Cricket Thread

[mrbrownstone]

Surely I can't be the only one on this forum who watches and plays cricket, I figured I may as well make a thread on it and find out for sure. So please anyone else on here who likes cricket come discuss it in here.

To make sure this isn't marked as spam here are a few questions to get the thread started. What team(s) do you support? Do you play cricket, if so what do you do? What is your favourite form of the game to watch? Who is your your favourite player(s)? Who is your pick for the upcoming World Cup? What are your thoughts on England's utter dominance in The Ashes? Thoughts on Pontings recent lack of form, what is the change of him being dropped/resigning? What is your opinion on the newly created Decision Review System, should it be used for the World Cup? Feel free to answer any other Cricket related questions or just discuss the game in general.

Also with the Sports Debaters league coming up very soon and Cricket being the main sport I will be using for my arguments I would be happy to explain to any of the participants or judges the basics of the game so you have a change to counter debate me/mark me accordingly/understand what exactly I am saying. All I would ask for in return is for you to explain the basics of NFL to me.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Good to see this. Was looking to make one myself. Well as an Indian, I feel real good about our chances for the World Cup. They're on a friggin' roll in ODIs and I think they are a shoe-in for the semis. All year round they have performed superbly especially with their batting depth. My other bet would be South Africa. This could finally be their year and would be the perfect swan-song for guys like Kallis, Boucher and Gibbs.

God stuff. Keep the thread going brownstone.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Yeah I've been considering making this thread for a while but didn't think enough people on these forums would watch Cricket.

As far as the world cup goes, I certainly wouldn't bet against a India vs SA final at this stage. They are far away the best two teams in world cricket at the moment and have no real weak points, both have great batting and bowling although I would probably give the edge to SA slightly in the bowling department with Dayle Steyn being able to dismantle any batting line up in the world on his day. I would probably go with India at this stage given they are on home soil but if SA can beat them in the current series it will give them a lot of confidence to do it again on the big stage. I'd also look for England to do well, they will be riding high of the Ashes victory and could possibly cary that over to the ODI's. I would look at NZ as a dark horse, with a recent coaching change and a sudden return to form, on paper they have all the talent in the world if they can translate that to reality then they could be very dangerous, there confidence will be well down though after being beaten 5-0 by India in India.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

Well firstly I would like to say thank you to Mr Brownstone for making this thread. I'm a huge cricket fanatic but I guess that is pretty obvious because I'm an Indian after all.

As for the World Cup, I am picking India due to the world cup being in the subcontinent this year and so I feel that the conditions would certainly suit them. Subcontinental teams are always tigers at home and India is certainly the best subcontinental team these days. They have an awesome batting line up which will obviously be lead by Sachin Tendulkar and he has been in awesome form this year. Their bowling is obviously not comparable to their batting strengthwise but I feel that Zaheer Khan is a much underrated bowler who could trouble even the best of batsmen on a good day. Harbhajan Singh is obviously a very good spin bowler possibly the best in the world today and can be a handful in Indian conditions.

I'm really enjoying this India-South Africa series currently even though the first test was one sided. But that was perhaps expected given the fact that India obviously take time to get used to the conditions whenever they tour and the fact that they were missing their pace spearhead in Zaheer Khan. Still the test did give us the great moment of Sachin Tendulkar finally getting his 50th test match hundred and that is a phenomenal achievement by all means. The second test match is pretty evenly poised today with South Africa needing 200 more runs to win and India needing seven wickets. Also South Africa have to score the highest total of the match to win it. No team has scored 300 in the three innings' so far but the pitch is certainly easing out. We do have a cracking day on our hands. Also I think VVS Laxman deserves a special mention for the innings he played under the difficult circumstances. He is a very good but slightly underrated test match batsman and always delivers the goods when the team is in a precarious position.

I'll be back with my thoughts on The Ashes and the UDR system a bit later.

