Australia set their sights on the Ashes

[Beny]

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_data...06JAN2005.html

The Ashes is more than six months away, but Test cricket's oldest contest is already starting to burn brightly in the Australian players' minds. After a summer of demolitions against Pakistan and New Zealand, Ricky Ponting's men are already plotting a series they believe will be the biggest in years.
Shane Warne will be on his final tour to England and is desperate to leave The Oval in September holding the replica urn. "I wouldn't like to lose a series against England in my time," he said after Australia wrapped up the series against Pakistan. "I want to make sure we keep that record in tact."

[Ernest]

Beny,

Australia, have not met Mr Flintoff yet, a batting all-rounder (so I am told), best bowler in South Africa for England.

I think our attach will be better under English conditions, commentators describe Flintoffs face "bright Orange", and Harmison has looked Jaded.
Of couse politics demanded right or wrong, we could notplay in Zimbabwe, how is England supposed to compete, with no cricket since last August (serious cricket).
Goodnight Mate.

[Beny]

No excuse Ern!

SA is supposedly a weak team at the momment- ranked below Pakistan who we recently beat 3-0 with no test going past the 4th day. Below India who we beat at home ( with only a one-day series to prepare us) and Sri Lanka who we also beat at home.

[vvvrulz]

I wouldn't judge solely on that. However if England are not careful, there could be a nasty surprise.

[Seamer]

Once again, i will try to put Englands recent performances into perspective. Since Englands defeat 4-1 to Australia in 2003 they have only played weak nations and have continued to ignore this fact. Their series results are as follows:
West Indies(ICC Ranking 8) - Won home and away
New Zealand(ICC Ranking 7)- Won at home
South Africa(ICC Ranking 6) - Drawn series at home
Sri Lanka (ICC Ranking4) - Lost away
So the only team they have played in the top 4 beat them convincingly. They are unable to beat lowly ranked South Africa at home and will probably lose the current series against them. And they are thinking they are potential world champions after bullying the two worst test nations after Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Maybe i should go down to the local park and beat up a couple kids and declare myself boxings heavyweight champion of the world. Is it just me, or are England building themselves up for a massive fall?

[vvvrulz]

Like i said.. nasty surprise.

[10dulker]

england might of looked good before last test but i think put them under a bit of pressure they collapse like england of the past 15 years they only beat nz because nz didnt have a express bowler to put the wind up them the only side who can run with aussies at the moment are still india despite recent result in which india had no test cricket leading up to the series 6 months of no test cricket

[Milo]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Once again, i will try to put Englands recent performances into perspective. Since Englands defeat 4-1 to Australia in 2003 they have only played weak nations and have continued to ignore this fact.

Were these the rankings of the teams when England played them? Answer, no. I've been telling everyone on this baord for months to take the 1-2 odds on a Aussie victory, but there really is no need to sprout off these spurrious analyses. For starters, South Africa were number 2 in the world when they came to England.

[Seamer]

O.K - I will give the rankings as they were at the time - they amount to the same thing.
Eng vs Sth Afr(ranked 2) drawn series at home
Eng vs W Ind (ranked 8) won series away
Eng vs Sri Lnk (ranked 7) lost series away
Eng vs W Ind (ranked 8) won series at home
Eng vs N.Z (Ranked 5) won at home
Eng vs Sth Afr(ranked 6) series currently level
The fact remains that England are only beating low ranked teams and have not played any of the strong teams save South Africa which they failed to defeat (at home). My views on my original posting still stand.
Stats compiled from
http://www.icc-cricket.com/icc/test/archive.html
http://aus.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004/

[Rahul_Dravid_is_No.1]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Once again, i will try to put Englands recent performances into perspective. Since Englands defeat 4-1 to Australia in 2003 they have only played weak nations and have continued to ignore this fact.

thank god someone else has noticed this aswell. i have been sprouting aboiut this on other forums. i think england are setting themselves up for a huge fall and are kidding themselves.

by the way is the ashes this year in aussy or england?