2006/7 Ashes thread......
Discussion
BRoCceRs said:
First test over boys, no shadow.
Well a draw in the first test isn't too bad I suppose. I assume the convicts will bat out today, aim for 600+ and then put us in. The it's a case of survive for 3 days assuming that we then bat out the 5th day and don't let them in again. Easy. Remember we have to retain the Ashes, they have to win.
Your forgetting that the wizard of the England camp Mr Fletcher has forseen this and has loaded the squad with batsmen. Imagine if it's a Gile/Jones partnership that see's out the 5th days play? All you have to do is keep kicking Warne away and just wait for the pacemen to fall over and hurt their elbows.
k off" was shouted here!vette_1978 said:
Your forgetting that the wizard of the England camp Mr Fletcher has forseen this and has loaded the squad with batsmen. Imagine if it's a Gile/Jones partnership that see's out the 5th days play? All you have to do is keep kicking Warne away and just wait for the pacemen to fall over and hurt their elbows.
I felt desperately sorry for Harmison last night. He is clearly struggling with confidence and form and he is a player that needs both rhythm and confidence to be right.
But really the selectors need to look at themselves. Our bowling attack consists of;
Harmison: hardly played last season through injury, short of fitness and confidence.
Anderson: hardly played last season through injury
Flintoff: didn't bowl at all last season through injury
Hoggard: fit and well
Giles: didn't bowl at all last season through injury
Meanwhile they left out Panesar who is fit, bowled beautifully all last summer and took test wickets. They left in England Stuart Broad, our best fast bowling prospect, quick, tall, aggressive and who took to international cricket like a duck to water last season. Oh.. and he's fit.
Fletcher is far too conservative and he's too close to the players to be a selector anyway (Lloyd refused to be a selector when he was England coach for that reason). Graveney is a nonentity. It's time for a supremo to take over in the form of an England manager with full selection powers who also carries the can when they cock up, a la a football manager.
But really the selectors need to look at themselves. Our bowling attack consists of;
Harmison: hardly played last season through injury, short of fitness and confidence.
Anderson: hardly played last season through injury
Flintoff: didn't bowl at all last season through injury
Hoggard: fit and well
Giles: didn't bowl at all last season through injury
Meanwhile they left out Panesar who is fit, bowled beautifully all last summer and took test wickets. They left in England Stuart Broad, our best fast bowling prospect, quick, tall, aggressive and who took to international cricket like a duck to water last season. Oh.. and he's fit.
Fletcher is far too conservative and he's too close to the players to be a selector anyway (Lloyd refused to be a selector when he was England coach for that reason). Graveney is a nonentity. It's time for a supremo to take over in the form of an England manager with full selection powers who also carries the can when they cock up, a la a football manager.
Look at the positives though....
It's the first test of a MASSEEVE series so they had to go in with consistency and with what they knew.
They now know that Monty HAS to play for the next 4 games.
They can look at Anderson and think 'should he be replaced by Mahmood'.
They can work on Harmissons technique - not the best place to be doing this but he's still a damned good bowler, he's having trouble, but he's too good to drop.
They know that Jones is good enough to keep out Read.
Tonight will see a 300+ partnership by KP and Bell, an injury to one of the bowlers and a streaker of the fit Aussie female variety. you see, if you stay awake all night this is the kind of stuff that you start to believe!!
I predict a draw!
It's the first test of a MASSEEVE series so they had to go in with consistency and with what they knew.
They now know that Monty HAS to play for the next 4 games.
They can look at Anderson and think 'should he be replaced by Mahmood'.
They can work on Harmissons technique - not the best place to be doing this but he's still a damned good bowler, he's having trouble, but he's too good to drop.
They know that Jones is good enough to keep out Read.
Tonight will see a 300+ partnership by KP and Bell, an injury to one of the bowlers and a streaker of the fit Aussie female variety. you see, if you stay awake all night this is the kind of stuff that you start to believe!!
I predict a draw!
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