Prediction Thread

[aussie]

Originally Posted by aussie

Score: 3-1 Australia
Top Run-Scorer: Ponting
Top wicket-taker: Warne or Lee
Most catches (wk excluded): Trescothick
Biggest Surprise: Watson or Mahmood
Biggest Disappointment: Panesar or Pietersen
Man of the Series: Ponting

just will change my predicted Score to 4-1 Australia

[Johnners]

Score: 3-1 Australia
Top Runscorer: Ponting
Top Wicket Taker: Lee
Most catches (wk excluded): Hayden - Always in the slips/gully
Biggest surprise: Gilchrist - Will Put Flintoff ghosts aside n have a blinder
Biggest disappointment: Flintoff
Man of the series: Ponting

Australian Averages:

Hayden 35
Langer 29
Ponting 67
Martyn 40
Hussey 43
Watson 33 Batting/39 Bowling
Gilchrist 56
Warne 21Batting/28 Bowling
Lee 22 Batting/21 Bowling
Johnson 26 Bowling
McGrath 33 Bowling

[Pedro Delgado]

Originally Posted by aussie

just will change my predicted Score to 4-1 Australia

Still sticking with Tres as top catcher then.

[archie mac]

Score: 3-0 Aust
Top Runscorer: Hayden
Top Wicket Taker: Lee
Most catches (wk excluded): Warne
Biggest surprise: Tait
Biggest disappointment: McGrath
Man of the series: Lee

[howardj]

For the life of me, I don't know how people can predict that the Poms won't win a Test. Even during the 1990's, they always managed to jag a Test somewhere. This is an infinitely better team than any of those sides.

[Pedro Delgado]

It is a little odd, obviously Aus are favourites but they aren't the side we played last time we toured, plus England are a lot better this time too as you say.

I think the "3-1s" are a good bet, but I'm somewhat optimistically sticking with 2-2.

[Matteh]

I put a 10/1 bet on the 2-1 Australia outcome myself.

Score: 2-1 Aus
Top Runscorer: Ponting
Top Wicket Taker: McGrath
Most catches (wk excluded): Strauss
Biggest surprise: Giles
Biggest disappointment: Langer
Man of the series: Pietersen if he gets in his groove. Failing that it'll probably be Ponting.

[Slow Love™]

Originally Posted by howardj

For the life of me, I don't know how people can predict that the Poms won't win a Test. Even during the 1990's, they always managed to jag a Test somewhere. This is an infinitely better team than any of those sides.

It's not that crazy. I think since the 96/97 series against WI (almost ten years), Australia have only lost around 3 tests in total in our own backyard. Granted, a couple of those were to England, but we have been near impregnable at home in recent seasons, much more so than in the 90's.

Australia's bowling stocks are much improved since the last Ashes, and it's hardly a full strength English side, either.

[Slow Love™]

^ with the exception of the '03 India series, heh heh... But even then, when I felt we were dominated, they only walked away with one test. It's just been very hard for the opposition to win tests in Australia for quite some time now.

[GIMH]

But how often does the Ashes end with a side winning no Tests? I could be wrong but I don't think it's happened since 89, and with the quality we have in our side, there's no way we'll go home empty handed.

[Slow Love™]

Originally Posted by GeraintIsMyHero

But how often does the Ashes end with a side winning no Tests? I could be wrong but I don't think it's happened since 89, and with the quality we have in our side, there's no way we'll go home empty handed.

To be honest, I hope they don't, because I'd much rather see an exciting series than a walkover. The conservative pick is probably 3-1, but I think 3-zip is a genuine possibility. FWIW, I picked 2-1 (Aus) last Ashes, but I was fairly nervous from the outset. It feels quite different this time around.

[GIMH]

TBH I have no honest prediction. I have no idea how I think this series will end up, and I picked 2-2 conservatively tbh,.

[Dizzy #4]

Score: 3-2 Australia
Top Runscorer: Gilly
Top Wicket Taker: Collingwood
Most catches (wk excluded): Hayden
Biggest surprise: Gillespie, will come back strong and take 20+ wickets with a ton to boot
England's Biggest Suprise: Collingwood, A Triple will make him the talk of the Country along with 30 wickets
Biggest disappointment: Clark, He'd conceed 150+ with no wickets
England's Biggest Disapointment: Flintoff, only one half ton and 3 wickets@104
Man of the series: Collingwood

Australian Averages:

Hayden 41
Langer 41
Ponting 33
Martyn 27
Hussey 60
Clarke 33 Batting/33 Bowling
Watson 20 Batting/40 Bowling
Gilchrist 92 (lotsa not outs)
Gillespie: - (Not out King)/ 11 Bowling
Warne 7Batting/31 Bowling
Lee 11 Batting/27 Bowling
Johnson 2 Batting/48 Bowling
Clark 0 Batting/- Bowling (No wickets!)
McGrath 30 Batting/23 Bowling
Tait 5 Batting/26 Bowling

Strauss - 22
Cook - 32
Bell - 11
Pietersen - 17
Collingwood - 85 Batting/12 Bowling
Flintoff 9 Batting/104 Bowling
Jones - 33
Giles - 9 Batting/ 40 Bowling
Hoggard - 30 Batting/30 Bowling
Harmison - 13 Batting/34Bowling
Anderson 2 Batting/29 Bowling
Panesar - 15 Batting/50 Bowling

[Jono]

Originally Posted by howardj

For the life of me, I don't know how people can predict that the Poms won't win a Test. Even during the 1990's, they always managed to jag a Test somewhere. This is an infinitely better team than any of those sides.

England missing players

+

Australia wanting to belt England into an oblivion more than ever

=

Possibility that England may not win a test. How often to Australia lose a test at home anyway? Not too often.

[pietersenrocks]

Score:England 2-1
Top Runscorer:Kevin Pietersen
Top Wicket Taker:Warne
Most catches (wk excluded):Kevin Pietersen
Biggest surprise:Alastair Cook
Biggest disappointment:Mathew Hayden
Man of the series-Kevin Pietersen