Ashes Cricket

[hornetrider]

Crim squad announced. Must admit my overwhelming thoughts are 'who?' and 'meh'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/24/austra...

Michael Clarke (C),
Brad Haddin (VC),
Jackson Bird,
Ed Cowan,
James Faulkner,
Ryan Harris,
Phil Hughes,
Usman Khawaja,
Nathan Lyon,
James Pattinson,
Chris Rogers,
Peter Siddle,
Mitchell Starc,
Matthew Wade,
David Warner,
Shane Watson

Predictions?

Well, unlike Glenda I'm only going to go with 4-0. Weather is bound to scupper at least one result.

[anonymous-user]

Bringing back some old blokes looks a bit like selectors weren't spoilt for choice, or is it just a good mix of youth and experience. They need to do what England did years ago and get rid of all the players that turn up expecting to lose. Unfortunately that would just leave them with (demoted) Shane Watson.

[anonymous-user]

That does look a pretty poor squad in comparison to previous years. No McGrath type predictions, but England really should win this series.

[DJRC]

Who the hell is Jackson Bird? Never heard of him!!!

[Victor McDade]

They're coming over with a decent pace attack however the batting and spin departments look really weak. They should have convinced Mike Hussey to play for one more year.

Edited by Victor McDade on Wednesday 24th April 17:50

[dav123a]

Agreed batting looks very thin. 10/15 years ago guys like Stuart Law couldn't get a game. Think the quicks look good but most of them seem to pick up alot of injuries. I think the weather may have say in the final score but I'll go 3-1. Root to score a bucketful.

[Amirhussain]

Hope Shane Watson flops, hate that guy.

[Get Karter]

Lot of people seem to dislike Shane Watson, particularly Aussie cricket pundits.
I have never heard what the problem is with him, other than he's got a big ego, but so do lots of sportsmen...so what's the problem with SW?

Personally I reckon the Ashes will be closer than the easy win many are predicting for England.
England batting is never many innings from a collapse, as evidenced in NZ on 'flat, draw pitches'.
And I think the England bowling attack is going into this summer weaker than it has been for a long time, especially if we take into account bowlers returning from injuries who have yet to demonstrate they are back to their previous best.

[hornetrider]

The crims have taken a walloping!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/internati...

Rolf Harris, Dame Edna, Crocodile Dundee, your boys took a hell of a beating

I do like a crim crisis

[chimster]

Poor things ;-)

[Podie]

hornetrider said:

The crims have taken a walloping!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/internati...

Rolf Harris, Dame Edna, Crocodile Dundee, your boys took a hell of a beating

I do like a crim crisis

I think "absolute drubbing" is the appropriate term here.

[Amirhussain]

Podie said:

hornetrider said:

The crims have taken a walloping!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/internati...

Rolf Harris, Dame Edna, Crocodile Dundee, your boys took a hell of a beating

I do like a crim crisis

I think "absolute drubbing" is the appropriate term here.

+1. I reckon England are going to tear apart in the ashes.

[Cheib]

I get the feeling the ball will dominate this series...England are not batting well as a unit and he Aussies are hugely reliant on Clarke.

[Amirhussain]

Who remembers this legendary moment, Johnson must felt like the biggest prick in the world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtxnfqDJUWg

[DJRC]

I miss Mitch

[hornetrider]

DJRC said:

I miss Mitch

He bowls to the left...

[hornetrider]

Classic

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxmHDwHwSfE

[johnfm]

I expect if we were going to have a youtube fest of each nation's cricketing blunders, I expect in the 15 years or so we dominated world cricket I'd be able to point out a few English middle order collapses and the odd spineless display from India, the choking Saffas and the others that we beat series after series.

[DJRC]

John...there is a world of difference though between a cpl of teams of established greatness and the much trumpeted herald of the "next great one". A fairly common strand to the thoughts on here is that the likes of Warne, Glenda, Ghilchrist, Waugh, Langer and Hayden were close to genius with probably the first 3 of those genuine cricket genius. Then you have Punter who we as English cricket fans love to hate and bait however I believe we have shown genuine respect also for his ability. The enjoyment at the sledging of Mitch and co stems from them giving it the standard Aussie gob but without the firepower to back it up. There is also considerable resentment amongst UK cricket fans at the treatment handed out to Simon Jones when he was injured in the field in Australia and the abuse poured on him.

[johnfm]

Fair enough.

Did Jones get flack? From the crowd at the Gabba I presume??

Pretty sad way to ruin a career - sliding to pick up a ball wasn't it?

He was in decent form back then too.