Australia clearly the better team

[Richie Benauds Love Child]

How the hell do you work that out ??????????? England win the ashes - aussies the better team AND the fact Mcgrath and warne might hang up their boots if they lose ??? Until England win the ashes, the aussies are the better team, but if they lose, arguably they arent anymore. I'd stay off the sherbert mate if I was you.

[The Phantom Ram]

I think the way that Test cricket is structured it'll always be difficult to prove you are the best team in the world - unless you do it over a long period of time like Australia have. Because you only play the other nations every 3-4 years there is a long time before you can beat a side home and away. I still think if we beat Australia (as sweet as it will be) it will only prove we were better than them in a test series in England, on our pitches in 2005. It will however, in my opinion be the first step towards England proving themselves the best team in the world which would only really be completed by beating the Aussie on their patch in the next Ashes.

This is of course all hypothetical as we are a long way from beating them in this series.

[Occasional Fan]

The good news, PR, is that the next Ashes in Australia is only 18 months away!

[Seamer]

Well i would think Australia has the squad to provide the best team. But we are not selecting them. If the Aussie selectors won't sack Gillespie, one of the players shoul orchestrate "an accident" push him down the stairs or something. As for Gilchrists catching - my Mum could do a better job.Thank god we have Warne i say. Let him open the bowling and just bowl him th whole innings. Put Gillespie fielding from fine leg to fine leg in the hope he pulls a muscle.

[DaveGillespie]

Mrs Seamer for the 4th Test! She must be selected to counter the threat of Mrs Boycott, who has been pushing her case for selection for quite some time now.

[Moss]

Misses Boycott and Seamer should be limbering up to replace them ready for Trent Bridge at this rate.

As for Australia being "clearly the better team", I think events of today and the previous two tests have shown that the gulf is a very narrow one now.

[IslandKev]

Of course Australia are the better team. Or should that be were? Would Gillespie get into Englands team? I dont think so. Pretty desperate to pick McGrath dont you think, I mean if you rely on the man this much in your bowling attack then you better hope that he is lying about his age!

[Seamer]

The Aussies still have the best players. But we have one of the worst captains and the absolute worst selectors. On balance, you would have to say England are pretty close due to actions of self-destruction by the Aussie camp.

[The Phantom Ram]

Originally Posted by Seamer

the absolute worst selectors.

What would be your first XI if you were a selector (including the skipper). I'm guessing Gillespie wouldn't make it?

Also Seamer, just out of interest do normal people in Australian have big moustaches or is it just ex players (Boon & Hughes)?

[Seamer]

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

What would be your first XI if you were a selector (including the skipper). I'm guessing Gillespie wouldn't make it?)?

Well PR, since you asked, for this test it would have been (in batting order) Hayden, Langer, Ponting, Martyn, Clarke, Gilchrist, Symonds, Warne(c), Kasprowicz, McGrath, McGill.
A much better team than the one selected IMO.

Originally Posted by The Phantom Ram

Also Seamer, just out of interest do normal people in Australian have big moustaches or is it just ex players (Boon & Hughes)?

No, Hughes has as much idea about latest fashions as he does identifying form and ability. Not many hanldebars down here these days PR.