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Starts Wednesday, can't wait. Fearful but quietly optimistic that we can take the urn back. Would be happy to go into the final test drawn tbh. Anyway here's something to get the juices flowing;
A spirited well fought contest without the bullish!t of the last series is what we want.
Getting a bit sick of the media equating sport with war. At the end of the day, cricket is only a game.
I think we're too light on bowling to win the series. Anderson and Broad look past their best, and Stokes isn't test class (yet). High hopes for Wood, but apparently he has problems staying fit for long periods. I hope Finn can get it together again, it's a real shame he lost his way, and that Rashid is picked before Ali, but doubt it will be enough.
I'd love us to be bold and pick Rashid in place of Bell.. Two spinners who both can bat over a batsmen who despite his media worship has never delivered when backs against the wall. I would pick ballance over bell too..
Imagine the bewilderment of the Aussies with 4 seamers, 2 spinners and 1 part time spinner...
Why are they being played now? Not since 1975-77 has there been a two year break between England hosting the Ashes. Since 1977 it has been four years every time. Mind you, here in Aussieland there isn't too much interest at all. We'll listen to the score in the morning on the radio or whatever, but I think the times when Aussies were interested in staying up for the ball by ball play are well gone. Good luck to the Poms, but I rather don't think so.
This. Taking 20 wickets will be England's biggest challenge, not scoring.
Agreed, but I fancy Ali to do better than expected. He was bloody good against India and seems to be written off on the basis of a WI tour that he joined part-way through after injury, and a WC where I suspect the was carrying the injury.
I also reckon Broad is coming back to his best. We need all of them to fire, but I'm optimistic that they will.
I'd love us to be bold and pick Rashid in place of Bell.. Two spinners who both can bat over a batsmen who despite his media worship has never delivered when backs against the wall. I would pick ballance over bell too..
Imagine the bewilderment of the Aussies with 4 seamers, 2 spinners and 1 part time spinner...
Bell was man of the series in the last home Ashes with three centuries! Balance is the one to drop to play both spinners!
Very concerned about our bowling. Broad looks shot and cannot bat to save his life at the moment. If they go after Rashid and hit him out of the attack,which they will,where do we go then?
I'd love us to be bold and pick Rashid in place of Bell.. Two spinners who both can bat over a batsmen who despite his media worship has never delivered when backs against the wall. I would pick ballance over bell too..
Imagine the bewilderment of the Aussies with 4 seamers, 2 spinners and 1 part time spinner...
Worth remembering that even without Rashid, we'll still have five bowlers to Australia's four, and yet have Ali batting at 8 and Broad at 9.
Those Aussie quicks could be devastating, but if even half the England batting order fires, they could be very knackered when the ball gets old.
Bell was man of the series in the last home Ashes with three centuries! Balance is the one to drop to play both spinners!
Bell has been the undroppable Adonis since '05. He batted well in in the games we were on top. He never has stepped up to the plate when the chips were down and we needed a dogged performance from out batsmen.
He is our possibly our finest stroke player but just hasn't ever put in a backs to the wall performance. We have so much in our favour in the fielding department which was his saving grace previously but just bored of the media lovefest for him.
You can always find something to unpick this but in a game of opinions that's mine.
And perhaps he was man of the series.. We won that series, he was terrible in the last one (others were worse.. I agree)
Bell has been the undroppable Adonis since '05. He batted well in in the games we were on top. He never has stepped up to the plate when the chips were down and we needed a dogged performance from out batsmen.
He is our possibly our finest stroke player but just hasn't ever put in a backs to the wall performance. We have so much in our favour in the fielding department which was his saving grace previously but just bored of the media lovefest for him.
You can always find something to unpick this but in a game of opinions that's mine.
And perhaps he was man of the series.. We won that series, he was terrible in the last one (others were worse.. I agree)
Bell has been the undroppable Adonis since '05.
Was (rightly, and belatedly) dropped in WI tour of 2008-9.
hasn't ever put in a backs to the wall performance.
You're not the only one to still bring that up against him, but it is blatantly untrue. As pointed out in the post you're replying too, his innings in the last home series were crucial and every one came after at least three of the top four had failed (Cook, Root and Trott were awful. Pietersen was pretty unreliable too.) Given his place in the batting order, we were as up against the wall as was possible when he came in. His last big innings only a few months back in the WI was after we had lost Cook, Trott and Ballance for 34 between them and deep in trouble; by the time he was out we were in control and it wasn't his fault the bowlers couldn't take 20 wickets.
Bell frustrates the hell out of me and if he doesn't get his act together pronto I'd like to see him dropped - either to bring in Rashid or for Bairstow as a straight swap. But the idea he can't tough it out is one of those ideas that took hold 7 or 8 years ago and people hold onto in the face of all evidence to the contrary, of which there is tons.
As to your last para, it kind of proves the point. Yes, he's inconsistent, but in two series between the same players, the difference was that when Bell played well we won, when he didn't, we lost. The rest of the batting was poor all the time. He didn't bat well when we were on top, we got on top when he batted well.
