• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

2013 Predictions

Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
Ashes in England: 2/2 as Cook/Clarke continue to pile on runs, Hughes also plays well and Cowan cements his place for good.

Ashes in Australia: 2/1 to Australia as home bowlers dominate.

India vs Australia: India to win 2/1, Aussie batsmen (particularly top order) fail to handle spin, but Clarke brings one victory as Ashwin/Ojha are such crap spinners. Aussie selectors pack the team with fast bowlers as well and they have no impact, regardless of weaknesses in India batting.

Pakistan to beat SA 2/1, Junaid Khan leading the attack while the stable batting brigade frustrates the SA bowlers, Robin Peterson has no impact, Tahir comes into the frame once more, Ajmal performs well on any pitches that turn.

Pakistan win Champions trophy: Again their bowlers dominate while the batsmen chase small totals.
 

morgieb

Request Your Custom Title Now!
Pakistan beating South Africa in a series is crazy talk afaic. I think they can snatch a test though.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
yeah.....given SA's strong batting and Pakistan's horribly inept batting, I too find it difficult to see how Pakistan would win a series there. Can see Morkel, Steyn, and Philanderer eating our batsmen for lunch in that series. Although given our bowling attack I think the SA batsmen might be tested too especially if the wicket is taking some spin.
 

Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
yeah.....given SA's strong batting and Pakistan's horribly inept batting, I too find it difficult to see how Pakistan would win a series there. Can see Morkel, Steyn, and Philanderer eating our batsmen for lunch in that series. Although given our bowling attack I think the SA batsmen might be tested too especially if the wicket is taking some spin.
Really? I thought Misbah, Shafiq and Azhar Ali might do alright in SA conditions, the openers will certainly be an issue though.
 

smash84

The Tiger King
I really have no idea if the middle order would do well in SA. The last time our middle order was really tested in pacy conditions was in England and Australia and we got our asses whipped (at least batting wise)
 

L Trumper

State Regular
Some people are picking Aus to draw or even win in England. I don't really think their bowling can compensate for that mediocre batting line up. Or is there a belief that batting will suddenly start clicking?
 

Maximas

Cricketer Of The Year
Some people are picking Aus to draw or even win in England. I don't really think their bowling can compensate for that mediocre batting line up. Or is there a belief that batting will suddenly start clicking?
Why are you so sure that England are so formidable? They lost 2 zip at home to the saffers and looked fairly ordinary if you ask me. Remember the Oval test, their bowling looked very pedestrian.
 

mightymariner

U19 12th Man
England win the ashes home and away, with Cook and Root piling on the runs.

Yorkshire win the CC.
Leicestershire somehow disgrace Lancashire, who finish bottom of D2.
 

Bahnz

Hall of Fame Member
Southee to take 50 test wickets. New Zealand will win a test match.

Saffers will comfortably see off Pakistan 2-0.

India and Australia to draw their test series.

England to win home ashes 3-0
England to win away ashes 2-1

Cook to be the year's top run scorer.
 

L Trumper

State Regular
Why are you so sure that England are so formidable? They lost 2 zip at home to the saffers and looked fairly ordinary if you ask me. Remember the Oval test, their bowling looked very pedestrian.
Bowling against Smith, Kallis, Amla ia completely different beast to bowling against current aussie batters though. They were awful in Oval, but remaining two tests are pretty close contests, despite england being **** for most of the time. Also Strauss's departure will make England a better side from last summer I presume. I am sure AUS would win one test in ENG courtesy their bowling, but it's hard to see them scoring 450+ scores, unless Warner joins Clarke in big partnerships through out the series.
 

theegyptian

International Vice-Captain
England are definitely home favourites. You basically know what you're going to get with England. Solid but unspectacular cricket with a lot of planning put into the series.

The Australian performance is more of an unkown. The bowling is very exciting and has good strength in depth but is inexperienced in English conditions and injury prone. They definitely have the potential to blow england away if they get it right. They also have the potential to struggle in the conditions- plenty of very fine bowlers have struggled in their initial test matches in england.

The Australian batting though is their big worry. Clarke and Watson apart no-one else has played test cricket in england and Clarke is the only genuine current class batsmen. Warner may move into that bracket but the rest don't look like moving into that bracket anytime soon. I don't know if people think Clarke's form is a temporary positive aberration on a good career(see Vaughan) or a permanent upturn but if Clarke was to run out of form it's hard to see how Australia could win in England.

I also don't see Cook having a good year. Cook tends to struggle against medium pace swing and seamers and conditions in NZ and the home test series against NZ will be in the bowlers favour. He should struggle against Australia's seamer as long as they don't resort to trying to intimidate him and bowl short. He'll probably still do well in Aus where there is less movement early.

New Zealand is the only test country Cook hasn't got a test century against so hopefully he makes that.
 

morgieb

Request Your Custom Title Now!
England are definitely home favourites. You basically know what you're going to get with England. Solid but unspectacular cricket with a lot of planning put into the series.

