Three weeks into this World Cup and we're just over half way into the group stage. That's a ludicrous sentence which we've gone into before, but at the very least you'd have thought some sort of picture would be emerging about the likely contenders and yet none has emerged. The fancied runners have all raised more doubts about their ability to bring it home than they have laid down a marker.
Everyone thought India's batting would be so powerful as to render all attacks worthless, but they keep dicking about with the order and they've suffered three major collapses which has allowed sides to get at them. South Africa are guilty of the same and have lost the one man - Imran Tahir - who gave them that one element they've been lacking since reintroduction. England haven't managed to put two parts of the game together in a single match yet and while New Zealand have some lower-middle order batsmen seemingly intent on launching bombs all over the sub-continent, that's pretty much all they've got. Sri Lanka are almost the reverse and rely on the top three or four for the runs and don't have anything lower down while the West Indies lack up to four players to make the grade, well though Kemar Roach has bowled. Pakistan, like England, are as likely to beat themselves as they are anyone else and none of the others are really capable, even though Ireland, Holland and Bangladesh have played nice cameos.
All of which means that by doing nothing particularly badly and nothing particularly well, Australia are going to win yet another World Cup and mainly by default.
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Australia. Show all posts
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Sunday, 21 November 2010
5 reasons why Chris is wrong and Australia will win the Ashes
I like my colleague Chris. His Ashes piece the other day was a reasoned article, well balanced and a good read. He's dead wrong though. England won't win the Ashes and here are five reasons why not.
1. It's all going far too well
England have gone about things calmly, professionally, almost to the point of ruthlessly. They've had good plans throughout, have won all their tour matches in convincing style and even the back-up bowlers are hitting their lengths, getting movement through the air and off some fairly lifeless pitches. Meanwhile, Australia have been scratching around playing some appalling cricket and their Test players sent back to play state cricket have been pisspoor at best.
It simply can't last. I was hoping Australia A might force a reality sandwich down the throats of England fans, players, staff and media, but it hasn't happened. We're being set up for a massive fall and when James Anderson's first ball at Adelaide sails over second slip's head and away for four byes, I'll be the one to say "I told you so".
2. Too many options
We all thought we knew England's starting XI. The batsmen pick themselves and the bowling unit looks settled. Or at least it did right up until the Australia A game where Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and even Monty Panesar all bowled really well. The pick of the bowlers there was Ajmal Shahzad who isn't even in the official Ashes touring party. He's in the performance squad, but has suddenly put his name up for serious consideration for Brisbane. The temptation to tinker with something that works may prove too strong.
3. Lack of alternatives
By contrast to the bowlers, the batting looks strangely thin. Watching Alastair Cook over the last 12 months has been so awful that showing his technique to terrorism suspects in order to extract confessions has been barred on grounds that it's simply too cruel (Simon Katich was going to be used by the USA until Dick Cheney decided it was going way too far over the line). If he fails, there is no other option at the top of the order. So convinced in their selection over the last few months, England have taken just the two openers with them. That move could be exposed if Australia get into Cook early on.
4. Australia simply aren't that bad
They've not been great - that much is obvious - but one glance at the Test records of the Australian side is enough to show what they can do. Ricky Ponting is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats and they've a battery of seamers who bowl at a seriously rapid pace. Moreover, they use the Kookaburra ball week in, week out as opposed to the Duke which Anderson and co were hooping around the bemusement of Bangladesh and Pakistan through the summer. Cricket Australia has also managed to pull off the impossible - convince everyone that Shane Watson is a Test opener. And if they can do that, anything is possible.
5. It'd just be bloody typical
Even people who only started watching cricket on the back of the 2005 Ashes know enough about English cricket to understand that dizzying highs are inevitably followed by spirit-crushing, soul-destroying lows. The comedown from an English Test series win is far worse than you'll find from any class A narcotic. The last big one was the 2006/7 Ashes and some people are still rocking themselves to sleep, bathed in cold sweat at the thought of Steve Harmison's first ball. It's not just the big tickets either - it works in microcosm. For every Michael Vaughan swivel-pull for yet another graceful boundary, there's Shane Warne's ball to Michael Gatting. You say Botham launching it into the Headingley confectionery stall, I say Peter Taylor (who?) taking six-for.
