*Official* Road to 2013 Ashes

[flibbertyjibber]

Originally Posted by Spark

Please, play Panesar in English conditions against this middle order. Please.

Warner's series in WI is about as irrelevant as it gets.

Starting to really question whether you've watched any of the cricket you've talked about or are going off scoreboards.

Monty will play Old Trafford as it is a spinning track, other than that we will play 3 pacemen and Swann. You know, the same attack that has won the last 2 series when you had a better batting side than now.

[benchmark00]

I expect Australia to win both series.

With the exception of Cook, England are a very average cricket side.

[SS1]

Originally Posted by Spark

Please, play Panesar in English conditions against this middle order. Please.

Warner's series in WI is about as irrelevant as it gets.

Starting to really question whether you've watched any of the cricket you've talked about or are going off scoreboards.

Monty won't play.

Warner is a slogger and nothing else.

England will play the same main trio of bowlers that have won every Ashes series they've played in together, Anderson, Broad, Swann. Those 3 have 663 Test match wickets between them. Yet we're supposed to believe a combination of Patterson, Hilfenhaus(), Siddle(), Cummins, Starc, Lyon () are the better battery of bowlers ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

[benchmark00]

Originally Posted by Spark

Please, play Panesar in English conditions against this middle order. Please.

Warner's series in WI is about as irrelevant as it gets.

Starting to really question whether you've watched any of the cricket you've talked about or are going off scoreboards.

O rly?

[Prince EWS]

England definitely have the better bowling attack IMO, especially for English conditions, but if you actually think that Siddle and Hilfenhaus are **** bowlers then it straight up suggests you only ever watch Australia play when they're playing England and haven't watched either of them bowl a ball since the last Ashes. By extension that also makes your opinion of Lyon and Warner are absolutely worthless as all their Tests have been in that period. No surprise that you've shown great ignorance to Warner's game and stereotyped him as a slogger because he made his T20 debut first. I don't actually think Warner will go very well in England either but in Test cricket he's far from being a slogger, and comparisons with Sehwag's flaws and Gayle's flaws just show you up.

I actually usually hate it when people on here tell others why they think how they do or make assumptions on the amount of cricket they watch purely based on the fact that they disagree with them, but if the extent of your arguments is going to be quoting the scores from the last Ashes and using the emoticon next to the names of Australian bowlers then you can cop it, frankly.

[SS1]

Originally Posted by Prince EWS

England definitely have the better bowling attack IMO, especially for English conditions, but if you actually think that Siddle and Hilfenhaus are **** bowlers then it straight up suggests you only ever watch Australia play when they're playing England and haven't watched either of them bowl a ball since the last Ashes. By extension that also makes your opinion of Lyon and Warner are absolutely worthless as all their Tests have been in that period. No surprise that you've shown great ignorance to Warner's game and stereotyped him as a slogger because he made his T20 debut first. I don't actually think Warner will go very well in England either but in Test cricket he's far from being a slogger, and comparisons with Sehwag's flaws and Gayle's flaws just show you up.

I actually usually hate it when people on here tell others why they think how they do or make assumptions on the amount of cricket they watch purely based on the fact that they disagree with them, but if the extent of your arguments is going to be quoting the scores from the last Ashes and using the emoticon next to the names of Australian bowlers then you can cop it, frankly.

I was responding to some bloke trying to seriously tell me that Pattinson/Starc/Siddle are a better bowling attack than a group that has had success pretty much everywhere its been. The only side that has shown a consistent ability to keep the England attack at bay have been South Africa. If England had any idea how to bat properly in the Sub Continent, they'd probably have lost 1 Test series in 3/4 years and won in both Australia and India if they perform at Nagpur. A significant part of that is that their bowling line up is so strong.

Siddle and Hilfenhaus are not very good. I'm sorry but thats the reality here. Beating India in Australia and the West Indies doesn't amount to much. These two were pathetic in the last Ashes series and incapable of finishing South Africa off on a couple of occasions in the last series. Same with Lyon, who is not a threatening bowler by any stretch.

I didn't make any comparison with Gayle and Sehwag in terms of flaws. I pointed out that he is in a similar mould, which he is. He has a higher strike rate than Gayle actually, significantly higher. The Aussies can go as wild as they like about the bloke because he got big runs against the brilliant attacks of NZ and India and then took advantage of an SA attack that was riddled with injuries. He just isn't much cop and the English will be delighted to see him open. Can you seriously imagine a top 3 of Cowan, Warner and Hughes in England ? Terrifying if you're Australian. Clarke and Hussey will be coming in at 40/3 and 50/4 etc.

[flibbertyjibber]

Originally Posted by benchmark00

I expect Australia to win both series.

With the exception of Cook, England are a very average cricket side.

Could say exactly the same about Australia and Clarke.

Going back to the discussions about the bowlers, it depends which Siddle and Hilfenhaus turn up, if it is the 2010 version then Australia have no chance, the 2011 version then England are in trouble, the 2012 version and it will be an interesting contest. Can say virtually the same about Broad and Bresnan for England though, the best paceman on both sides is Anderson and he will be vital to both sides chances in both series. If he fires then I think England will win both series if he doesn't we have a tight one on our hands.

[Flem274*]

Eh, Siddle is a good bowler, but Hilf after his Indian series has fallen away a bit against South Africa. Granted I've only caught the Australian home summer so I'm sure I've missed a couple of winter tours. With Australia's depth though he's not a lock yet imo.

Pattinson, Lyon and Siddle if fit, should be the first three bowlers on the sheet. Lyon is pretty underrated imo.

[morgieb]

I reckon Hilfy could gun it in England fwiw.

[Pothas]

Pattinson is the only one that really worries me, ( I am rather assuming Cummins will not make it) he is going to be one hell of a good bowler if he stays fit.

Siddle is perfectly fine but I don't think he will ever be much more than that really.

Expect them to bowl England out cheaply on a couple of occasions but still think we will take the series.

[GIMH]

Yeah I'm much more worried about the away series. Them being so close together will make it really interesting though, if any player really gets on top of another they have little time to work on turning it around.

[flibbertyjibber]

Originally Posted by GIMH

Yeah I'm much more worried about the away series. Them being so close together will make it really interesting though, if any player really gets on top of another they have little time to work on turning it around.

That is why I fancy us to win both, think we will here 3-1 and the Aussies won't have time to turn it round with the return happening a few months later. If the series order was the other way round i'd be worried as I think the side that gets on a roll could run away with it and I don't think Australia are good enough to get on a roll in England though they may have done at home.

[mugshot]

Originally Posted by benchmark00

I expect Australia to win both series.

With the exception of Cook, England are a very average cricket side.

Well I am sorry to say...you actually could be right

[GotSpin]

Originally Posted by SS1

Monty won't play.

Warner is a slogger and nothing else.

England will play the same main trio of bowlers that have won every Ashes series they've played in together, Anderson, Broad, Swann. Those 3 have 663 Test match wickets between them. Yet we're supposed to believe a combination of Patterson, Hilfenhaus(), Siddle(), Cummins, Starc, Lyon () are the better battery of bowlers ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

What are you on about

[Pothas]

Originally Posted by GIMH

Yeah I'm much more worried about the away series. Them being so close together will make it really interesting though, if any player really gets on top of another they have little time to work on turning it around.

When was the last time England won back to back series in Australia? Must have been a little while. Fancy they may sneak a draw.

What is the situation for tickets up north? (By that I mean outside of London) Missed out in the ballot for the Oval so relying on Lords now.