The Ashes - Australia vs England 2010/11 Test Series.

[Coin_Toss]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

The tour match between Victoria and England begins today.

Victoria: 0/15 from 9 overs

DEC Bushrangers: Ryan Carters, Michael Hill, Cameron White (c), David Hussey, Aaron Finch, Alex Keath, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Jayde Herrick, Clint McKay, Jonathon Holland, Thomas Stray (12th)

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Steve Davies (wk), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen (12th)

Dave Hussey looking for runs to get him a berth in the Ashes squad for Perth.

 

[shawthing09]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

The tour match between Victoria and England begins today.

Victoria: 0/15 from 9 overs

DEC Bushrangers: Ryan Carters, Michael Hill, Cameron White (c), David Hussey, Aaron Finch, Alex Keath, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Jayde Herrick, Clint McKay, Jonathon Holland, Thomas Stray (12th)

England: Andrew Strauss (c), Alastair Cook, Steve Davies (wk), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Ajmal Shahzad, Chris Tremlett, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen (12th)

Dave Hussey looking for runs to get him a berth in the Ashes squad for Perth.

White batting at three would be for the same reasons. I hope they both get huge numbers. Hill too for that matter, not that he is any chance to break the side, but he is a really talanted kid who I hope starts to put his name up for selection in the future. Are the scores for this being updated online or on the radio anywhere?

 

[Coin_Toss]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

White batting at three would be for the same reasons. I hope they both get huge numbers. Hill too for that matter, not that he is any chance to break the side, but he is a really talanted kid who I hope starts to put his name up for selection in the future. Are the scores for this being updated online or on the radio anywhere?

http://livescores.cricket.com.au/

Try this link to follow scores. Hill and White at the crease with Victoria 1/46 after 23 overs.

 

[Quicky]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

White batting at three would be for the same reasons. I hope they both get huge numbers. Hill too for that matter, not that he is any chance to break the side, but he is a really talanted kid who I hope starts to put his name up for selection in the future. Are the scores for this being updated online or on the radio anywhere?

Your man Hill is on 68no, albeit with a s/r of 34.

It'll be interesting to see how Keath goes.

 

[Histrionics]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

Good to see Dave Hussey making runs.

Anyone is a chance to come into the Aussie side with the way we have been travelling. It's a shame Cam White didn't make the most of his opportunity.

 

[Quicky]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

Hill is 99no...

 

[shawthing09]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

Hill is 99no...

Hopefully that is a decent kick start to get him up there, played against him a couple of times absolute freak. I may be wrong but I think he still holds the record for the highest score in a junior state game.Interesting decision to declare, I wonder if there was a gentleman's agreement about it, I would have thought it would have been worth letting Hussey ton up.

 

[Quicky]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

Hopefully that is a decent kick start to get him up there, played against him a couple of times absolute freak. I may be wrong but I think he still holds the record for the highest score in a junior state game.Interesting decision to declare, I wonder if there was a gentleman's agreement about it, I would have thought it would have been worth letting Hussey ton up.

I've gotta say I was quite exited by Hills knock but that may have had more to do with the state of Aus cricket than anything else.

Hussey put his hand up and North would have to be in trouble.

What do you think of Beers selection? I can't really judge as I havn't seen him but he has the Warne seal of approval which suggests the Beer isn't afraid to 1) flight and 2) turn the ball. Plus he has a killer name

 

[mattys123]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

What do you think of Beers selection? I can't really judge as I havn't seen him but he has the Warne seal of approval which suggests the Beer isn't afraid to 1) flight and 2) turn the ball. Plus he has a killer name

The Beers inclusion stinks of panic to me.

After all, he's an ex Victorian who couldn't get a game ahead of Bryce McGain or Jon Holland so he left and went over to WA, where he has played a massive 5 first class games. (I mean clearly he's ready for test cricket).

He could shock us all, but I seriously doubt it.

I'm hoping he doesn't play and we play 4 quicks, Steve Smith and let Watson do some bowling also.

 

[shawthing09]

Re: The Ashes - Australia vs England Test Series.

I've gotta say I was quite exited by Hills knock but that may have had more to do with the state of Aus cricket than anything else.

Hussey put his hand up and North would have to be in trouble.

What do you think of Beers selection? I can't really judge as I havn't seen him but he has the Warne seal of approval which suggests the Beer isn't afraid to 1) flight and 2) turn the ball. Plus he has a killer name

Yeh it was a good knock but to be fair that England attack was worse then their test attack and we already know I don't rate their test attack. He is a very good kid and seeing as our current test openers are A)Katich who is 30 plus, B) Watson who is an all rounder and still hasn't shown an ability to kick on with starts and C) Hughes who has made 1 first class 50 in the last 12 months. I'd say it's good to have an opener show something, we need that depth and competition for spots back. The kid is a total natural talent, very smart cricketer and top guy to boot so I really hope he kicks on now and starts to push for selection sooner rather then later.

As for Beers I think Mattys123 is right, it is a selection made out of panic, that said it is the right kind of panic. It would have been far too easy to just go back to Hauritz but at least they are looking for someone different. I would have thought Krezja would have still been an option but he may have gone the Hodge route and burnt his bridges. Still given my theory on the effect the T20 is having on spin bowling I am glad. Let's face there was talk we wanted Warne to come back and anything other then that is a good thing for Australian cricket.

 

[Quicky]

Thoughts on O'Keefe as an option?

 

[beez]

Thoughts on O'Keefe as an option?

Apparently he was seen shaking his head when the squad was announced on the scoreboard at NSW's recent match.

 

[mattys123]

Apparently he was seen shaking his head when the squad was announced on the scoreboard at NSW's recent match.

The whole NSW squad were visibly upset when they saw the squad, but it was simply because Hauritz wasn't named, despite taking plenty of wickets and making a ton with the bat in that SS game.

The squad they have picked has about a 1% chance of winning a test, let alone a test match against one of (if not) the most in form team in world cricket.

We simply won't win with the squad they picked, but at least Bollinger is gone, he simply isn't up to test level.

 

[shawthing09]

The whole NSW squad were visibly upset when they saw the squad, but it was simply because Hauritz wasn't named, despite taking plenty of wickets and making a ton with the bat in that SS game.

The squad they have picked has about a 1% chance of winning a test, let alone a test match against one of (if not) the most in form team in world cricket.

We simply won't win with the squad they picked, but at least Bollinger is gone, he simply isn't up to test level.

This is reactionary and non-sense. England the form team in world cricket my left foot. India are that far above England in terms of both current side and depth for the future it is not funny. India is the new bench mark in world cricket and given how poor most other sides are they have every chance to dominate world cricket in a similar fashion to the way we have previously.

The line up we have selected has every chance of winning a test against this England line up. It's still, as it was when England came over, going to have a lot to do with luck, concentration and mindset.

 

[mattys123]

This is reactionary and non-sense. England the form team in world cricket my left foot. India are that far above England in terms of both current side and depth for the future it is not funny. India is the new bench mark in world cricket and given how poor most other sides are they have every chance to dominate world cricket in a similar fashion to the way we have previously.

The line up we have selected has every chance of winning a test against this England line up. It's still, as it was when England came over, going to have a lot to do with luck, concentration and mindset.

South Africa are the best team on earth, I still believe that, but England and India are closing. India struggle away from home though, as the poms seem to thrive away from home now.

The comment I made was of course reactionary, we are 1-0 down in an Ashes series at home, and we have very little chance of winning any of the next 3 tests, let alone 2 of them.

I still hold out a slight piece of hope, only because the selectors have finally got rid of Bollinger and North, 2 players who simply will never be up to world class level.

But as a cricket follower, the fact Kawaja and Ferguson can't even make the squad baffles me, these 2 kids are the future of Australian batting, they are bold, fearless and exciting to watch, and need to be promoted to all 3 forms of the game at the highest level now.

I hope Steve Smith plays, he needs time to develop, and you just never know with Beers, if Warnie sees something in him, then maybe their is hope.

I hope we win, but I can't see it happening, the poms are in too good of form, and we are at a 10-12 year low both in terms of form and talent on the park.

 

[shawthing09]

South Africa are the best team on earth, I still believe that, but England and India are closing. India struggle away from home though, as the poms seem to thrive away from home now.

