Its Summer! - the Fever Cricket Thread.

Yeah I'm still well satisfied seeing that look of great disappointment on his face.

I especailly like this bit "every truly great attack has someone...like Mitchell Johnson" aitkenmike2010-12-06 19:05:18

I agree, they always say something like 'they'd be good if they had someone like we've got'. Always comparing players and teams to theirs as if theirs is perfection. FUCKING STUPID DELUDED CUNTS.

Pietersen gets Clarke. Clarke middles it into his leg and it pops up to Cook. Clarke looks to walk then stops because Tony Hill didn't give it. Replay made Clarke look like a f**kwit because you know when you've middled it. Good end to the day.

KP now has a better bowling average than Doherty.

KP now has 11 personal bitches.

Did anyone read Rattue in the Herald today? First time in a while I actually agreed with what he said.

Basically he was talking about the downfall of Aussie cricket and saying it was more about the obvious failings in depth they have now. If you look at it this way, in the mid 2000s when Martyn retired or if a batsman was struggling they brought in Hussey, Symonds or Hodge. Before that it was the ability to pick guys like Hayden or Blewett out of first class cricket which made them so strong. In the bowling ranks you obviously had McGrath and Warne but then behind them you still had quality players.

Now you just plain don't. Arguably there batting line up is still immensely strong but they can get away with not performing because there are young kids that have potential but there is no one in first class cricket that has scored a bucket load of runs and is banging down the door. The bowling attack is a mediocre international attack and again they have nothing behind it.

It was a good article.bopman2010-12-06 21:55:12

But but but, according to the Aussie media they have 8 international class seamers in the wings.

How much did they pay for them?

Symonds it was the guarantee of a night on the piss in Cardiff and unlimited fishing trips. The others not to sure.

Smart sh*t

To sure or not to sure, that is the question.


Sorry feeling a bit prickly tonight.

Change your avatar please EG. It's nauseating.

All in good time Buffy

I'm posing for the replacement.

We're also going full frontal for the HN oneel grapadura2010-12-06 22:41:34

THose are some mighty large straws you are clutching at there BOTN, but good luck to you.

You're right, they haven't lost yet but there has only been one team in this series so far. Either way aussie are on the ropes and I can't see them dominating for a long enough period to win this series. Who do they drop for the first test?

A bit harsh if one remembers that England were over 200 runs behind after the first innings in Brisbane. They saved the match superbly, but they were never in a position to win that test. So hardly only one team in the series so far.

stuart broad out of the ashes, big blow for him and england

There only problem is the lack of a spinner? How about a pace attack, that bar a hatrick, has done absolutely nothing and conceded 1200 odd runs for the loss of 16 wickets in this series. Or a batting line up where most of them have forgotten how to score big hundreds.

El G - your point about Brisbane is fair but the first couple of days of that test were very odd. Probably about par maybe Aus slightly in front then Siddle gets the hatrick. Look at the Aus batting innings, England on top when Hussey and Haddin come together and they put together monster partnership despite the fact that the England bowlers for large periods of the partnership bowled quite well. Especially Anderson in the 1st session on the Saturday morning. So while Aus were on top going into that second innings I wouldn't put it down to a team-wide/systemic dominance that you have seen from the Poms since that day.

Perhaps, but even in the Australian heyday they had plenty of times when they'd be saved by a tremendous batting performance/partnership, or an inspired bowling performance in a single session. That in itself is not a new thing. Their problem this time around is that simply the pool of players who can produce this has shrunk considerably, and is close to non-existant in the bowling department.

Having said that, I don't think England's significantly better, or even indeed better at all. They've happened to have a couple of guys in tremendous form (Cook and Trott), with Pietersen also benefiting from facing a tired and dispirited, and internationally nothing more than average bowling attack. It may be enough for them to retain the Ashes, or may not be.

Katich also.

Hussey gooone - 5 to go before the rain.

*does rain dance*

@ El G.

Often its your one or two best bowlers that will win tests for you as long as the rest can play an adequate backup role, and I would definitely take Englands two (Anderson and Swan) over Aussie's two, (? and ?).

Other than that, I agree, I don't see much difference between the sides other than a couple of form batsmen, which can change quickly.

I know, what I'm trying to say is they used to have maybe 4 guys who could destroy a team in a session (McGrath, Warne, Lee, Gillespie, even Kasprowicz occasionaly), even when things hadn't necessarily gone their way. They could win tests from any position - but now that they don't have that, it's a lot tougher.el grapadura2010-12-07 19:11:41

Certainly agree with you there.

Yes, Haddin gone.

7 down!!

Hahahaha King Pair for Harris LBW shouldering arms, and Anderson on a hattrick.


aitkenmike2010-12-07 13:22:57

Haddin gone, this will be over before lunch.

Just been listening to the TMS podcast from yesterday. Boycott probably put it best when he said that man for man these teams are probably even but the way both teams are playing and the head space both teams are in England are well on top.

Can't wait to be standing on the bank in Perth when the Poms retain the Ashes!

You lucky lucky bastard

North looks pretty out.

North gooone, England 3 wickets in four balls, Anderson still on a hattrick!

I'm loving this

Ohhh, Swann's hit the stumps and the bails didn't fall off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rY0WxgSXdEE