Ashes Time Again

[Ingot54]

If the Baggy Green fits ...

Wow an Aussie giving his national team a bollocking....Wow I never thought I'd see the day....

Well, Strtrada, from where I sit, I was very complementary and restrained!

I mean to say, when the first 4 tests are even-stevens, a score by what used to be the top cricket team on the planet of 160, is very hard to accept.

The Australia selectors need to take a bath, and the groundsman at the Oval needs a promotion for timing the demise of the pitch to perfection.

In my book, both situations are a disgrace.

In fact, the whole series has not produced much joy. Umpire failures (to begin with) need serious examination, and the decisions of selectors on the Oz side, need the same.

I would be very pleased to see the Poms take back the sacred urn - they will have earned it well.
There have been some great performances on England's side - Collingwood, Flintoff being two of the best - notwithstanding the efforts of the entire English team.

I think the Aussies believe their own hype - I saw reports that Ponting was going to unleash a memorable display from the Oz team in this fifth test.

Yep - "memorable" was correct. Humph!

I have no doubt whatsoever now, that we will see some focused play from the Australian visitors, but it will be too late - that horse has bolted.

I'm not sure if you recall much history of the Australia game over the past 30 years or so, but from the Chappel'ls onward, though mainly from Allan Border's, time, Australian cricket began its rise.

It is my view, that the problems inherent in our game were due to the average age of our players being too high. Younger, hungry, more vigorous and more competitive young blokes were simply not being given their chances. Thus we were running on experience, and failing to bring replacements to the side early enough to plug the huge gaps when the Chappell's and the other good players left the side.

Border left an excellent team for Mark Taylor to go on with.

But it might be time for Coach Tim Nielsen to also have a look at how he prepares the team ... it's his record on the line too, one would think.

And it is a watershed for Australian Cricket. We now need to bite the bullet and give some of the young guns a bit of a go. When that cheater, Shane Warne finally quit (I was pleased) the wheels fell off the Aussie game. Soon other "old men" followed him, but it was too late - the game for us was already on that slide.

The HAVE to keep the players moving - getting the younger blokes some experience.
What we have seen in this series, is a failure of that process.

For me it's not about the ashes - that is important, but secondary.

It's about playing the game well, about professionalism and about sportsmanship.

You want to know who man of the series is ... (sadly we wish him well - we never saw the best of him)

Freddie!

 

[westernforce]

Well I s'pose I'll have to eat humble pie. What was my prediction again? 4 :1 ???
Hah, what a joke.

England were by far the more deserving team to win the Ashes. Well done!

 

[Gumping]

Funny - I thought 2 teams played on the same pitch at the Oval.....what would have happened if Aus won the toss?

 

[Ingot54]

Hypotheticals ...

Funny - I thought 2 teams played on the same pitch at the Oval.....what would have happened if Aus won the toss?

Same result! The visitors don't tend the pitch. (Had to slip that shot in there Gump! )

Well I s'pose I'll have to eat humble pie. What was my prediction again? 4 :1 ???
Hah, what a joke.

England were by far the more deserving team to win the Ashes. Well done!

Agree entirely mate. There is much to be disappointed about from the series, not the least of which the umpiring, weather and luck playing a part.

England just went ahead and played consistent cricket, which the Aussies were nothing if not erratic in both batting and bowling.

I was not the only person who noticed the state of the wicket - so it is not sour grapes. I have no time for pity-parties - but I am interested in cricket, and that the game is upheld with the respect it deserves.

I defy anyone to observe objectively - partisan view aside - the course of the game, and honestly state that the outcome was a fair test of the ability of either side.

I could care tuppence (twopence for the politically correct amongst us) about the winning/losing scheme of it.

The Oval wicket definitely was a point of media contention, and blind Freddie could see the dust-storms arising after each delivery!

I am sure the outcome was the one most wanted!

It's behind us now - but it does put the game on notice that standards should be maintained. Grumpy-bums like me might lose interest and not tune in! (Well ... I might sneak a peek ... )

And so ... the English/Australian rivalry in the game lives on!

 

[Gumping]

England just went ahead and played consistent cricket, which the Aussies were nothing if not erratic in both batting and bowling.

I'd say less inconsistent cricket

I was not the only person who noticed the state of the wicket - so it is not sour grapes.

Not even slightly?

I defy anyone to observe objectively - partisan view aside - the course of the game, and honestly state that the outcome was a fair test of the ability of either side.

A fair test of Aus' ability to go for singles when a nice, patient approach was required? Run-outs and stumpings of the top order batsmen in test cricket?!? Did the wicket cause Mitchell Johnson to bowl more wides? Did it magically improve every time Hussey batted? We had 4 players out for single-digit scores too - so what was the reason for that?
We also made it easier: we picked Alistair Cook at 2 when Bob the Builder would have done a better job. Not to mention Ravi FFS

And Poms are the ones who are moaners, eh?

The thing I can't seem to fathom is that Aus had 6 batsmen averaging in the 40's to our one! (Give or take Trott who I didn't include there) They also had 3 bowlers who took more than 20 wickets to our 0! They had by far the most successful players in the series, and yet still lost.