Aren't the Englaishmen getting carried away??

[GladiatrsInBlue]

Read this, taken from Mirror

14 September 2005
BOTHAM: VAUGHAN'S HEROES WILL BE ON TOP FOR YEARS TO COME
Ian Botham
SELDOM, if ever, do I get goosebumps just from watching sport because I've never been a soppy Mills and Boon romantic.

But when Michael Vaughan led England's players on their lap of honour around The Oval on Monday night, I felt the hairs stand on the back of my neck.

In the space of six years, England have gone from being the worst Test side in the world to toppling one of the best teams of all time and recapturing the Ashes.

When we lost to New Zealand at The Oval in 1999, it was almost embarrassing to mention our cricket team because we were as bad as the Eskimos and the Teletubbies - except Tinky Winky, Dipsy, La-La and Po probably had a better attack than ours.

But today we can puff out our chests because, in my opinion, England now have the best team in the world, bar none. That's right - numero uno.

At full strength, I can't see anyone living with Vaughan's pace attack, and that includes Australia in 14 months when we travel there for the next Ashes series. In fact, I can't see the Aussies getting near us for a few years Two all-time greats, Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath, are coming to the end of their careers, their ageing batting line-up is on the verge of being broken up and the empire is crumbling.


Jason Gillespie suffered a dramatic loss of form, which was great news for England but also a sad sight, and Brett Lee is a fantastic competitor but his Ashes wickets remain expensive.


So if England head Down Under next year with the same attack as the one which brought home the Ashes - and barring injuries, I can't see any reason why they shouldn't - it will be the same result.


As we saw from the incredible scenes around Trafalgar Square yesterday, Vaughan's team has captured the imagination of the whole country, and this is only the beginning of the success story.


English cricket is on the verge of something very special, a golden era, and I am so proud of them I would go to the other end of the moon to watch England play cricket now.


It wasn't always like that. For years, I used to sit in the commentary box and tell people how good England were even though I was lying through my teeth. Now, though, when I say England are a terrific side, I genuinely mean it.


In two weeks, Freddie Flintoff will go to Australia to play for the Rest of the World XI in the Super Seriesand he will walk off the plane as the best all-rounder in the world by a mile - and arguably the greatest cricketer on the planet This year's Ashes will always be synonymous with Freddie's brilliant batting, lion-hearted bowling, his sportsmanship and charisma. When the Aussies have nightmares about losing the Ashes, they will wake up in a cold sweat and see Flintoff's face.


And the remarkable thing about Flintoff's impact is that, only six months ago, he had to cancel his honeymoon because he was racing to be fit for the Ashes after a serious ankle operation.


Freddie didn't just come back as good as new - he came back better than ever, and his physio Dave 'Rooster' Roberts deserves a huge amount of credit for bullying, cajoling and nursing Flintoff back to rude health.


It's wonderful that cricket lovers no longer need to go back to 25-year-old videos of the good old days for a reminder of what it was like to beat the Aussies.


In years to come, the class of 2005 will be remembered as fondly as any England cricket team.


Since Jonny Wilkinson's World Cup-winning dropped goal, England's rugby fortunes have been mixed, but I can see Vaughan's men going from strength to strength.


This winter they go to Pakistan and India, two countries who are incredibly difficult to beat in their own back yards, and I expect England to prevail.Last time in Pakistan, we left it until the last shaft of daylight before Graham Thorpe clinched that remarkable win in Karachi, but we have the firepower to make it past the post before the moon rises this time.

[social]

a. it's Botham

b. it's the Mirror

c. let them enjoy their brief moment in the sun

[GladiatrsInBlue]

I found some of the stuff hard to believe, i mean i do agree that the English team has the best pace attack in the world, but to say that noone can even compete with such a great attack and Austrlia wouldn't even come near England is going too far.

Also i do agree that Flintoff is the best allrounder in the world today, but to call him the greatest cricketer on the planet is a laugh.

[Deja moo]

Why do i have a feeling this article will make it to the next "What they said.." thread 14 months on ?

[social]

Originally Posted by Deja moo

Why do i have a feeling this article will make it to the next "What they said.." thread 14 months on ?

Or maybe in a few weeks when the English roll up to Pakistan and have a look at the wicket, the ball they'll be using, and their injury toll.

[GladiatrsInBlue]

My point is that Ashes series was close, and it wasn't as if England thrashed Australia in the series. There is no point denying that England has a very good team and they MIGHT bbecome the number one team of the world in future, but to say that no team can compete with England's bowling attack and that Australia can't even come close to England sounds very stupid to me.