 

[Shadowmancer]

New Zealand has no chance in the world of winning the World cup, just like we can rule out Pakistan now even though they may get to the final. John Wright is a great coach, but remember that the team h had when he was coach of India was stacked full of amazing players, Tendulker, Dravid, Gangouly, Sehwag. Compare that to what he has in New Zealand now, Vettori, McCallum, Ryder, Taylor, Southee, Guptill, Mills amd Styris. Then add in the former internationals that are knocking about in New Zealand first class cricket in Vincent, Adams, Sinclair, Tuffey. There is bugger all for real world class talent in New Zealand, Vettori is it. While McCallum, Taylor and Ryder are all called world class they are nowhere near it and only occasionally give world class showings. The teams atmosphere needs to change as well, I have heard of Vettori smoking at practice. its almost as bad as the old Flemming, Nash, Doull, Parore weed smoking days in the 90s.

Anyway onto some more positive cricket talk, how about the Ashes, brilliant stuff with England winning at the home of Aussie Cricket. Ponting will be going after this, he is done as captain, 36 and he can be called the second best batsman as his final placement in modern cricket. Behind Tendulker but ahead of Lara.(The Don is still the best batsman ever)

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I agree with you Shadowmancer. New Zealand have practically no chance of winning with or without John Wright. They have always put forward a strong showing in T20 cricket but I do not think that their T20 form is an indication of their resurgence. As you said there are very few world class players in the team. Plus how much can a coach do in two months especially in a sport like cricket where the coach does not have a huge part to play when a match is going on.

As for The Ashes I did not ever imagine that it would be so one sided. Granted the Australian team is going through a phase of transistion but I always backed them on their home ground. Pretty surprised with the way things have gone but there was little doubt that England was the better team. I do not think Ponting will be sacked so close to the World Cup though. But after that it is anybody's guess. A poor showing in the world cup might signal the end of his career. I'd personally like him to step down as captain but continue as a batsman as I feel that he still has a lot to contribute to Australian cricket as a batsman. But that is not the way things go in Australian cricket though so I think the World Cup might be Ponting's last chance.

Also I feel this will be the most evenly matched world cup since 1999. In 2003 and 2007 it felt a bit as if Australia were a class apart. But no team can claim to be that heading into the 2011 World Cup.

 

[Барбоса]

One of Australia's biggest calling cards at the height of their McGrath and Warne based powers was their ability to get 20 wickets on flat unresponsive pitches. The sheer fact that this time around they felt the need to prepare un-Australian-like, results pitches and rely almost solely on winning the toss in their attempt to regain the Ashes just told you how little faith they had in their own squad to be able to beat what is a very good but not yet great England side.

There have also been some strange team selections. The treatment of Nathan Hauritz I think has been awful. He is easily the best spinner they have at the moment (maybe not saying much) but to bascially tell him that his Test career is over by picking inexperienced in Smith (a budding but unproven all-rounder supposedly), Doherty and Biehr who have played little First Class games never mind Test level.

As well as the injury to Simon Katich, Ponting's case was also not helped by the performances of some of his best players, including himself. Michael Clarke has had a pretty ordinary series with his below average scores and granny spinners. He seems to only play well on the back of Ponting's good form, a bit like what is sometimes leveled at Paul Collingwood with regards to Kevin Pietersen. Steve Smith, the supposed all-rounder, had a similar series. Non-lethal with the bat and non-lethal with the ball. Philip Hughes just has little or no batting technique. Meanwhile, Mitchell Johnson has gone from being the best player in the world 18 months ago to someone who you have little or no confidence in to bowl straight let alone get you wickets.

The only ones to come out of this series better off than they were are Hussey, Haddin and maybe Siddle.

As for England, they have been brilliant almost to a man. Every batsmen played his part at some stage or another and the five bowlers (six if you include Broad) proved a lot of people and pundits wrong about their ability to bowl well in Australia. The selection of Tremlett for the injured Broad proved a masterstroke and even the controversial leaving out of Finn (then the highest wicket taker) for the Melbourne Test proved to be correct with Bresnan giving all the Aussies a torrid time. Special mention must go to Graeme Swann. On pitches that offered him next to nothing in terms of help, he was still able to make many of the Aussie batsmen look decidedly ordinary, particularly Clarke. With that, I think that Swann has cemented himself not only as the best spinner in the world but perhaps the best bowler full stop and should have walked away as ICC Player of the Year for 2010.

