Australia v England Ashes 2013/2014

its BACK !!!!

hopefully in honour of Anthony Grieg


the ''WEATHERWALL''

Gingernuts wrote:3/107 at lunch. Probably one wicket too many for my liking.

A question to our more 'experienced' cricket watchers on here - what is a good first innings score on this deck? Still 350-400?

Sorry a bit late with my response
300 Par score
450 Probable Ashes reGaining score

Stumps day 4
AU 385
EG 251
AU 6/369 DEC
EG 5/251

England only need 252 runs day 5 to win

They achieved a milestone by lasting still stumps
Tomorrow will be the first day in the series they wont have fielded.

Surely Australia will win back the Ashes today.

They got a bit loose in the last session yesterday, hopefully they return to the disciplined bowling that has served them so well this morning and secure the last 5 wickets.

EG 353
A brave chase
Ben Stokes 120, if he ever plays a better innings than that, make sure you tape it for your great grandchildren to watch
AU 3-0
Ashes back where they belong

ASHES MEDAL
3 WARNER 60 +112 Davys on the b-road again, set the game up
2 STOKES 1/63+ 2/82 18 +120 that ton one of the best I've ever seen, brilliant stRokes
1 JOHNSON 39 + 0 * 2/62 + 4/78 runs and wkts when needed what a series
0 SMITH his 111+15 saved Australia early
0 WATSON 18 +103 1/48 + 1/39 his bowling cost him a vote

Man of the Match went to Steve Smith , but could have gone to 4 players

PROGRESS VOTING ASHES MEDAL
8 JOHNSON
4 WARNER
3 HADDIN
2 STOKES
1 CLARKE

Stokes is the only Englishman to get a vote

GONG MEDAL
3 ANDERSON 2/60 +0/105 2 +2 the world record  off an over if 28 Bailey hit got him the maximum votes
2 ROOT 4+18 was prob not out first dig
1 SWANN 2/71+ 1/92 19* + 4 played ok first innings bat and ball , 2nd innings awful

PROGRESS VOTES GONG MEDAL
6 SWANN
3 COOK
3 ANDERSON
2 PANESAR
2 PRIOR
2 ROOT

No Australian has got a gong medal vote as yet

The Johnson/Swann double looking good

The Australian pre series three amigoenigmas have been a big reason Australia has won the Ashes back
Johnson
Haddin
Warner

as they say in tv land ''normal transmission has resumed''

as far as voting goes i'd always vote for a root   

How quickly the tide can turn in 4 months.

I think it is safe to say that the Poms have not really been in the hunt in any of the 3 tests, save for some initial early wickets. However, as each test has unfolded, Australia has gotten further on top and essentially dictated terms.

In England, we weren't outplayed the same and could have won 2 possibly 3 tests.

So what is the difference?

From Englands point of view, their batters have not performed save for the odd "face saving" innings. Only Stokes in this test has scored a century.
The bowlers have looked generally under the pump and struggled to find rythym.

Perhaps the sledging war has had some effect, but I think too many of them are not in form at the moment. The further the series goes, the more they seem to be second guessing themselves.

For the Aussies, stability goes a long way.
Warner has pulled his head in (I don't think his comments about Trott were really much to fuss about). His new girlfriend Candace Falzon has had a positive effect on his fitness and diet.

Johnson has been a revelation and grown with confidence with each wicket.
Harris and Siddle have been consistent foils for Johnson.

All the batters have pitched in at some time and Haddin is in career best form.

When things go right, they go very right.
That little drug called confidence.

I saw an interesting stat the other day.

Cook 100 tests 7955 runs 25 hundreds
Clarke 100 tests 7966 runs 26 hundreds

Total 200 tests 15921 runs 51 hundreds

Tendulkar 200 tests 15921 runs 51 hundreds

Cook + Clarke = Tendulkar

Cook and Clarke are really really good batters
That Tendulkar has done what they have done by himself for longer is astonishing

Interesting Baymanism on his voting for the Gong Medal !
JR is the logical favorite

Interesting stats, Chambo.

They show that Cook, Clarke and Tendulkar are about equal, of course, just that Tendulkar maintained it.  The other two may or may not.

Lies, damned lies and statistics.

It shows how similar in time and opportunity Clarke and Cook are.
Clarke's higher average probably due to more not outs and maybe a few less innings.

Tongue in cheek making the comparison with Tendulkar's stats.

Yes  

It's amazing, though, how similar the figures are.

