Australia set their sights on the Ashes

[Shaka]

England are doing fine. They are beating the also-rans like NZ and Windies comfortably and had SA on the ropes. Most other sides would have gone down 2-1 to SA by now, but they are still level in the series, thanks to a fantastic fightback in the 2nd test where the South Africans were left hanging on.

I agree though the true tests are yet to come.

[Seamer]

Next Ashes series is in England (June 2005). England will have no home advantage though becuase most of the Aussie team have played a lot of cricket in England and very much enjoy English conditions.

[cantplaycantalk]

The only series England have lost recently they went into it with half a team, the rest were out injured or had not appeared on the scene at that point.
Seemed to me that last game against the West Indies the Aussies were VERY lucky that the rain came down.
SA have dropped back on the last result vs India (they left several world class players at home for that due to the Indian police wanting to arrest them)

South Africa haven't lost a home series to anyone apart from Australia in the last 20 years before this.
They have lost this series comfortably despite England being undercooked and inseveral cases badly out of form.

How many of the current Australia 1st XI are under 30? even 33?
How many of these are the "key" players?

Yup the 2005 ashes, I would say the edge is with the Aussies, but by 2007 how many of the current players will still be around (not in the commentry box bemoaning the decline of Australian cricket)

[Beny]

cpct:

We've been through this on nurmerous threads. At the present time Australia is a 10x better bowling team, 10x better batting team and 50x more experianced team who can dig themselves out of anything as opposed to England who just collapse at will. Gilshrist makes Flintoff look like an amature slogger. McGrath makes Harmison look like he just walked out of the local u/12 team. Not one of the players in the England team would be in the Aussie outfit!! Despite age we have still pointed out that the team shows no sign of slowing down and some of the batsmen could very eaisily play until they're 38 or 39. McGrath is quoted as say he think he has a few more years left in him and with the way he has been bowling who could argue. Warne can keep playing for a few more years and so can Gilly. Until those three are gone Australia will dominate and make England look silly this year.

[Ernest]

We might have been though this on lots of threads Beny, but Australia do not have a Flintoff, he has taken 6 wickets in this match, and came up with the goods when needed with the bat, to give England a chance of a win.Typical Flintoff

Thing is Beny, he is not even fit, he is only half firing.

An injured Flintoff has proved he is better than any of the South Africa front line bowlers.

And as for Harmison, he is out of form, and I think home sick, I think he is a poor tourist.

Out of about 400 members I reckon I am the only one that knows England will regain the Ashes 2005, you don't have the firepower any more to stop us.

[Beny]

For a team that is rellying on two unproven players that seems a big gammble. We dont have a flintoff because we dont need one. We have Gilly who is a better batsmen than Flintoff and all of our bowlers are better than Flintoff. Harmison, even at his best was not a match for McGrath.

We do have the firepower. Thats why, whilst England are running arond screaming that they've won a test match by the ends of their fingernails, Australia are wraping up tests in three days with people commenting on how boaring it is to see Austalia domminating so much. You are struggling against a SA side not even in the top 5 rankings whilst we smashed an Indian team at home without Ricky Ponting's help. Before that we went to Muralis's hell where previously England had been murdured and won there. We humiliated the same NZ team that gave England a good contest...

And who's not got enough fire power? Is it the best leggie ever? Or perhaps one of the greatest fast bowlers ever? Mabey the best wicket keeper batsmen ever? Mabey it's the team that has batsmen averaging between 48-56, un until number 7.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Beny

Before that we went to Muralis's hell where previously England had been murdured and won there.

I'm sure Sri Lanka were quaking in their boots facing Jimmy Anderson, Gareth Batty and James Kirtley.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Beny

For a team that is rellying on two unproven players that seems a big gammble.

Neither are unproven, Harmison was no 1 not long ago, his form will return.
And Flintoff after a poor start has gone to no 1 all-rounder in the world I reckon.

Originally Posted by Beny

We dont have a flintoff because we dont need one. We have Gilly who is a better batsmen than Flintoff and all of our bowlers are better than Flintoff. Harmison, even at his best was not a match for McGrath.

None of your bowlers are better than Flintoff, maybe with the exception of Warne, I would not swap Flintoff for McGrath, no future in that.

Originally Posted by Beny

We do have the firepower. Thats why, whilst England are running arond screaming that they've won a test match by the ends of their fingernails, Australia are wraping up tests in three days with people commenting on how boaring it is to see Austalia domminating so much. We humiliated the same NZ team that gave England a good contest..