The only one who might be a little downtrodden with his overall performance is Collingwood as he never got going with the bat. He was his normal brilliant self in the field (somewhere where I think England has become the best in the world in the past year) but I do not think that that is enough, especially with Eoin Morgan in waiting.

As 20/20 champions, I see England as a very good bet to go far in the next World Cup and perhaps challenge for the World #1 spot. India and South Africa are not as far ahead of England as the table currently suggests, and neither may be any better at all.

 

[a0161613]

I am delighted that England have got the Ashes back. I can't believe how clinical we were in taking 20 wickets a match and then scoring big numbers, all done consistently.

The whole team deserves massive credit because we simply got it all right on the big stage. The tosses were won and decided correctly. Team selection was spot on, even though dropping Finn was a huge risk, it worked like a treat. Even losing Broad, who has matured into a tremendous bowler, was a minor blip. It's amazing to think that we did it without Pietersen or Collingwood being in top nick but it is good because it means the team finally stepped up in a big way.

I really like how poor we made the Aussies appear. Any Aussie team will never be average but you can count on one hand the number of times that they had England troubled.

I really hope we can take this momentum on to when we face the big teams. India will be a big test but we look unstoppable on this form and it's very welcome.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

That was a friggin' romp by England today! Oh how the might have fallen! The end of an era for the Aussies, as they clearly need a return to roots and rebuild. Their batting was bloody poor, and it was shameful that they couldn't take advantage of a good pitch to bowl.

And also what a win for India. This team is probably the best Indian team I have ever had the pleasure to see. They have finally acquired that resilient character that us fans were crying for, for years! They have taken the Aussie formula of having different teams for different formats and its working like a charm. I still think they need a good swing bowler, ala Mohammad Amir to be complete. Still, great day to be an Indian Cricket Fan!...and an English fan, yes of course.

 

[Барбоса]

I still think they need a good swing bowler, ala Mohammad Amir to be complete.

Despite their big victory in South Africa, I think this is spot on regarding the Indian pace attack. Aside from Zaheer Khan, they are all much of a muchness and I feel that that is a far bigger problem than many will give credit for.

Sure, it's not a big problem on the subcontinent or indeed almost anywhere in the southern hemisphere but when India come to England in the new year, it is possible that they could get drastically exposed. The aforementioned Amir had an absolute field day in England during the summer and with the slightest hint of late swing, James Anderson is nigh on unplayable even for such awesome batsmen as Sachin and Sehwag.

Personally, I think that there is a massive gap between the top three teams in the world, India, South Africa and England, and all the rest at the moment but the gap between those three is negligible and while it may not prove that way in the rankings, India/England next year will in my eyes be for right to be called the best team in the world.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Personally, I think that there is a massive gap between the top three teams in the world, India, South Africa and England, and all the rest at the moment but the gap between those three is negligible and while it may not prove that way in the rankings, India/England next year will in my eyes be for right to be called the best team in the world.

It's a damn good thing that India are facing two of the best teams before heading into the World Cup. Good tune-up but I have fears off burnout. Then again, it's at home; No f'ing excuses!

England have in the past 2 years just jumped out and taken the cricketing world by storm. I am amazed by this team because of one sole reason, they are A TEAM. All of them are giving it their all, and I can't pick out one or two guys for praise. They're like your Everton FC, those guys don't have the most glamorous players, but every time they're on field, they give their 110%.

I look forward to the New Year Series.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

It's a damn good thing that India are facing two of the best teams before heading into the World Cup.

Paper, India are touring England in July after the World Cup.

Despite their big victory in South Africa, I think this is spot on regarding the Indian pace attack. Aside from Zaheer Khan, they are all much of a muchness and I feel that that is a far bigger problem than many will give credit for.

I think Ashish Nehra will be available for test matches after the World Cup. He is a bit injury prone and that is why he is not playing in tests leading upto the WC because he does not want to miss the WC at any cost. He can be a very good bowler as he proved when he took 6-23 against at the 2003 World Cup.

Also Sreesanth bowled beautifully today. His first spell was accurate as well as attacking. The ball that got Kallis out was a motherfucker of a delivery. Any international batsman would have been troubled by it.

