***Official*** 1st Test at The Gabba

[tooextracool]

ok so i dont really have the time to read any of the posts on here at the moment, so forgive me if i repeat stuff thats already been said, but heres my take on what happened yesterday:
England couldnt have started off any worse. They lost the toss and Harmison bowled an appalling first over. and the worst part is that his bowling only got worse from there. Really one has to ask questions when someone bowls poorer than a school boy. Ive never seen a test bowler bowl at least 2 balls down the leg side every over, i think he bowled on average one ball an over on target and the rest were so wide that the batsmen couldnt even be arsed to hit them. His ER got better as the game progressed but thats only because both Martyn and Ponting couldnt hit the ball even if they had 2 bats attached together. On the odd occasion that he bowled a bouncer it was 5 feet above the batsmen and contrary to his name, wouldnt harm anyone. Another thing i want to point out about Harmison is that, how in the bloody hell is he still nervous when he bowls at the Ashes? I mean commone, hes played more Ashes tests than anyone else in the England side, yet he cant even bowl the first ball to the wicket keeper? You'd think after 3 Ashes series, he should be the calmest member of the side.
Hoggard i thought started off well, but there just was never enough in the wicket or in the air to assist him and after a while he couldnt sustain his accuracy and kept pitching the ball up even when there wasnt any swing.
Anderson had his moments, when Martyn came in he bowled 2 solid overs and then bowled one absolute tosh over where he got pasted. Story of his day really, he got more out of the wicket than everyone including Flintoff and was the fastest bowler on show, but he didnt have the accuracy and couldnt sustain any pressure for long enough periods.
Flintoff was the only one who bowled somewhat competently and his figures reflect it although even he was hardly brilliant.
To be honest, if Giles had been match fit with enough practice under his belt, i would have had him over Panesar anyways, cause Panesar has bowled rubbish all tour, and even yesterday Giles actually used flight and varied his pace far better than Panesar has ever done. However the problem is he just doesnt give the ball enough rip, and i dont think he got even a single ball to turn enough to cause batters problems.
For the Aussies, i thought Hayden and Langer were complete crap. Langer getting 80 odd was an absolute joke and the fact that he got it in less than 100 balls speaks volumes about how poor England bowled not to mention Flintoff's captaincy. i thought Ponting and Hussey played quite well, Ponting in particular was excellent.
Now on Flintoff's captaincy, i have to say it was absolutely disgraceful. Okay so hes a great leader and inspires people, but as a tactician i think hes absolutely inept and it was on show during the summer and last winter. I mean really any clown who watched the last Ashes would have realised that you need to block Langers runs square of the wicket. I think Langer got half of his runs by scoring between the slips and Gully or square on the off side yesterday. I mean Vaughan specifically blocked all his boundaries in that area by putting a man on the boundary there. Yet Langer was given the freedom to score at nearly 5.5 runs an over, most of which came by mistimed shots and ridiculous airborne square drives. Furthermore, you'd think that at 79/1, with Ponting new to the crease and knowing that the best time to get him out is to get him early, he would actually bring on his best bowlers? Yet of all the bowlers it was Steve Harmison going at 6 an over from end. okay so i know hes your best mate and everything, but its incredibly obvious to anyone who watched him bowl yesterday that he served some absolute thrash. Why would you ever bowl him to a new batsman? Especially when Hoggard had bowled a much more impressive first spell.
Flintoff isnt going to be able to do this on his own. Last time England won because Jones was the strike bowler and Flintoff was merely his sidekick. The rest merely fed off their success and when the conditions suited them they took wickets. Now things arent quite so bright.

[Nnanden]

It`s a dark, terrible game is cricket.

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Matt79

OK, I've watched the tape of today's play through to Langer's wicket, and a few comments are:
- despite knowing how the day turns out, England could have, at this point, considered themselves unlucky. I don't recall ever seeing so many loose or streaky shots and edges go flying through the wide slip or gully area without ANY of them going to hand. England didn't even drop any, they all were just a foot in the wrong direction.

its not really going to go to handy if you dont have the fielders in the right place. 2 slips and a gully for Harmison while the ball was still relatively new was never going to get too many chances. Tbh, whenever Langer bats, you'd want at least 2 gullies.

Originally Posted by Matt79

- Not impressed with Freddie's captaincy so far - I thought Harmy could have been left on in his first spell for another one over at least, given he was producing edges. Flintoff also seems to be changing his field a lot, and setting fields to cover for bad bowling, rather than having guys in position to capitalise on good balls..

Yea not to mention when during Giles 2nd over. The ball after Martyn came down the track and lofted in over long on for 4, he put a fielder back on the boundary. I mean isnt that what you want batsmen to do? Invite them to come down the track and hit the bowler out of the park? If not then what on earth is the point of Giles tossing the ball up ITFP.

