The Ashes... All hype??

[AussieCricketLover]

What about bracken, watson and tait??? thats just the start mate.

[Andy Mellon]

They are hardly in the same class as McGrath or Gillespie, are they ACL? Shaun Tait could get there as he's still young, but he looks more to be in the Brett Lee mould than the more consistent McGrath or Gillespie.

[Paoli]

No ACL, Beny isn't smoking anything, just being realistic. Bracken is probably the best bowler we have at domestic ranks, but not in the class of any of the top four. Tait; raw, could be brilliant, but Brett Lee was doing alot more than Tait at his age.

As for Shane Watson, don't get me started. Throughout his career, I doubt he has ever got any movement off the seam. He is relatively quick, but until he learns to penetrate like McGrath and Gillespie, we can't call him a "up and comer".

[Leafy Seadragon]

Paoli, exactly what was Lee doing more than Tait? Lee made his test debut at 23 and ODI at 24. Tait's now only 22. Last season he took more first class wickets than Lee dreamed about at that point in his career. Tait's already touring with the big boys and has been for a while. How was Lee doing a lot more?

[Rachael]

Surely the example of Kasprowicz breaking into the big time at approaching 30... and the fact that Brett Lee finally seems to have started maturing into a decent bowler... suggests that writing off the likes of Bracken (let alone Tait) is foolhardy. Simon Jones is just starting to master lateral movement at something like 26-27: he's still totally undercooked as an International bowler but from no-where has started showing promise. Hoggard was dropped and looked finished after the Sri Lanka tour 18 months ago and then suddenly started leading the attack.

Let's face it... if the coaches can get a passable if limited Test bowler out of someone as unpromising as Flintoff (and he really was hopeless for his first 4-5 years) then they can make passable test bowlers out of guys like Tait and Watson.

[Beny]

Fact is, we can't replace McGrath, Gillespie or Warne.

[flanflinger]

Braken and Watson are hardly in the same class as McGrath, Gilly and Kaspo... Tait has the pace, but pace needs to be combined with accuracy, something that Lee has struggled with...

Then there is the other piece of the jigsaw - Warne, he is unique, you will not see another Warne for a long time.

India have some great Batsmen, but if you can't bowl a side out twice you won't win test matches consitsently. Can you really see a bowling attack of Watson, Braken, Tait and Hauritz ever being as frighteneing as the current attack?

The Australians will have some great batting depth to come. My fear is that some of the players may struggle to step up unless they start getting exposed soon. I feel for Lehmann when he was at his peak, he was out of the side - finally gets introuduced has his time in the sun, but it's all now over all too quickly.. There are quiet a few Aussies in the same boat...

Like many English guys, I feel if we win these Ashes it will be a bonus. But the ECB has set a traget World Number 1 by 2007, I feel the 2007 Ashes are a distinct possibility....

[Leafy Seadragon]

I think the home advantage to Australia is substantial (as it is to virtually every team playing test cricket). Someone pointed out in another thread that away victories (other than against minnows) are few and far between, made only look straightforward by this Aussie team - this made England's efforts in the Carribean and SA all the more impressive. However, I think in all likelihood the Aussies would be favourites to defend the Ashes in Australia, even with a team weakened from now. I supect that, failing an upset this time round, the English best bet is 2009 on home turf again.

[Victor Frankenstein]

i'm not sure, i think ironically englands current bowling attack is probably better suited to australian wickets than it is to english ones (harmison, jones and flintoff all bowling better on hard surfaces with a lot of bounce, which aren't common in england till late summer).

I think it has been over hyped and i think it's a shame as i do think this is the best england team we've had in a long long time, but we've been so far behind australia in the past ashes series that even with our strongest team ever it doesn't mean we'll actually compete, 200 all out just becomes 270 all out, a loss by an innings and 50 runs becomes a loss by 10 wickets etc..

Not being pessimistic, i do hope and believe that england can compete properly and take australia to the 5th day in all the tests, but the difference between the sides is we have to play at our very best for 25 days, the australians can play at 60% and still be better than us on previous form, that's a hell of a lot, it's effectively saying two of their bats can average less than 20 and one of their bowlers can get less than 10 wickets in the series and they'd STILL be beating us comfortably.

It's cricket though, anything can happen, I do think the australian team has underestimated how much we've improved, the 20-20 victory shows nothing of our talent as it's just for fun, but it may have made the australians realise just how much winning this entire summer means to us and all the players will play with an intensity that was completely lacking in previous ashes contests.

I hope it does all live up to the hype and we have a real cracker or a series, even if england lose, because i think test cricket needs a close hard fought series as there have been too many walk overs and collapses of late.

[monotonetuba]

i'm sorry i do not see how this series is over hyped.australia the no 1 against the old adversary which of course are england at no 2,and this is an ashes series with a resurgent england side who by mr benauds words "have every chance of winning"....(but what does he know).I dont think it would suprise any pom deep down if the ozzies reclaimed the ashes but as a realistic pom i think it could be closer than you all think and judging by the early encounters in the one dayers this england are pumped up and confident and will not lie down as previous england teams have done.