Some interesting stats here in the games that counted. Check out Brett Lee - 8 wickets @ 58!! :mad:

Absolutely pathetic. Surely Tait would do better than this. He's just as fast, has got more variation, swings the ball more, can also reverse it and is more intelligent.

</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Australia Batting and Fielding

Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St

MEK Hussey 3 5 2 415 103 138.33 53.00 1 4 3 -
MJ Clarke 3 5 2 373 135* 124.33 63.43 2 1 - -
RT Ponting 3 6 1 524 196 104.80 61.43 2 2 1 -
B Lee 3 3 2 60 43* 60.00 50.42 - - 2 -
AC Gilchrist 3 4 1 166 102* 55.33 114.48 1 1 13 1
JL Langer 3 6 1 230 100* 46.00 69.90 1 1 4 -
ML Hayden 3 6 0 204 92 34.00 62.38 - 1 5 -
SK Warne 3 3 0 85 43 28.33 54.48 - - 4 -
DR Martyn 2 3 0 45 29 15.00 45.45 - - 3 -
SR Clark 3 3 0 42 39 14.00 120.00 - - - -
A Symonds 1 2 0 28 26 14.00 77.77 - - 1 -
GD McGrath 3 3 1 10 8* 5.00 25.00 - - 1 -

Australia Bowling

Name Mat O M R W Ave Best 5 10 SR Econ

A Symonds 1 13 2 36 2 18.00 2-8 - - 39.0 2.76
SR Clark 3 125.2 31 295 16 18.43 4-72 - - 47.0 2.35
GD McGrath 3 127.1 36 334 13 25.69 6-50 1 - 58.6 2.62
SK Warne 3 176.2 34 521 14 37.21 4-49 - - 75.5 2.95
B Lee 3 129 12 467 8 58.37 2-35 - - 96.7 3.62
MEK Hussey 3 1 0 5 0 - - - - - 5.00
MJ Clarke 3 17 2 53 0 - - - - - 3.11

England Batting and Fielding

Name Mat I NO Runs HS Ave SR 100 50 Ct St

KP Pietersen 3 6 1 398 158 79.60 54.22 1 3 2 -
PD Collingwood 3 6 1 345 206 69.00 46.12 1 1 5 -
IR Bell 3 6 0 223 87 37.16 40.39 - 3 4 -
AN Cook 3 6 0 221 116 36.83 43.67 1 - 1 -
AF Giles 2 4 1 74 27* 24.66 57.36 - - 1 -
A Flintoff 3 6 1 120 51 24.00 55.04 - 1 - -
AJ Strauss 3 6 0 113 42 18.83 45.20 - - 3 -
MS Panesar 1 2 1 17 16* 17.00 48.57 - - - -
GO Jones 3 6 0 63 33 10.50 42.85 - - 9 -
SJ Harmison 3 5 0 44 23 8.80 56.41 - - 1 -
SI Mahmood 1 2 0 14 10 7.00 50.00 - - - -
JM Anderson 2 3 2 7 4* 7.00 15.90 - - - -
MJ Hoggard 3 5 0 16 8 3.20 15.09 - - - -

England Bowling

Name Mat O M R W Ave Best 5 10 SR Econ

MS Panesar 1 58 7 237 8 29.62 5-92 1 - 43.5 4.08
MJ Hoggard 3 120 19 404 12 33.66 7-109 1 - 60.0 3.36
A Flintoff 3 98 15 348 7 49.71 4-99 - - 84.0 3.55
SJ Harmison 3 114.1 17 452 6 75.33 4-48 - - 114.1 3.95
AF Giles 2 82 9 262 3 87.33 1-46 - - 164.0 3.19
JM Anderson 2 63.2 10 303 2 151.50 1-85 - - 190.0 4.78
IR Bell 3 1 0 12 0 - - - - - 12.00
SI Mahmood 1 17 2 87 0 - - - - - 5.11
KP Pietersen 3 28 2 112 0 - - - - - 4.00</pre>[/QUOTE]

They do need to use 5 bowlers IF they have 5 usefull ones (which they dont). Why choose Anderson/ mahmood/ plunket that offer nothing in the way of bowling? Given their current squad another batsman would be the best option given that Monty would be able to bowl more overs (and take wickets) It would be a brave desicion given the need to be able to bowl Australia out twice but i see no other choice.

Question Memsy .. Collingwood can bowl in one day matches why is he not used in the tests as a change bowler?