All in all while I do think that India lack a quality swing bowler after Zaheer, I would say that something that works in their favor is Harbhajan Singh. He can be a handful for any team batting in the third or the fourth innings anywhere in the world. Also Sreesanth is a good bowler when motivated and Nehra coming back will only strengthen India's bowling attack even further.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Paper, India are touring England in July after the World Cup.



I think Ashish Nehra will be available for test matches after the World Cup. He is a bit injury prone and that is why he is not playing in tests leading upto the WC because he does not want to miss the WC at any cost. He can be a very good bowler as he proved when he took 6-23 against at the 2003 World Cup.

Also Sreesanth bowled beautifully today. His first spell was accurate as well as attacking. The ball that got Kallis out was a motherfucker of a delivery. Any international batsman would have been troubled by it.

All in all while I do think that India lack a quality swing bowler after Zaheer, I would say that something that works in their favor is Harbhajan Singh. He can be a handful for any team batting in the third or the fourth innings anywhere in the world. Also Sreesanth is a good bowler when motivated and Nehra coming back will only strengthen India's bowling attack even further.

My bad about the England series.

See Nehra is inconsistent to say the least. Add injury-prone to that, and he is downright irrelevant. That one match at the 2003 WC is just a very distant memory. India (namely Dhoni) needs to look into their youth facility and ear-mark a swing bowler and an out n' out FAST bowler for the future and nurture him as so.

Sreesanth is so hit n' miss as well. I would take Ishant Sharma over him any day of the week. Sure he can perform like today, but once in a blue f'ing moon isn't good enough.

 

[Shadowmancer]

I'm going to put forward the Windies as a possible Dark Horse for the World Cup, Gayle, Chanderpaul and Sammy could pull out a number of upsets. They are nowhere near as good as the days of the most lethal quicks in the game, that has long passed. but I can see them as a possible wild card in the tournament rather than legitimate contenders.

 

[mrbrownstone]

As far as NZ winning the world cup goes, I agree with you guy for the most part in that they probably won't win, but I have to hold onto hope, I am a NZ supporter after all. All I was saying is that they have the potential to go far, if they cant get their best team on the park with no injures and play to their full potential then they can beat any team on any day it is just a shame that those days are few and far between. So I don't think they will win the World Cup but you never know, I would definitely look at them as dark horses.

One more thing I want to discuss, sure India are the best team in the world now I don't argue that but I think in a few years they will suffer the same problems that Australia has, in that suddenly their best players will all retire. Dravid and Tendulkar are both 37 and Laxman is 36 they have one maybe two years max left and they will be gone they suddenly your test match 3,4 and 5 are gone. Sehwag and Khan are both 32 so they wont be around all that much longer either, especially Kahn given he is a fast bowler. So all of a sudden your four best batsmen and your best bowler are gone. Now I know India have blooded players like a Raina but you are never going to be able to replace Tendukar, just like Aussie couldn't replace Warne and McGrath. Thoughts on this, will India be able to remain Number 1 after these players are gone?

 

[Shadowmancer]

So about New Zealand and any chance of winning the world cup should be shown to be a moot point as that performance against Pakistan was beyond any form of the word atrocious. The first four all getting out for a duck, Pigdog managed to get a respectable score but no one else managed to. get into double figures on the runs. Pathetic. There is little I can say about how pathetic this is. the second worst Twenty20 score by a test playing Nation. I'm almost tempted to write an email to the Indian Cricket Council and demand that they remove Nw Zealands Test Playing status.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

My bad about the England series.

See Nehra is inconsistent to say the least. Add injury-prone to that, and he is downright irrelevant. That one match at the 2003 WC is just a very distant memory. India (namely Dhoni) needs to look into their youth facility and ear-mark a swing bowler and an out n' out FAST bowler for the future and nurture him as so.

Sreesanth is so hit n' miss as well. I would take Ishant Sharma over him any day of the week. Sure he can perform like today, but once in a blue f'ing moon isn't good enough.

