Ashes 2005 Sqaud

[Beny]

The Australian Ashes 2005 tour squad is set to be named today.

Here is a preview article from CricInfo

http://aus.cricinfo.com/link_to_data...04APR2005.html

[Leafy Seadragon]

Haddin, Hodge, MacGill & Tait all in - bring it on...

http://www.abc.net.au/sport/content/200504/s1338433.htm

[Beny]

Australia's English tour starts in mid-June with a one-day triangular series against England and Bangladesh.

A three-match limited over series against England follows, before the first of five Ashes Tests gets underway at Lord's on July 21.

Test squad
Ricky Ponting (c), Adam Gilchrist (vc), Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne.

One-day squad
Ricky Ponting (c), Adam Gilchrist (vc), Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hogg, Michael Hussey, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Andrew Symonds, Shane Watson.

Preety much as expected. Noteably Lehman has been left out.

Originally Posted by Cric Info

Tait, at 22, is the youngest member in a side dominated by players aged 30 and above. He was selected for topping the Pura Cup wickets list with his 65 victims at 20.16. His inclusion means that Australia will visit England with a pace-heavy attack consisting of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Brett Lee besides Tait. Trevor Hohns, the chairman of the selection panel, said, "He is a quality young quick who has impressed us all with his raw pace. His 65 wickets in the Pura Cup certainly didn't go unnoticed and he will provide us with yet another quality fast-bowling option. It's a great opportunity for him to learn from the experienced group of fast bowlers we have in this squad."

Haddin, a wicketkeeper for New South Wales yet to appear in a Test, was chosen as backup for Adam Gilchrist as Australia will play atleast 35 days of cricket during the tour that begins with a Twenty20 game against England on June 13. The selectors also paid heed to MacGill's consistency during the last season, with Hohns saying, "Stuart has done everything asked of him when he's been included in the Test team and continued to push his cause with several fine performances for New South Wales. He is a quality spinning option for us who is quite accustomed to English conditions from his county cricket experiences." MacGill's inclusion was also noteable because Australia have preferred a sole wrist spinner in Shane Warne for some time now. But England's hesitation against quality wrist spinners would have influenced the selectors to pick a second option.

Schedule

Natwest International Twenty20 match

Australia v England, 13 June, Rose Bowl

Natwest ODI Series

Australia v Bangladesh, 18 June, Cardiff

Australia v England, 19 June, Bristol

Australia v England (D/N), 23 June, Durham

Australia v Bangladesh, 25 June, Old Trafford

Australia v England, 28 June, Edgbaston

Australia v Bangladesh, 30 June, Canterbury

Final, 2 July, Lord's

Natwest ODI Challenge

Australia v England, 7 July, Headingley

Australia v England, 10 July, Lord's

Australia v England, 12 July, Brit Oval

npower Ashes Test Series

1st Test, 21-25 July, Lords

2nd Test, 4–8 August, Edgbaston

3rd Test, 11–15 August, Old Trafford

4th Test, 25–29 August, Trent Bridge

5th Test, 8–12 September, Brit Oval

[Seamer]

Although i don't particularly like McGill, i am glad he is going. I hope he gets to play in all 5 tests as well with one less batsman - maybe Clarke. England struggle against legspin and that should be exploited.

[John]

Originally Posted by Seamer

with one less batsman - maybe Clarke. England struggle against legspin and that should be exploited.

Thats something I was going to ask with the Aussie attack getting on. Whether it was possible to drop one batsmen for a bowler. I was thinking about Lee batting as 7 as an allrounder?

[Zainub]

Lee can hang around with the bat, play a few shots, but that's about it, against good bowlers he'll get out cheaply more often then not. Calling him an all rounder would be disgrace to the term all rounder.

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

At first I totally agreed with Zainub, but in one respect Johns got a point. I'm not sure about the Ashes timetable, but lets say, like in SA, there's two or three days rest between tests, and england have forced a draw by batting for a day and a half on a flat pitch in hot weather, then win the toss on the following test and bat first. The aussie bowlers, particularly kaspa and McGrath, who arent getting any younger and will be knackered and a "spare" bowler be it Lee, McGill or whoever might not be a bad idea.

And before my antipodean friends mock the fact that we wont bat for a day and a half, its not as daft as it sounds !

[Zainub]

Well, people will argue there are many IFs in that argument. But my counter argument would rather be that the Ashes schedule will only see one such occasion where there will be a 2 day gap in between tests. So the Aussie or even English bowlers getting tired shouldn't (supposedly) be a concern.

As a reminder, here's the schedule:

July
21-25 1st Test, Lord's

30-1 Aug v Worcestershire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire or Northants, TBC

August

4-8 2nd Test, Edgbaston

11-15 3rd Test, Old Trafford

18 v Scotland, Grange

20-21 v Northants or Middlesex, TBC

25-29 4th Test, Trent Bridge

September

3-4 v Essex, Sussex or Nottinghamshire, TBC

8-12 5th Test, The Oval

[John]

Originally Posted by Zainub Razvi

Calling him an all rounder would be disgrace to the term all rounder.

Okay I am talking relatively. His average in Test is 19.0 but just as there are batsmen who can turn their arms there are bowlers who can bat a bit. And although might be early for Lee to go in at 7 it would give them someone very comptent as the fifth bowler in an ageing attack. I wonder what Strauss, Tresco etc. would say knowing they were going to face a five man attack of that quality.

[Zainub]

Aus wouldn't do it. I can't see it happening - they resisted going for a five man attack against a struggling NZ, I'm sure they view the England batting line up with much more respect and hence as much more of a threat then NZ, and if they didn't do it against them even when they were struggling that badly I can't see it happening against England either. I just can't, especially given a few of their batters, namely Hayden and Clarke are not exactly in prime form.