Maybe they rate KP's offies more than Collywobble's trundlers? I don't know.

As for another batsman, maybe Ed Joyce at 6? I can see Warney making this guy look like a dunce. Let's see what it looks like:

Strauss
Cook
Shermanator
KP
Collywobble
Joyce
Flintoff
Read
Harmlesson
Monty
Hoggard

That team doesn't look remotely like taking 20 wickets (or even the last 10). Looks to be a very defensive team trying to go for a draw. I don't think they can afford to just go in with a four man bowling attack + some part-timers - they'd be putting too much pressure on Monty in his second Ashes Test (though you could argue there's not that much pressure left now). You've got Harmless who only fires once an innings a la Brett Lee, then you've got Mahmood/Anderson who's a pie thrower, then you've got a half-fit Freddie and Hoggard probably the most consistent of the lot. They can't go in with a 4 man attack. You win Tests by taking wickets, not scoring runs. It was their inability to take wickets that led to OZ posting 500-odd in the 2nd innings, including 160 in 20 overs or something.

[ 12-19-2006, 12:35 AM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

Yeah Ashes! Go Ashes! Burnanate the competition!

I still don't know what this thread is about. :(

Your line up looks good enough to me with plunket/joyce the only contention.

I feel sorry for Giles, he did his best after a full year out of the game and now he has had to go home for personal reasons. He plays a certain way and it was wrong for (some) poms to blame him for not taking enough wickets. Though 'that' dropped catch against punter did not help.

Warney and McGrath are both poised to retire apparently.

There's really nothing more for either of them to achieve in the game. Warney will take his 700th wicket sometime before the end of the series, and both of them can retire knowing that they did Australia proud.

I think we've proved that we should be able to shrug off the loss of McGrath as we have some good fast bowling stocks coming through. We will lose a bit of an edge without Warney, mainly in our ability to dominate the fifth days of a Test match. But we won't become a crap team overnight as many people have suggested, as our competitiveness is bred out of our cricketing system, not the talents of one or two players.

What we'll miss more than the talents of these two are their brains - they've got so much experience that they know what fields to set, how batsmen play, all that stuff. It's a bit like Darren Lehmann's retirement before the Ashes in 2005 - we missed his brain more than his batting.

I think we'll all miss Warney, histrionics and all. The field was his theatre when he was bowling.

I must say a big well done to Australia...oh could we please have the Ashes back for a few weeks in another 20 years or so?? :rolleyes:

LMAO [img]graemlins/laugh2.gif[/img]

Warne to retire at the MCG after taking his 700th wicket would be a fairy tale ending. But then OH AH McGrath to retire after the Sydney test ... not sure if Cricket Australia will be happy about both going at the same time.

If Warney did retire at the MCG would Stuart MacGill then play in sydney? is he ready? Who else would play if 2 spinners where deemed usefull?

I'm pretty sure Warney's retiring at the end of the Ashes. He just wanted to make the announcement so he could get a big sendoff at the MCG.

Warne said Sydney was it.

I really hope McGill sticks around. He's a talent-and-a-half. What a pity for him he got his start later than Warne. Whenever he's been in the side he's performed better than Warne.

Apparently his crime is he likes wine (not beer) and reading....

[ 12-21-2006, 10:44 AM: Message edited by: Yorick ]

To be fair to Warney though, Whenever they've bowled together he's usually come on after Warne and is usually bowling to lower order batsmen after Warne's already put the fear of God into the side. But yes, his chance to shine is coming up.

Gah - McGill isn't a quarter the bowler Shane is - what are you thinking Eggman? [img]smile.gif[/img] . What you get from McGill is flat darts with large turn. Far more predictable and infinitely less devious than "The Enigma Variations" of Warnie.

I was kinda hoping England would win the Perth test. That was all over just a little too quickly. It's just not the same when the last two ashes tests are friendlies. :rolleyes:

Mcgrath has just anounced his retirement after the world cup. So the last test in Sydney will see both champions retire!

Anybody got any spare tickets [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

I don’t suppose the rest of the Australian side could retire as well? [img]graemlins/funnysad.gif[/img]

I don’t suppose the rest of the Australian side could retire as well? [img]graemlins/funnysad.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]LOL

That last test was painfull to watch, their worst performance yet. They had Australia on the ropes at 5/85 and came out after lunch with no plan to press home their advantage .... rubbish! Great to see Roy get his maiden test 100.