Actually I feel that Sreesanth is much better than Ishant. Ishant's pace is a bit overrated if you ask me. On a good day Sreesanth can match Ishant's pace. Also Sreesanth's stock delivery is the outswinger while Ishant is predominantly an inswing bowler. Mostly its quality outswing bowling that bothers most international batsman as compared to inswingers. The ball that is pitched on an off stump line but just moves away a fraction is the one that induces edges. An in swing bowler has very little margin for error. If he pitches slightly straight he'll be taken for runs by good batsman. Same in Ishant's case. If you check his performances he has been pretty inconsistent as well. At least Sreesanth has won India a test match more or less on his own. Ishant's claim to fame is one great spell he bowled in Australia in which he took one wicket only. Sreesanth looks to be the more talented one to me.

As for Nehra I would say that he has been better since he has returned but yes his stamina is still a huge question mark for me. But still he might be India's best bet after Sreesanth and obviously Zaheer. Too bad Irfan Pathan declined the way he did.

 

[mrbrownstone]

So about New Zealand and any chance of winning the world cup should be shown to be a moot point as that performance against Pakistan was beyond any form of the word atrocious. The first four all getting out for a duck, Pigdog managed to get a respectable score but no one else managed to. get into double figures on the runs. Pathetic. There is little I can say about how pathetic this is. the second worst Twenty20 score by a test playing Nation. I'm almost tempted to write an email to the Indian Cricket Council and demand that they remove Nw Zealands Test Playing status.

You beat me too it, after watching that performance I take back my statement of NZ being dark horses for the world cup. Absolutely pathetic in every aspect, the bowlers bowled far too short (as usual) and even though Milne looks to be a decent prospect for the future with his pace (he got up to 151 KM/H tonight) he is far too experianced for the international level and it showed. Pakistan put him under pressure and he responded poorly to it, he sprayed the ball everywhere and tried too much when all he needed to do was bowl a yorker length. Still though he looks like he has a lot of potential and is very reminiscent of Shane Bond, not too surprising considering Bond is coaching him, I say keep him in domestic cricket for a couple of years and let him gat a bit of experience under his belt then bring him into the international side.

The batting was absolutely horrible to put it nicely, when all of your top four makes ducks you are never going to be able to win a game no matter how deep you bat. Syryis batted well but a horrible showing apart from that, we need McCullum and Vettori back in the worst way.

 

[mrbrownstone]

I'm slightly late on this but I have a few thoughts I want to offer about the current fifth Ashes test.

First off how impressive was Khawaja, sure he may have only made 37 runs but he looked damn good while doing so. He looked to stay reasonably calm while wickets were falling around him, he did well to keep his concentration with all of the breaks in play due to the rain. He also looked really classy, he had all the shots and scored runs all over the ground, he is certainly worth persisting with as Australia need young batsmen in their team with both Ponting and Hussey nearing the end of their carers. He is certainly a promising prospect for the future and I really hope he does well in the second innings.

I am also impressed by Beer, he may not be the best spinner in the world but from what I have seen of him in this innings he has the potential to be very good. The crucial thing in this is he is not afraid to flight the ball up, which is why I like him more than Hauritz, sure it may mean he gets taken for a few runs but it also means he is a good chance of taking a wicket. He is another young player I would like to see Australia persist with.

All in all Aussie may not be the best team in the world right now but there is hope, they may have to take a hit for the next few years but the talent is there. Guys like Khawaja, Beer, Smith, Hughes, Pain, Cosgrove etc all have potential to be world class players in time, just give them a few years in the team, and most importantly persist with them, if they don't get off to the best start don't worry give them ten tests in a row and let them have a bit of experience at that level.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

Actually I feel that Sreesanth is much better than Ishant. Ishant's pace is a bit overrated if you ask me. On a good day Sreesanth can match Ishant's pace. Also Sreesanth's stock delivery is the outswinger while Ishant is predominantly an inswing bowler. Mostly its quality outswing bowling that bothers most international batsman as compared to inswingers. The ball that is pitched on an off stump line but just moves away a fraction is the one that induces edges. An in swing bowler has very little margin for error. If he pitches slightly straight he'll be taken for runs by good batsman. Same in Ishant's case. If you check his performances he has been pretty inconsistent as well. At least Sreesanth has won India a test match more or less on his own. Ishant's claim to fame is one great spell he bowled in Australia in which he took one wicket only. Sreesanth looks to be the more talented one to me.

