It was like 2005 all over again as England took the 10 Australian wickets needed to win The Ashes. England has a reputation for making strong comebacks after a poor result. And after crumbling at Headingley there was no margin for any errors. The toss was crucial and allowed England to dictate proceedings. They were helped by the lack of a frontline spinner in the opposition ranks. In hindsight, England could have gone with 2 spinners.
The 2009 Ashes series will be remembered for years to come. There will be inevitable comparisons with the 2005 series triumph. Of course, back then the Australian team contained some huge players which made the win special. It could be argued that both teams are now weaker and in transition. Otherwise the obvious difference with this series is the fact it was won on the field. When Swann took the last wicket, a packed Oval was rocking amid amazing scenes.
This has been a strange series where facts and figures are concerned. If anyone studied the batting and bowling statistics, they would wrongly assume that Australia had won hands down. The crucial match was the 1st test which England should have lost. When the Aussies did not get the win they deserved it was always a possibility it could come back to haunt them.
Andrew Strauss has carried the top order throughout the series. A special mention must go to Matt Prior whose wicket keeping has been faultless during the five test matches. He has eradicated the dropped catches and missed stumpings and he now looks to be the best option behind the stumps. Jonathan Trott proved a fantastic selection and a player who looks completely at home in the test match arena.
Flintoff had a quiet game by his standards yet still managed to run out Ricky Ponting with some excellent fielding. His buddy Steve Harmison also got in on the act with 3 wickets. Overall this was a tremendous display by England who had to remain patient when Australia built some strong partnerships. Andy Flower might not have been first choice but the partnership between him and the skipper appears to be work well.
There will be no over the top celebrations this time which is a good thing. This triumph gives Strauss, Flower and the team a great platform to build on. The tour to South Africa is already looking like a mouth watering proposition.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For Betfair Profits.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Monday, 10 August 2009
What A Load Of Rubbish
They played Jerusalem just before the start of play but after this load of rubbish by England the theme tune from the Benny Hill Show would have been more appropriate. The batting was just like the collapses of the bad old days. Without the two genuine world class performers, the side looks positively ordinary. The century count now stands at 7-1 in Australia’s favour, enough said really.
The batting was abysmal but the bowling was equally inept. England should be experts where Headingley is concerned and should know exactly the correct length to bowl. Instead they choose to bowl to the opposition batsman’s strengths and then wonder why the ball keeps finding its way to the boundary.
Some of the bowling was quite frankly embarrassing from individuals that are supposed to be the finest bunch of cricketers we have at our disposal. The coaching and backroom staff people do not escape criticism either. England sent down a huge number of short and wide deliveries. The coaches must have seen this and should have sent a message out to them instead of waiting for the end of the session.
Australia made a bold decision where team selection was concerned choosing to recall Stuart Clark and ditching the spinner. This guy creates pressure regardless of the conditions by bowling accurately. That is a skill the England attack is not able to replicate. Clark is 33 years old and let’s be honest if he were English he would have been discarded two years ago because of his age.
The only way England will win the Ashes is by taking 20 wickets in The Oval test match. That looks remote if Flintoff is not in the team. No doubt the former players will warn against knee-jerk reactions with team selection. They need not worry as the selectors will probably continue with the same squad. Maybe it is because they have not got a clue who else to bring in. They talk about the need for consistency but the selectors consistently make the wrong selections.
In 2005, we had good test match players but now we are carrying far too many potentially good test match players. Potential does not win the Ashes and there comes a time when players have to start delivering the goods or lose their place. The whole set-up continues to be far too cosy with players not having to worry about being dropped due to poor performances.
When Andrew Strauss said the Aussies had lost their aura he also made Ricky Ponting’s team talk much easier. Talk about putting your foot in it. They may have lost their aura but they seem to have quickly found a new one. England better put the thinking caps on because they only have one chance left to win the series.
The Complete Guide To Cricket Trading On Betfair.
The batting was abysmal but the bowling was equally inept. England should be experts where Headingley is concerned and should know exactly the correct length to bowl. Instead they choose to bowl to the opposition batsman’s strengths and then wonder why the ball keeps finding its way to the boundary.
Some of the bowling was quite frankly embarrassing from individuals that are supposed to be the finest bunch of cricketers we have at our disposal. The coaching and backroom staff people do not escape criticism either. England sent down a huge number of short and wide deliveries. The coaches must have seen this and should have sent a message out to them instead of waiting for the end of the session.
Australia made a bold decision where team selection was concerned choosing to recall Stuart Clark and ditching the spinner. This guy creates pressure regardless of the conditions by bowling accurately. That is a skill the England attack is not able to replicate. Clark is 33 years old and let’s be honest if he were English he would have been discarded two years ago because of his age.
