The IW Ashes thread.

[Yorick]

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 ]

[Memnoch]

Originally posted by Yorick: 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....

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.

[Davros]

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.

[Sever]

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.

[wellard]

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]

[Target]

Originally posted by wellard: 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]

[wellard]

Originally posted by Target: quote: Originally posted by wellard: 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] [/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

[Target]

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

[Memnoch]

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]

The pitch looked completely different after the change of innings. Glenn McGrath kept drifting the ball away from Andrew Strauss and beating him at will, while Stuart Clark regularly jagged it back into the right-handers. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/mai...8/ucashe28.xml

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?

Andrew Miller, UK Editor at Cricinfo: All in all it had been a pretty poor match for the umpires, and Aleem Dar erred again in Warne's next over, when Steve Harmison gloved a sweep onto his chest and into the hands of first slip. Warne had to be stopped short in the celebrations for his 706th Test wicket (or the 700th, if Bill Frindall's objections count for anything) but he had his man soon enough anyway, when Harmison missed a full-bunger on middle stump and was, rightly this time, sent on his way for 4. http://content-usa.cricinfo.com/ausv...ry/274183.html

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 ]

[Target]

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...