Australia in England - 2009 Ashes Tour

[Skater]

Prior - Haddin: Prior ..definitely haddin is better

Haddin's test average is 37.54. Prior's test average is 48.40. I don't see how you could say that.

sk8ergirl added 0 Minutes and 31 Seconds later...

Pretty similar keepers too.

 

[Ollie_H]

basically he just wants to go against the English because we beat them and he is sour.

 

[jordox]

Haddin's test average is 37.54. Prior's test average is 48.40. I don't see how you could say that.

Haddin is still the better player. I don't care about the averages here, Haddin's better. By far.

One of the cleanest hitters in the world.

 

[aussie1st]

Ponting likes Lee though and that might be enough to get him picked. Worked for Symonds for a few years there.

Lee copped a lot of crap for his performance vs Chris Gayle, but that's the only time he's bowled crap since Boxing Day. He was actually bowling pretty well in the IPL. He carved up the Kiwis in the T20 warmups and bowled pretty well against Sri Lanka apart from those fricken no balls, And Mr 'one shot' Mubarak heaving him over midwicket after failing to touch anything else Lee bowled. :

But anyway, they have to pick 2 from : Lee vs Clark vs Hauritz (maybe vs Siddle too if he doesn't impress in the warmups/nets or even vs Hilfenhaus too if they think conditions will favour his swing). I think Mitch is the only lock for the team as this stage. Depends how many spinners England play probably. If they pick 2 and the pitch looks like a turner I really hope Hauritz gets a run.

Lee's record in England is the worry for me, plus he didn't look too flash in the T20 WC. He looks like he could be taken to by the English batters just like last time. I would say it's too risky to pick him, especially in a lineup of Johnson, Hauritz, Siddle.

If we are playing Hauritz which looks likely, we might have to play Watson so that we have a handy 5th bowler that can take over if one of the front line fail. But North's experience in England make it hard to drop him.

 

[Will_NA]

Haddin is still the better player. I don't care about the averages here, Haddin's better. By far.

One of the cleanest hitters in the world.

Too bad he doesn't hit too many.

 

[sifter132]

If you compare the line ups:

Strauss - Katich: Strauss
Cook - Hughes: Tie
Bopara - Ponting: Ponting, on current form it's close
Pietersen - Hussey: Tie, on current form Pietersen
Collingwood - Clarke: Clarke
Prior - Haddin: Prior
Flintoff - McDonald: Flintoff
Broad - Johnson: Tie
Anderson - Siddle: Tie
Swann - Hauritz: Swann
Onions - Hilfenhaus: Hilfenhaus

England 4-3 Australia

Hmm, disagree with some of this. I know you've compared by batting slot, but it should be Bopara v Hughes - both young guys who haven't played much but are busting out centuries. I'd call that a tie even though Ravi did it against WI and Hughes against SA. Strauss v Katich should be a tie too. Katich has been playing quite well in the last year and a half. And Ponting is better than Cook. I've got the Aussies up by 1 after the top 3.

Pietersen + Collingwood is probably about equal to Hussey + Clarke.

Prior and Haddin are about equal IMO. Can't see why Prior should be obviously rated better apart from his average. But Prior's played half his Tests v WI, Haddin's played harder opponents. And Haddin's a bit better keeper.

Flintoff is better than North/Watson/McDonald, so we're tied again.

Broad shouldn't tie with Mitch Johnson, but then again Siddle shouldn't tie with Anderson either. I'd be happy with Mitch + Siddle = Broad + Anderson

Swann is better than Hauritz. England up by 1.

Hilfenhaus/Lee/Stuart Clark are better than Onions. Tied overall.

But if Pietersen or Flintoff don't play England suddenly aren't evenly matched. They'd need to play well to stay in the series.

Lee's record in England is the worry for me, plus he didn't look too flash in the T20 WC. He looks like he could be taken to by the English batters just like last time. I would say it's too risky to pick him, especially in a lineup of Johnson, Hauritz, Siddle.

Yes that is a very err...expensive looking bowling lineup. Stuart Clark is probably a good bet to try and hold an end up and he did well against KP from memory in their head 2 head battles. I still think Ponting would like Lee and it might be Siddle that gets left out. Will be some interesting warm up games anyway...

 

[Therbs]

Yeh, and he'll be taking injections throughout the summer. If it's KP you're talking about.

Apparently KP will be more worried about Warney lurking around, chasing after his missus.

