Who will be McGrath's 500th wicket?

[Craig]

Sehwag in the Supertest.

Aren't they unofficial?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Aren't they unofficial?

Nope. They were originally going to be unofficial, but the latest ICC meeting changed that, since a new application for test status was put in based on the fact that the Tsunami match was official.

So the Supertest and the three one dayers will be official matches.

 

[Jamee999]

The 6 dayer?

 

[Jono]

Mike Atherton

LOL! Atherton comes out of retirement to be McGrath's 500th.

 

[marc71178]

Aren't they unofficial?

Unfortunately not.

 

[Link]

maybe, mcgrath will not take a wicket the whole series. ah right it will probally be trescothick, strauss seems very focused on scoring big this summer

 

[Nate]

maybe, mcgrath will not take a wicket the whole series. ah right it will probally be trescothick, strauss seems very focused on scoring big this summer

I assure you, Marcus wouldnt mind a few runs either.

 

[Link]

yeah he said that, hope he does he deserves it more than most. I hate to admit it but the aussies has put him through hell, after every aussie series his place is jeopardised. the last time he faced the aussies he scored 80 odd in the champions trophy, vaughan and strauss also played out of their skins so the omens are good

 

[luckyeddie]

Trescothick c Warne b McGrath 16 (5th ball of the first over)

 

[Richard]

It'll be Harmy holing out to third man after his maiden test 100! In the 4th innings of the 5th test!

Harmison gets his wickets like that, not gets out himself like that.

 

[Richard]

Nah, it'll be Strauss chasing a wide-ish one it the first over. McGrath will have noted that Ntini had a bit of luck bowling at him in the last coupla tests there.

It's more likely the whole lot of them will have noticed that he occasionally gets out like that (not just in the last SA Tests - it's happened loads of times, and McGrath would quite possibly have noticed it in the nets at Middx).

 

[Richard]

Which opener is going to take strike in the first test?

As long as Trescothick and Strauss open in all of them, Trescothick will take strike every time.
We don't have a Michael Slater here - opening pairs keep it the same most of the time.

 

[Richard]

Strauss edges to the slips.

People who have taken catches off AJ Strauss include... RD Jacobs (3), MV Boucher (1), BB McCullum (1).
Agree about the lbw bit, though - he's been lbw to a seamer once in his 24 innings.

I couldn't resist picking Marcus Trescothick - he's far too impatient most of the time and I think McGrath will sort out his footwork and shot selection.

I think if he were going to he'd have done so by now.
It's odd, but McGrath has never worked-out Trescothick - got him out 4 times in 18 innings (top-edged pull; totally unplayable lifter; caught slip; dragged-on); Gillespie, on the other hand, has created 9 chances off him in 20 (2 in which he was injured).
It's almost always Gillespie who causes him problems, for obvious reasons.

 

[Richard]

K Pietersen c. Ponting b.McGrath 57(54)

He drives straight to mid-on.

Massively optimistic to expect anyone to score 57 off 54 balls against Australia in a Test-match.

 

[Richard]

The 6 dayer?

Well the last timeless Test was 50 years ago... can't remember whether they were all 5-dayers after they were consigned to history...
'Tis a shame indeed that Rest-Of matches are ever given official status.

 

[sledger]

Massively optimistic to expect anyone to score 57 off 54 balls against Australia in a Test-match.

but if anyone in englands team was to achieve that feat then it would probably be pietersen, maybe flintoff, although the more likely scenario would be for them both to fail miserbly attempting it. neither am i sure why they would want to be scoring that quickly

 

[Richard]

Well - I'd be delighted to see them scoring that quickly.
What I doubt is that they'd be able to do it, so I'd prefer them not to try.
The best way to play Warne is to attack him, yes, but not in the way I can't help thinking Pietersen and Flintoff might try... you've got to look for anything vaguely short, and go for the pull rather than the cut... and I can just see those two swinging from the hip and charging down the track, and premeditating... all of which are a recipe for disaster.

 

[JASON]

My guess is McGrath and Warne will be injured or indisposed by the time the Ashes comes around .

 

[Richard]

We'll be lucky!
It's normally our players who get injured by the dozen come Ashes series.

 

[luckyeddie]

My guess is McGrath and Warne will be injured or indisposed by the time the Ashes comes around .

pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease