Ashes 2015
laurentian
Posts: 2,007
To continue the fine trend of sporting debate in the Tennis and F1 threads here, does anyone have any predictions, preferences, insight or even interest in the series?
Will Mitchell Johnson destroy England? Can our young batsmen worry the scorers? Do you care?
Will Mitchell Johnson destroy England? Can our young batsmen worry the scorers? Do you care?
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Our lack of a front line spinner could be an issue over a series but I think batting wise Root, Stokes and Buttler will hopefully provide bit of a spark.
I nearly posted something about this before as it bugs me. An Ashes test has no place in Cardiff imo, not at the expense of traditional grounds like Old Trafford and Headingley. Part of the problem I think is it's now done on a bidding process where the county grounds submit a financial bid to the ECB to host a test. This of course goes against the interest of the game as to make a winning bid pay the county then has to maximise its revenue to recoup costs and make a profit so it's in their interest to produce a lifeless pitch that will make the game last the full 5 days for the most ticket money.
If they want to spread the game to new venues then fair enough, give them test matches and one-dayers against teams like Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan. Not the likes of Australia and South Africa.
I agree with verylonglegs. Preparing a pitch for home advantage is one thing but neutering any sign of life in it cannot be good. Despite that, Moeen seems to be making the most of it.
. . . now watch the rain screw it up for us on Sunday . . .
Good match so far, and Lord Sir Earl Geoffrey Boycott is on now so I'll stick with it for a bit longer then go home.
I just heard that myself! . . . am suitably embarrassed.
Boycott and Blofeld on now - great stuff.
Already looking forward to watching it in the pub with a pint or two tomorrow afternoon when the Aussies bat again.
Should be great tomorrow. I think we should get the middle/lower order batting like a one day game now Root, Buttler, Stokes, Moeen swinging a bit. Possibly declare mid morning tomorrow? . . . just need to think about the rain that looks probable for Sunday
I seem to recall the previous Ashes test at Cardiff produced a match that would have graced any ground and despite the 'expert' opinions on the Sophia Gardens wicket it's hardly been a dull test so far. Plenty of wickets and some fast scoring.
Some of the 'traditional' test grounds got a sense of entitlement and assumed they'd get their allocation of the big matches indefinitely so didn't invest in their facilities while other County grounds seized the initiative and built modern stadia suited to modern needs. They've had the kick up the ar$e they needed and as a result have finally started to develop their grounds to modern standards. Also, without intending to be biased, Cardiff has to be the best place in the UK for major sports events due to the proximity of the grounds to the city centre.
Pross, I have reservations about the current system as it plays the counties against each other. They can all invest a packet in facilities to try and win the rights to host test matches but the number of games available means some counties will miss out. I just hope they are well managed with plans in place that allow them to survive if they don't secure the lucrative games. It's not too difficult to imagine one of them over-strecthing themselves and getting caught out.
That's set up the series nicely. Think it was important England got off to a good start, as think the Aussies have it in them to bounce back, whereas if Australia had won it could have been a long summer for England fans.
My final comment on the pitch debate...Boycott said today on TMS that his sources have said that all the grounds have been asked to produce slower wickets this summer. However this test still finished in 4 days with high run rates which belies that. I think it was a combination of English bowlers expertise with a Duke ball in home conditions and Australia's refusual to change tactics according to the situation at hand, they were seemingling intent on aggressive tactics before the toss was even made and never looked to revise it. Maybe the 5-0 whitewash at home made them over-confident.
Very happy with the result and really looking forward to the Lord's test.
It's a good time to be stuck in front of a telly waiting to fetch & carry various offspring throughout the day & night. TdF, Ashes, a bit of tennis occasionally and if it gets really bad, the Audi Cup for a bit of football. Lovely.
* made-up figure, obvs.
Like most cricket pitches then?
On Strava.{/url}
The wicket was soooo good for batting on day 1 that England were reduced to 40 for 3 weren't they? It was sooo poor on day 4 that Australia were 97 for 1 and all results were possible. So don't get whinging about the wicket being to blame for your loss.
As for preparing a pitch to bat well on day 5, we may address that if the Aussies can make the game last that long eh?
Thanks for doing the sums . . . I was thinking that the runs were spread out a little better than some of the above comments would suggest.
Great start by England and a couple of outstanding performances in Root and Moeen. I think we had to win this one to stand any chance of winning the Ashes this summer so roll on Lords . . .
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-3163017/Australia-captain-Michael-Clarke-suggests-selectors-leaked-Shane-Watson-s-axing.html
To be fair, no surprise that neither Haddin nor Watson are to play, for form reasons aside from any personal problems.
Looks like Moeen will be OK, so all's looking good for us.
I can't help but think they'll come back at us but hope we can win this one as I've got tickets for the potential "clincher" at Trent Bridge.
Cannondale - CAAD10
Moeen is playing (possibly late information for you!)
Not a lot to discuss really! Dead track, near faultless Aussie batting, one wicket and one missed catch. 4 days to go but beginning to think a draw is about the best we can hope for . . . 3 wickets before lunch could make it interesting but can't see that happening.