[Gloucefan]

Originally Posted by simmy

Harmison has been woeful for the last few series. I cant even remember a good spell!...

Old Trafford 6 for 19?

Granted other than that he's been pants for a long time.

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by Nnanden

Haha, no way. For serious?

My Sky subscription in the UK - So I get all sports channels, I have to buy the complete package = 42.50 per month = 510 Pounds

Return flight Johannesburg -Doha - London = 399 Pounds approx

Standard South African DSTV Package (including dish, box and yearly subscription) = R1500 = 120 pounds


So I was ten pounds out, but yeah it's pretty funny isn't it?

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by tooextracool

England couldnt have started off any worse.

Yes they could, they did last time

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Langeveldt

Yes they could, they did last time

I dont remember Andrew Caddick bowling his ball to second slip last time or for that matter him following it up by bowling one down the leg side.

[Langeveldt]

Originally Posted by tooextracool

I dont remember Andrew Caddick bowling his ball to second slip last time or for that matter him following it up by bowling one down the leg side.

No, before all that

"We'll have a bowl"

[aussie tragic]

I see that in his 13th Test since the last Ashes, Ponting now has 1620 runs @ 85.26 with 9 centuries, which includes scoring a century in both innings on 3 occasions (Maybe this will be the 4th, but I don't think Aus will bat again).

Oh yeah, here's hoping he gets 268* so that he has a 60.00 Test average

EDIT: And Giles to finish with 1-91 so that he has a 40.00 Test average

[tooextracool]

Originally Posted by Langeveldt

No, before all that

"We'll have a bowl"

Lets not get started on that again.
One could say that with Michael Vaughan out, Trescothick out, Jones out, Plunkett in the squad(despite having no hope of playing this series), and Freddie selected as captain, this tour has begun just as badly.

[PhoenixFire]

I watched all of the day, and I think that England should be very pleased with their performance. Langer could have got caught out multiple time early on, flashing at balls and edging, if only one of the slips had been a few metres to the left then we could have has Langer early, and that would have had a sizeable chunk out of the total. Ponting gave a few chances, and was lucky not to be caught a few times, and be given out LBW (although the umpire was right in the end), and a few others. No disrespect to Ricky, he played brilliantly and fully deserved his hundred, but he gave chances. As did Hussey, he left the ball perilously close to the stumps a fair few times, and could have been out.

To the person who said Harmison got worse, then it is a load of ****. He actually bowled half decent in some of the spells, and bowled some crackers to Damien Martyn, which could have very easily got him out. Hoggard did nothing wrong, and was unlucky that he didn't produce edges in the morning. Giles too bowled well, and choosing him was the right choice, now I see it, over Panesar. Fred was easily our best bowler, and cranked up the pace well, and sent it flying past the edges and people's noses.

All in all, I guess that Aus deserved the advantage that they have, but England mustn't be discouraged about the score, it doesn't tell the whole picture.

[Nnanden]

Originally Posted by PhoenixFire

I watched all of the day, and I think that England should be very pleased with their performance. Langer could have got caught out multiple time early on, flashing at balls and edging, if only one of the slips had been a few metres to the left then we could have has Langer early, and that would have had a sizeable chunk out of the total. Ponting gave a few chances, and was lucky not to be caught a few times, and be given out LBW (although the umpire was right in the end), and a few others. No disrespect to Ricky, he played brilliantly and fully deserved his hundred, but he gave chances. As did Hussey, he left the ball perilously close to the stumps a fair few times, and could have been out.

What the hell? Do you expect Australia to be perfect?

[PhoenixFire]

Originally Posted by Nnanden

What the hell? Do you expect Australia to be perfect?

No, but some people were making it out like England were completely outclassed in every department, and deserved the score. I beg to differ.

[Woodster]

Originally Posted by tooextracool

For the Aussies, i thought Hayden and Langer were complete crap. Langer getting 80 odd was an absolute joke

?? Not sure I agree with that and I'm English!
Yes Langer rode his luck a little, but fortune favours the brave and he took it to the England attack, not allowing the bowlers any chance at all to settle into a rhythm. Anything full he drove, short he pulled or cut.It is an excellent batting surface and that gave him the confidence to play his shots, even if the ball wasn't quite there for it, he just played through the line. He was positive and I hope when we bat we show the same aggressive intent.

One point about the England bowlers is, I thought we bowled far too many short balls, and I don't mean bouncers. We just seemed to feed them with half trackers that would not get up past the ribs. If we're going to bowl short, get it up round the throat, aim for the Aussie badge on the helmet even. Make it uncomfortable for the batters, its no secret Ponting is probably the best puller in the business, we need it up round his head to test him out more.

[marc71178]

Originally Posted by FaaipDeOiad

Good post. IMO, Harmison should be very, very close to being left out of the next test, as things stand right now.

I actually suggested leaving him out for Monty for this game (as well as Trescothick - pre return home) - wish they had now.