Ashes to Ashes (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter wuddie
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Does any1 else reckon Ian Bell is waaayyyy overrated? I mean yeah sure he's scored 3 half centuries. But not in the pressure innings. Where was he when England needed to bat well last day in Adelaide? Or when England had their best chance to put Australia on the backfoot and get a lead in 1st innings at Perth?
I hate hearing about how England have a great young middle order and they will tear us apart in 2009. We'll still have the 3 averaging 100 in this series (Punter, Hussey, Clarke) plus most likely a combo of Jaques, Rogers, North, Cosgrove - all who are better than Bell.
rant over.
ps How good are we? I hit the piss so hard last night celebrating. oi oi oi
I hate hearing about how England have a great young middle order and they will tear us apart in 2009. We'll still have the 3 averaging 100 in this series (Punter, Hussey, Clarke) plus most likely a combo of Jaques, Rogers, North, Cosgrove - all who are better than Bell.
rant over.
ps How good are we? I hit the piss so hard last night celebrating. oi oi oi
davo_
good kid
Wouldn't you consider that to be a massive kick in the guts? It's like "thanks for winning back the Ashes for us, but we don't want you to play in our team anymore." I've said it before; pick the best possible team for every match - a test match is not a joke. Blood young players when a player needs to be replaced due to injury/form whatever. No one in the team deserves to get dropped.timlay said:
HotShot
-_-
Hussey is way overrated playing only 14 matches or something - batting in the lower order hardly exposed to any spin. wait till he plays against India or Murali hewill struggle (unless he opens).otay said:
Ian Bell is harldy overrated- if not he is underrated how old is that bloke? 24? he is pretty good and easily england's best no.3 If he doesnt score - England are in trouble - it exposes the middle order to early.
England wont tear us apart in 2009 that I can assure you. 5-0 nill whitewash? I think so - cant see england winning in mcg - their best chance is a draw or win in SCG.
Bah India pulled of win against South Africa after being raped in the tour matches. Chappell is doing fine job with them. Who is taking over from Buchanan?
wuddie
Black by Demand
dude no fucken way, you're wrong!HotShot said:
1. hussey is such a natural player he'll cane the spinners till their heads spin. look at the 3rd test 1st inning, panesar pretty much got the middle order but hussey survived unbeaten. doesn't that tell you something? what does a player has to do to convince you he's good? the bloke made 10,000+ runs in first class cricket before he gets a chance in international cricket, averaging 80 something, saved our bacons a few times over, what more do you want from him?
2. this i'll have to agree, ian bell is a good player, you can only expect the half century from him time and time again, if he can pull that off he's a legend. he's 24 and batting at number 3, i'd like to see flintoff or kp gives it a try.
so yea, you're wrong
But middle order batsmen are supposed to be good players of spin (and Clarke and Hussey especially are known to be good players of spin). After the Top order takes the shine off the new ball the middle order comes in and handles the spinners as the ball degrades and before the next new ball is taken.
As for 2009, it'll be a very closely contested match IMHO. All Australia will lack is the rampant attack that the McGrath-Warne combo gave us. I mean a partnership like that (almost 1000 wickets between them) will surely be missed.
As for 2009, it'll be a very closely contested match IMHO. All Australia will lack is the rampant attack that the McGrath-Warne combo gave us. I mean a partnership like that (almost 1000 wickets between them) will surely be missed.
Kujah
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And our opening partnership of Hayden and Langer will probably be gone by 2009. Its gonna be a very close series next time, as Australia's line up will be different from 2006, whereas England will be relatively unchanged.
HotShot
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wuddie said:
He has hardly played against Spin at international level. Yeah sure he is good - but most players are only good if they can handle the sub-continent. hussey is yet to experience it. I mean hussey is all-round damn good player- but I feel he struggles against spin. most of the time ponting has done all the work for the middle order- and there is little pressure on hussey etc. But when ponting hasnt scored- hussey has done a excellent job. But just see how handle murali -lol.