The only way England will win the Ashes is by taking 20 wickets in The Oval test match. That looks remote if Flintoff is not in the team. No doubt the former players will warn against knee-jerk reactions with team selection. They need not worry as the selectors will probably continue with the same squad. Maybe it is because they have not got a clue who else to bring in. They talk about the need for consistency but the selectors consistently make the wrong selections.
In 2005, we had good test match players but now we are carrying far too many potentially good test match players. Potential does not win the Ashes and there comes a time when players have to start delivering the goods or lose their place. The whole set-up continues to be far too cosy with players not having to worry about being dropped due to poor performances.
When Andrew Strauss said the Aussies had lost their aura he also made Ricky Ponting’s team talk much easier. Talk about putting your foot in it. They may have lost their aura but they seem to have quickly found a new one. England better put the thinking caps on because they only have one chance left to win the series.
The Complete Guide To Cricket Trading On Betfair.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
England Must Not Be Complacent
A sizeable chunk of playing time was lost due to bad weather so the third Ashes test at Edgbaston fizzled out into a bore draw. Significantly the Australian batsmen helped themselves to another century and once again England’s batsmen missed out. The century count now stands at 6-1 in favour of the Aussies.
England has plenty of batsmen who are capable of scoring half centuries. They do not place enough value on their wickets and seldom convert to a three figure score. With Kevin Pietersen absent through injury this could have an impact on the two remaining test matches.
To combat the lack of big runs from the top order, England select their lower order with one eye on a bowler’s prowess with the bat. This is a defensive strategy and ultimately does not win test matches. If a bowler does not take wickets and if the captain is reluctant to utilize him then he should not be in the side.
With Brett Lee and Stuart Clark waiting on the sidelines Australia will be able to improve their bowling attack. In comparison England will probably continue to select Stuart Broad who is the weak link in the bowling department. It is ironic that his batting is what keeps him in the team. Having a famous surname does not do any harm either.
When Broad comes on to bowl the Australians heave a visible sigh of relief. He is a young player and his time will come in future Ashes series. England needs to be ruthless in selection as well as on the field. Genuine pace and hostility have been absent at times during this series. This is something that Harmison would provide especially since Flintoff is almost a spent force due to injury concerns.
The attack is not well balanced as there is an over reliance on swinging the ball. This is fine when conditions are conducive to swing bowling. However, when the ball does not swing on unhelpful pitches then England is devoid of ideas and inspiration.
As the series approaches its climax, the concern is Australia is getting stronger as England are weakened by the loss of Pietersen and the consequences of persevering with an unfit Flintoff. England cannot afford to be carrying non contributing passengers such as Bopara and Broad coupled with injured players if they want to regain the Ashes. Australia only needs to draw the series to keep the urn and they will fancy their chances of doing exactly that.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For The Betting Exchanges.
England has plenty of batsmen who are capable of scoring half centuries. They do not place enough value on their wickets and seldom convert to a three figure score. With Kevin Pietersen absent through injury this could have an impact on the two remaining test matches.
To combat the lack of big runs from the top order, England select their lower order with one eye on a bowler’s prowess with the bat. This is a defensive strategy and ultimately does not win test matches. If a bowler does not take wickets and if the captain is reluctant to utilize him then he should not be in the side.
With Brett Lee and Stuart Clark waiting on the sidelines Australia will be able to improve their bowling attack. In comparison England will probably continue to select Stuart Broad who is the weak link in the bowling department. It is ironic that his batting is what keeps him in the team. Having a famous surname does not do any harm either.
When Broad comes on to bowl the Australians heave a visible sigh of relief. He is a young player and his time will come in future Ashes series. England needs to be ruthless in selection as well as on the field. Genuine pace and hostility have been absent at times during this series. This is something that Harmison would provide especially since Flintoff is almost a spent force due to injury concerns.
The attack is not well balanced as there is an over reliance on swinging the ball. This is fine when conditions are conducive to swing bowling. However, when the ball does not swing on unhelpful pitches then England is devoid of ideas and inspiration.
As the series approaches its climax, the concern is Australia is getting stronger as England are weakened by the loss of Pietersen and the consequences of persevering with an unfit Flintoff. England cannot afford to be carrying non contributing passengers such as Bopara and Broad coupled with injured players if they want to regain the Ashes. Australia only needs to draw the series to keep the urn and they will fancy their chances of doing exactly that.
The Complete Cricket Trading Solution For The Betting Exchanges.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)