Astralian team is not finished yet, and they still have the number one pacer in McGrath and number one spinner in Warne in their team.Yeah they are getting old, but no sign of againg so far, and if Australia can come up with two more good bowlers, then they might send England crashing to defeat in the next series.

[greg]

Originally Posted by Deja moo

Why do i have a feeling this article will make it to the next "What they said.." thread 14 months on ?

Well considering Aus would have probably lost this series (and been thrashed in the process) 3or4-1 if Warne hadn't been playing they at the very least have to find some serious improvement before next time (assuming England are injury free of course). Now maybe they will do that, but I haven't yet seen anyone make a convincing case based on the players available.

The slight air of desperation can be seen in the press quotes that they need to "find a Flintoff" - you don't produce these sort of players in 14 months, it takes years. Of course they may produce someone who manages to click for one series, but that's something that they can hope for more than expect.

And it is the Daily Mirror. What do you expect? But the prediction seems no more ludicrous than the claims that England might regain the Ashes seemed to many australians at the start of the summer.

[Deja moo]

Originally Posted by greg

Well considering Aus would have probably lost this series (and been thrashed in the process) 3or4-1 if Warne hadn't been playing they at the very least have to find some serious improvement before next time (assuming England are injury free of course). Now maybe they will do that, but I haven't yet seen anyone make a convincing case based on the players available.

The slight air of desperation can be seen in the press quotes that they need to "find a Flintoff" - you don't produce these sort of players in 14 months, it takes years. Of course they may produce someone who manages to click for one series, but that's something that they can hope for more than expect.

And it is the Daily Mirror. What do you expect? But the prediction seems no more ludicrous than the claims that England might regain the Ashes seemed to many australians at the start of the summer.

yeah, but on the other hand, if an uninjured McGrath had been playing, it might well have been 3-0 to Australia after 3 tests even without an Australian equivalent of Flintoff, so it works both ways.

[Choora]

At full strength, I can't see anyone living with Vaughan's pace attack, and that includes Australia in 14 months when we travel there for the next Ashes series. In fact, I can't see the Aussies getting near us for a few years

They indeed have a very good attack, but they still don't have a good spinner, something they might miss while playing in subcontinent! Also, i don't think Warne will fade away in 14 months, and McGrath can last till 14 months too.Botham wouldn't like to believe it, but Australia might have as good a bowling attack as England will have in 14 months!

he will walk off the plane as the best all-rounder in the world by a mile - and arguably the greatest cricketer on the planet

How can he be labelled as the greatest cricketer on planet????? His performance was great in the Ashes series, but that performance doesn't make him the greatest player!!

Last time in Pakistan, we left it until the last shaft of daylight before Graham Thorpe clinched that remarkable win in Karachi, but we have the firepower to make it past the post before the moon rises this time.

He sounds as if England will be facing Bangladesh. England indeed will start as fav's and will probably win the test series but to say that they will just roll over Pakistan seems just plain stupid to me.


I think Botham is an idiot!

[Choora]

Originally Posted by Deja moo

yeah, but on the other hand, if an uninjured McGrath had been playing, it might well have been 3-0 to Australia after 3 tests even without an Australian equivalent of Flintoff, so it works both ways.

Thats true, the injury to McGrath was a serious blow to Australia.

[marc71178]

Originally Posted by GladiatrsInBlue

Also i do agree that Flintoff is the best allrounder in the world today, but to call him the greatest cricketer on the planet is a laugh.

Well yes, because Sobers is still very much alive.

[marc71178]

Originally Posted by GladiatrsInBlue

Astralian team is not finished yet, and they still have the number one pacer in McGrath and number one spinner in Warne in their team.Yeah they are getting old, but no sign of againg so far,

I would say that is the one thing they are showing signs of as a team.

[marc71178]

Originally Posted by Choora

How can he be labelled as the greatest cricketer on planet????? His performance was great in the Ashes series, but that performance doesn't make him the greatest player!!

It's not just been one series though, it's been 2 years plus.

[greg]

Originally Posted by Choora

How can he be labelled as the greatest cricketer on planet????? His performance was great in the Ashes series, but that performance doesn't make him the greatest player!!

"arguably the greatest cricketer on the planet." I don't really understand the problem with this statement, unless you are claiming that nobody can be labelled as such.

[Choora]

Originally Posted by marc71178

It's not just been one series though, it's been 2 years plus.

In 2 years his performace was good but not all that great! And even for the sake of argument we agree that his performace has been great in past two years, even then there is no way that he can be labelled as the greatest cricket on Earth.