Australia in England

[andrew_nixon]

I really don't know why my fellow England fans are under the dillusion that we are somehow dominating the Ashes series. Our two wins have been by narrow margins, we drew a game we should have won easily, and had a heavy defeat.

Be realistic here. Neither team is dominating at all. This is a contest between two evenly matched sides. England have the edge now, yes, because Australia are now in a must-win situation, but are England dominating? We're not even close.

 

[Annihilation66]

I really don't know why my fellow England fans are under the dillusion that we are somehow dominating the Ashes series. Our two wins have been by narrow margins, we drew a game we should have won easily, and had a heavy defeat.

Be realistic here. Neither team is dominating at all. This is a contest between two evenly matched sides. England have the edge now, yes, because Australia are now in a must-win situation, but are England dominating? We're not even close.

Well said.

Australia are going out of their dominating period and you cannot deny that they truely dominated all teams in the past. I however dontthink that this England side will be capable of that. They may end up 1st in the rankings but will always be under pressure and will never dominate.

 

[dazza76]

I really don't know why my fellow England fans are under the dillusion that we are somehow dominating the Ashes series. Our two wins have been by narrow margins, we drew a game we should have won easily, and had a heavy defeat.

Be realistic here. Neither team is dominating at all. This is a contest between two evenly matched sides. England have the edge now, yes, because Australia are now in a must-win situation, but are England dominating? We're not even close.

I don't agree i believe we have dominated the series.
Ok i accept we have battled to get over the line in the 2nd and 4th tests but since the 1st test we have consistantly dominated each match to get in to the position of winning.
The end results might not suggest we have doiminated but it's the work over the matches to get us in to winning positions.
If England had won the 2nd test and taken the last two Australian wickets within 2 overs of the start of the 4th day and won the 4th test by knocking the 129 runs off for maybe loss of only 1 or 2 wickets people would be saying we won with ease but because the so called best team in the world have made us fight for our wins as you would expect then people are saying there is nothing to choose between the two sides.
You can not win (however small or big) without getting in to winning positions and dominating sessions.

 

[themuel1]

I didn't say that Andrew. I said we should not expect one team wins every session, I said that no-one expected England would thrash Australia. I also acknowledged that they are two great teams battling it out.

I do think though that England have played better than Australia in the last three tests and deserve to be 3-1 up.

 

[Annihilation66]

I didn't say that Andrew. I said we should not expect one team wins every session, I said that no-one expected England would thrash Australia. I also acknowledged that they are two great teams battling it out.

I do think though that England have played better than Australia in the last three tests and deserve to be 3-1 up.

Why do they deserve to be 3-1 up if you just look at the results then Australia should have had either the Edgebaston test or the Trent Bridge. They were so close.

England havent dominated but i think a fair result in the series will be a draw although it might seem unfair as Australia retain the ashes.

 

[themuel1]

Why do they deserve to be 3-1 up if you just look at the results then Australia should have had either the Edgebaston test or the Trent Bridge. They were so close.

England havent dominated but i think a fair result in the series will be a draw although it might seem unfair as Australia retain the ashes.

A draw!!! If England out play Australia in 3 tests they deserve to win. Manchester United dominated and deserved to win last years FA cup final, they didn't. England have outplayed Australia in 3 tests and deserve and will win the Ashes.

 

[The_gas]

Lets let the final game at the Oval do the talking. If Australia can't beat England, then they will have to accept, that England are now the better side.

 

[andrew_nixon]

I don't agree i believe we have dominated the series.

Have you been watching a different series? We got hammered in the first game, scraped through in the 2nd and 4th, and drew the third when we should have won it with an hour to spare.

If we'd dominated the series we'd have won all 4 tests by an innings. If you think we have dominated it, you are deluding yourself.

I didn't say that Andrew.

I never said you did.

Lets let the final game at the Oval do the talking. If Australia can't beat England, then they will have to accept, that England are now the better side.

Again, I disagree.

Over the last few years, Australia have shown much more consistency than England. Even if England win the Ashes, Australia will still be the world's best team.

If we can win the Ashes, then retain them in Australia (and win series in India and Sri Lanka), then we can say England are the world's best team.

 

[barmyarmy]

I only agree partially with Andrew. Whilst the results of tests 2,3 and 4 have been close, Australia have consistently been on the back foot and fighting to save the game. Considering the rhetoric being trotted out pre-series by Aussie fans and players England have done extremely well whatever the result of the final test.
I've been reading a lot of the expert opinions on the series on Cricinfo etc and no-one there is putting out the excuses and distortions that some people in this thread are...

edit: worth a read

 

[dazza76]

Have you been watching a different series? We got hammered in the first game, scraped through in the 2nd and 4th, and drew the third when we should have won it with an hour to spare.

If we'd dominated the series we'd have won all 4 tests by an innings. If you think we have dominated it, you are deluding yourself.


I never said you did.


Again, I disagree.

Over the last few years, Australia have shown much more consistency than England. Even if England win the Ashes, Australia will still be the world's best team.

If we can win the Ashes, then retain them in Australia (and win series in India and Sri Lanka), then we can say England are the world's best team.

Not at all deluded but thanks for the compliment. i will resist returning such a compliment with you been such a figure of authority on these boards.
It seems to me your suggesting the winning margin of a match decides if a performance is dominant or not.
You cannot get in to winning positions without dominating sessions and overall England have dominated significantly more sessions than Australia.

 

[UsmanCHADDA]

This is a little off-topic but do you guys think England will thrash Pakistan this October/November? Seriously, with this form and the confidence, Pakistan is in for a big scare!

 

[barmyarmy]

This is a little off-topic but do you guys think England will thrash Pakistan this October/November? Seriously, with this form and the confidence, Pakistan is in for a big scare!

I definitely wouldn't bet on it. We lost our last series on the sub-continent and the lack of two (even one) quality spinners may be crucial.

 

[dazza76]

This is a little off-topic but do you guys think England will thrash Pakistan this October/November? Seriously, with this form and the confidence, Pakistan is in for a big scare!

Usman you can never tell with Pakistan, they seem to be a very inconsistent side.
They certainly have the players to be competative against any opposition and i wouldnt like to predict the outcome but if i was pushed i will go for a drawn series 1-1.

 

[UsmanCHADDA]

I definitely wouldn't bet on it. We lost our last series on the sub-continent and the lack of two (even one) quality spinners may be crucial.

Nah, spinners are not required on Pakistani pitches. They are belters IMO. Perfect for the batsmen. Nightmare for bowlers.

 

[mv'sbarmyarmy]

He was unlucky not to take more wickets at Old Trafford. Were you watching the match???

Also he was only 70% fit if he is on form for the Oval and if Simon Jones isnt then England have got a big problem.

I was at Old Trafford mate from thursday to sunday and i made a point of watching mcgrath very closely thru binocs after overs and he didnt seem to be in any discomfort. In fact the moment I walked on on thursday morning, Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist were stretching and getting warm no more than 3 feet away from me and i chatted mainly with Lee about his knee, which he said was "fine" and I asked "how the big fella was" and Lee said he too was "fine", the "big Fella" obviously being mcgrath.

Yes, he probably had pain killing injections and what have you to get him playing, but why would anyone want a half fit mcgrath when you could play a fully fit Kasprovic or Symonds or even Tait. Time will tell, but I honestly think that mcgrath wont play again this series,