***Official*** Tour Games

[pasag]

Hahaha Tait kills Flintoff. This is soo good.

[NZTailender]

Play this team in the first test, and see how it pans out.

[Burgey]

But they wont be playing this team in Brisbane, they'll have McGrath & Warne to contend with as well.

It's only a warm-up game but it sets a scene for the games ahead, particularly the short-pitched attack on Pietersen and Flintoff.

It's just awesome to watch really quick bowlers in full flight. Imo Tait will now play in Brisbane. Who knows if that's a good move.

Edit: Can we read anything into Jones playing today ahead of Read?

[FaaipDeOiad]

Tait won't play in Brisbane. He's bowled very well today and all, but it's one game, and a one dayer at that. It'll be Johnson, Clark or maybe Bracken at the outside. Tait and Gillespie are next in line.

Nice reverse swing from Tait and Hilfenhaus today, which should give England something to be happy about, even if their bowlers didn't manage to find it. At least there's some in this country.

All positive signs for the future of Australian cricket today, and not much to be happy about from England. Flintoff and Strauss is it. It doesn't necessarily mean a lot that they got hammered in this one game, but if they don't turn it around a bit in the next two warmups it's not a particularly good way to kick off a series.

[aussie]

first time i'm seeing the likes of Birt, Marsh & Hilfenhaus and they look good.

The performances of Jaques & Tait will keep the selectors interested in them, while England will be hoping this defeat won't affect them too badly, Mahmood was just awful man..

[Perm]

I doubt Tait will play against England, it is a bit of a pity but I am sure he will get a good run in the test side in future series, providing that his action doesn't cause his body to break down. Jaques performed very well but England were pretty dire apart from Strauss and Flintoff.

[Simon]

HAHA england shocking!
Tait bowled sensationally and all the batters did very well, Jaques and Marsh struck the ball beautifully...

Geez Mahmood and Giles were copping it on the boundary though, Pietersen was surprisingly on the good side of the crowd though...

[Laurrz]

Brilliant! perfect start to the ashes tour! im loving it

[Matt79]

Tait should be seriously considered, as explained in the "4th bowler for 1st test thread"

[Pedro Delgado]

Rusty outing, not overly worried though there's plenty of cricket to be played afore the Gabba plus we'll actually have some bowlers playing by then. I remember a severely under-cooked Aussie side getting some tap last year but they played well when it mattered, even though they ultimately lost the urn.

What about Mahmood though, good grief, laughable; send him to Perth and bring in Broad as the back-up.



Enjoyed Van Diemen's Land and Derbyshire legend Birt's cameo, nice one son.

[social]

Dire performance from England - only bright points were Flintoff's return and Strauss' form against anyone bar but Tait.

This series will be a serious test of Flintoff's ability as a captain

Today they were under-manned, under-motivated and out-classed by a side that was a mix of 2 guys with test potential, some very good youngsters and fill-ins

Horrible really

[Johnners]

Whats with giving Collingwood 10 overs & Monty only 3. Surely they would've gained more out of giving monty a bowl, than collingwood, who's bowling you'd think isn't really going to be a big factor in the series.

Great performance from Jaques. Practically pounding the selectors down down. Whilst Tait bowled well, it was only one match, and as good as he may have been, he can be just as ordinary!

[PY]

I have a feeling we're going to be severely underdone by the time the Ashes come about.

A shocking performance but not going to comment until the real stuff begins.

[Simon]

Whats with giving Collingwood 10 overs & Monty only 3. Surely they would've gained more out of giving monty a bowl, than collingwood, who's bowling you'd think isn't really going to be a big factor in the series.

Great performance from Jaques. Practically pounding the selectors down down. Whilst Tait bowled well, it was only one match, and as good as he may have been, he can be just as ordinary!

Collingwood was bowling quite well until his last 2 or so overs. Monty didnt look threatening at all, but as its a warm up game i think getting players into form and used to the conditions would have been more important than trying to win...

[Johnners]

Even though Collingwood bowled well, getting panesar used to Australian conditions would have proved far more benefitial. He didn't exactly get a chance to look threatening with only 3 overs, and they weren't even in a single spell.