Ashes 2015

[The_Reaper]

Personally i think we should go all out in the first test. Full aggression. With starc/Johnson/Harris. Then have Hazelwood up our sleeve if that doesnt work.

Hazlewood is a 'defensive' bowler in the way that McGrath was.

Given he's been taking plenty of wickets at a low average and decent strike rate for New South Wales for year and has been taking about 5 wickets per test at an average of under 20 since his debut, I have no idea how anyone could advocate dropping him.

He's almost first picked.

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

I'll give you one guess about Patto...

Unfortunate as when he is fit he changes our attack for the better.

Pattinson is now in the same bracket as Cummins. Has to start his FC career all over again and hopefully build up to Tests.

 

[madmug]

If Rhino is above 90% fit, he will play. Harris is just too good not to play in most English conditions.

The guy who might miss first up could indeed be Johnson!!

Unless they go all out with the 4 quicks & some part time Voges & Smith.

 

[Ashton Agar]

People on here wrote off Starc months ago and hes been close to our form bowler ever since. He's being written off again on here before the ashes so no doubt he'll do well again.

Yeah Starc's been in ripping form, but you simply cannot drop Hazlewood.

 

[Nuke Fremantle]

Hazlewood and Starc should be the locks for the 1st Test, the question marks are over Haris/Johnson. Harris, because he's obviously underdone and Johnson becuse Starc can do everything he can do and do it at 5-10kph quicker.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Hazelwood has never bowled in England, I'm hoping that Harris is a big help to him to get to grips with the ball, the conditions and the wickets, in particular at Lords.

 

[La Dolce Vita]

Doubt we will see the same 4 bowlers play every test

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Hazlewood and Starc should be the locks for the 1st Test, the question marks are over Haris/Johnson. Harris, because he's obviously underdone and Johnson becuse Starc can do everything he can do and do it at 5-10kph quicker.

Harris is the first bowler picked and easily too.

 

[Steinfreo]

I like Starc because he is a good bats as well. Looking over everything though Hazelwood is defiantly ahead of him. Starc will come in at some point though. The thing that could be cool with Starc is if his batting improves a little it might make it easier to drop Watson and have the 4 proper quicks + Lyon

 

[LukeParkerno1]

I like Starc because he is a good bats as well. Looking over everything though Hazelwood is defiantly ahead of him. Starc will come in at some point though. The thing that could be cool with Starc is if his batting improves a little it might make it easier to drop Watson and have the 4 proper quicks + Lyon

Stop talking about Starc's batting. He can slog a few that's it. Starc will come in for Harris after the Ashes or possibly for MJ if he bowls trash in the first 2 tests or so. However we are not dropping a number 6 bat when our batting is a diabolical disaster to fit another bowler in.

 

[dtm06]

Harris is our best bowler. First picked if fit.

Hazelwood is tight, takes wickets and is in great form. Second picked.

Johnson has to play first test. The way he demolished England in 2013/14 ensures that. Would be a massive psychological lift for the poms if he wasn't.

Starc. Great white ball form. Great against the Windies. Simply doesn't have the runs on the board compared to the other 3 so he misses out first test.


I personally don't think we should play Starc + Johnson against competent batting lineups. Against teams like WI it's fine but they can both leak runs quickly and if they're both playing and off their games England could be 0-130 at lunch. Harris and hazelwood in your team ensures this doesn't happen. Having said that, I think they will play together if Harris needs a rest perhaps in the 3rd or 4th test. Hopefully by then England are broken and it's all good.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Johnson is out of the team by series end. Seems the least suited to English conditions and will need to be at his absolute best to make things happen.

So I'd say first test:

Johnson
Harris
Hazelwood
Lyon

Final test:

Starc
Harris
Hazelwood
Lyon

 

[Doodlesweaver]

My word, there is a lot of sanctimonious twaddle being spoken about ' the spirit of the game' in the English cricket press. 'How wonderful were New Zealand and wasn't it noticeable that both teams were so sporting' and all that genteel crap.

It's SO obvious that the fans and press are desperate for the Aussies to be at their absolute worst in terms of behaviour.

So I hope they behave like a pack of rottwielers and flog the English team while they are at it.

 

[Donnie Darko]

My word, there is a lot of sanctimonious twaddle being spoken about ' the spirit of the game' in the English cricket press. 'How wonderful were New Zealand and wasn't it noticeable that both teams were so sporting' and all that genteel crap.

It's SO obvious that the fans and press are desperate for the Aussies to be at their absolute worst in terms of behaviour.

So I hope they behave like a pack of rottwielers and flog the English team while they are at it.

Teams dont usually go overboard on away turf. They wont have the crowd on their side..
They're in the country for 3 months and have to spend alot of time mixing with the public. I cant see them behaving like they did in the past series .
This is an era where social media is massive and any little thing gets picked up on. Like with Clarke and his threat to Jimmy.

 

[LukeParkerno1]

Like with Clarke and his threat to Jimmy.

The BEST moment of the entire Ashes!