It would be typical of England to muck this up every bit as much as it'd be typical of Australia to shrug off their recent woes and deliver yet more pain to the long-suffering England fans. It's happened too bloody often.
Obviously I hope I'm wrong, but unlike the rest of you, I'm not turning my expectations up to eleven. Therefore I'll take more joy in victory and less pain from defeat.
1. It's all going far too well
England have gone about things calmly, professionally, almost to the point of ruthlessly. They've had good plans throughout, have won all their tour matches in convincing style and even the back-up bowlers are hitting their lengths, getting movement through the air and off some fairly lifeless pitches. Meanwhile, Australia have been scratching around playing some appalling cricket and their Test players sent back to play state cricket have been pisspoor at best.
It simply can't last. I was hoping Australia A might force a reality sandwich down the throats of England fans, players, staff and media, but it hasn't happened. We're being set up for a massive fall and when James Anderson's first ball at Adelaide sails over second slip's head and away for four byes, I'll be the one to say "I told you so".
2. Too many options
We all thought we knew England's starting XI. The batsmen pick themselves and the bowling unit looks settled. Or at least it did right up until the Australia A game where Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and even Monty Panesar all bowled really well. The pick of the bowlers there was Ajmal Shahzad who isn't even in the official Ashes touring party. He's in the performance squad, but has suddenly put his name up for serious consideration for Brisbane. The temptation to tinker with something that works may prove too strong.
3. Lack of alternatives
By contrast to the bowlers, the batting looks strangely thin. Watching Alastair Cook over the last 12 months has been so awful that showing his technique to terrorism suspects in order to extract confessions has been barred on grounds that it's simply too cruel (Simon Katich was going to be used by the USA until Dick Cheney decided it was going way too far over the line). If he fails, there is no other option at the top of the order. So convinced in their selection over the last few months, England have taken just the two openers with them. That move could be exposed if Australia get into Cook early on.
4. Australia simply aren't that bad
They've not been great - that much is obvious - but one glance at the Test records of the Australian side is enough to show what they can do. Ricky Ponting is undoubtedly one of the all-time greats and they've a battery of seamers who bowl at a seriously rapid pace. Moreover, they use the Kookaburra ball week in, week out as opposed to the Duke which Anderson and co were hooping around the bemusement of Bangladesh and Pakistan through the summer. Cricket Australia has also managed to pull off the impossible - convince everyone that Shane Watson is a Test opener. And if they can do that, anything is possible.
5. It'd just be bloody typical
Even people who only started watching cricket on the back of the 2005 Ashes know enough about English cricket to understand that dizzying highs are inevitably followed by spirit-crushing, soul-destroying lows. The comedown from an English Test series win is far worse than you'll find from any class A narcotic. The last big one was the 2006/7 Ashes and some people are still rocking themselves to sleep, bathed in cold sweat at the thought of Steve Harmison's first ball. It's not just the big tickets either - it works in microcosm. For every Michael Vaughan swivel-pull for yet another graceful boundary, there's Shane Warne's ball to Michael Gatting. You say Botham launching it into the Headingley confectionery stall, I say Peter Taylor (who?) taking six-for.
It would be typical of England to muck this up every bit as much as it'd be typical of Australia to shrug off their recent woes and deliver yet more pain to the long-suffering England fans. It's happened too bloody often.
Obviously I hope I'm wrong, but unlike the rest of you, I'm not turning my expectations up to eleven. Therefore I'll take more joy in victory and less pain from defeat.
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
5 reasons why (I think) England will win the Ashes
Here's my (mammoth) piece of conjecture spun into an ashes preview (of sorts):
1. Form
You might say that going into an Ashes series, this matters little, but the diverging fortunes of the two sides in the last year can’t pass without at least some comment. Yes, England could have played against more taxing opposition recently and yes, their most recent test opponents were a complete shambles, mired in ugly spot-fixing allegations, but they still performed admirably to defeat those sides largely comprehensively. And not forgetting the draw in South Africa at the turn of the year in a compelling series against one of cricket’s best sides (the true test of just how good this current India side are will come in England next summer).
