After 3 tests...

[aflcliche]

Will be 1-1 with all the momentum with Aus, especially the bowlers.

The bowlers confidence will have lifted and I can't see Aus not bowling out England in both innings in the next 2 tests.

I reckon Cook is cooked and doesn't have much left for the rest of the series. Strauss is inconsistent and not threatening, Trott stodgy and will get sorted out, Pieterson a danger man but depends which one of him turns up, Collingwood failing and Bell bats too low and not got enough lower order support to make big scores.

Too much is left up to Huss, so if the rest perform and contribute enough for something for the bowlers to bowl at, Aus looking good to win back the ashes.

 

[red+black]

Not many sides have been 0-1 down after 2 Tests and won a Test series.

Will be an amazing effort if we can retain the Ashes.

And if we do, you'd have to question the heart of England.

 

[Rough_Edges]

Settle down you lot.

 

[Cake]

We've got the Ashes in the bag

 

[red+black]

LOL

England should have wrapped up the Ashes and now it's 1-1.

Australia would have to be favourites to win the series, although Ponting/Clarke are a big worry.

 

[damochandler]

remember we all thought we had all the momentum after leeds last year. one terrible selection and it all could come crumbling down again

 

[HeavyPop]

It's fair to say that if Hussey falls cheaply, Australia will fail to score over 200.

England won by an innings 1 test match ago and look where they are now. Who is to say Johnson won't start bowling horrible again? Harris might get injured, you never know.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Not many sides have been 0-1 down after 2 Tests and won a Test series.

Will be an amazing effort if we can retain the Ashes.

And if we do, you'd have to question the heart of England.

In order to retain something, you have to presently be in possession of that object. We'd be winning the Ashes back.

 

[red+black]

In order to retain something, you have to presently be in possession of that object. We'd be winning the Ashes back.

Pay that. Perhaps I meant re'tain, that is, re-obtain

 

[Sasquatch]

It's fair to say that if Hussey falls cheaply, Australia will fail to score over 200.

England won by an innings 1 test match ago and look where they are now. Who is to say Johnson won't start bowling horrible again? Harris might get injured, you never know.

This pitch was a bowlers paradise from day one. Australia got that first innings lead which put them in the box seat.

If the pitch isn't green in Melbourne, which it won't be I would still expect the Australia from the Gabba and Adelaide Oval to show up.

If Australia get England cheaply in Melbourne, then it's another story.

But it's been the pitch and conditions.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

remember we all thought we had all the momentum after leeds last year. one terrible selection and it all could come crumbling down again

This and I've got to agree about Hussey, if he fails we are screwed unless the tail help out like they did in the first innings.

 

[Sasquatch]

This and I've got to agree about Hussey, if he fails we are screwed unless the tail help out like they did in the first innings.

I can't see Ponting and/or Clarke fail on boxing day. One of them is in for a blinder.

Live series, the urn back up for grabs, one of them will lead from the front. It's bound to happen sooner or later. Which one, who knows. But I would be surprised if both fail on boxing day.

 

[red+black]

I concur re Hussey. Maybe we should hope that Ponting can't play in Melbourne, would probably strengthen the team with Hodge coming in.

j/k

 

[HeavyPop]

This pitch was a bowlers paradise from day one. Australia got that first innings lead which put them in the box seat.

If you take Hussey's score away from Australia's second innings, they end up on 193. 207 in the first. Only 300 runs from two innings.

It might be a good bowling pitch, but if one player can score 95 and another 116, surely it shows that some batsmen are just out of form.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

It's fair to say that if Hussey falls cheaply, Australia will fail to score over 200.

England won by an innings 1 test match ago and look where they are now. Who is to say Johnson won't start bowling horrible again? Harris might get injured, you never know.

That's the big worry really. Our attack looks good when Johnson is confident as he and Harris can both 'do' a bit with the ball. But we can't have just one bowler threatening, we need at least two working well and preferably Johnson as he can take wickets more than Sids or Hifly.

