Ashes to Ashes - woolly faces the abyss

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

England cricket tour of Australia 2002/03

Having just comprehensively stuffed Pakistan (World #3) a nation of outrageous cricketing talent and notoriously fragile temperament (including a victory in under 2 days) the Australians now return home for the Ashes series against the visiting Englishmen.

[aside]We think it is very important that if you claim to be the world champions that you earn this accolade by playing other countries both home and away[/aside]

As usual, the Australian team has the impression of looking wonky, despite their dominance. Both batting and bowling in each Test seemingly resting on too few shoulders. Of course, the trick is that 1) there are several shoulders capable of bearing the burden and 2) they seem to share the burden around.

The Aussies have won the past seven series and held the Ashes since 1989. The money is on a continuance. My head says the same. I don’t know if any of the SDMB Poms would put any hard-earned on them.

There are some solid credentials amongst tourists, including the top order and some promising tearaways, though they are light on experience. The team’s leaders are making positive statements, though I’d prefer they were mute until they put some runs/wickets on the board.

It wasn’t always this way. I remember when the boot was firmly on the other foot. Watching in the wee small hours as Botham and Willis pinched the Headingley Test in 1981. It still leaves emotional scars. As do the 14 consecutive matches without a win in the mid 80’s or the lessons dealt out by Illingworth’s hard as nails team in the 1968 and 1971/72 series.

So why aren’t I gleefully waiting on another mug-a-pom-athon?

Well, call me old fashioned, but I want to watch a contest, not a cameo talent show. A full series of 5 day matches, not Le Cage aux Folles in flannel. Give me a gritty last day struggle for a draw, not 8 wickets in a session of carnage and all over bar the mop-up.

So I’ll be in the Members for the Boxing Day Test @ the MCG hoping for a competition and barracking for the Aussies … but if it’s 2-2 when we get to the SCG, I’ll join the Barmy Army for the first day. Carn the Poms.

[ Australian deportation proceeding have probably already been begun. :eek: ]

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Just coz the mods on this here MB follow baseball…
[sub]Actually, I agree. It’d be good to see the Poms inm form.[/sub]

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maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaate!

you’re gonna get all these views and all these disgruntled Yanks are gonna want to shear your daggy loins.

:wink:

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Well apparently we’ve just lost the tour opener against the ACB Chairman’s XI, so that’s not a good start. Otherwise there’s not much you’ve said I could disagree with. The occasional massacre is pretty funny, but if it becomes routine there’s no entertainment for anyone is there? And if you’ve bought tickets for the weekend only to find the match is all but over by Friday night, what’s the point?

Chances of England winning the series? - none; chances of us giving you a proper contest this time? - yeah, plenty.

The present England team has shown an increased self-belief and ability to win matches that it hasn’t had for a while. Trescothick, Vaughn and Butcher can all bat and Hussain has added much needed steel to the middle order - he’s got the right attitude to dig in and set fresh partnerships with new guys as they come in.

Even the fact that he’s talking up our chances shouldn’t be seen as arrogance, it’s just part of the positive thinking you’d normally associate with Aussie captains, and has helped us to several series wins home and away recently.

We might struggle more with the bowling, though - too many of them are inexperienced against the best for me to feel confident, but Hoggard seems to be coming into a bit of form. Darren Gough looks to be on the mend too - they’re saying he’ll be fit for the first Test and I’m sure he’ll play later at least. I’m disappointed about Andy Flintoff’s hernia, though. He’s an entertaining character and I know he was looking forward to showing you what he can do.

Enjoy the matches Aussie Dopers, and have a few VB’s for me won’t ya?

5

Oh Christ. Poms, is this how you repay my support??!!

First Test, Hussain wins the toss and sends the locals in on a batsman’s paradise (all the talk about being positive getting pissed up against the wall). Then Caddick and Co serve up a continual stream of sodas and longhops and are twatted to all points of the Gabba. At the close Australia is 2 for 364 with the Poms one bowler down for the rest of the Test.

The most likely scenario now is for Trescowthick and Vaughn to get their first view of Gillespie and McGarth tomorrow afternoon chasing 500+. If they can dig themselves out of this mess, they really do have capabilities at Test level.

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What can I say? I was sort of hoping you’d lost this thread. Maybe we’d better let you have the draw this time ;).

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The sports news a week or so ago featured a montage of English fielders missing catches at training when they arrived in Australia. Seemed funny at the time, but now… :smiley:

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I agree with you there, actually. I went to the opening day at the 'Gabba yesterday, and was embarrassed for the Poms. They were so pitiful in the field, and it looks like Australia is going to set a massive total. The poms dropped catches, mis-fielded, and their only half-decent bowler did his knee in a sickening slide and is out for at least six months. Why did Hussein put Australia in on what was a flat track.