Australia, by contrast, have had a wretched time, losing a test series to Pakistan in England in June, losing in India and then losing a home one-day series to Sri Lanka. In days of yore, even the best Aussie sides struggled in India but they never, ever lost at home. When we talk about the idea of the Ockers losing their ‘aura’ case for the prosecution begins with their home form; This is backed up by sluggish ticket sales for this series which gives an indication of the confidence (or lack thereof) of the usually bullish Aussie punter.
2. Pressure
Ricky Ponting is a man under pressure. He does not, under any circumstances, want to be the captain who loses the Ashes three times (and lets England win on Australian soil for the first time in 25 years). Cricket Australia is under pressure, as can be seen from the recent reshuffling in the selection panel and all the little arguments that must surely have occurred for this to have taken place.
Marcus North is under pressure; He has been talked about as ‘captaincy material’ and a potential successor to Ponting – a number of players have been vocal in their support for the left-hander and he is clearly a popular character, yet after a good start in 2008/9 he has seriously under-delivered with bat in hand and this series is surely his last throw of the dice. Similarly Michael Hussey, the lynchpin of the One-Day side, has had a rotten last 18 months and the public is losing patience with ‘Mr Cricket’. Neither player has scored meaningfully in state cricket recently, and they are both having their positions squeezed by batsmen who have; Most notably stylish New South Wales left-hander Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson.
England will have a degree of expectation themselves, having been talked up much prior to jetting down under and enjoying a profitable warm-up schedule. They will be the most confidant Ashes squad for some time, so they must ensure they are not overawed by the occasion or pressurized into errors by the Aussie bowlers. But Andrew Strauss is a shrewd, respected captain and Andy Flower clearly has a very good idea of his favoured starting XI. In this respect, things bode well.
3. The game-breaker
Graeme Swann is no shrinking violet, and seemingly revels in the label of being England’s “go-to” wicket-taking bowler. The Nottinghamshire offie simply has a knack of taking big wickets at the right time, and has demonstrated that he does not need helpful pitches to do so (South Africa is hardly renowned for its dustbowl pitches yet he positively thrived there last winter). Australia tried to target Swann last year, with precious little success, and he will be expected to be a pivotal figure once again. Also capable of delivering valuable runs down the order, it seems fair to assume that, if Swann bowls well, England stand a hugely improved chance of winning. By contrast, Nathan Hauritz is a widely derided choice of spinner for the Aussies, who appears to possess neither the guile nor the appreciable turn Swann can deliver in spades. Young Leggy Steven Smith is a popular choice to replace him, but it is likely the selectors, traditionally a conservative bunch, will stick with Hauritz barring a disaster early on. Quite simply, for once spin is an area where England have the edge over their great rivals.
4. A settled attack
What is Australia’s first-choice bowling attack? Mitchell Johnson, for all his faults, appears a shoo-in, but who should join him? Doug Bollinger has been a regular, but is racing to be fit in time for the first test and, if he succeeds, will be understandably rusty; Ben Hilfenhaus swung the ball in England but is not always threatening; Peter Siddle is another one coming back from a succession of injuries. Without Brett Lee, there is a notable lack of fear in that attack. Then there’s the unknown quantities, such as beanpole Peter George (who toiled in India, but then who doesn’t, on debut?) and Ryan Harris, who has taken lots of wickets this season but is untried in test cricket. The Aussie selectors face a tough task getting a settled attack together and fitting them around a spinner.
By contrast, it seems fairly clear that England will go in with one spinner (Swann) plus, at least to begin with, Broad, Anderson and Finn. The concerns about their ability to swing the Kookaburra ball have been allayed by their form in the warm-ups, and the back-ups seem reasonable; Chris Tremlett is fast and will extract bounce; Shazhad is a dangerous reverse swing merchant and Bresnan takes wickets too. This has been the case throughout the last 6 months or so. England look to have a more settled, consistent bowling attack and, if anything, Broad and Anderson have improved since 2009.
