him not to play.
Siddle should be the bowler dropped for Hauritz
MCG will be a lively pitch. The Aussies are confident.
Not at all but as an Arsenal supporter who has witnessed many a complete mental collapse / breakdown in the last 5/6 years this is very similar - just when they thought it was all over and finished at 78 for none and could have closed things down, prudently, cautiously to slow the game down and make it hard work for the Aussies they chose to throw away a massively winning position ..
....heard that before Pete? Not that you'd recognize it being fking blinded by your Wenger is god and can do no wrong tripe. (lets keep all that out of this thread mate)
Back to the subject
Obviously a catastrophic defeat and now we'll see what we're made of.
Strauss needs to step up and get his head into 'staying at the crease' mode and maybe Collingwood has got to be looked at who's position must be under threat. Can't see that he's contributed much meself
This is all about mentallity imo
We look a better side to me but unless they actually believe it we're gonna throw this series away and fast
Obviously a catastrophic defeat and now we'll see what we're made of.
Strauss needs to step up and get his head into 'staying at the crease' mode and maybe Collingwood has got to be looked at who's position must be under threat. Can't see that he's contributed much meself
This is all about mentallity imo
We look a better side to me but unless they actually believe it we're gonna throw this series away and fast
Agree with this completely. Siddle's at his home patch but Hilfenhaus just offers more as a bowler. That aside, Hauritz has made yet another century in Shield cricket, finishing 110 not out against Queensland. My prediction for the Boxing Day Test would be:
Watson
Hughes
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Smith
Haddin
Hauritz
Johnson
Harris
Hilfenhaus
Recently Steve Waugh's come out and said that the selectors have to come out and pick a few young'uns and stick with them no matter what, and I think this will be the case with Hughes and Smith. Sure, Hughes' technique has massive gaps, but both these guys have a lot of potential and really need to experience in order to fulfil that. It's probably best that he gets found out so he knows what exactly to work on.
Hussey should return to 4 and Clarke drop down to 5. Clarke really needs to sort things out mentally as a batsman and regain his confidence both on and off the pitch. Also, he has to forget all talk about captaincy, whether it concerns or doesn't concern him. What he needs is focus, because there are plenty of talented batsmen around the country snapping at his heels.
Good looking Scorecard:
Bloody England throw it away.
Australia's named an unchanged squad for the Boxing Day test. Ponting has backed the selection of Michael Beer by saying, "(Beer) wasn't picked to bowl here (WACA); he was picked as our best spinner, simple as that. That's the reason he was added to the squad. We thought he was the best spinner in Australia at the time."
Sounds like a load of wank to be honest. No way is Beer the "best spinner" in Australia. He wasn't even picked for the Australia A squad FFS.
Sounds like a load of wank to be honest. No way is Beer the "best spinner" in Australia. He wasn't even picked for the Australia A squad FFS.
Can someone explain why the umpire who is wearing a hat, has both hands behind his back holding onto a hat? Is it incase the one he is wearing disintegrates?
Holding the bowlers hat maybe?
No, they all wear green hats and he's holding a big floppy white one like the identical one on his head.
Maybe he thinks it will disintegrate.
Strauss
Cook
Trott
Pietersen
Bell
Collingwood
Prior
Bresnan
Swann
Tremlett
Anderson
Early rumblings suggesting that will be Englands line up in Melbourne.
Cook
Trott
Pietersen
Bell
Collingwood
Prior
Bresnan
Swann
Tremlett
Anderson
Early rumblings suggesting that will be Englands line up in Melbourne.
No need to change things, Austrlia only managed 577 runs in two innings, not an extraordinary sum, the batting is allowed a duff one
But it wasn't just one, it was two and the second was worse then the first! The pitch was a far cry from a massive run scoring pitch. Australia's second innings was as good as scoring 500 on any other pitch.
Believe it or not, not every player wears a baggy green.... Alot of bowlers wear a chapel hat to help with the sun protection. Brett Lee rarely wore his baggy green for example.
Apparently the Mail, Guardian et al are going mental over changed pitches at the moment?
Have to say I'd been having a close look at Collingwood - he's brought little to the table so far
England will lose if Bresnan plays, IMO.
If Broad was fit then I reckon Broad+Swann+Bresnan would give us a decent batting lineup, but I don't think we can afford to play 5 bowlers otherwise.
Also is anyone here going to the 5th test in Sydney? If so, what's the best place to buy tickets, and how far in advance do you reckon they need to be bought? I'm thinking of going for days 3, 4 and 5.
They might be all gone by now...
Can't see a problem with that, seems quite clear to me...only thing that I didn't quite get was that Swanny didn't get much out of the last test so it really doesn't make much sense...
Seems Bell's staying at 6. Silly really.
Yup very, Bells being wasted down there often having to throw his wicket away in the search for quick runs due to everyone around him falling like flys, hes clearly a better batsmen than Collingwood so i really don't understand it, whose more likely to score you runs at 5 Bell or Collingwood?
Those caps are horrible to wear during a match, makes your head hot and doesn't protect you from the sun.
So... who's going? I'll be there day 2, M56.
When I use to play many moons ago, I hardly ever wore our schools Baggy Blue. Much preferred my chappel hat.
England win the toss and elect to bowl
England win the toss and bowl.
Finn out Bresnan in - would've preferred Shahzad instead but probably gone for Bresnan based on his batting ability.
Aussies unchanged, a gamble not to include a specialist spinner, but I don't think Beer would've been anything special.
Finn out Bresnan in - would've preferred Shahzad instead but probably gone for Bresnan based on his batting ability.
Aussies unchanged, a gamble not to include a specialist spinner, but I don't think Beer would've been anything special.
Still don't understand why Siddle gets a place when he's absolute shit. The Australian selectors really are stupid sometimes. He gets feck all wickets and then gets a few and apparently he's warranted a place
Still don't understand why Siddle gets a place when he's absolute shit. The Australian selectors really are stupid sometimes. He gets feck all wickets and then gets a few and apparently he's warranted a place
Question is was this team selected by the selectors' themselves or by Ricky Ponting? They were discussing that earlier on Sky Sports and one of the pundits reckoned Ponting chose the team and that's why they go in with no spinner. As they didn't go with a spinner, I don't think you can drop Siddle for Dougie, no matter how disappointing Siddle's been since the hat-trick.