I have to say - the world is just a better place today really.   

    Says it all really

A story out and about regarding the future of Test cricket at the WACA in the future.

Apparently the facilities for a lot of the media is not up to scratch with some of them sitting outside under makeshift sun shelters for a lot of the game and with temperatures over 40 degrees for a lot of the game this wasn't taken too well   

Yes I saw that story.

Perth haven't been given a test match next summer because of the lack of facilities, and proposed developments of recent years have all but fallen through.

Just goes to show what a monumental effort it has been to get the Adelaide Oval redevelopment over the line in comparison. I have heard nothing but positive comments about AO from those that went to the test last week, some from people who have doubted the project.

GRAHAM SWANN

Has said on Facebook that England's Ashes efforts are akin to rape
He has since made an apology

All is not well for Swann ?
There is a possibility the 2013/2014 Ashes Gong Medal favorite might be dropped for the 4th test
Would you pick the off spinner on these efforts in Australia ?

2010/2011
2/128 +0/33
2/70 +5/91
2/52 + 0/51
1/1 + DNB
1/37 +1/75
14 wickets
537 runs
38.35 ave

2013/2014
0/80 + 2/135
2/151 + 0/31
2/71 + 1/92
7 wickets
560 runs
80.0 average

On 2 tours of Australia
21 wickets
1097 runs
52.23 average

Now the latest rumor is that Swann is about to or has retired ?

The only advice I could give Mr Swann is that visiting off spinners do not have a good record in Australia
Ashwin Swann and Murali , all very good offies, have all struggled in Australia
Mr Swann should take this into consideration if he is actually intimating retirement

Scrappy did he jump before he was pushed ?

either way very very soft


from the CricketAustralia website

www.cricket.com.au


Australians caught unawares by spinner's decision to quit

The Australia players have reacted with shock to the news England spinner Graeme Swann has quit cricket just four days out from the Boxing Day Test.

Australia spinner Nathan Lyon said he was "pretty shocked" to hear of Swann's retirement.

"He's someone who I've looked up to a lot," said Lyon. "His career stats stand for themselves, he's been an unbelievable spinner and someone who I watched pretty closely in my time.

"I'm sure he will be sorely missed in the England team but I wish him all the best in the future."

Fast bowler Ryan Harris was another stunned by Swann's decision and said nobody in the Australia camp had seen this coming.

"I don't know what to say, I thought he'd bowled ok in the series, just without luck I guess," said Harris. "I feel that we've played him very well too.

"Something's obviously not quite right with him, or he's fulfilled whatever he wanted to do, but to me that's a huge shock."

I had always thought Swann as being resilient , a tough competitor, never backwards in going forward , and a guy that would fightback from adversity

He took only one 5 wicket haul in 2010/2011 England tour of Australia
And after that haul had lean times bowling
But he bounced back after that tour

Last tour of England it seemed to be Bell and Swann that would turn the game around to England's favor

Swann has come to Australia in form
So surely Swann does not retire on whats happened in 3 Test matches

Shane Warne got carted in an Indian tour once by the Indian spin killing batters , that didn't stop him from recovering, and bowling well after

He is 34 years old I guess
But he only started Test cricket in 2008 /2009
So he rightly can't blame the rigors of Test Cricket as being a reason ?

Yes , Bayman, whatever the reason, very soft , on face value

Can't agree with either of you. If you're not getting the job done there's no point in hanging around. Good on him for recognising it was time to go.

How to let your team mates down, just spit the dummy, have a go at some the English players and toddle off back home.

One in all in I say, play out the entire tour and then do as you please but don't let your team mates down.   

He was letting them down on the field already.

IAmTheWarrior wrote:He was letting them down on the field already.

So should all of the English batsmen not making runs retire as well, they wouldn't have a team if that were the case ?

Possibly but bit of a difference recognising it's time at age 34. Their batsmen might think they can turn their form around- Swann obviously doesn't.

i'll stick to my thinking it is soft, i have a theory that he was told he was going to be dropped & he jumped ship, either way he has let himself, his team mates & his country down.....otherwise why would he be fine & ready to go in November, then 6 or 7 weeks later be at this stage....................IATW, some of the best spinners the world has seen got better with age & some well past 34......(wish i was 34 again   )

Happy to agree to disagree here- I've got no problems with someone deciding to pull up stumps when they don't think they've got anything to offer. I don't think it's better for him to hang on and wait to be humiliated by being dropped- which was surely on the cards.