Vaughan Confinent Of Beating Australia!,>

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Trescothick

I wanna see Tresco and Stauss rip through the Aussie bowling... Then we'll see some changed opinions

Strauss has an excellent technique and should enjoy some success against the Aussies. I have a feeling Vaughan will get runs too - he always does against us. Trescothic will struggle - his lack of footwork and the way he dangles that bat outside off stump will be ruthlessly exploited by the deadly accurate Aussies. Pray the selectors choose Butcher ahead of Key - Key will be murdered. Thorpe will contribute without setting the world on fire.
All in all, England,s bats should do quite well at times but they will have to watch those batting collapses - if they have one bad session, Australia will not let them get back off the carpet and the test will be gone. Every other nation in world cricket will attest to that. The question is, will England be able to avoid those batting collapses?

[Occasional Fan]

According to this morning's Guardian, in a recent nPower survey (nPower being the sponsors of test cricket in England), 80% of respondents in England felt that England "can win The Ashes". Hmm. Well, fair's fair: that's not the same as 80% saying that England "will win The Ashes". Elsewhere in today's Guardian there is reference, not for the first time lately, to increasing alcohol consumption in the UK, and to "binge drinking" in particular. Any connection? Was the nPower survey done at chucking out time on a Friday or Saturday evening? Come on, now, Ern: how many responses did you send in?

[Seamer]

No answer from Ern? Silence can tell a thousand words

[Ernest]

Originally Posted by Occasional Fan

Elsewhere in today's Guardian there is reference, not for the first time lately, to increasing alcohol consumption in the UK, and to "binge drinking" in particular. Any connection? Was the nPower survey done at chucking out time on a Friday or Saturday evening? Come on, now, Ern: how many responses did you send in?

Oh none OF, I'm a one man band, although Trescothick is rising to the cause, no I still reckon we "will" win the Ashes series, I am not saying every game.Oh pass me the Alka Seltzers.

Originally Posted by Seamer 36208

No answer from Ern? Silence can tell a thousand words

No not a thousand Seamer ,"just two"I plead temporary silence due to "Fosters alchositus", brought on by re-softing my XP windows blue's.
In one word leaving 990so words for others, I think for obvious reasons we will win the series starting July, Jeez is it so far away.
I think you will give us agame or two, but then again that is one of Australias endearing qualities.

looking forward to the series.

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Trescothic will struggle - his lack of footwork and the way he dangles that bat outside off stump will be ruthlessly exploited by the deadly accurate Aussies.

Did you know that prior to the SA tour Tres averaged nearly double in ENG than he did away? This in the one test playing country where swing with the new ball is guaranteed, and players with poor footwork (notably Asian and WI openers) are routinely embarrased. None of the aussies exactly make it hoop around either - he'll have faced better swinging before if you look at that aspect in isolation. They are accurate, they are well drilled - thats for sure. And they are all good bowlers, who don't often fail to exploit technical glitches. But don't be too confident before time. Only time will tell. I'd be surprised if he doesn't make some runs at some point, and remember - if he does get in by judgement, by luck or whatever, and starts seeing the ball he'll make runs as mercilessly as the bowlers were getting at his technical glitches. His hands and his eyes are Trescothicks assets, and both as as good as anyones around. He can't half hit that ball........

Its certainly no text-book method he's got though, and he does sometimes dangle the bat. Not as often as people think though - like many lefties, when a bowler comes over the wicket he is able to play on the angle by coming half forward with bat in front of middle and letting the balls that pitch on line go across him, while covering himself for inswing. Unlike a right hander, there's no nead for a leftie to shoulder arms every time they leave. Its not just tres that does that, I've seen a few other openers do it - Mark Richardson for example. One of the reaons he looks so ugly with bat in hand I suppose.

Anyway, the point is; we'll see!