As for Nehra I would say that he has been better since he has returned but yes his stamina is still a huge question mark for me. But still he might be India's best bet after Sreesanth and obviously Zaheer. Too bad Irfan Pathan declined the way he did.

See Sreesanth should never play the World Cup for me. His performances stand out when the pitch is in his favor. Ishant on the other hand can try and get you on a placid Eden-Garden if he wanted to. Sure he has a lot to improve upon but in no way is Sreesanth a better regular opening bowler.
Don't think Dhoni will play him this World Cup.

Irfans' case breaks my heart. 7 years ago, this man was heralded as the next Akram. A great swing bowler, so much potential, could even swing the bat right at times and then the coaches got into his ear and fucked him up. If sources are to be believed Greg Chappell was the one who wanted to make him more of a Mcgrath than an Akram. Well if they're right. F*CK YOU CHAPPELL!

 

[mrbrownstone]

Well, today confirmed the sad state of Australian cricket. An absolutely pathetic performance, surely it can't be that hard to actually put up a fight and at leas try to bat out five sessions on a pitch that is still playing pretty well and has no major demons. Well of course it is hard, look at some of the dismissals, Wastson absolutely threw his wicket away although the fault is not all his, there was always two there and Hughes shuld have run. Khawaja played at a ball that was far too wide, he could have comfortably left that alone but he played at it and got him self out.

Credit has to be given to England though, they have out played Australia in every aspect of the game. They have out fielded them, their slips catching has ben absolutely outstanding. They have out batted them by a long way, four scores of 500+ including two of 600+ is unbelievable, whats more is every one of their top seven bar Collingwood have scored tons, including two double tons. By contrast only two Australian batsmen have, Hussey and Haddin, their top order has failed which is why they have lost and often been bowled out for less than 300. They have out bowled them as well, James Anderson has been outstanding and the others have backed him up well. In contrast Aussie has been inconsistent, Johnson looked good at times but he also leaks runs, Siddle had one good game and has done shit all since, Harris was pretty good but got injured, Hilfenhaus has been pretty ineffective and had pitched the ball far too short for a swing bowler.

On a more positive note, this India/SA test is amazing, everything you would want when the top two teams play each other. Kallis has been outstanding and is in the form of his life and Sachin scored yet another great century. We have seen great bowling from Steyn and Sreesanth with the second new ball and a master class on spin bowling from Harbhajan yesterday. This final day will be interesting, I would back SA to win but I wouldn't put it past India to pull of a victory, they have a very strong batting line up and if anyone would be capable of doing it it would be them, especially if Sehwag gets going, that could make things very interesting.

 

[gj2000]

Australian Cricket is dead. That's all i can say from witnessing another dominant day by England. Fair enough, we have been out-played. But to not even have a go, especially on JANE MCGRATH DAY is pretty bad.

Theres one question on my mind though. Are Australia THAT bad, or are England THAT good. Im more leaning toward Australia being bad. England didnt do anything special. They bowled stump to stump, they blocked the good balls and smashed the bad balls; something Australia couldnt do.

The Australian side/board needs to be changed. It's long overdue. Andrew Hilditch needs to go. He has been a terrible chairman because of his way to priorities issues and selections when the going gets tough in Australian cricket. How Hauritz was dropped from the team is one of the most shocking revelations i have seen; he then says Beer would be selected because he knew the WACA pitch. Two problems with that; Beer had only played 3 or so first class matches on the wicket. 2nd; HE WAS NEVER GOING TO PLAY!

Callum Ferguson needs to be in the side. Khawaja needs to stay. Tim Paine needs to come in as a specialist batsman. Theoretically in the next few years Katich, Ponting, Hussey and Haddin will retire. To start the transitional period, some changes need to be made now. Steve Smith brings an excitement to the Australian side; he's young, he's energetic and loves his cricket. DOUG BOLLINGER NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT BACK IN. Why Hilfenhouse remains in that Test Squad is dumbfounding. Why Douggy didn't get the chance to play on his HOME pitch is even more dumbfounding.