Dude so far in tests - he has played against West Indies, South Africa, Bangladesha and England. Nearly all of those matches have been run fests. West Indies were pathetic when they played here. Wait till he playes Sri Lanka, or India.
all players are 'natural'? wtf.
Clarke is awesome - vulnerable to pace. but excellent at spin.
Away
HotShot
-_-
England lineups changed dramatically from the last ashes series in England and this one -lol.Kujah said:
I doubt it would be 'relatively unchanged'.
After the world cup I would expect some the youth players to be brough in. Ponting will be at his prime (if he isnt already). I expect Hussey to continue, unless someone else steps up or hussey doesnt perform.
major concern is the bowling.
Kujah
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Say England had no injuries, i reckon they'd go with Harmison, Jones, Hoggard, Flintoff, and Panesar as their bowling attack.
I doubt Trescothick or Jones could retain their spots in 2009.
Btw, if Vaughan is selected for a Test match, who's gonna go? Bell or Collingwood?
I doubt Trescothick or Jones could retain their spots in 2009.
Btw, if Vaughan is selected for a Test match, who's gonna go? Bell or Collingwood?
davo_ said:
you're right mate.
but as you can see with warney, he's retiring. Now, name a young spinner who could actually take his place. (not REPLACE warne. no one can) but bowl GOOD for australia at least.... and don't say macgill. he's not young.
wuddie
Black by Demand
on the subject of 'taking warney's place'
i reckon aust really lacks a experienced spin campaigner, macgill is such a good player with such shit lucks, playing in the same era as warney. but right now, we got absolutely no one good enough to bowl spin long term for australia.
my solution is to keep roy in the test team for a while and get him to bowl off spin, clarke can bowl a bit. it is until now that the lack of depth in spinners has really hit us. if we are to reproduce another quality spinner, selectors need to get on with it immediately. there is no use throwing hawritz or cullen in there if they are not going to do us any good. i am totally against having players in a test team just for the sake of it, we should always pick the best team possible, that means i'd rather have 4 quicks if it need be.
i reckon aust really lacks a experienced spin campaigner, macgill is such a good player with such shit lucks, playing in the same era as warney. but right now, we got absolutely no one good enough to bowl spin long term for australia.
my solution is to keep roy in the test team for a while and get him to bowl off spin, clarke can bowl a bit. it is until now that the lack of depth in spinners has really hit us. if we are to reproduce another quality spinner, selectors need to get on with it immediately. there is no use throwing hawritz or cullen in there if they are not going to do us any good. i am totally against having players in a test team just for the sake of it, we should always pick the best team possible, that means i'd rather have 4 quicks if it need be.
HotShot said:
Umm no. Hussey is a very good player. The has the 2nd highest average of all time (after playing 20 innings which is what is required to be on the lists). Are you aware how many matches Graeme Pollock played? And he is considered an all time great. Hussey's average just keeps getting better as well. Peope said he would struggle against a quality bowling attack. Sure they haven't been bowling at their best, but at the same time Hussey has made them look like net bowlers. He will murder India, and I see no reason why he can't handle Murali either? Taking nothing away from Murali, but Hussey (like Clarke) is an exceptional player of spin.
Ian Bell = overrated. He will very rarely set fear in oppositions eyes (something which good players do). Not on the same level as other 24-27 year old batsmen around the world. I would honestly rather have cameron white in my top 6 than Bell. Michael Vaughan shits all over him as a Number 3 (actually Vaughan should open, in which case Strauss or Cook shits over Bell as a number 3). Like I said, it's a helluva lot easier scoring runs when the pressure's off. How did he do again 2nd innings in Adeliade, 1st innings in Perth when the pressure's on?? He hasn;t got the mental side of it.
South Africa, first innigns especially, were disgraceful with the bat. When was the last time Graeme Smith made a decent score?
And Mark Taylor is heading the committee to decide next coach of Australia. I reckon they will ask Rod Marsh. Or even Ian Chappell.