[Seamer]

Goatman, i never said Trescothic was,nt talented - to bat like that you need a supreme eye. And i agree that at various stages, all English batsmen save Key will enjoy success. He got away with the bat dangle in South Africa but the Aussies will hit the seam - especially mcgrath- and will find the edge as it seams back in on him.On the Aussie side, Martyn has poor footwork and i feel he might struggle as well. Ponting will be vulnerable early as he has this god awful habit of falling to the off side at the point of delivery and getting LBW. All three of the above mentioned will struggle on those seaming English wickets this series

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Goatman, i never said Trescothic was,nt talented

Its OK Seamer - I never thought you did!

Trescothicks a funny kind of batsman. What he looks like lines up in no way imagineable to what he comes out of it with. He's got no footwork, but enjoys his greatest success in the one country that, by convention, you most need it, and his worst failures in those that you don't - like SL and PAK*. I always thought he was rather like some of the WI "thunderbat" batsmen in the way that he waits and plays off the back foot - all eyes and hands, and little respect for the MCC coaching manual. In many ways he reminds me of Richie Richardson, who I thought was superb. And then he went to WI and couldn't buy a run! Unimagineable! His technique is, well, unique and his style of play should make him an absolute sitting duck against new ball bowlers. And yet he's the most consistent run scorer ENG have had since Boycott (with the exception of Strauss of course.... ). Basically, he's odder than a bag of threes......... If he SHOULD do well, he fails. If he SHOULD fail - he does well!

* to clarify; I mean to survive the new ball. You need feet against the spinners, but Tres rarely lasts long enough for that to be an issue! What separates Jayasuriya's flat footed belting technique for Trescothicks? Beats me. But the former is a monster in Asia, wheras the latter has only made (checks.....) 2 tons in 28 innings!

[Seamer]

Hmm - an enigma. Can,t trust those types. Hope your wrong. I reckon i,m right about ponting though. He,ll be Hoggards bunny this series.(Oh my god i just bagged an Aussie!!) I,d better pull myself together , sing waltzing matilda while saluting the Aussie flag ......... Just did that and what did i see up the top left corner of our flag. Time for a beer methinks

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Hmm - an enigma. Can,t trust those types.

Quite. As a schoolboy at club level, Tres smashed a whole load of records that had previously been considered utterly unassailable. He piled up runs so fast it wasn't funny! One of the reasons those records had been considered untouchable was the fact that they had been set by a young Viv Richards.

So, having heard this, I was very much looking forward to seeing this young talent bat when I went to see ENG U19 against SA U19 at Scarborough many years ago. The boy Tres made the Saffers look like they were bowling underarm with a soccer ball. In 3 innings in the mini-series they never got him out, and he was scoring at damn near a run a ball to boot. ENG utterly stuffed them - it was embarrasing to watch. He treated them with such utter contempt that when one of the SA bowlers was called up for the test team, I thought it must be some kind of bad joke. That bowler was called Shaun Pollock.

When I saw what Pollock did at test level I thought - blimy! Get Tres into the ENG team quick! But he couldn't buy a run in county cricket. For about 5 years he was utter, total rubbish - so bad that when he was called up for ENG many people hadn't heard of him.

Definately an enigma, and definately not to be trusted!

I've heard about Pontings falling over problem a couple of times. Comparisons with Smith you think? Maybe he should stop having that lucky ride on the merry-go-round before he goes out to bat ! Interesting about Martyn, who I have never seen myself. I hope Hoggy does have a good series - I've always rated him highly. He's such a team-minded bowler.

[Seamer]

Hoggard impessed me more than any other bowler in that series. That late swing was deadly. That ball when he knocked Smith off his feet lbw had me laughing fo ages. Martyn is a silky player much like Mark Waugh. You have to get him early. When he gets going though he is poetry in motion.
Trescothic has obviosly had a lot of success in England but the Aussies do hit that seam with monotonous regularity and he will be vulnerable early.
Watch out for Kasprowicts especially. I reckon he will come close to topping the wickets tally