Vaughan Confinent Of Beating Australia!,>

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Watch out for Kasprowicts especially. I reckon he will come close to topping the wickets tally

Returning to Tres for a moment, he has said several times in interview that he hates touring, and that this is why his away form is often so poor - much the same sentiments as Harmison in fact. Silly sods. Anyone in the AUS team who might not have thier mind on the job? If not, please don't hesitate to pretend..... I've noticed that Langer is often much better at home for example. Perhaps that slight flaw could be blown up out of proportion to give us all hope!

Kasprowicz's years with Glamorgan will certainly be in his favour. And on his own patch Hoggard can really make the ball hoop around. His bowling to lefthanders has infinately improved in the last year, as he showed in SA! the media are no doubt going to focus on the lead-bowler debates - can Harmison keep his form together, and can McGrath keep his old body together! But you are right - the dog-fight might turn out to be between the support acts.....

Oh God, I'm looking forward to it...... Last summer I shared the new ball for my club team with an Aussie lad from Perth - Classic Aussie seamer; no swing but hit the seam 9 times in 10 and rarely bowled a bad ball. A great guy to have holding up the other end. I'd have really enjoyed watching the series with Rich. Shame he had to go back home. Loads of Aussies in Utrecht though. Don't know why. They all seem to come from Perth though?

[Paoli]

Definetely Kasper has a chance.

I still dont know how anyone can give England a chance. Really, not yet. 2006-07 will be a great chance and i think wil give Warne and McGrath fair indication that they're in the twilight.

[Beny]

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.

First of all, Ponting only 'falls over' when he is out of touch... He is not at the momment. Martyn has bad footwork?? The man has been to Sri-Lanka and India this year and played as well as we have ever seen him. Surely you can't say that he has poor footwork after that. Martyn is known for being one of the most gracefull batsmen in the world.

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Beny

First of all, Ponting only 'falls over' when he is out of touch... He is not at the momment. Martyn has bad footwork?? The man has been to Sri-Lanka and India this year and played as well as we have ever seen him. Surely you can't say that he has poor footwork after that. Martyn is known for being one of the most gracefull batsmen in the world.

Beny, i want Ponting to score runs this Ashes don,t get me wrong. But have you seen his last two dismissals in the VB series? Thats right- falling over to off at the point of delivery and getting LBW. Watch him on sunday,s game and you will see what i mean. He has been plagued with this problem his whole career. Martyn is a classy player and great to watch but the fact is he had limited footwork - watch him on sunday. He did very well against spin on the subcontinent, but question marks must remain on how he will go on seaming English wickets

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by Goatman

Returning to Tres for a moment, he has said several times in interview that he hates touring, and that this is why his away form is often so poor - much the same sentiments as Harmison in fact. Silly sods. Anyone in the AUS team who might not have thier mind on the job? If not, please don't hesitate to pretend..... I've noticed that Langer is often much better at home for example. Perhaps that slight flaw could be blown up out of proportion to give us all hope!

Sorry Goatman - no positives to be drawn on that score for England. The Aussies prefer touring -no public or media pressure- and have a family friendly policy which ensures avoiding homesickness. The last tour Aus lost was when they were ambushed by Dravid and Laxman in India in 2001 and they did,nt lose a tour for a long time before that ( Not sure how long - but years, Pakistan in 1999 i think) And the Ashes is THE TOUR. Every Aussie is desperate to go on that one. No the Aussie team is very much looking forward to this one (So am i - only 160 odd sleeps to go!)

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

(So am i - only 160 odd sleeps to go!)

Just out of interest - what would you prefer to see? A series which goes right down to the wire - lets say a drawn series, with the last test being a tie! Or with ENG pipping you at the post with one of those real coin-toss situations. Lets say the ENG bowlers scoring the last 20 runs to win though top edges that go miles in the air, only to fall into open space! Or would you prefer to see a comfortable win for AUS. How well would your feelings be represented amongst the AUS supporters at large?

I have to admit that I am a bit of a cricket nomad - I'll follow any series that looks interesting or colourful in obsessive detail, regardless who is playing. Possibly comes down to being of the generation who sat in front of the telly watching the Windies stuff our boys over and over and over, but doing it with such style, such flair and such - English lacks a word for it, but the French and Dutch both call it elan, and the Welsh call it heul (sp.?). If you follow rugby you'll know what I mean - its that thing which all French teams have, even the bads ones, but are prone to leaving in the changing room when it really matters. The great Welsh sides of the J.P.R. Williams vintage had it in spades. Anyway, the point is - you couldn't resent one little victory. I could probably dig deep into my memory and tell you the WI lineups for every test they played in ENG during the late 80's early 90's, but I certainly couldn't tell you the ENG lineups!