5. Run-scorers
Going into the tour the main concern for England was the batting form of Messrs Cook, Pietersen and Collingwood. All valid points – Pietersen without a test century since March 2009, Collingwood enduring a wretched 2010, Cook looking nervous and tentative in his footwork. The omens from the warm-up are initially positive; All have made runs, Pietersen is still clearly not 100% at his best but, if he can raise his game against anyone, it is the Australians. Cook scored a much-needed hundred in the South Australia warm-up game; Collingwood has the mental toughness to see off any lapse in form and of course made a memorable double ton on his last Ashes tour. All three, while not at their best, could not be described as ‘horribly out of form’ as a result and Pietersen especially should prosper in Australian conditions.
Add to that the reliable accumulation of Strauss, Trott and Matt Prior (yes, I know, I can’t believe it either, but he’s done well recently) and you have a relatively positive outlook. Trott’s importance as a gritty competitor can’t be underestimated; The sort of player that, wearing the baggy green, would have infuriated England in the past.
On the Australian side, expect Shane Watson to prosper and Simon Katich to enthral us all with his gorgeous technique (yeah right – but he’s effective) and the returning Brad Haddin can usually provide some middle order muscle. Australia’s problem essentially is not so much form as a worrying tendency to give their wicket away; Ponting, Hussey, North and Clarke have all been guilty in the recent past of getting starts then getting out. This was exposed in 2009 by Broad et al first of all, and does not appear to have been rectified. Of course, on their day the likes of Ponting and Clarke can still punish bowling attacks, but recently those days have become further and further apart. Plus, England have their wildcard; Improvising, rubber-wristed little genius Eoin Morgan, who so irritated the Aussies in the one dayers last year.
Prediction
Australia are not to be written off (even though it would appear I’ve done just that) but England have enough in their arsenal to win, if they play to the level we know they can. 2-1 win for England and a memorable retention of the urn.
1. Form
You might say that going into an Ashes series, this matters little, but the diverging fortunes of the two sides in the last year can’t pass without at least some comment. Yes, England could have played against more taxing opposition recently and yes, their most recent test opponents were a complete shambles, mired in ugly spot-fixing allegations, but they still performed admirably to defeat those sides largely comprehensively. And not forgetting the draw in South Africa at the turn of the year in a compelling series against one of cricket’s best sides (the true test of just how good this current India side are will come in England next summer).
Australia, by contrast, have had a wretched time, losing a test series to Pakistan in England in June, losing in India and then losing a home one-day series to Sri Lanka. In days of yore, even the best Aussie sides struggled in India but they never, ever lost at home. When we talk about the idea of the Ockers losing their ‘aura’ case for the prosecution begins with their home form; This is backed up by sluggish ticket sales for this series which gives an indication of the confidence (or lack thereof) of the usually bullish Aussie punter.
2. Pressure
Ricky Ponting is a man under pressure. He does not, under any circumstances, want to be the captain who loses the Ashes three times (and lets England win on Australian soil for the first time in 25 years). Cricket Australia is under pressure, as can be seen from the recent reshuffling in the selection panel and all the little arguments that must surely have occurred for this to have taken place.
Marcus North is under pressure; He has been talked about as ‘captaincy material’ and a potential successor to Ponting – a number of players have been vocal in their support for the left-hander and he is clearly a popular character, yet after a good start in 2008/9 he has seriously under-delivered with bat in hand and this series is surely his last throw of the dice. Similarly Michael Hussey, the lynchpin of the One-Day side, has had a rotten last 18 months and the public is losing patience with ‘Mr Cricket’. Neither player has scored meaningfully in state cricket recently, and they are both having their positions squeezed by batsmen who have; Most notably stylish New South Wales left-hander Usman Khawaja and Callum Ferguson.
England will have a degree of expectation themselves, having been talked up much prior to jetting down under and enjoying a profitable warm-up schedule. They will be the most confidant Ashes squad for some time, so they must ensure they are not overawed by the occasion or pressurized into errors by the Aussie bowlers. But Andrew Strauss is a shrewd, respected captain and Andy Flower clearly has a very good idea of his favoured starting XI. In this respect, things bode well.