They didn’t bowl too badly, though, but this must concern them even more than if they were shocking. The Australian Newspaper said :

Oh well, at least their rugby team is competitive again.

  • Bubba.
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4/65 this morning. What a turnaround from the Poms! A little late though.

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Yeah, what was with that sending the Australians in to bat business? Bizzarro stuff.

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We’ve even caught the ball!!!

Yes, I was ashamed of that fielding performance on Day 1 – I thought they’d tightened that up a bit recently. I did admit we’d struggle with the bowling though didn’t I? Makes the decision to put Aussie in even more peculiar. We’re in trouble without Jones as well as Gough and Flintoff. Caddick and White are doing their best though it seems.

Still, it could have been worse – I might have paid Rupert Murdoch for the privilege of watching it (still no Sky in my house yet).

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The English bowlers seemed to be losing the psychological war for a bit there, with the Australian batsmen clearly breaking the Poms’ rhythm. These are good bowlers too - guys who are capable of much better.

A bit of Pommy retaliation is good to see though.

13

Could’ve been much worse f’rus Poms. Good recovery from Caddick and Giles. Plucky stuff from Warne. If the opening pair survive unscathed until the close it may not be all up for this match, but I’m a little concerned about how quickly the tailed got swallowed up there.

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1-49
Gulp. Me an’ my big mouth. Er, fingers.

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1-158
That’s more like it - a bit of spine on show after all, and steady progress towards target No.1. Pretty flat pitch isn’t it?

I’m not the only person who follows the cricket up here, by the way, so I’m sure there’ll be more variety of opinions before long. It’s currently 7.38 am, though, so you have to factor that in.

Also, to recall remarks from a previous thread, the radio commentators have mentioned that they can see the Hawkeye imaging system in use for lbw’s. Apparently they’re watching Channel 9.

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Glory, glory, the Poms are not taking it lying down.

Now if only Nasser had the courage to have batted first and if they’d produced this result ol’ woolly would have as happy as a pig in shit!

Go the Poms!

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Ooh, it’s looking ugly for the Pomgolians. They had a very good day yesterday, and they are a bowler down. But today suggests they will lose. I think we are already beyond the best fourth innnings chase at the 'Gabba.

I DEMAND this writer be brought forthwith to cover the Ashes. (link is to a report in the Barbados Daily Nation on the first ODI between India and the West Indies)

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Yes, it’s not looking good. England needed another 60 at least and a third wicket before stumps to have much of a chance. It was depressing to see so many batsmen get a start, yet not go on to make three figures, especially on such a flat track. Batting’s going to get much harder second time around.

All credit to Glenn McGrath, of course - forcing Butcher and Trescothick out so close together really swung things back around for Australia.

It’s not over 'til it’s over though.

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:confused:

I tried AltaVista, Babelfish and Google. All translation efforts were for naught. Maybe the crypto-computers at the NSA?

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Shouldn’t need a crypto-computer, Buck – this is a sport Australians can understand ;). And one my fellow countrymen used to be able to beat them at :(.

Seriously though, there have been several threads discussing cricket, with weblinks to explanations of the rules for beginners/Americans if you’re really interested. A search on “cricket AND rules” on the last three months or so should do it.
My explanations of some of wooly’s post are in red…
First Test i.e. the first game in the currect series, Hussain the England team’s captain wins the toss and sends the locals in decides to bowl (pitch) first on a batsman’s paradise suggesting that Hussain’s decision sucked (all the talk about being positive getting pissed up against the wall). Then Caddick and Co the English bowlers (pitchers) serve up a continual stream of sodas and longhops pitches your grandma could hit and are twatted to all points of the Gabba hit hard, often, and far away – the Gabba is the stadium they’re playing at. At the close Australia is 2 for 364 well in command of the game (which lasts five days) with the Poms one bowler down for the rest of the Test one of the English bowlers picked up a ligament injury that will take six months to fix.

The most likely scenario now is for Trescowthick and Vaughn the first two English batsmen (batters) to get their first view of Gillespie and McGarth the frontline Australian bowlers tomorrow afternoon chasing 500+. If they can dig themselves out of this mess, they really do have capabilities at Test level …and they could wallpaper the moon.
He was pretty much correct. Australia are going to win this game a day early. By the way, The Ashes is the name of the trophy the series is played for.