I have to give it to the Poms, they've thoroughly outplayed us. However, for Ian Botham to label Phil Hughes a cheat is disgusting and quite ridiculous. Hughes went up, but you could see in his face that he didn't know if he had caught it. In the heat of the moment, with a ball coming at over 100km an hour, it's understandable for someone to think they may have caught the ball. For Botham to say that is an absolute joke. Flashback to the 2009 Ashes series, when Strauss caught Hughes in the slips when the replays clearly showed that Strauss had grassed the ball. I bet Botham didn't say anything about that, eh? Look, as i said England have outplayed us well and truly, but that rubbish needs to be put in the bin.

Australia needs to do something, and fast

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

Australian Cricket is dead.

I don't agree with you...and I am English! It isnt dead, just in need of MAJOR, MAJOR rebuilding. You were spoiled throughout the 90s with players such as Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist, the Waughs and Hayden. What would England have given for just one of those players during that time?!

The new generation of Aussie players isnt up to the required standard yet, but will improve. It is a shame for you that many of the names I mentioned have retired within a couple of years, meaning alot of new players have had to come into the team at the same time, rather than 1 new recruit settling in to the side at a time. You are basically building a new team from scratch which will take time. England needed a long time to build a team capable of beating you.

Theres one question on my mind though. Are Australia THAT bad, or are England THAT good.

I think its a bit of both. You certainly haven't performed well during this series, but England have shown that they do have alot of quality. Cook has answered his critics in unbelievable fashion, as has Bell. Strauss is becoming an excellent captain and has always been a top quality batter, while Anderson has established himself as one of the top bowlers in the world. Even Swann, who had never seriously been considered for the test team until the last couple of years, has matured into a very good spinner. Kevin Pietersen is still there, and is capable of a brilliant innings at any time, although his form doesnt seem to be what it was 2 or 3 years ago, which is still worrying. He will get back to his best though, in time.

England are nowhere near the level that the Aussies were during their peak years, and we don't have a bowler to compare with the likes of Shane Warne (my all time favourite player) or Glenn McGrath, but at the moment there is no test side that should scare England. We have a very good side right now.

Theoretically in the next few years Katich, Ponting, Hussey and Haddin will retire. To start the transitional period, some changes need to be made now.

Correct. Man, your entire team has been ripped to shreds hasnt it? Add Ponting and Mr Cricket Mike Hussey to the list of legends that have retired over the last 4 years or so, and even Brett Lee (he is retired too isnt he?) and you really have to start from the beginning again. The players coming into the side dont seem good enough to me, it could be a while before you get back to the top.

I have to give it to the Poms, they've thoroughly outplayed us. However, for Ian Botham to label Phil Hughes a cheat is disgusting and quite ridiculous. Hughes went up, but you could see in his face that he didn't know if he had caught it. In the heat of the moment, with a ball coming at over 100km an hour, it's understandable for someone to think they may have caught the ball. For Botham to say that is an absolute joke. Australia needs to do something, and fast

Agreed. A very well deserved victory for us, and it was about time we held onto the Ashes for more than one series. That 5-0 hammering you gave us after we had beaten you in 2005 was appalling, so we needed this one. Also, I am unsure on the Phil Hughes incident. I am leaning towards the fact he wasnt sure if he had caught it, but decided to throw in a half-hearted appeal anyway. I don't think he is a cheat, there hasnt been any other events that would make me think he cheats. I think perhaps with the speed of the ball travelling towards you, and the split second it took for the ball to bounce, that he wasnt sure either way and it would have been silly not to appeal. As much as I love Beefy (and he is a total legend), I think he went a bit over the top calling Hughes a cheat here.

 

[mrbrownstone]

Natural, Bret Lee is not retired, he still plays domestic one day and 20/20 (and possibly four day matches, not sure on that one though) cricket at domestic level for NSW, it just seems that he is not being selected which is completely ridiculous considering even after his multitude of injuries he is still better than the current pace attack combined.

Australian Cricket is dead.