3. The game-breaker
Graeme Swann is no shrinking violet, and seemingly revels in the label of being England’s “go-to” wicket-taking bowler. The Nottinghamshire offie simply has a knack of taking big wickets at the right time, and has demonstrated that he does not need helpful pitches to do so (South Africa is hardly renowned for its dustbowl pitches yet he positively thrived there last winter). Australia tried to target Swann last year, with precious little success, and he will be expected to be a pivotal figure once again. Also capable of delivering valuable runs down the order, it seems fair to assume that, if Swann bowls well, England stand a hugely improved chance of winning. By contrast, Nathan Hauritz is a widely derided choice of spinner for the Aussies, who appears to possess neither the guile nor the appreciable turn Swann can deliver in spades. Young Leggy Steven Smith is a popular choice to replace him, but it is likely the selectors, traditionally a conservative bunch, will stick with Hauritz barring a disaster early on. Quite simply, for once spin is an area where England have the edge over their great rivals.
4. A settled attack
What is Australia’s first-choice bowling attack? Mitchell Johnson, for all his faults, appears a shoo-in, but who should join him? Doug Bollinger has been a regular, but is racing to be fit in time for the first test and, if he succeeds, will be understandably rusty; Ben Hilfenhaus swung the ball in England but is not always threatening; Peter Siddle is another one coming back from a succession of injuries. Without Brett Lee, there is a notable lack of fear in that attack. Then there’s the unknown quantities, such as beanpole Peter George (who toiled in India, but then who doesn’t, on debut?) and Ryan Harris, who has taken lots of wickets this season but is untried in test cricket. The Aussie selectors face a tough task getting a settled attack together and fitting them around a spinner.
By contrast, it seems fairly clear that England will go in with one spinner (Swann) plus, at least to begin with, Broad, Anderson and Finn. The concerns about their ability to swing the Kookaburra ball have been allayed by their form in the warm-ups, and the back-ups seem reasonable; Chris Tremlett is fast and will extract bounce; Shazhad is a dangerous reverse swing merchant and Bresnan takes wickets too. This has been the case throughout the last 6 months or so. England look to have a more settled, consistent bowling attack and, if anything, Broad and Anderson have improved since 2009.
5. Run-scorers
Going into the tour the main concern for England was the batting form of Messrs Cook, Pietersen and Collingwood. All valid points – Pietersen without a test century since March 2009, Collingwood enduring a wretched 2010, Cook looking nervous and tentative in his footwork. The omens from the warm-up are initially positive; All have made runs, Pietersen is still clearly not 100% at his best but, if he can raise his game against anyone, it is the Australians. Cook scored a much-needed hundred in the South Australia warm-up game; Collingwood has the mental toughness to see off any lapse in form and of course made a memorable double ton on his last Ashes tour. All three, while not at their best, could not be described as ‘horribly out of form’ as a result and Pietersen especially should prosper in Australian conditions.
Add to that the reliable accumulation of Strauss, Trott and Matt Prior (yes, I know, I can’t believe it either, but he’s done well recently) and you have a relatively positive outlook. Trott’s importance as a gritty competitor can’t be underestimated; The sort of player that, wearing the baggy green, would have infuriated England in the past.
On the Australian side, expect Shane Watson to prosper and Simon Katich to enthral us all with his gorgeous technique (yeah right – but he’s effective) and the returning Brad Haddin can usually provide some middle order muscle. Australia’s problem essentially is not so much form as a worrying tendency to give their wicket away; Ponting, Hussey, North and Clarke have all been guilty in the recent past of getting starts then getting out. This was exposed in 2009 by Broad et al first of all, and does not appear to have been rectified. Of course, on their day the likes of Ponting and Clarke can still punish bowling attacks, but recently those days have become further and further apart. Plus, England have their wildcard; Improvising, rubber-wristed little genius Eoin Morgan, who so irritated the Aussies in the one dayers last year.