 

[sohum]

Stuart Broad: 17 matches, 46 wickets
James Anderson: 37 matches, 128 wickets
Graeme Swann: 7 matches, 34 wickets
Graham Onions: 2 matches, 10 wickets
TOTAL: 63 matches, 218 wickets

Mitchell Johnson: 21 matches, 94 wickets
Peter Siddle: 7 matches, 29 wickets
Nathan Hauritz: 4 matches, 14 wickets
Ben Hilfenhaus: 3 matches, 7 wickets
TOTAL: 35 matches, 144 wickets

Obviously England have the edge when it comes to experience. However, the Australian fast bowlers have been producing ridiculously well (4+ wickets per match taken by these 4, compared with around 3.5 for England). Mitchell Johnson takes almost 5 wickets a game and I think he'll hold the key to the Australian performance.

 

[.::Stevo::.]

I really believe that Australia has a massive problem in the spin department at the moment. We literally have no fire power coming into this series (i doubt the English will lose sleep over Hauritz, and part timers such as Clarke, Katich etc) And the main factor this series, no Warne to save us.

Lack of match fitness is a worry as well in terms of Lee and S.Clark. I'm still unsure on McDonald, it seems to be the only positive thing he does is hold up one end, with his stump to stump bowling, and occasionaly snags a wicket. But his batting is pathetic.

Should be a close series!

 

[Hooper]

Stuart Broad: 17 matches, 46 wickets
James Anderson: 37 matches, 128 wickets
Graeme Swann: 7 matches, 34 wickets
Graham Onions: 2 matches, 10 wickets
TOTAL: 63 matches, 218 wickets

Mitchell Johnson: 21 matches, 94 wickets
Peter Siddle: 7 matches, 29 wickets
Nathan Hauritz: 4 matches, 14 wickets
Ben Hilfenhaus: 3 matches, 7 wickets
TOTAL: 35 matches, 144 wickets

Obviously England have the edge when it comes to experience. However, the Australian fast bowlers have been producing ridiculously well (4+ wickets per match taken by these 4, compared with around 3.5 for England). Mitchell Johnson takes almost 5 wickets a game and I think he'll hold the key to the Australian performance.

+ Stuart Clark.

He will be back, he surely can't be left out if he is match fit, and if he is then Clark will love the conditions over there.

 

[.::Stevo::.]

Yeh, Clark is a MUST, and i believe he will be the most influential player in our bowling line-up. Cause without Clark, the quicks would consist of Lee, Johnson and Siddle. IMO we will be flogged if we go with a pure pace attack in English conditions.

 

[Skater]

Cardiff will spin.
Lord's will probably be a batting track.
Edgbaston will probably be a batting track.
Headingley will swing.
The Oval will probably be a batting track.

 

[.::Stevo::.]

Cardiff will spin.
Lord's will probably be a batting track.
Edgbaston will probably be a batting track.
Headingley will swing.
The Oval will probably be a batting track.

In that case i predict England to smash us in Cardiff. Australia are as useless at spin as a straight man is in a gay bar.

On the batting tracks i expect Australia to win 2/3, maybe a drawn match or two.

And at Headingley it could depend on who buys the better mints on the day

 

[King Pietersen]

Haddin is still the better player. I don't care about the averages here, Haddin's better. By far.

One of the cleanest hitters in the world.

I disagree. Not purely because of the averages, but Prior has performed better than Haddin in International cricket. Haddin has a tremendous FC record, but he's just not stepped up. He's only had 1 genuinely good series, against a weak NZ bowling attack and then 1 averagely decent series against South Africa. He failed in the West Indies and he failed in India. Prior performed excellently in he Windies, and performed far better than Prior in India, and scored runs in Sri Lanka.

Being a clean hitter shouldn't be the only consideration here. Prior's a bloody good hitter of the ball as well. He's very good techinically and very classy to watch and probably the most entertaining batsman in the England team to watch after Pietersen. Sure his glove work's not been great, but neither has Haddin's. Haddin has outperformed Prior with the gloves, but not by much.

Haddin could be better than Prior, but at the moment Prior's proven far more as a Test match player than Haddin has. I don't care that most of his runs have come against the West Indies, he's still scored them, and looked class at the crease. Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor are no mugs with the ball. I can see Prior having a far better Ashes series than Haddin with the bat, Haddin's proven in his short career thus far that he doesn't travel well.

 

[Leicester Fox]

Can I just say to all the Aussies that I like you. We'll take the piss whatever the result but you can accept defeat like men and you get full respect. I am going to enjoy this series in the knowledge that whatever the result you aren't going to be a bunch of spoilt moronic bitches and hyperventilate if we take the mickey.

Although you might react badly to being whitewashed for the first time so maybe I have spoken to soon.

Take it Onions comes in for the second test with Rashid in the first.