No it is not, but it will have to go through a rebuilding phase. They have basically lost the whole foundation of their team in the past couple of years losing their openers in Langer and Hayden and losing their best bowlers in Warne and McGrath, that is not the kind of thing you can bounce back from quickly. Lets just hope they don't end up like the West Indies, the best team in world cricket then they lose the majority of their team and now they are one of the worst teams. I am optimistic that wont happen though with the amount of talent they have floating around the domestic scene.

Theres one question on my mind though. Are Australia THAT bad, or are England THAT good. Im more leaning toward Australia being bad. England didnt do anything special. They bowled stump to stump, they blocked the good balls and smashed the bad balls; something Australia couldnt do.

A mixture of both, yes Australia have played poor cricket for the most part but England have also played exceptionally well. When you get four 500+ scores and consistently bowl a team out for less than 300 you must be doing something right.

How Hauritz was dropped from the team is one of the most shocking revelations i have seen; he then says Beer would be selected because he knew the WACA pitch. Two problems with that; Beer had only played 3 or so first class matches on the wicket. 2nd; HE WAS NEVER GOING TO PLAY!

Completely disagree, Hauritz deserved to be dropped. He wasn't taking wickets on a regular basis and he was leaking runs, he couldn't even keep an end tied up and help build pressure to get the quicks wickets. He hardly spun the ball also, even on pitches which suited him.

Callum Ferguson needs to be in the side. Khawaja needs to stay. Tim Paine needs to come in as a specialist batsman. Theoretically in the next few years Katich, Ponting, Hussey and Haddin will retire.

Completely agree, all three should be in the side. They are all exciting young prospects who are scoring big runs at domestic level consistently, that is exactly what Aussie need at the moment.

DOUG BOLLINGER NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT BACK IN. Why Hilfenhouse remains in that Test Squad is dumbfounding. Why Douggy didn't get the chance to play on his HOME pitch is even more dumbfounding.

No he most certainly doesn't, there is noting good about his bowling to me. At least the other bowlers have redeeming factors, Hilfenhaus swings the ball, Johnson is quick and can knock over a team on his day, Harris is taking wickets quickly, Siddle bangs the ball in and seams it, what does Bollinger do to make him special?

 

[gj2000]

Completely disagree, Hauritz deserved to be dropped. He wasn't taking wickets on a regular basis and he was leaking runs, he couldn't even keep an end tied up and help build pressure to get the quicks wickets. He hardly spun the ball also, even on pitches which suited him.

How could you say he deserved to be dropped? On his last test on home soil, he bowled well. Face it, spinners go for runs, its just a fact. Heck, tell me what better spinner we have right now? Beer bowls an alright line and length, but he doesn't spin it THAT match. And lets face it, spinners are suited to the SCG. He should be getting more than 1 wicket. Doherty? He played well in one ODI and got picked for the Test side. That was a joke in itself. Since being dropped, Hauritz has taken 19 wickets at 26.78 and has scored 2 hundreds, one on a crumbling pitch. That deserves a test recall. He is Australia's number one spinner at this present moment.

No he most certainly doesn't, there is noting good about his bowling to me. At least the other bowlers have redeeming factors, Hilfenhaus swings the ball, Johnson is quick and can knock over a team on his day, Harris is taking wickets quickly, Siddle bangs the ball in and seams it, what does Bollinger do to make him special?

Bollinger takes wickets. Hilfenhouse? He may swing it, but he bowls far too short to get the batsmen in a difficult position. Before this test, Hilfenhouse had 4 wickets from 4 matches - At test level, thats just not good enough. Siddle has one good test match, then doesn't take a wicket for the next 5 matches. Harris i agree, very good bowler. What you said about Johnson - on HIS DAY. His Day is very rarely. He can be bloody good, but god he can be woeful. This goes for his batting too. Bollinger shows heart and pride. Something that Australia doesn't have at the moment. He bowls stump to stump; Adelaide was difficult, every bowler was getting whacked. Doug puts in the effort when everybody else is going through the motions. And can i also add that Cricket Australia completely dropped the ball with Stuart Clark. He bowled stump to stump, every ball ala Glenn McGrath. Even now i would pick him in my test side. Complete travesty for mine