Prediction
Australia are not to be written off (even though it would appear I’ve done just that) but England have enough in their arsenal to win, if they play to the level we know they can. 2-1 win for England and a memorable retention of the urn.
Saturday, 25 September 2010
Thursday, 15 July 2010
Played Skipper
The short Test series between Australia and the nominal home side, Pakistan, has started quite brightly. From the moment when Ricky Ponting stuck the elbow into the over-celebrating Mohammed Aamer, it was obvious this was going to be a feisty one.
And so it's proved so far. The Pakistanis bowled really well to dismiss Australia for 253, Mike Hussey - inevitably - marshalling the tail in making an unbeaten 53 after Australia were rocking on 208/7 and 222/9. As my old man drummed into me from a young age, never judge a pitch until both sides have used it. Where the Pakistan seamers impressed, so did Australia's pace battery. Shane Watson and Ben Hilfenhaus had reduced them to 83/5 when Shahid Afridi walked to the crease. The captain of the side, you'd think he'd do the job that was required: build a partnership with Salman Butt, who was well in having opened up, and sticking around long enough with the tail in order to get as close as possible to Australia's total.
Perhaps it's indicative of the lack of Test match cricket that Pakistan have had recently or perhaps it's just that Afridi will never change, whether he's the captain or down amongst the infantry. Either way, blasting Watson for 20-odd in one over and eventually falling - slogging, as if that should come as a surprise - to Watson for 31 off 15 deliveries.
What Pakistan needed was a captain's knock. This wasn't a captain's knock, but it was this captain's.
And so it's proved so far. The Pakistanis bowled really well to dismiss Australia for 253, Mike Hussey - inevitably - marshalling the tail in making an unbeaten 53 after Australia were rocking on 208/7 and 222/9. As my old man drummed into me from a young age, never judge a pitch until both sides have used it. Where the Pakistan seamers impressed, so did Australia's pace battery. Shane Watson and Ben Hilfenhaus had reduced them to 83/5 when Shahid Afridi walked to the crease. The captain of the side, you'd think he'd do the job that was required: build a partnership with Salman Butt, who was well in having opened up, and sticking around long enough with the tail in order to get as close as possible to Australia's total.
Perhaps it's indicative of the lack of Test match cricket that Pakistan have had recently or perhaps it's just that Afridi will never change, whether he's the captain or down amongst the infantry. Either way, blasting Watson for 20-odd in one over and eventually falling - slogging, as if that should come as a surprise - to Watson for 31 off 15 deliveries.
What Pakistan needed was a captain's knock. This wasn't a captain's knock, but it was this captain's.
Wednesday, 12 August 2009
Back To The Future
So, after the calamity at Headingley last week all eyes turn onto the Oval for the decider in the 2009 Ashes series. After some pretty piss poor efforts ((C) The 12th Man) with the bat it's Panic Time in the ranks of the media and the public.
The figures weren't pretty.
Bopara 1 & 0 (Although, granted he got a shocker in the 2nd innings)
Bell 8 & 3
Collingwood 0 & 4
So they decide to throw some of these boys back into Country Cricket for the lastest round and Bell and Bopara have scored a grand total of 2 runs between them. Jonathon Trott, touted to replace His Fredness before the last test only got 15 in his knock so far.
Owais Shah who was dumped by England earlier in the year hasn't impressed to far this year and he only contributed 8 in his latest knock.
Now Graham Gooch has lept to the defence of Bopara and has questioned why the captain Andrew Strauss isn't in the Middlesex team as they host Bopara's Essex. Strauss contributed 3 & 32 at Headingley and it wouldn't have done him any harm to have a run in this weekend.
So the knives are out and it's time for the big cull if you believe half of the media. The only problem is would seem that Doc Emmett is going to be needed as England seem to be stepping back in time to club a team together to wrestle the urn away from the Criminals.
Funnily enough. the DeLorean was last seen on Wheldon Road in Castleford heading towards Headingley for the Super League clash that is taking place this friday night.
Anyway I digress
So who is in the frame then........
Rob Key - He's dreaming of an Ashes recall. He hasn't played for England since 2005.
