The Ashes from an Englishmans point of view.

[Leafy Seadragon]

I'm a firm believer that when a team goes out under a national banner (not the A-team, or a 'Selection'), then they are (or should be) the '1st' or national side. Whilst I may not always agree with the selection, or feel that the team is understrength due to injuries, poor selection, national policies or whatever, the team on the pitch is it.

Do you comments on this suggest that if Harmison doesn't find form, Hoggard is injured and Vaughan has a personal crisis so is unavailable, this Ashes series will be against another 2nd team? I would be the first to recognise that this would have England fielding one that wasn't the desired optimal team. However, I suspect that should McGrath be injured, Warne revert to illicit dieting and Gilchrist convert to an obscure religion banning competitive sport, the English wouldn't place an asterisk over a subsequent Ashes victory, nor would there be talk of having beaten the Aussie 2nd string team.

[Teatime FatCat]

Yup, I'd go along with that Leafy. Besides, I'd prefer it if we beat your full strength side anyway, as then there would be no doubt would there?

[Occasional Fan]

Originally Posted by spud

I think our best chance of regaining the ashes would be to have the series in April and May.

There might be something in that. Certainly England isn't helping itself by giving Australia about 150 ODIs and tour matches to get used to the conditions before the main event! However, the dates are set already, so let's deal with it. We're in for a great summer, if the weather treats us kindly.

[cantplaycantalk]

Which one Gillespie or Trescothic?

[AussieCricketLover]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

Lee? He didn't even get picked in the NSWales team, let alone Aus. Not sure if his place in the eleven is guaranteed for next summer. There is this view amogst the regular on this board that perhaps some one like Nathan Bracken (who has had a fantastic domestic season) might get a call up.

I'm sympathetic with Harmison to a certain extent, had some luck gone his way he could have had better returns in SA, but I think he will be the first one to admit that for the vast majority of his time in SA he just simply didn't bowl well enough, and if he does that against the Aussies, then you're right, the only batsmen of their line up he's going to come close to troubling will be fellows like McGrath and Dizzy.

Are you serious, Lee is perhaps one of the best lower order slappers in the game, he does equally hold the world record for most runs hit in an over in a one day match. He's bowling brilliantly when he gets a chance, look at his ODI series in New Zealand, you cant discount him when he cant get a game, and its not that NSW wouldnt pick him they COULDNT pick him, there wasnt enough time before the second test against the kiwis for him to know if he could play for Aust then fly home to play for NSW thats why he didnt get picked.


Australia will smash the poms 5-1 weather permitting, you might win the last one.

[Occasional Fan]

ACL - only five tests in the Ashes series, mate. And I don't think we'll be smashed this year. We'll be lucky to win, but it will be closer than it has been for donkeys' years.

[Leafy Seadragon]

ACL, interesting when discussing Lee's value you first focus on his batting rather than his bowling and then his ODI form, which is never a good guide for tests. I'm not convinced that Lee will be first choice should one of the Aussie quicks be injured. I think that Tait may be in with a show (although I'm ambivalent about whether he should get the nod ahead of Lee). I think that Lee has had the misfortune of being good enough to make the squad, but not good enough to crack the team, so has only played one long match all summer (a four day Pura Cup match). As such, particularly without the touring matches that used to form part of a test tour, its very hard to assess whether he has improved enough to merit a recall. Tait on the other hand had a magnificent Pura Cup season and may be seen as the future