*Official* Fourth Test at Headingley

[JBH001]

I wouldn't let England down for a lack of trying either. Pissant just doesn't have the weapons (or any weapons really) to be successful with the ball yet. He may very well become a decent test bowler, but letting him bowl his tripe and average 40 is doing more harm than good.

No, thats not what I meant. Never claimed he was a top bowler, although it would be difficult to deny his improvement since the tour of West Indies. Rather that the amount of flak he gets seems quite a bit disproportionate to my eyes. Sure, eventually he may be nothing more than a good third seamer, but he does seem to possess good qualities for a cricketer that often seem to go un-noticed or unappreciated. Certainly, so far he has 8 wickets at 40 odd in this series, comparable to Flintoff, and better than Swann. None of those wickets, to my recollection, have been anything other than good wickets either, and some at possible pivotal points too.

Meh, not something I am really fussed about. But in following this match thread over the series, the amount of invective he gets, seems to me to be OTT.

 

[Burgey]

LOL, a bit random?

Yeah. Always was a handy term of usage when dealing with Scandanavian backpacker girls..

 

[Noble One]

I felt like the clock had been turned back 10 years and it was back to McGrath and Gillespie terrorising England, bowling them out for sub-par scores.

Great day of cricket for an Australian and Peter Siddle fanboy.

 

[SirBloody Idiot]

It's slang for what? We're separated by a common language, it seems. America needs to take over the world, and establish true English as the world language.

Word up, playa.

 

[pup11]

Coming back to the game, found it pretty odd that England despite picking Swann in the side didn't use him at all, given the way the English quicks were bowling, you certainly would have expected him to bowl some overs.

Yeah, it was a day 1 wicket that was assisting the quicks, but still in conditions where, there is a bit of lateral movement, finger spinners also have good chance of doing well.

 

[howardj]

Coming back to the game, found it pretty odd that England despite picking Swann in the side didn't use him at all, given the way the English quicks were bowling, you certainly would have expected him to bowl some overs.

Yeah, it was a day 1 wicket that was assisting the quicks, but still in conditions where, there is a bit of lateral movement, finger spinners also have good chance of doing well.

If it seams, it spins - so says SKW

 

[silentstriker]

Yeah. Always was a handy term of usage when dealing with Scandanavian backpacker girls..

WIth regard to the invitation on the 22nd, I'm looking forward more to the actual countryside.

 

[Uppercut]

It's the effort that counts aye? I haven't heard a coach say that since I was about 9. Good to see that philosophy holds true in Test Cricket.

Effort isn't a particularly special attribute, but it's more than you can expect from Harmison most of the time.

 

[Uppercut]

If it seams, it spins - so says SKW

The ball hasn't really seamed, but you'd still think a spinner would be in business on such a hard, cracked, bouncy surface.

 

[pasag]

Found some net access, best day of sport ever. Was really gutted Ponting didn't get a century, but that's my fav partnership of the year so far. Feels like ages since we ripped through a side. Broad at 7 when England are 1 up and only need to draw to win the Ashes esp with the next game being the Oval is close to the worst decision of all time. What were they thinking???

Re: Brumby, I've maintained since day 1,that Clark should have been picked BEFORE we started losing when it became easy to advocate changes and even then I said he should still be picked. I still don't see him as the Messiah and if we had picked him for Cardiff it'd probably still be 1-0 England, IMHO.

 

[pasag]

Patto, you're way of the mark re: Katich.

 

[pasag]

Haha, it took AUS 18 months of avoiding picking 4-seamers & immediately when the play - BANGGG. Just hope they stick with it for good now.

Like Perth vs India? Have advocated it myself in the past, even for this series but it has its flaws, esp if you misread conditions.

 

[pasag]

I keep forgetting we have a subforum for the Ashes....

Just popping in to mention that Aussies have finally picked a side that plays to their strengths. PIck four best bowlers, not three bowlers plus a random spinner.

Despite the fact Hauritz has been close to the best bowler for us over the series? Comment like this means you haven't watched much over the series.

 

[fredfertang]

I expect someone else has made this comment earlier but on the subject of team selection it seems to me that England picked a side to play at the Oval and Australia one to play at Headingley

 

[pasag]

Really hope Clarke goes on here, looks a bit unwilling to play many leg side shots because of the stomach, really did his best to get out before stumps but held on thanks to Rauf Hope he makes them pay today. Don't think he was hurt from the bouncer, just wasting time, tbh.

 

[archie mac]

I expect someone else has made this comment earlier but on the subject of team selection it seems to me that England picked a side to play at the Oval and Australia one to play at Headingley

I think England should be given great credit for not producing two bore draw pitches for the rest of the series when leading 1-0. I know in some Countries they well might have

 

[BoyBrumby]

I expect someone else has made this comment earlier but on the subject of team selection it seems to me that England picked a side to play at the Oval and Australia one to play at Headingley

Very fair point. If Broad was going to miss out I could see a case for Harmison, as without either we'd have three swing bowlers and that's rather too much trust in the weather gods, but two back of a length quicks at Headingley seems at least one too many.

Equally, when did Dusty Miller turn into Amarillo Slim? Given the inherent conservatism of selectors an (erratic) seamer who can't buy a run currently seams a heck of an optimistic replacement for an all-rounder. Whatever Trott's merits as a batsman, he was the man called up and would've brought the number of our batsmen who bowl semi-serious medium pace to 4. Surely we could've cobbled together a fifth bowler from the combined efforts of Messers Bopara, Bell, Collingwood & Trott?

 

[fredfertang]

I'm also struggling to see the point of calling an in form Sidebottom into the squad and not playing him at Headingley - he and Trott for Broad and Harmison (with a promise to Harmy he'd be in for the Oval) was what I expected

 

[irfan]

Did anyone else notice that Jimmy and Onions kept bowling inswingers early on (to Ponting & Watto especially)?

Struck me as a lil bit odd - considering both Ponting and Watson settled in and scored easy legside boundaries as well as Strauss employing 3 slips and a gully. Surely that kind of field setting vindicates the outswinger with the occasional dart back in.

 

[archie mac]

Did anyone else notice that Jimmy and Onions kept bowling inswingers early on (to Ponting & Watto especially)?

Struck me as a lil bit odd - considering both Ponting and Watson settled in and scored easy legside boundaries as well as Strauss employing 3 slips and a gully. Surely that kind of field setting vindicates the outswinger with the occasional dart back in.

They seemed to be trying to take a wicket with every ball, and were punished for it