Wrong on all counts, I got sick last year of lack of cricket due to matches finishing early, amd Beny New Zealand did not even give England one game..

And who's not got enough fire power? Is it the best leggie ever? Or perhaps one of the greatest fast bowlers ever? Mabey the best wicket keeper batsmen ever? Maybe it's the team that has batsmen averaging between 48-56, un until number 7.

Yes you have the best leggie ever, and we have a great all-rounder, ok you have good batsmen, but Clarke for one is unproven, more so than the Englanders you mentioned above.

Beny England will be underdogs, Trescothick averages arround 50 at home he will have no fear of McGrath, neither will Strauss, and Vaughan plays his best against Australia, used to be world no 1, he is bound to come back on form.

And if all else fails Australia have to get though Thorpe, Flintoff, jones and Giles is growing as a batsman, and at last has learned how to spin the ball sharp.

But what Australia have to fear the most, is a team that will not lie down, if one player fails, the next won't.

Oh Beny we are winning this series 2-1, would have been 3-1 only for the good light, that was called bad light in the 2nd Test, and we could win this yet.

[Beny]

None of your bowlers are better than Flintoff, maybe with the exception of Warne, I would not swap Flintoff for McGrath, no future in that.

You're kidding surely Ern, Come on.... Shall we compare averages or mabey PWC rankings? Which would you prefer or mabey plain commonsense would do it? We are not talking about the future we are talking about Now. I'm not interested in 2007 I am in 2005.

Wrong on all counts, I got sick last year of lack of cricket due to matches finishing early, amd Beny New Zealand did not even give England one game..

How many teams did you defeat in 3 days? CA is in money trouble because we can't get them to go longer than that...

Yes you have the best leggie ever, and we have a great all-rounder, ok you have good batsmen, but Clarke for one is unproven, more so than the Englanders you mentioned above.

Not at all more so than the other two mentioed. Clarke has 2 test tons to his name as well as a few 50's. In ODI cricket he's played 40 matches with an average of 42.

Beny England will be underdogs, Trescothick averages arround 50 at home he will have no fear of McGrath, neither will Strauss, and Vaughan plays his best against Australia, used to be world no 1, he is bound to come back on form.

And if all else fails Australia have to get though Thorpe, Flintoff, jones and Giles is growing as a batsman, and at last has learned how to spin the ball sharp.

Ern, what you dont seem to get is that England have to get through the best batting line up in the world. They have to do everything the Aussies do plus more. Not only are our bowlers more skilled they are also more experianced. You're having collapses against SA and their bowling attack is not even in the same league as the Aussies at the momment. Lets put it this way. Harmison is about as good as Gillespie and that's being generous.

But what Australia have to fear the most, is a team that will not lie down, if one player fails, the next won't.

They havent seemed to achive that against SA...

Beny England will be underdogs, Trescothick averages arround 50 at home he will have no fear of McGrath, neither will Strauss, and Vaughan plays his best against Australia, used to be world no 1, he is bound to come back on form.

Vaughn was scoring double tons against us last ashes and we still kicked you're butts. Tresco is a joke and McGrath will have a feildday against him hanging his bat outside off. Strauss is good... Is he better than Inzi or Yohana? or Lara or Tendualker or Dravid? All of these players have been decked by the Aussie bowlers before.

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Beny

They havent seemed to achive that against SA..

Now you are wrong here Beny, take what happened in this match, the batting collapsed, only to be made safe by Flintoff and Thorpe, and given a winning chance by Giles and jones.
We have dug ourselves out of every hole we have been in, this is the modern England, not the injury ridden England you beat last time England toured Australia.

Originally Posted by Beny

Ern, what you dont seem to get is that England have to get through the best batting line up in the world. They have to do everything the Aussies do plus more. Not only are our bowlers more skilled they are also more experianced. You're having collapses against SA and their bowling attack is not even in the same league as the Aussies at the momment. Lets put it this way. Harmison is about as good as Gillespie and that's being generous.

Most English supporters would agree with you, but your batting will be put to the test, this England attack will just keep coming, how will Australia batting perform under pressure.

Yes we have had batting collapses against South Africa, but Beny such is the strength of England at the moment, we get up and still win matches.
"Like I said above"

Your bowlers are more experienced, with respect your main bowler is so much so, he will be your problem, and that could depress the rest of the team.