So Who's Going To Win The Ashes?

[ningnangnong]

Can't wait for the series to begin.

Australia will win for sure.

[MrMichael]

You're right, Australia will win, probably quite easily too. England are much better than they were, but they played about as well as they ever could during the last Ashes series and just scraped it; over at your place, with the injuries they have at the moment too, I just can't see anything other than a 3-1 win for the Aussies

[dww]

I think we will be competitive if we get Flintoff fit. We have better strength in depth now than we have had for ages.

Still I think Australia will edge the series.

[enema of the state]

I think we will be competitive if we get Flintoff fit. We have better strength in depth now than we have had for ages.

Still I think Australia will edge the series.

England will retain the ashes

heres what the aussies were up against in 2002/3

ME Trescothick
MP Vaughan
MA Butcher
*N Hussain
RKJ Dawson
RWT Key
JP Crawley
C White
+JS Foster
AR Caddick
SJ Harmison

england have improved IMMEASURABLY on this side...i cant even remeber who dawson and foster are!

harmison, flintoff and panesar will take around 20 wickets each, add in hoggard/mahmood and well get through the aussie batting most tests

the aussie side was along the lines of

JL Langer
ML Hayden
RT Ponting
DR Martyn
DS Lehmann
*SR Waugh
+AC Gilchrist
SK Warne
B Lee
JN Gillespie
GD McGrath

and only clarke and hussey have really cracked that side since as far as ive seen. most of the players in that lineup are not performing at the levels theyve previously achieved and i havent seen ANY australian cricketer come through since that would get in the england team...although i know theres enough depth in the aussie domestic game to come up with a couple of gems come the winter.

If aussie bats 1st and gets 400+ then theres a good chance warne will win you a test or two but if england get runs 1st we will win in the 4th innings where we couldnt before. if the wickets take seam and the games are low scoring, well win whoever bats 1st.

ENGLAND TO RETAIN THE ASHES

5 crates of magners cider on offer for 5 different aussies prepared to bet that you boys will regain the ashes.

i'm hoping to be working in sydney from next autumn so maybe we can even drink them when england have it tied-up after 3 tests

[red_in_oz]

I think we will be competitive if we get Flintoff fit. We have better strength in depth now than we have had for ages.

Still I think Australia will edge the series.

I agree.

Engalnd had home advantage last summer and the fans and national interest made a huge difference.

But over here, the Aussies will have the advantage and I reckon they will edge it.

That means all the **** I dished out last September to the convicts will all get thrown back at me.

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

[dww]

ME Trescothick
MP Vaughan
MA Butcher
*N Hussain
RKJ Dawson
RWT Key
JP Crawley
C White
+JS Foster
AR Caddick
SJ Harmison

God that is an awful side. If i remember correctly Foster was that young wicketkeeper who has since been discarded.

Like you no idea who Dawson is. But that bowling attack looks terrible - Caddick was past his best. White was never consistant and Harmison was inexperienced then.

[Shaggy]

This is bizarre. I remember Foster the wicket keeper, but who the fcuk is Dawson? Some of my mates went over and I stayed up to watch virtually every ball of the series, yet I still can't remember the bloke.

I think we'll be competitive and may draw the series. The Aussies will be a much tougher nut to crack this time, obviously, but it's nice to be going over there with a genuine chance and also the respect of the Aussies.

Can't wait for the series to start.

[MattBiscan]

Can't wait either. Think it could be a tight one.

Which bowlers would you take? I'd go for:

Harmison
Jones
Flintoff
Panesar
Hoggard

i.e. No Giles or Mahmood.

[enema of the state]

Can't wait either. Think it could be a tight one.

Which bowlers would you take? I'd go for:

Harmison
Jones
Flintoff
Panesar
Hoggard

i.e. No Giles or Mahmood.

so would i but id be amazed if jones is fit so id put mahmood in

id play 6 bats with collingwood as 5th bowler, flintoff at 7, read 8 then hoggard, mahmood, harmison

[dww]

I think that Giles will definitely be in the travelling party. Until recently Fletcher was very grudging in his praise of Panesar and I think he will want to keep the pressure on him, we also might want to have the option to play two spinners.

I agree that there is no way Jones will be fully fit for the first few tests, meaning that Mahmood is in the squad by default almost. He looks the weakest link to me at the minute.

[G_Man]

This is bizarre. I remember Foster the wicket keeper, but who the fcuk is Dawson?

Richard Dawson? He was the best off spinner in county cricket the year of that tour. He's a YORKSHIREMAN. He's lost his way a bit, he had one excellent tour of NZ & India but in Oz he started to speed up and lost his dip and flight. He bowls it too flat now, he career seems to have gone all Ian Salisbury. Sad really, he wasn't given a chance.

For the record, I think Australia will win 3-1.

[enema of the state]

Richard Dawson? He was the best off spinner in county cricket the year of that tour. He's a YORKSHIREMAN. .

he was pants yorkie or not

[G_Man]

Well you obviously didn't see much county cricket that year then.

Consider you can't even remember who he was I'll take that assesment of yours with a truck of salt

[G_Man]

Amazing so many "authorities" on cricket can't even remember who an Engalnd player from 4 years ago was

[enema of the state]

i may not follow yorkshire but a now a duffer when i see one bowl

you can put my not remembering him down to psychological protection mechanisms