The comment I made was of course reactionary, we are 1-0 down in an Ashes series at home, and we have very little chance of winning any of the next 3 tests, let alone 2 of them.

I still hold out a slight piece of hope, only because the selectors have finally got rid of Bollinger and North, 2 players who simply will never be up to world class level.

But as a cricket follower, the fact Kawaja and Ferguson can't even make the squad baffles me, these 2 kids are the future of Australian batting, they are bold, fearless and exciting to watch, and need to be promoted to all 3 forms of the game at the highest level now.

I hope Steve Smith plays, he needs time to develop, and you just never know with Beers, if Warnie sees something in him, then maybe their is hope.

I hope we win, but I can't see it happening, the poms are in too good of form, and we are at a 10-12 year low both in terms of form and talent on the park.

South Africa lack the overall depth and talent of India by a large margian IMO, the only thing stopping India from being unbeatable is how schtizophrenic their performances and selectors are. If they could bridge the gap between their best and their worst I don't think South Africa get near them in the talent stakes. There is no reason this shouldn't happen considering how good a number of their players are for all conditions but it remains to be seen whether it will actually happen.

On more important and relevant stuff we have every chance to win one or two of the next tests, don't through the baby out with the bath water. The way cricket is seen is so relative, awesome batting makes good bowling look pedestrian, poor batting makes pedestrian bowling look awesome and vice versa. Our problem this series has been far more to do with decision making and concentration then overall talent. Katich running himself out combined with Watson's inability to capatalise on big starts really cost us that test. Their is no denying that our bowling attack isn't up to scratch, but theirs isn't much chop either. The next big advantage they have is Swan.

So onto the Beers selection, yes it smacks of desperation but we should be desperate, it's about bloody time. We have been through 6 spinners in our side since Warne all of which have been flat, straight break bowlers who are closer to "slow" bowlers then they are spinners. Beers maybe desperate but it's also a more accurate indication of where we are at in terms of a quality test spinner in this country. I would rather we filter through 6 guys like him to find the right one, then filter through flat bowlers and persisting with them when they have an o.k summer only to act suprised when they struggle when the batsmen are on top.

On promoting people to all 3 forms of the game I think that's problematic to say the least. IMO T20 should almost be reserved for the spectacle aspect. Guys like Tait and Nannes who only want to play the short form and guys who are no chance at playing the longer form. The gap between what is needed in T20 and test is too large IMO and you will make it hard for up and coming cricketers if you try and mould them into being able to play all three. If someone from one rank shows ability in another after having cemented their spot then look at getting them in the other but I think primarily we should ear marking players as either T20 or test.

On Usman I agree we need to get him in sooner rather then later but I think it would be a bit much given his lack of form currently, the last thing you want to do is promote a guy in poor form and then before you know it he is under pressure to hold his spot.

On Ferguson I just can't justify him being in the test side, you can't make starts as often as he does and not kick in. He is talanted yes, brilliant to watch yes but he doesn't kick on enough, he has a good SS average but hardly amazing and hasn't shown the ability to really punish sides once getting a start. That has been the difference between the sides so far this series. The amount of our guys getting out having done the hard work is just not acceptable.

On Smith I would rather play him then a Hauritz, Doherty etc. He isn't a great deal different to them but if your going to pick that kind of spinner may as well be an all rounder. Again I worry more for him though, he is a batting all rounder being picked as a bowler before he is ready as a batsmen. That said he has enough going for him that it's probably the time to make a bold move and get him in there.

 

[Quicky]

On Usman I agree we need to get him in sooner rather then later but I think it would be a bit much given his lack of form currently, the last thing you want to do is promote a guy in poor form and then before you know it he is under pressure to hold his spot.

On Smith I would rather play him then a Hauritz, Doherty etc. He isn't a great deal different to them but if your going to pick that kind of spinner may as well be an all rounder. Again I worry more for him though, he is a batting all rounder being picked as a bowler before he is ready as a batsmen. That said he has enough going for him that it's probably the time to make a bold move and get him in there.

Usman just hit a century and I think has the second highest 4 day average this season behind D Hussey. I guess its a reflection of having no stand out options right now but I think that Usman is as good a balance between form and future as we have right now.