Mark Ramprakash - He'd be thrilled to be a part of it. For god's sake he's 40 in September, has won a dancing competition on the telly and hasn't been in the test arena since 2002.
Marcus Trescothick - Hasn't played for England since doing a runner from the 06/07 Ashes Series in Australia because of a stress related illness. Gotta admit though, this guy is the form horse if he can overcome his demons. He's had 5 centuries in the County Championship so far this season, the last at late as last week against Warwickshire.
Owais Shah - No chance I'm afraid. This bridge has been burned and I can't see the selectors going back there that quickly
Johnathon Trott - Well, they wouldn't chuck him in at Headingley do you really think they'll throw him in at the Oval?
Still, we'll no doubt find out at the weekend when the squad in announced in what is a must win game for England, otherwise that urn will be with Ricky Ponting when he returns to Australia after the game at the Oval.
Also there is the shadow of Brett Lee looming for the Criminals as well as he has recovered from an injury that has hampered his tour so far.
The figures weren't pretty.
Bopara 1 & 0 (Although, granted he got a shocker in the 2nd innings)
Bell 8 & 3
Collingwood 0 & 4
So they decide to throw some of these boys back into Country Cricket for the lastest round and Bell and Bopara have scored a grand total of 2 runs between them. Jonathon Trott, touted to replace His Fredness before the last test only got 15 in his knock so far.
Owais Shah who was dumped by England earlier in the year hasn't impressed to far this year and he only contributed 8 in his latest knock.
Now Graham Gooch has lept to the defence of Bopara and has questioned why the captain Andrew Strauss isn't in the Middlesex team as they host Bopara's Essex. Strauss contributed 3 & 32 at Headingley and it wouldn't have done him any harm to have a run in this weekend.
So the knives are out and it's time for the big cull if you believe half of the media. The only problem is would seem that Doc Emmett is going to be needed as England seem to be stepping back in time to club a team together to wrestle the urn away from the Criminals.Funnily enough. the DeLorean was last seen on Wheldon Road in Castleford heading towards Headingley for the Super League clash that is taking place this friday night.
Anyway I digress
So who is in the frame then........
Rob Key - He's dreaming of an Ashes recall. He hasn't played for England since 2005.
Mark Ramprakash - He'd be thrilled to be a part of it. For god's sake he's 40 in September, has won a dancing competition on the telly and hasn't been in the test arena since 2002.Marcus Trescothick - Hasn't played for England since doing a runner from the 06/07 Ashes Series in Australia because of a stress related illness. Gotta admit though, this guy is the form horse if he can overcome his demons. He's had 5 centuries in the County Championship so far this season, the last at late as last week against Warwickshire.
Owais Shah - No chance I'm afraid. This bridge has been burned and I can't see the selectors going back there that quickly
Johnathon Trott - Well, they wouldn't chuck him in at Headingley do you really think they'll throw him in at the Oval?
Still, we'll no doubt find out at the weekend when the squad in announced in what is a must win game for England, otherwise that urn will be with Ricky Ponting when he returns to Australia after the game at the Oval.
Also there is the shadow of Brett Lee looming for the Criminals as well as he has recovered from an injury that has hampered his tour so far.
Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Aussie ashes squad named
R Ponting (c), M Clarke (vc), S Clark, B Haddin, N Hauritz, B Hilfenhaus, P Hughes, M Hussey, M Johnson, S Katich, B Lee, G Manou, A McDonald, M North, P Siddle, S Watson.
The most notable absentee is Andrew Symonds, who played in some recent ODI's but has not played many tests recently and who has tried Cricket Australia's patience with his bizarre off-the-field antics. There are expected recalls for Stuart Clark (fitness still uncertain) and Brett Lee and no place for the likes of Bryce McGain (he of the nightmare debut in South Africa), Jason Krezja (one test in India) or Shaun Tait.
The preferred all rounders are Shane Watson and Andrew McDonald, who have not set the world alight but Watson is also carrying a groin injury so Tim Nielsen will have to be watchful. The only uncapped player in the squad is South Australia wicket keeper Graham Manou.