4 tests down and the poms have not bowled the Aussies out twice yet :eek:

I hope this won't become the first whitewash since 1920ish!!

Geez what a thrashing. I was hoping to see a bit of the Test when I got back to my hotel in Manila but it was already over!

I wonder what Nasser Hussain and the other English media who were moaning about how the OZ always have "the better of the wicket" and that the wicket had "settled down and eased considerably" yesterday after lunch have to say for themselves now eh. This is truly an abject performance - Stu Clark take a bow. Considering that the Guardian's Mike Selvey said that this wicket "lost a lot of movement as the day (yesterday) wore on", this is a great performance from Clark.

You could understand the first innings as the pitch was a bit lively but this is a pitch that had "settled down and was perfect for batting" (according to the Telegraph yesterday). Unless it's suddenly developed gremlins again just in time for England to bat. [img]graemlins/lol.gif[/img]

Commiserations to our English friends here but I have to say I'm looking forward to what excuses the media are going to trot out now. Surely they can't keep blaming the pitch or the umpiring?

The umpiring, particularly Rudi, was pretty dire but it went both ways, and when you lose by an innings there's not much you can blame but yourself. To Freddie's credit he's taken it on the chin.

I have to admit that at the start of this series I didn't expect it to be this one-sided - England reached their zenith in Adelaide and when they folded there it broke their spirit as well. They've gone from bad to worse since, and looks like this Test was men against boys. I was expecting a 2-1 or 3-1 result but it's looking more and more like 5-0.

[ 12-31-2006, 02:03 PM: Message edited by: Memnoch ]

Good news everyone!!
"Justin Langer becomes the latest Australian to announce his retirement"
Shame it comes after the ashes :(

With all these retirements there is hope for the next ashes series...

LOL the story I heard was that he was retiring from test matches but would still play one-dayers. Uh, Langer, you're not in the one day side... [img]graemlins/uhoh1.gif[/img] :D

I missed that :D

Langer has been my fave player over these last few years, the little black belted one has a good sense of humour masking a steel determination.

So no more Martyn (remember him) Warne Mcgrath Langer. This Sydney match will be one big sendoff! We will do well to remember this team, without doubt one of the greatist teams of any sport of any era.

Not a bad start by England...now watch them throw it all away...

Intresting stat ..

The last 5 english wickets have never combined a score greater than 53 this series (usually a lot less) coupled with never bowling Australia out twice

Good fight today in bowlers seaming weather, slow but good to watch.

Oh God... the next one has started. Why won't they just let the series end? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

If we loose Colli or Fred early tomorrow we won't make 300 with that tail. Bad thing is England always seem to loose wickets at the beginning of a new day :(
What are the chances of rain???

5-0 :D

The first Ashes whitewash since 1921. A truely amazing performance by Australia.

Well done Australia [img]graemlins/crying.gif[/img] !! I hope this give the England team the kick up the backside they need, like the last ashes series did to Australia...but I doubt it. The will to win just didn't seem to be there in the whole team.

And the test side is better than the 1 day side, I'm not looking forward to the tri series!!

How was Warnes 71!! Top scored!

[img]graemlins/awcrap.gif[/img] Aw damn! Sorry to go OT but were you in Manila for NYE??? So was I!!! Spewing! I got there on boxing day and left on the 5th. We were doing a show at the Araneta Coliseum (site of THE THRILLA IN MANILA!!!) and staying at Ortigas, Pasig City. I couldn't get internet there without paying millions of $US a second. Everytime I went to an internet cafe they said their service was painfully slow due to the earthquake in Taiwan...

Oh well...

And, oh, Go You Good Thing, Aussie!!! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[ 01-07-2007, 10:15 AM: Message edited by: Leonis ]

[img]graemlins/awcrap.gif[/img] Aw damn! Sorry to go OT but were you in Manila for NYE??? So was I!!! Spewing! I got there on boxing day and left on the 5th. We were doing a show at the Araneta Coliseum (site of THE THRILLA IN MANILA!!!) and staying at Ortigas, Pasig City. I couldn't get internet there without paying millions of $US a second. Everytime I went to an internet cafe they said their service was painfully slow due to the earthquake in Taiwan...

Oh well...

And, oh, Go You Good Thing, Aussie!!! [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Actually I was, would've loved to catch up. I was staying in Makati and Ayala Alabang.