The Australian performance is more of an unkown. The bowling is very exciting and has good strength in depth but is inexperienced in English conditions and injury prone. They definitely have the potential to blow england away if they get it right. They also have the potential to struggle in the conditions- plenty of very fine bowlers have struggled in their initial test matches in england.

The Australian batting though is their big worry. Clarke and Watson apart no-one else has played test cricket in england and Clarke is the only genuine current class batsmen. Warner may move into that bracket but the rest don't look like moving into that bracket anytime soon. I don't know if people think Clarke's form is a temporary positive aberration on a good career(see Vaughan) or a permanent upturn but if Clarke was to run out of form it's hard to see how Australia could win in England.

I also don't see Cook having a good year. Cook tends to struggle against medium pace swing and seamers and conditions in NZ and the home test series against NZ will be in the bowlers favour. He should struggle against Australia's seamer as long as they don't resort to trying to intimidate him and bowl short. He'll probably still do well in Aus where there is less movement early.

New Zealand is the only test country Cook hasn't got a test century against so hopefully he makes that.
Hughes has as well tbf.

But yeah our inexperience is a worry.
 

3703

U19 12th Man
I think it will all come down to how close we get to fielding our best attack. Our batting could be better than expected if Hughes consolidates (feasible), Khawaja gets his game together and Watto settles back in as an opener. But if Pattinson and Cummins don't get on the park, I see the best case scenario being we post more competitive totals in mostly losing efforts (in England).

History says bowling attacks are always decisive. McGrath went down in 2005 and wasn't the same for the rest of the series, suddenly England had the better pacemen. Australia had a far stronger batting line up, but that was negated by the swing and pace of the English attack.

Anderson, Finn and Swann is better than Siddle, Bird and Lyon. I think. How much upside there is in Bird is not really clear and you could say the same of Lyon (a lot still to happen with his game). But you don't look at that attack and see advantage Australia.

Conversely, make it Anderson, Finn, Broad and Swann vs Siddle, Pattinson, Bird and Lyon and that looks interesting to me. If Lyon shows improvement in India that attack looks like an ambush job. Even more so if Cummins plays a test or two. ****, throw in Johnson for a test assuming players' workloads continue to be managed, and his arse hair is sitting just right on the morning and he pulls one of his magic spells out.

So many question marks, and that is usually a bad sign. But if we simplify it, I reckon we're a fit Pattinson away from an epic series to be honest.
 
Last edited:

sphynx

U19 Debutant
I think it will all come down to how close we get to fielding our best attack. Our batting could be better than expected if Hughes consolidates (feasible), Khawaja gets his game together and Watto settles back in as an opener. But if Pattinson and Cummins don't get on the park, I see the best case scenario being we post more competitive totals in mostly losing efforts (in England).

History says bowling attacks are always decisive. McGrath went down in 2005 and wasn't the same for the rest of the series, suddenly England had the better pacemen. Australia had a far stronger batting line up, but that was negated by the swing and pace of the English attack.

Anderson, Finn and Swann is better than Siddle, Bird and Lyon. I think. How much upside there is in Bird is not really clear and you could say the same of Lyon (a lot still to happen with his game). But you don't look at that attack and see advantage Australia.

Conversely, make it Anderson, Finn, Broad and Swann vs Siddle, Pattinson, Bird and Lyon and that looks interesting to me. If Lyon shows improvement in India that attack looks like an ambush job. Even more so if Cummins plays a test or two. ****, throw in Johnson for a test assuming players' workloads continue to be managed, and his arse hair is sitting just right on the morning and he pulls one of his magic spells out.

So many question marks, and that is usually a bad sign. But if we simplify it, I reckon we're a fit Pattinson away from an epic series to be honest.
Pattinson will be fit for the Ashes, make no mistake.

CA's whole policy of resting players is a build up TO the Ashes, it's all or nothing when it comes to them.

There's plenty of cricket between now and England, with a series in India, he is back at 100% now, and will be lining up in Australia's second ODI most likely, and anyway, it was a sidestrain, not a back injury.

Pattinson and Bird will be the new ball pairing imo, with Siddle and Watson first and second change, Lyon the spinner.

Pattinson and Bird has the potential to be an absolutely destructive new ball pair in English conditions........

Starc and Johnson will make the trip, Cummins may also as a wild card.

Injuries are the least of my worries in the bowling stocks (besides Pattinson), as I think all of them are capable on their day, but Pattinson and Bird bowl an excellent line and length, and get plenty of movement.
 
Last edited:

Spark

Global Moderator
If Bird is fit, in form and has a bit more Test nous under his belt, he could be killer in English conditions. He's exactly the sort of bowler we've been looking for to balance the explosive but potentially expensive young trio.
 

Pothas

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Yeah Bird could be effective for sure in my best Scaly imoression so could Onions, would really fancy him against this Australian batting lineup if he gets a go, media bias etc etc...
 

Top