While it was nice watching ENG just glide away from the opposition with seemingly little effort for the whole of 2004, it left a bad taste in the mouth. I'd rather have followed tight, hard fought series. And I could feel the pain of WI supporters like Tony Cozier, and of the Kiwis. Steve Fleming had said in a newspaper interview I read "This is the best NZ side ever. We will pose a serious challenge to ENG in this series, and we believe that we will be the new force in cricket for the next decade. Watch out - the Kiwis are coming!" before the ENG series in 2004. They looked a broken side at the end, and thier humiliation and collapse in the AUS tests saddened me. So much hope and optimism seemed to get crushed during the whitewash against ENG, getting back on thier feet to play the Trans-Tasman must have been tough. really tough. Its no wonder they choked. For me, that spoils the fun, and I suspect the reason lies in my nomadic habits.

I'm interested: As a supporter of a dominant team, do you feel the same? OR do you just get a kick out of AUS winning?

[Seamer]

Hmm. Had to think about that one. Of course i want to see Australia win. But at the same time i would derive no great satisfaction at seeing England humiliated. I generally am satisfied if the best team wins. When England won the Rugby world cup, I was the first to tip my cap to them. They were the best team, had been for a long time and it was only fitting that Wilkonson popped that last field goal through. The Aussies did thier country proud and i was satisfied.
This Australian side will go down as one of the greatest sides in history so, like the Windies of the eighties, it is probably best to sit back and enjoy them while they are here. This will be Warnes and Mcgrath,s last tour. Like them or hate them, you will miss them when they are gone. I grew up watching the Windies pound us into the dust and actually enjoyed it in the sense that they were exciting, gave us something to aspire to, and you really went through the roof on the odd occasion when you beat them. When they declined, i was thoroughly depressed.
If Australia do convincingly win this ashes, i will enjoy it not because England was flogged but rather the enjoyment of wathching such a great side in action. Like the Windies. Australia are in the autumn of their supremacy. When it ends, i hope that another Windies or Australia come to the fore rather than test cricket slipping back into mediocracy
If i had to choose a team other than Australia, i would like that to be England. I think by 2009, they might be ready. But as far as 2005 ashes go, i will enjoy watching this Australian team even if they dominate because before too long they will be gone forever

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Hmm. Had to think about that one.

A good answer!

I suppose its an academic question if the team that is so dominant is good to watch in action. And I suppose its another acadmeic question to ask whether people like to see such a good team pushed into performing at 100% by strong opposition. In hindsight, my musing were pretty pointless......

While I would like to see ENG on top of the world, a part of me is holding out on in 0.00000001% that Holland will produce the next big team. Because then I could at least go to watch it!

[Seamer]

Holland!!! Better watch out for those Canadians while we are at it. They might be quietly building a super team to ambush us all at the next world cup

[Goatman]

Originally Posted by Seamer

Holland!!! Better watch out for those Canadians while we are at it. They might be quietly building a super team to ambush us all at the next world cup

Wouldn't it be great though - the top spots in the ratings filled by people called things like van Bunge, de Nooijer, Kouwenhoven and Duijnstee.........people talking about thier pride in playing cricket in thier "baggy violent orange" caps........the legendary left-arm finger spinner J.J. Esmeijer taking over as captain of hampshire.....big bald blokes with badly judged moustaches surging onto the Oval after NL have just completed thier first 5-0 test series win against ENG to celebrate the "orange wash"........an exhausted AUS team celebrating thier first victory for a decade in the intimidatory atmosphere of the seething cauldron of the VRA stadium, Amsterdam............ahhhh, it'd be great. Though I have to admit - somewhat unlikely. And my hope is mainly caused by the fact that if NL ever do get test status, my club will inevitably become the second venue, guaranteeing that I will get to see lots of great cricket. During the triangular series we had over here last summer both the AUS and PAK players came to practice in our nets. Security was surprisingly low key - it was great to see these big names going through thier routines! I almost got knocked of my bike by the AUS team bus as it left! What a way to go that would have been!