Well that and George Bailey smacking him lol

 

[The_Reaper]

Teams dont usually go overboard on away turf. They wont have the crowd on their side..
They're in the country for 3 months and have to spend alot of time mixing with the public. I cant see them behaving like they did in the past series .
This is an era where social media is massive and any little thing gets picked up on. Like with Clarke and his threat to Jimmy.

Or Jimmy and physically assaulting poor defenceless Ravindra Jadeja.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Jimmy is a bad sledger too. No doubt about it..

Clarke reminds me of Johnny from karate kid... Same type of character.

 

[Bumpswithagrin]

Are we playing a warm up match before the first test? I can't find any information about one anywhere

 

[rodney86]

Are we playing a warm up match before the first test? I can't find any information about one anywhere

We're playing two four day games before the first test. Kent (June 25-28) and Essex (July 1-4).

 

[The_Reaper]

Are we playing a warm up match before the first test? I can't find any information about one anywhere

They're on cricinfo.

Kent and Essex

We also play a three day match after the second test and another after the fourth test

 

[The_Reaper]

Why is anyone actually considering dropping Watson for a a fifth bowler?

It's great that we have four good quicks contending for three spots. But our bowling is not our weakness. It's a strength and we don't need a fifth specialist bowler.

On the other hand our batting is very vulnerable and has consistently failed against good opposition away from Australia.

One of the reasons we're all so unhappy with Watson is because he's a major part of those failures so why not replace him with someone who we believe can improve the batting.

Nobody can actually pretend they honestly believe a lineup like

1. Rogers
2. Warner
3. Smith
4. Clarke*
5. Voges
6. Haddin+
7. Johnson
8. Starc
9. Harris
10. Hazlewood
11. Lyon

is in anyway balanced.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Teams dont usually go overboard on away turf. They wont have the crowd on their side..
They're in the country for 3 months and have to spend alot of time mixing with the public. I cant see them behaving like they did in the past series .
This is an era where social media is massive and any little thing gets picked up on. Like with Clarke and his threat to Jimmy.

My point is mostly that from everything I have read the press and fans are just busting for the Aussies to behave really 'badly'. Anything the Aussies do will be magnified into them being bastards, no matter how trivial it is.

So I hope they do go all out and behave like utter ratbags. Might as well!

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Why is anyone actually considering dropping Watson for a a fifth bowler?

It's great that we have four good quicks contending for three spots. But our bowling is not our weakness. It's a strength and we don't need a fifth specialist bowler.

On the other hand our batting is very vulnerable and has consistently failed against good opposition away from Australia.

One of the reasons we're all so unhappy with Watson is because he's a major part of those failures so why not replace him with someone who we believe can improve the batting.

Nobody can actually pretend they honestly believe a lineup like

1. Rogers
2. Warner
3. Smith
4. Clarke*
5. Voges
6. Haddin+
7. Johnson
8. Starc
9. Harris
10. Hazlewood
11. Lyon

is in anyway balanced.

It's not balanced with Watson at 6 and Haddin at 7, as quite frankly both of them are tailenders now. No point in pretending otherwise. Once we are 4 down, you've got a long series of number 8s, handy though all of them may be.

But we'll have Watson and Haddin at 6 and 7 for the series I'm sure.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Stop talking about Starc's batting. He can slog a few that's it. Starc will come in for Harris after the Ashes or possibly for MJ if he bowls trash in the first 2 tests or so. However we are not dropping a number 6 bat when our batting is a diabolical disaster to fit another bowler in.

Average of 30, four Test 50's. Yeah he's a bit handier than a slogger.

 

[Grizzly86]

It's not balanced with Watson at 6 and Haddin at 7, as quite frankly both of them are tailenders now. No point in pretending otherwise. Once we are 4 down, you've got a long series of number 8s, handy though all of them may be.

But we'll have Watson and Haddin at 6 and 7 for the series I'm sure.

This could be our undoing if the Top 4 don't make a mountain of runs.

 

[Ashton Agar]

Harris is our best bowler. First picked if fit.

Hazelwood is tight, takes wickets and is in great form. Second picked.

Johnson has to play first test. The way he demolished England in 2013/14 ensures that. Would be a massive psychological lift for the poms if he wasn't.

Starc. Great white ball form. Great against the Windies. Simply doesn't have the runs on the board compared to the other 3 so he misses out first test.


I personally don't think we should play Starc + Johnson against competent batting lineups. Against teams like WI it's fine but they can both leak runs quickly and if they're both playing and off their games England could be 0-130 at lunch. Harris and hazelwood in your team ensures this doesn't happen. Having said that, I think they will play together if Harris needs a rest perhaps in the 3rd or 4th test. Hopefully by then England are broken and it's all good.

Wouldn't surprise me at all if Johnson is out of the team by series end. Seems the least suited to English conditions and will need to be at his absolute best to make things happen.

So I'd say first test:

Johnson
Harris
Hazelwood
Lyon

Final test:

Starc
Harris
Hazelwood
Lyon

Good post.