Lets go on an ego trip

[Ernest]

Well I will go one beter than flanflinger, I think we have abetter attck than Australia as well!, we have youth on our side.

[Beny]

Well I will go one beter than flanflinger, I think we have abetter attck than Australia as well!, we have youth on our side.

Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Kaspa, Lee vs Harmison,Giles,Hoggard,Anderson and Flintoff = Aus win

Aus batting vs English Batting =Aus win eaisily

Aus keeping vs English Keeping = Aus win eaisily

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Beny

Warne, McGrath, Gillespie, Kaspa, Lee vs Harmison,Giles,Hoggard,Anderson and Flintoff = Aus win

Ernest's mantra, as ever, is that the English attack is preferable.. not because it's superior.. but because it has yet to peak.. where the Aussie attack is going to struggle to maintain it's superiority.

What Ernest's case omits to note is that the Aussies only need one bowler in the class of Harmison in each successive year to match the English attack: he seems blind to the fact that Hoggard, Giles, Flintoff and Anderson are alright rather than exceptional... and are matched not only by Kasprowicz.. but also by Lee and any of handful of lesser Aussie bowlers than McGrath, Warne and Gillespie.

I agree with Ernest: if the Aussies fail to find at least one bowler of the class of Harmison for each Test they play they will fall behind... it's just that I dont doubt that Gillespie is in that class and is as likely to endure as Harmison is.. and I see no good reason to doubt that both the English academy AND the Aussie academies will keep churning out perfectly decent Test bowlers for the forseeable future.

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Ernest

Headingly and Old Trafford, and I fancy England here, the piches are made for England.

I've seen this somewhere before. Just to be clear, there is no Ashes test at Headingley next year. Order of events is Lord's, Edgbaston, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, The Oval.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

I've seen this somewhere before. Just to be clear, there is no Ashes test at Headingley next year. Order of events is Lord's, Edgbaston, Old Trafford, Trent Bridge, The Oval.

I was wondering which ground was due to miss out: can't believe it's the one that gives the home side the biggest advantage!

As I see it, Lords should suit the Aussie batsmen better than any other English wicket.. then Edgebaston and Old Trafford should suit both sides... before things move to the most promising wichet for England (Trent bridge) and the track that the Aussies wil be drooling over (the Oval).

Hmmmm... I'd rather the series involved the Rose Bowl than Lords as a starter.. perhaps followed by Trent Bridge and somewhere truly provincial like Durham or Taunton before moving on to dramtic final settings at Headingley and Old Trafford.

Guess that will not happen though... as the ECB will say stinkhole London HAS to have a couple of Ashes games even if that DOES increase the likelihood of an Aussie win.

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by Rachael

Guess that will not happen though... as the ECB will say stinkhole London HAS to have a couple of Ashes games even if that DOES increase the likelihood of an Aussie win.

Well, Rachael, they've already said it this time! As a Hampshire man (albeit in exile for the last 25 years), I'd also love to see an Ashes game at the Rose Bowl. However, the place came in for a bit of a kicking from some of the teams (or fans) who went there during the ICCCT, and it still hasn't hosted a test yet. I think it will be a few years before they take something as high profile as an Ashes game there. More likely to start with a game from one of the traditional short series - Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka maybe? No idea if there are any definite plans at this stage.

[Andy Mellon]

Erm. I'm sorry to disagree with both Rachael and OF, but the Rose Bowl is the worst cricket ground I've ever been to - and I live in the area. It's very difficult to get to and is not served properly by even basic transport infrastructure such as (i) Infrequent and overcrowded buses (ii) A very small car park, for a ground located on a retail park in the commuter belt of Southampton. I also think its the most soul less ground I've ever had the misfortune to attend. All drab, grey concrete without any hint of style to break it up.

I'd rather see test cricket at Valentine's Park in Ilford than the Rose Bowl. Taunton will not be a test ground until they increase the size, but it would be a great wicket for it - probably the best non-test wicket in the country. Personally, even though I live about as far away from it as you can get and still be in England, Chester-le-Street looks idyllic for test cricket and should get a better deal than Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Hopefully, they'll start using it more often.

[Occasional Fan]

Andy, that's a real shame. I haven't been there yet, but you paint a picture which is not all that attractive.