The Ashes begins in Cardiff on July 8.
The most notable absentee is Andrew Symonds, who played in some recent ODI's but has not played many tests recently and who has tried Cricket Australia's patience with his bizarre off-the-field antics. There are expected recalls for Stuart Clark (fitness still uncertain) and Brett Lee and no place for the likes of Bryce McGain (he of the nightmare debut in South Africa), Jason Krezja (one test in India) or Shaun Tait.
The preferred all rounders are Shane Watson and Andrew McDonald, who have not set the world alight but Watson is also carrying a groin injury so Tim Nielsen will have to be watchful. The only uncapped player in the squad is South Australia wicket keeper Graham Manou.
The Ashes begins in Cardiff on July 8.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Collapse in Centurion
What a difference a few days make. On Friday in Durban, South Africa collapsed something awful, routed by 141 runs with Nathan Hauritz taking 4 wickets (what happened to Jason Krezja? I thought he looked quite promising!).
Fast forward to Sunday at SuperSport Park, and the signs weren't good. Australia winning the toss on a superb batting track, full of confidence off the back of their big win where Michael Hussey had finally got in gear. It was seemingly all set for a high-scoring game.
Only it didn't work out like that. In a display that can only be summarised as woefully un-Australian, the Ocker top order completely folded, surrendering to some masterful pace bowling by Dale Steyn and the precocious 19-year-old left-armer Wayne Parnell. Brad Haddin played on in the first over, Michael Clarke continued his awful run of form that has seen many Aussie fans call for him to be dropped, and Ricky Ponting, after getting off the mark first ball with a pull shot for six, edged behind off the former U19 skipper Parnell.
Things got worse. David Hussey, who might score lots of runs in county cricket but is plainly not up to it at this level, played an awful thrash to give his wicket away (when he's not running his partners out, as he did at Kingsmead). His older brother was completely flummoxed by a Parnell slower ball. In truth, only Callum Ferguson (a patient 50) and Mitchell Johnson provided any resistance as they limped to 131 all out. On a pitch that good, it was criminal and South Africa showed how easy it was to score on this pitch by knocking the runs off at 5-an-over.
While Australia shone in the test series and are probably still good value for their number 1 spot in the five-day format, they are proving themselves to be less than coherent in the 50-over game (although not nearly as deficient as England, steady on). South Africa appear simply more dynamic, with more bowling options and batting further down as well. After so many retirements of star players, a bit of a transitional period is to be expected by Cricket Australia will be worried by successive ODI series delivering problems as looks to be the case here.
Fast forward to Sunday at SuperSport Park, and the signs weren't good. Australia winning the toss on a superb batting track, full of confidence off the back of their big win where Michael Hussey had finally got in gear. It was seemingly all set for a high-scoring game.
Only it didn't work out like that. In a display that can only be summarised as woefully un-Australian, the Ocker top order completely folded, surrendering to some masterful pace bowling by Dale Steyn and the precocious 19-year-old left-armer Wayne Parnell. Brad Haddin played on in the first over, Michael Clarke continued his awful run of form that has seen many Aussie fans call for him to be dropped, and Ricky Ponting, after getting off the mark first ball with a pull shot for six, edged behind off the former U19 skipper Parnell.
Things got worse. David Hussey, who might score lots of runs in county cricket but is plainly not up to it at this level, played an awful thrash to give his wicket away (when he's not running his partners out, as he did at Kingsmead). His older brother was completely flummoxed by a Parnell slower ball. In truth, only Callum Ferguson (a patient 50) and Mitchell Johnson provided any resistance as they limped to 131 all out. On a pitch that good, it was criminal and South Africa showed how easy it was to score on this pitch by knocking the runs off at 5-an-over.
While Australia shone in the test series and are probably still good value for their number 1 spot in the five-day format, they are proving themselves to be less than coherent in the 50-over game (although not nearly as deficient as England, steady on). South Africa appear simply more dynamic, with more bowling options and batting further down as well. After so many retirements of star players, a bit of a transitional period is to be expected by Cricket Australia will be worried by successive ODI series delivering problems as looks to be the case here.
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