Ashes 2009

[Jatz]

Well I guess it's that time...

I thought it would be good to have a nice casual forum for the Ashes without some cricket freaks firing off ridiculous stats and telling everyone how good they are.

So it is going to be an interesting series! England are as consistent as the French team and Australia's bowling 'attack' is in a word - fucked along with some massive mid-order collapses.

Things I'm looking forward to:
- Hughes establishing himself as one of the best openers in international cricket
- Pietersen crying like a bitch when things don't go to plan (hopefully)
- Warnes commentary with those other prats in the commentary box
- Flintoff stumbling and falling on the pitch in his first 5 overs to try and prove to people how hard he is trying
- The workman Siddle getting the new ball and claiming over 20 wickets
- Derek Zoolander Johnson sending stumps spinning
- Australias bowlers getting reverse swing!! Suprise suprise.

Things I'm worried about:
- Pietersen not crying like a bitch cause everything is going right
- Graham Onions in form
- Hauritz getting tonked all over the park
- Michael Hussey
- The middle order

So I just thought I'd get your thoughts and some predictions on how the series will go.

C'mon Aussie C'mon C'mon...

 

[Jatz]

Ashes 2009 Result

Will Johnson roll his ankle on a cricket ball?

Will Pietersen commit suicide after Test 1?

What do you think?

 

[Moses]

Re: Ashes 2009 Result

Should be a close series, the Poms don't have the bowling stocks of the Saffas or Indians but then our batsmen haven't impressed me in some time (Phil Hughes aside).

Predicting big runs from Phil Hughes, Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Ravi Bopara and Andrew Strauss.

 

[Moses]

Is Pieterson even fit for the first test?

PS I merged the two threads..

 

[Jatz]

Is Pieterson even fit for the first test?

Yeah, he is claiming to be fit at the moment.

 

[Lindommer]

The choice of bowlers for the First Test is going to be very interesting. As things stand now the pecking order would be Johnson, Siddle, Hilfenhaus and Clark with Lee bringing up the rear. I hold high hopes of Hilfenhaus proving to be a sensation with his ability to bend the ball in English conditions. Siddle's (and Clark's) ability to bowl an English line and length will prove crucial to our chances of success.

Alan Davidson reckons Lee isn't up to selection. From The Australian today.

AUSTRALIAN great and Ashes specialist Alan Davidson believes Brett Lee's tour of England should be restricted to an off-field mentoring role.

Davidson, the all-rounder who rocked England with the ball in Ashes tours in 1953 and 1961, has urged Australian selectors to stick with their successful pace attack from South Africa earlier this year. That series-winning attack featured Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus - but no Lee. Lee has never fired in England - claiming just 29 wickets in 10 Tests at the bloated bowling average of 45 - and he struggled in last week's tour game after recently returning from a long injury layoff.

Davidson, the last Australian left-arm paceman to decimate England on its home soil, believes Lee would be best left on the sidelines. "I think Brett Lee should just do an educational thing for the other bowlers and make that his responsibility," he told The Australian. "I think the bowling attack they used in South Africa was tremendous and the young blokes Siddle and Hilfenhaus really proved themselves. That was a big challenge against top-class South African batsmen and I'd like to see that attack continue in England. You might use one of Lee or (Stuart) Clark later in the series if things aren't going so well."

While Davidson is unconvinced about Lee's merits in England, he has been hugely impressed with Mitchell Johnson's giant-killing start to his Test career. Johnson is trying to become the first Australian left-armer since Davidson, who took 33 wickets at 25 in England, to dismantle the English in their own conditions. But Davidson insists Johnson has to continue his quick learning curve to succeed in England. "Mitchell Johnson has enormous potential, however he is going to find the pace of the pitches totally different and he will have to make some big adjustments," he said. "You don't get the bounce in England and line and length is even more important. Johnson will find there are some days where the ball swings and others when it doesn't...these are all learning experiences for him."

Johnson and Siddle are certainties for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff and test skipper Ricky Ponting said it was healthy to have Lee, Clark and Hilfenhaus fighting for the other pace slots. "We've got five fast bowlers who all think they should be in the first Test team, and that's not a bad thing at all," Ponting said. "When you have that sort of pressure around the group it makes everything a lot more intense. It's been great for me as a batsman going into the nets over the last couple of weeks and having those guys standing at the top of their mark wanting to bust my bat every session. There are probably some guys who are a little bit on edge."

 

[formeropenside]

Not too many bowlers with a record like Lee's in England would get a third Ashes tour.

 

[Jatz]

After Lunch on day 1 of Lions match:

Hughes looked troubles by straight deliveries and eventually got caught out for 7

Ponting's drought of runs continues... Got caught trying a nothing shot off a searching ball from Onions for 1. He hasn't scored a century for 21 test innings. Plenty of pressure on Punter to start performing

Katich and Hussey are looking solid

Katich is looking safe (78no) and patient as he waits for balls to play at

Mr Cricket also looks to be at home on these English wickets (51no)

Currently 146-2

Harmision looked good early


Decent start...

 

[Jatz]

Bit of a mid-order collapse again.

Clarke caught for 4
North bowled for 1
Haddin lbw for 7

The Huss is still going strong on 82no.

Mid order looking wobbly again.

 

[Moses]

Lee takes a phieffer and looks to be getting reverse swing. Looks like he'll get the nod over Stuart Clark. Bugger.

 

[Pfitzy]

Yep - short-term gain, long-term loss... Dizzy Gillespie in 2003 anyone?

 

[Moses]

They're showing the current match on Fox, bugger me Lee is on fire!

Fastest ball: 95mph
Average: 91mph
Slowest: 70mph

To average over 91 with the slower balls thrown in is phenomonal. He's getting good lines and some great swing. Also took 6 wickets!

 

[Lindommer]

Lee takes a phieffer and looks to be getting reverse swing. Looks like he'll get the nod over Stuart Clark.

What, for the number 4 spot? Whom is he going to replace in the test team of either Johnson, Hilfenhaus or Siddle?

 

[barbarian]

Lee takes a phieffer and looks to be getting reverse swing. Looks like he'll get the nod over Stuart Clark.

What, for the number 4 spot? Whom is he going to replace in the test team of either Johnson, Hilfenhaus or Siddle?

Hilfenhaus. He didn't impress in the last game, and wasn't even in the side for this game. Would be very surprised if his name crops up in the team for the first test.

 

[Jatz]

Rumours travelling around of Brett Lee missing the first two tests due to a rib injury!! To be confirmed this afternoon after a scan this morning.

Could that open the door for Hauritz?

Another Glenn McGrath treading on a ball incident?

 

[Pfitzy]

More like a concerned fan whacking him in the ribs with a hammer... an AUSTRALIAN fan...

 

[formeropenside]

We should ask Noddy if Lee is in his "Flat Track Bully XI".

 

[RugbyReg]

We should ask Noddy if Lee is in his "Flat Track Bully XI".

yep!

With Stuey MacGill...

 

[Moses]

Well I'd be pretty happy to make a flat track bully XI as a bowler, it looked pretty good for batting out there. Pretty much all the poms got starts but none made 50's, not sure what to read into that.

Who's up for Ashes fantasy cricket?

 

[RugbyReg]

Im in.