***Official: Countdown to the 2017-2018 Ashes***

[ImpatientLime]

I do not get this at all tbh. Are you really suggesting that for example India or Sri Lankas bowling attack is better suited to Aussie conditions than Englands?

Our bowlers were brilliant there in 2010/11 and were good enough in 2013/14 to have at the very least been competitive.

ok maybe not sri lanka tier but not good enough to force results.

broad and stokes will carry a consistent threat but out side of those two i don't see any reason for australia to worry.

woakes has been utterly diabolical away from home in his career to date and i can see him getting totally flogged in australia.

jimmy i sadly don't see carrying much of a threat. he struggled down there last time, admittedly carrying a rib injury. you quote his stats from last year but dig deeper and he was totally ineffective away to south africa and india, ok at home to pakistan and cashed in at home to maybe the worst sri lankan team to every land on these shores taking 21 @ 10 in borderline arctic weather.

spin cupboard is non existent.

 

[vic_orthdox]

If things are going well for the rest of the attack, at least Anderson can provide good support. The only bowler of ours a chance of going at less than two an over is Hazelwood.

 

[Red]

Really looking forward to seeing Handscomb and Renshaw established in the side on home territory.

Be nice to get a look at Kurt Patterson too. Pretty handy 5 there with Smith and Warner...

 

[Furball]

ok maybe not sri lanka tier but not good enough to force results.

broad and stokes will carry a consistent threat but out side of those two i don't see any reason for australia to worry.

woakes has been utterly diabolical away from home in his career to date and i can see him getting totally flogged in australia.

jimmy i sadly don't see carrying much of a threat. he struggled down there last time, admittedly carrying a rib injury. you quote his stats from last year but dig deeper and he was totally ineffective away to south africa and india, ok at home to pakistan and cashed in at home to maybe the worst sri lankan team to every land on these shores taking 21 @ 10 in borderline arctic weather.

spin cupboard is non existent.

Anderson was coming off injuries in India and South Africa.

Last time he went into an away series fully fit was the UAE where he had by a distance the best performance of any quick to have played a series there.

 

[ImpatientLime]

Anderson was coming off injuries in India and South Africa.

Last time he went into an away series fully fit was the UAE where he had by a distance the best performance of any quick to have played a series there.

getting injured an awful lot these days.

 

[Adders]

People keep writing him off saying he's finished and the bloke just keeps taking wickets at a great average.

Edit:

I'll just leave this here.......

2014	330.0	101	886	40	1	0	5/53	22.15	49.50	2.68
2015	393.3	114	1042	46	2	0	6/42	22.65	51.33	2.65
2016	394.1	103	973	41	3	1	5/16	23.73	57.68	2.47

That's pretty ****ing impressive for a bloke that's past it and always getting injured.

 

[Furball]

getting injured an awful lot these days.

Well he's getting on and his body is probably just the other side of his physical peak.

He was bullet proof for 5 years, which is almost unheard of for a fast bowler, and he doesn't actually miss many games despite his niggles. Broad and Stokes have probably missed as many games through injury as Anderson has.

 

[Adders]

James Anderson is the consummate professional........if there is any fast bowler in the world that can keep going and performing through his mid to late 30's it is him.

 

[ImpatientLime]

i don't doubt in the right environment and conditions he is still a menance. but i don't see him ever going on one of the big tours and doing it again. his body is failing him too often.

 

[Tangles]

We can expect flat pitches and on those pitches I expect the Aussie bats to score lots of runs (htbs) and the English bowling to struggle. I can't see how they will take 20 wickets consistently. Barring swing/seam in Brisbane or weather conditions most of the time bowling will be without assistance. Warner and Smith at home are major issues for any visiting team in those conditions. I can see England snagging a test with the right conditions but overall I see Aus winning 3-1.

 

[Red]

James Anderson is the consummate professional........if there is any fast bowler in the world that can keep going and performing through his mid to late 30's it is him.

As good as he is, and I think he's been a legit great, once your body fails and you lose that yard (cm) of pace, it all falls apart very quickly.

Remember Dizzy in 2005? Went from being a hostile and potent to being cannon fodder. Was sad to see.

 

[Adders]

As good as he is, and I think he's been a legit great, once your body fails and you lose that yard (cm) of pace, it all falls apart very quickly.

Remember Dizzy in 2005? Went from being a hostile and potent to being cannon fodder. Was sad to see.

That's probably very true.......but what evidence is there that his body is "failing" He bowled more overs last year than he he has in the last 3 (and I don't know where to check, but I'd wager he is only second to Broad amongst all bowlers for overs bowled in this period)

I think when a quick bowler picks up the odd injury and they're well into their 30's people are way too quick to call curtains on them. IIRC G McGrath had the same things said about him for the last 3 or 4 years of his career.........didn't stop him gunning it though.

 

[Red]

That's probably very true.......but what evidence is there that his body is "failing" He bowled more overs last year than he he has in the last 3 (and I don't know where to check, but I'd wager he is only second to Broad amongst all bowlers for overs bowled in this period)

I think when a quick bowler picks up the odd injury and they're well into their 30's people are way too quick to call curtains on them. IIRC G McGrath had the same things said about him for the last 3 or 4 years of his career.........didn't stop him gunning it though.

When I say fail I mean he's nearly 35. You tend to lose a bit of that zip and that can be all the difference between being threatening and getting smashed at test level. It's what happened to Gillespie.

I hope he plays on and on because he's really enjoyable to watch bowling, but he hasn't done well in Aust in the past and he's not getting any younger.

 

[vic_orthdox]

His skills with the red ball mean that he's still going to be a menace at home in swinging conditions for a fair while. Gillespie was always more of a seam bowler, hitting the deck on a good length and losing that zip mattered more to him.

 

[TheJediBrah]

As good as he is, and I think he's been a legit great, once your body fails and you lose that yard (cm) of pace, it all falls apart very quickly.

Remember Dizzy in 2005? Went from being a hostile and potent to being cannon fodder. Was sad to see.

So you're saying Jimmy will score a double century at some stage during the Ashes?

 

[social]

It's pretty simple - virtually every bowler is easier to face at 80 mph than 85

In Jimmy's case, the batsmen will simply have a fraction more time to counteract his late swing as his pace decreases

 

[Burgey]

James Anderson is the consummate professional........if there is any fast bowler in the world that can keep going and performing through his mid to late 30's it is him.

Is whoever keeps for England good enough to stand up to the stumps for him as he gets older? Like Russell did to Gladstone Small out here in 90-91. Was a joy to behold. Might keep him going for a bit longer if blokes can't come out of their ground to him.

 

[Adders]

Jonny Bairstow......I'd be very nervous if he ever tried tbh.

 

[OverratedSanity]

When I say fail I mean he's nearly 35. You tend to lose a bit of that zip and that can be all the difference between being threatening and getting smashed at test level. It's what happened to Gillespie.

I hope he plays on and on because he's really enjoyable to watch bowling, but he hasn't done well in Aust in the past and he's not getting any younger.

Yeah he has. He was awesome in 2010/11.

 

[FBU]

6 fast bowlers in the squad

Broad
Anderson - Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney
Woakes
Stokes
Wood - Perth and Brisbane
T Curran