Agree with you on Ferguson. It would be like selecting Marsh who has shown not alot for awhile now despite the potential.

I'll be interested to see Smiths bowling. I havn't seen alot of him and have read conflicting things about his bowling. I have heard that he turns the ball a bit more than the darty bowlers we have been choosing.

 

[shawthing09]

Usman just hit a century and I think has the second highest 4 day average this season behind D Hussey. I guess its a reflection of having no stand out options right now but I think that Usman is as good a balance between form and future as we have right now.

Agree with you on Ferguson. It would be like selecting Marsh who has shown not alot for awhile now despite the potential.

I'll be interested to see Smiths bowling. I havn't seen alot of him and have read conflicting things about his bowling. I have heard that he turns the ball a bit more than the darty bowlers we have been choosing.

Good stuff Re Usman, he can't be far away. The question is if you want to play Smith as an all rounder who do you drop from our current batting line up?

On Smith, he is a leg spinner so people can get carried away. He certainly has the ability to toss the ball up a bit more which is a plus, I have hopes for him long term, he is a good bat technically and has good control for a leg spinner so young and as I mentioned he certainly can toss the ball up a bit which is good. I still think he is more along the lines of Kumble has a pretty high and straight release and tends to get a lot more top spin then side spin. The best spinners in the world have been guys who could spin it on glass Smith certainly doesn't fit into that catergory, but he is an exciting all round cricketer. I just re-read my post and I think my "he isn't a great deal different to them" was misleading and or inaccurate, he obviously is, I meant more that he still isn't an ideal choice for a front line spinner and is more then likely going to be more on the hold up an end side of the scale then the take a lot of wickets side.

 

[Coin_Toss]

I had Khawaja in my team for the first test in Brisbane. His form has been as good as anyone in first-class cricket and that 100 he made in the Ryobi Cup against South Australia was one 'out of the textbook' (albeit on a flat pitch). If we lose in Perth I'll be surprised if he doesn't come in for a test in Melbourne or Sydney.

 

[shawthing09]

I had Khawaja in my team for the first test in Brisbane. His form has been as good as anyone in first-class cricket and that 100 he made in the Ryobi Cup against South Australia was one 'out of the textbook' (albeit on a flat pitch). If we lose in Perth I'll be surprised if he doesn't come in for a test in Melbourne or Sydney.

Yeh he had to be close, in fact he was flown up when Clarke was in doubt for that test. The ballsy and probably right decision would have been to start the series with Ussie in and North out.

 

[Histrionics]

We should have started the rebuild after we lost the last Ashes series, not now.

We should already know if Khawaja, Smith, Ferguson etc etc can play at test level. The stuff that is going on now is just ridiculous.

 

[beez]

lol @ Australia

 

[Primetime Pricey]

Australia are pathetic, seriously are we even gonna be challenged?

 

[shawthing09]

Australia are pathetic, seriously are we even gonna be challenged?

Australia have been asking that question for my entirity of my life. On Australia things are pretty bad considering that our batting line up is still stronger then our bowling one and well we have seen how our batting has performed.

Hughes looked so poor in his short time out there and given his stats leading in I am not sure how he is going to "turn it around"

Smith I have said on the lead up probably isn't strong enough to be picked as a batsmen or a bowler right now. If we want him to play as our next spinner bat him at 8 and play him as a bowler because he is not ready as a batsmen despite being talanted.

Usman really needs to be given a chance now.

The SS cricketers really need to put there hand up and bash the door down right about now.

 

[mattys123]

And some questioned me when I said we were gone, and couldn't win this test, pfft.

Even without picking Beer, this side is terrible, it lacks any real "punch" whatsoever, and has no star power.

It's stars are now too old, and the replacements or newcomers aren't up to it.

As amazing as it seems though, this test isn't over yet, with the Poms batting last, if Australia can somehow find one bowler capable of getting wickets, and they can keep the Poms under 350, this game is still on.

Tomorrow will decide whether Australia still have a chance in the Ashes series or not, they simply have to bowl the poms out, or go very close to it by stumps.

I'm praying a miracle happens tomorrow, because it may be our last chance to get back into this series.