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*Official* Warm up Matches Discussion

Howe_zat

Audio File
Proof that Bresnan is the best batsman in the country today then.

Swann is excluded from this analysis as his scoring rate is ungentlemanly.
 

BoyBrumby

Englishman
His nut to get Prior was really first rate. Tossed it right up, drifted in then spun sharply from a full-ish length to take the edge.

The classic leggie's dismissal.

Has a well-disguised googly too. Bowls a slider, but it's a work in progress.
 

Spikey

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Clarke definitely has to play next game. He's played one game in months, Cowan's done half a county season. I would have thought after this game we'd have a pretty damn fair idea whether we're pushing ahead with Cowan or not. And we could say similar in regards to Usman who has had plenty of recent game-time right under the nose of Lehmann. Only one of them should play imo.

I'd go four bowlers, so

Rogers
Watson
Khawaja/Cowan (if cowan, rogers 3)
Clarke
Hughes
Smith
Wade
Agar or Lyon no biggie
Harris
Siddle
Bird

If we want to play a 5th bowler, and there's just no reason to play Faulkner so not him, remove Watson. If we go in with 4 bowlers, Watson may be called upon to bowl 5-10 overs which would be nice preparation because he will surely be expected to do that in the tests, but if we play 5 bowlers he won't, so there's no real reason to play him
The Investec Ashes 2013 : Clean slate for David Warner - Darren Lehmann | Cricket News | Australia in England - The Investec Ashes | ESPN Cricinfo
Australia's players were given a day off in Worcester on Sunday ahead of training Monday and their final pre-Ashes match on Tuesday. Michael Clarke will play again as he chases additional match conditioning. So too Shane Watson, who will bowl at New Road after the selection of four other pacemen kept him from rolling his arm over at Taunton.
 

Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
why the **** does Warner get a clean slate, I don't care if he turns up to training and works hard, he should be doing that anyway, the fact is he has a **** attitude and he can't control himself (or bat). As for England, they probably just had some trouble shaking off CT cobwebs and they should settle reasonably quickly.
 

Manee

Cricketer Of The Year
The game today was fascinating. It was really good to see how well England could bat against the bowlers who play in Division Two. It put things in an interesting perspective.
 

Burgey

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What do we make of that day's play? I mean, we know if Australia was reduced to 5/170 odd against a County side we'd be right to say it was a disaster, but I presume we do what we always do with England and say "Just a warm up, they're trying things" etc etc.

Are there any decent highlights around? I gather this was on Sky in the UK wasn't it?
 

3703

U19 12th Man
I don't know. I'm smelling an upset.

They have a better attack, and their batsmen are misfiring talents rather than spuds. Watson, Hughes, Warne et al. Meanwhile our conversations about England continue to ignore how they're actually playing. It's not 2010 anymore. England weren't just beaten by South Africa, they were mauled. The same South African team got out of jail twice against an Australian attack without its best bowler half the time. The Aussies hit rock bottom in India, but England was similarly embarrassed in Pakistan. The same side limped away from New Zealand and staged a colossal choke in the CT final. There is no form.

England is a better side on paper, but not dramatically so in reality, and they are behaving complacently. There is not the edge that there was under Strauss. It's early to say, but ****, you can sense Boof is already having an impact, and the antipodeans are comprised of a serious attack and a slew of mismanaged batsmen who can actually play a bit. It has all the hallmarks to me, of something a bit unpredictable - we're talking all about how **** one side is, while nodding to an idea of the opposition which doesn't reflect the cricket they have been playing. I reckon the convicts are going to give this a shake to everyone's surprise, and I reckon England will leave the urn behind in Australia.
 
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Adders

Cricketer Of The Year
If you say it often enough mate you may actually even start believing that nonsense.

- You don't have a better attack. You are pinning your hopes on 4 bowlers that are showing a bit of promise but have 33 tests between them.Talk to me when they have been around for a couple of years (and not breaking down every second test match)

- Apart from Clarke you don't have another batsmen in the top 30 in the world, in fact you only have 1 other in the top 40......and he is currently banned. Your batsmen are not misfiring.......they are ****.

- Lehman is a cricketing coach, he is not a ****ing magician. To even think he can turn this around for you in a couple of weeks is foolhardy in the extreme.


Having said all of that, I do think you may be right about the possibility of the Aussies ending up with the urn at the end of these 10 tests, but not for any of the reasons you are banging on about. England have a shocking habit of backing up poorly after a big series win, for that reason these back to back series play right into the Aussies hands. Obviously the Aussie will be stronger at home and Darren Lehman will have more time by then to have an influence..........I can see that if England are off their game then the Aussies can roll us.

But you've got a hammering in England coming your way first fella.
 

Top_Cat

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Always going to be a bit of a surge under the new guy and, tbh, a bunch of Test guys beating a bottom half of the ladder CC team isn't too much to crow about.

And the Aussie bats aren't just mismanaged, they have some fairly serious technical flaws. The English bats are under-performing a bit themselves but not enough to undermine the shellacking their bowlers will dish out to the guys who are seriously struggling to play the moving ball. And there's one thing Lehmann might not be able to fix either, was no great shakes when the ball was hoping himself.
 