The player I'd drop is Broad. I just think he's lost that spark and yard of pace (except the very odd spell when it clicks) and he's a shadow of himself with the bat. He's been dropped from the ODI side and, to all intents and purposes, the T20 side he captained. I also think he's a bit of a t*t.
My team:
Cook Lyth Ballance Bell Root Stokes Buttler Rashid Wood Anderson Finn
Finn bowled very very well in the ODIs, esp when you consider he opened in the powerplay and often bowled at the death and he tackled McCullum head on and won. I'd love to see Englans invest some trust in him and let him off the leash with no pressure and no risk of being dropped. If we can get him back to his absolute best...
Wood must play for a) his pace and b) his ability to reverse it at pace.
We don't need Rashid and Ali. I just think Rashid will be more of a wicket taking threat and Root is a perfectly reasonable second spinner. And if any batsmen struggle Bairstow is the man in form across county cricket. Just don't think Ali is quite good enough as a batsmen or bowler.
It's a bit left field but I hugely rate James Taylor and think he's a real nuggety batsmen who'd stand up to the Aussie quicks and guts it out. I'd go for him if Ballance or Bell struggle in the first 2 Tests.
We've played them far too often over the last few years, but it's all about money. £120 a tcket at Lords/Oval, whereas NZ was more like £60, and only £40 at Headingley.
Last 2 Test (with NZ) were brilliant. Hopefully, we can take a similar gameplan into Ashes. It will be closer than some expect, I think, but Australia will edge it.
God knows why we're playing the 1st Test in Cardiff though.
The player I'd drop is Broad. I just think he's lost that spark and yard of pace (except the very odd spell when it clicks) and he's a shadow of himself with the bat. He's been dropped from the ODI side and, to all intents and purposes, the T20 side he captained. I also think he's a bit of a t*t.
My team:
Cook Lyth Ballance Bell Root Stokes Buttler Rashid Wood Anderson Finn
Finn bowled very very well in the ODIs, esp when you consider he opened in the powerplay and often bowled at the death and he tackled McCullum head on and won. I'd love to see Englans invest some trust in him and let him off the leash with no pressure and no risk of being dropped. If we can get him back to his absolute best...
Wood must play for a) his pace and b) his ability to reverse it at pace.
We don't need Rashid and Ali. I just think Rashid will be more of a wicket taking threat and Root is a perfectly reasonable second spinner. And if any batsmen struggle Bairstow is the man in form across county cricket. Just don't think Ali is quite good enough as a batsmen or bowler.
It's a bit left field but I hugely rate James Taylor and think he's a real nuggety batsmen who'd stand up to the Aussie quicks and guts it out. I'd go for him if Ballance or Bell struggle in the first 2 Tests.
Agree with all of that except Root as second spinner.
I think we (England) are gonna get hammered if im honest Not a great deal of intrest in the media or public in Brissie at the moment. Its all about the decider for State of Origin on Wed. Brisbane going crazy for that right now. I havent seen anything written about the ashes and dont expect to until after origin finishes.
Im hoping this series just passes by un noticed TBH. They are still going on about the last one !
For all the talk about how great the Aussies are they haven't won over here for years now and if England can take the lead in the series the pressure will be on them
For all the talk about how great the Aussies are they haven't won over here for years now and if England can take the lead in the series the pressure will be on them
Very hards to call now. 4 months ago we were dead men walking but it's turned around very quickly.
I think that our batting might be better than theirs and their bowling might be better than ours, but nothing is definite about this series. Oz have a lot of old men and they might suffer from more injuries/fatigue in an intense and compressed series timewise. Although our bowlers aren't as good, we do have quite a lot of spares.
Broad has a great record against them and is likely to be the one we rely on to take the most wickets in the series. The batting looks pretty strong and whilst Smith is in awesome form, he might be due a quiet series. If he is kept quiet then we can win 2-1 or 3-1 I think/hope, but it's very tight.
We've played them far too often over the last few years, but it's all about money. £120 a tcket at Lords/Oval, whereas NZ was more like £60, and only £40 at Headingley.
Last 2 Test (with NZ) were brilliant. Hopefully, we can take a similar gameplan into Ashes. It will be closer than some expect, I think, but Australia will edge it.
God knows why we're playing the 1st Test in Cardiff though.
£110 for Lords, £75 for Oval. I get your point though - I'm going but £110 is top top dollar but still it sells out in seconds for the first 4 days. £75 seems just about ok though.
Pricing generally for events are going insane - big name concerts - £80 for sh*t seats.
And don't get me started on the rugby world cup which is frankly obscene and does little to open the game up to the masses which is surely what such an event should be doing.
£110 for Lords, £75 for Oval. I get your point though - I'm going but £110 is top top dollar but still it sells out in seconds for the first 4 days. £75 seems just about ok though.
Pricing generally for events are going insane - big name concerts - £80 for sh*t seats.
And don't get me started on the rugby world cup which is frankly obscene and does little to open the game up to the masses which is surely what such an event should be doing.
I refused to go for RWC tickets too, but why open it up to the masses when you can shift all the tickets at ludicrous prices anyway?
£15 to see England RL against the brilliant Kiwis at the Olympic Stadium. Bargain!
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