Australia in England - 2009 Ashes Tour

[Sartaj]

Cook VS Hughes
Strauss VS Ponting
Bopara VS Katich
Pietersen VS Hussey
Collingwood VS Clarke
Flintoff VS Watson
Prior VS Haddin
Swann VS Hauritz
Broad VS Siddle
Anderson VS Lee
Sidebottom VS Johnson


Predict the winners of the mini games.


My Predictions:
1.Hughes
2.Strauss
3.Bopara
4.Hussey
5.Collingwood
6.Flintoff (hands down)
7.Haddin
8.Swann
9.Broad
10.Anderson
11.Johnson

bcvstheworld added 7 Minutes and 11 Seconds later...

Watto is a strong man.isn't he? But,his pace is a bit ridiculous to be honest and unless he bowls at 140 kmph, english batsmen will tackle him with ease. He can learn from what happened to jacob oram,who is a total failure at test cricket.

 

[shravi]

Once again, batting is predicated on teamwork and partnerships and when comparing bowling attacks you don't find specific pairs, you compare the bowling attacks as a whole. A more effective way of seeing who the better team is in your opinion is by rating each player on 10 for their value to the team and adding the total points up.

 

[karnog]

This is interesting. Bell captain for the English Lions. Makes you wonder if the selectors are trying to groom the bloke as a future captain after Strauss (failure or retirement) and possibly Cook if he doesn't fill potential. Makes sense considering KP won't get it, Bopara is a bit young and i don't think Jimmy is cut out for it. Lol whatever. Making mountains out of mohills here.

I'm tipping this to be a bowler's heaven with maybe one or two innings to be past 450-500. I like the look of Johnson and Siddle alongside Anderson and Swann. They're the scary bowlers. Flintoff will bowl well just won't get a bag full of wickets. I would rather see North ahead of Watson. No offence to Watson but he's trouble. Injury prone, not the greatest batting average and can't bowl long spells (if he's bowling at all). I don't see how he can add depth unless Hauritz can turn into an Ajmal with a doosra or a Vettori with his subtle changes. We need a proven batter and North has done it.
My side in the first test:
Hughes
Katich
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
North
Haddin
Johnson
Siddle
Hauritz
Hilfenhouse/Clark (see how they go in the warm ups)
As for England i don't see why they should change their team (except swap Bresnan dude for Flintoff)
EDIT: Looking at the test squad if one of our top six gets injured or worse loses form (Hussey for example) we're in a bit of a pickle. I can't see how our reserves can back up. I don't rate Mcdonald or Watson. The alternative (if that happens) is to push Haddin at 6 and chuck in a pace bowler.

 

[aussie1st]

Far too risky going into the 1st Test with 5 bowlers and Haddin at 6. Haddin still has problems with consistency so I wouldn't be trusting him at 6. With Hussey form still up in the air, that should rule out that move anyway. McDonald is no shot at 6, Watson is another risk at 6 since he is still unproven at this level and inexperienced in England. From what I heard, he is still struggling with his injury so he might be pushing it to be fit anyway.

 

[OnlyClarkey]

No karnog I totally agree about Bell. At one point, I thought it was a dead cert he would be a future England captain. But then he 'lost form' and maybe this is the selectors way of checking to see he still has that potential.

 

[King Pietersen]

Makes sense considering KP won't get it

Won't he? Think it's pretty widely agreed that KP was very harshly treated by the ECB, and the situation with Moores could have been dealt with a hell of alot better by them. Give it a couple of years and the scars will have healed and I can definitely see KP getting another go at the England captaincy, he's definitely the best candidate for the job.

 

[OnlyClarkey]

I don't see KP getting it. I think the whole point of making Cook vice-captain was to pretty much ensure he is the next captain.

 

[King Pietersen]

I don't think it was. I think it was a matter of there being no-one else in the side with a fairly safe spot who'd be willing to do the job. Cook was basically the only option.

 

[OnlyClarkey]

I don't think it was. I think it was a matter of there being no-one else in the side with a fairly safe spot who'd be willing to do the job. Cook was basically the only option.

Two words.. James Anderson?

 

[King Pietersen]

Fast bowler captains generally = fail. Jimmy's done more on the field than Cook though tbh. He's constantly been chatting to the bowlers at mid on or mid off, especially Broady. Jimmy's not even seen as a permanent fixture in the side anyway by our moronic selectors, he didn't play the first first Test in the Windies for example, so he's hardly seen as a safe member of the squad. Cook was basically the only option. I can see Cook being a long term candidate, but the next England captain will be Kevin Pietersen.

 

[aussie1st]

Should be no surprise to see who is injured again. Watson will miss the 4 day match which basically rules him out of the 1st test. His bowling would have been handy if we picked Hauritz but his batting is still suspect. The two favoured replacements are Hodge and Ferguson. Could go either way, but I think they will go with Ferguson for his youth and the fact this player won't be expected to play.

 

[Hooper]

Watson injured.

Yeah, we all knew it was coming Syl. I still think it is an absolute joke the selectors continue to show faith into this blonde bimbo - he is more fragile then a catwalk model. Get him out of the squad and send him home, we don't need him. I seriously dislike Watson as you may tell.

 

[aussie1st]

You aren't the only one that hates him, Matt hates him so much that he doesn't want him in the NSW side

Johnson has been rested as well, so the pace bowlers will have a show down for the remaining 2 spots unless Hauritz does a Krezja.

 

[Will_NA]

Bad news for the English that Watson's injured.

 

[Hooper]

You aren't the only one that hates him, Matt hates him so much that he doesn't want him in the NSW side

Johnson has been rested as well, so the pace bowlers will have a show down for the remaining 2 spots unless Hauritz does a Krezja.

Meh, leave him to play for NSW, nor harm to us West Australians.

Seriously, how many times can you let the selectors down yet still get them to show faith in you? It is incredible, I wish he would hurry up and age all ready so we can move on. And yeah, as Will said, "Bad news", yeah see, even they realize how much of a joke he is.

Let's hope Hauritz does something special and takes 41 wickets this Ashes.