Cooky Monster

U19 12th Man
I don't know. I'm smelling an upset.

They have a better attack, and their batsmen are misfiring talents rather than spuds. Watson, Hughes, Warne et al. Meanwhile our conversations about England continue to ignore how they're actually playing. It's not 2010 anymore. England weren't just beaten by South Africa, they were mauled. The same South African team got out of jail twice against an Australian attack without its best bowler half the time. The Aussies hit rock bottom in India, but England was similarly embarrassed in Pakistan. The same side limped away from New Zealand and staged a colossal choke in the CT final. There is no form.

England is a better side on paper, but not dramatically so in reality, and they are behaving complacently. There is not the edge that there was under Strauss. It's early to say, but ****, you can sense Boof is already having an impact, and the antipodeans are comprised of a serious attack and a slew of mismanaged batsmen who can actually play a bit. It has all the hallmarks to me, of something a bit unpredictable - we're talking all about how **** one side is, while nodding to an idea of the opposition which doesn't reflect the cricket they have been playing. I reckon the convicts are going to give this a shake to everyone's surprise, and I reckon England will leave the urn behind in Australia.

I think England have been complacent ever since getting to number 1, it seems they can only get themsleves up for the really big challenges e.g India away and Ashes series, thats why im not worried about an upset in this series.
 

3703

U19 12th Man
At some stage hopefully we start talking about England relative to Australia, on form, as opposed to Australia being complete crap in a vacuum.

I'll make the point that in 2010 I thought we fielded our worst ever side for an Ashes series. It's not as if I put a positive spin on everything. I think this time around we're looking at an awkward set of timelines and misconstruing the values of the players in their respective sides.
 
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Adders

Cricketer Of The Year
I think England have been complacent ever since getting to number 1, it seems they can only get themsleves up for the really big challenges e.g India away and Ashes series, thats why im not worried about an upset in this series.
Agree with this. Not sure if it is complacency though as I just don't see Flower ever letting that into the dressing room. I don't think we've been able to take the ball and run with it, in the last 2 years we've played some of our best cricket but also some of our worst. A great team would have moved on from that incredible performance in India and marched onto and through NZ, for whatever reason we didn't do that.........we are not a great team.

But we will be up for this home series and I really don't think there will be any result bar a convincing England win. The Aussies were a great side in 2005 and a very good one in 2009 and still lost, they will not win in England with this mediocre outfit. But I do still fear for the return leg, they'll be the team with something to prove, they'll be at home and I just don't know how "up for it" we'll be..........has the potential to end badly for us I think.
 

Cooky Monster

U19 12th Man
Agree with this. Not sure if it is complacency though as I just don't see Flower ever letting that into the dressing room. I don't think we've been able to take the ball and run with it, in the last 2 years we've played some of our best cricket but also some of our worst. A great team would have moved on from that incredible performance in India and marched onto and through NZ, for whatever reason we didn't do that.........we are not a great team.

But we will be up for this home series and I really don't think there will be any result bar a convincing England win. The Aussies were a great side in 2005 and a very good one in 2009 and still lost, they will not win in England with this mediocre outfit. But I do still fear for the return leg, they'll be the team with something to prove, they'll be at home and I just don't know how "up for it" we'll be..........has the potential to end badly for us I think.

Can't disagree with any of that, this team seems to do well when setting medium/long term goals, they usually fulfil those goals, but once they are achieved its always downhill afterwards... Ashes 2005, getting to number 1, getting humiliated by Pakistan so targeting India to prove a point followed by the now regular downswing after a peak (tour to NZ).

These Ashes have obviously been one of these long term goals and England will win, but the away series as you say is far from certain, for me mainly because there is always a dip once the team reaches its objective which this time is to win those Ashes at home, can't see how you can focus on winning both series, first things first make sure you win that home series and then worry/focus on the away series.
 
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Adders

Cricketer Of The Year
It will be Flower and Cooks biggest challenge to date to get us up for the return leg, if they can we'll win because we'll still be the better team.

It's kinda frustrating really, I can't imagine Steve Waugh or Clive LLoyd ever being concerned whether their sides would be up for a contest, but I guess that's the difference between great teams and just very good ones.
 

3703

U19 12th Man
I don't believe in this "get up for another contest" stuff. That's cultural I reckon, not to do with quality of player.
 

Adders

Cricketer Of The Year
I don't believe in this "get up for another contest" stuff. That's cultural I reckon, not to do with quality of player.
No one said it was down to quality of the players, of course it's in between the ears, but the evidence is there for all to see how England go after big series wins. How else do you think the Aussies have managed to spank us 6-1 twice in a ODI series following an Eng Ashes win?? We keep beating you in one dayers that don't tag onto Ashes victories.

This back to back Ashes series though is so unique it's hard to predict how it is going to affect players both mentally and physically......I'm just guessing it will suit the Aussies more so than it will us (that is unless all their bowlers break down during the course of it :laugh:)
 

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