 

[damochandler]

the question is. do we keep smith in as a batting all rounder. or do we bring in a spinner and drop a quick for melbourne. we need a spinner in melbourne and absolutely need one in sydney

 

[Doodlesweaver]

the question is. do we keep smith in as a batting all rounder. or do we bring in a spinner and drop a quick for melbourne. we need a spinner in melbourne and absolutely need one in sydney

Considering our selectors whichever way they go will not work out unfortunately. Look at the Oval last year. Ugh.

 

[HeavyPop]

the question is. do we keep smith in as a batting all rounder. or do we bring in a spinner and drop a quick for melbourne. we need a spinner in melbourne and absolutely need one in sydney

Won't play 4 quicks in Melbourne. Beer won't be selected, so Smith is the only spinning option really.

 

[aneale]

I think some perspective is needed, the WA Shield side should have a 50/50 record if playing touring test teams at the WACA. It was great days cricket, but the WACA is so foreign from what what you find anywhere else its nothing to get too excited about long term.

Bowlers who breath fire out West often look beaten and short of ideas once they get to the MCG and SCG.

In previous years, you'd say we'd win WACA easily, and the SCG was a lay down leaving just the draw in Melbourne to take it home, but ....

 

[The_Reaper]

They need to bring in O'Keefe for the MCG.

Could bowl us to victory at the scg

 

[damochandler]

The mcg seems to be good to bat on when the ball is new these days. so a spinner would have to be picked at the mcg

 

[big_e]

Won't play 4 quicks in Melbourne. Beer won't be selected, so Smith is the only spinning option really.

And therein lies the danger. Siddle is the obvious one to be dropped, but none of the spinners are really up to it. Put England on a flat pitch and they might take over again.

 

[Total_Juddshanks]

I am not very optimistic as far as the series goes.

The bowlers really do look like they are running into a bit of form as a unit, but I also think they have got absolute maximum reward for effort at the WACA, it would be a lot to ask to expect it to unfold like that for the rest of the series. England probably will not score as freely as in Adelaide again on this tour, but in syd/melb they won't get knocked over the way they have here.

Our batting so far has consisted of Hussey + one other moderately decent effort for him to build a partnership with in each innings. It is truly inspirational stuff, but all else being equal, all it does is put Australia in a position where we need either great bowling, or woeful pom batting to win.

It is a huge ask to expect Hussey to continue to deliver at this level for another two tests- if he does close out the series with 4 more stellar efforts, it would surely go down as one of the greatest individual ashes performances of all time. If he can't, then, all else being equal, we are just utterly stuffed.


What it all comes down to is we need is the top order to stand up, and make enough runs to give us better totals to bowl at in Sydney and Melbourne.

 

[Donsftw14]

Steady on guys, its 1-1 after this match, predicting that Australia will close the innings out. Looking at how England have changed from Adelaide, what's to say it won't turn around at the G' like it has for Australia..And it's not like Australia's batting order are exactly firing either.

 

[Sasquatch]

Yeah. That's what I was initially pointing at Dons.

Johnson has proven he's the best bowler for the WACA but what about outside the WACA?

The result is Australia's way here because of the pitch and also because Australia's bowlers, Johnson in particular (who has a history on this pitch) made better use of their opportunities than the England bowlers. Those late runs by Australia when England couldn't get the tail out could have been the difference between winning and losing for England. Australia cleaning them up and getting an 80 run lead was because of their better bowling.

On a pitch that doesn't offer that much for the bowlers early (MCG and SCG), the scenario can easily be reversed.

Australia's key in Melbourne is their batting lineup. Hussey can't be expected to keep up this performance. If Australia bat first in Melbourne has to be able to put up 400+ runs.

I would not be at all surprised if Johnson goes back to his old ways in Melbourne and some of the other bowlers too. Australia's consistent bowler is Harris and he is the only one I would have faith in on the MCG pitch.

But as I said earlier. I will be shocked if neither Ponting or Clarke make a big score at the MCG.