Dec 26-30: 4th Test - Australia v England at Melbourne

aussie1st

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Over to the famous Boxing day test with the series all square at 1-1. The roles have been reversed with the English batting looking very fragile and the Aussie attack looked superb. Didn't see the match but I can't see any changes for the English or the Aussies unless Ponting does succumb to his injury. The possible replacement haven't really fired.
 
D

Dutch

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I can't see England making too many changes either but we might see Bell move up to 5 and Morgan come in for Collingwood. That would be interesting. Would they dare to do that though. On the other hand Collingwood does have massive experience and is an amazing fielder. But yeah, we need runs!

Bowling wise I can imagine them dropping Finn. He was very erratic. But who then comes in?
 

McLOVIN

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Watson and Usman to open.


I can't see England making too many changes either but we might see Bell move up to 5 and Morgan come in for Collingwood. That would be interesting. Would they dare to do that though. On the other hand Collingwood does have massive experience and is an amazing fielder. But yeah, we need runs!

"Hussey plays right to Morgan, and Morgan drops easy chance!- Hussey scores 150"

Collingwood lost his form with the bat, no doubt. Even if Morgan scores a 50, Collingwood still adds way more value to the team. As you mentioned experience, great fielder, and not to mention he is not too bad with the ball either. And what makes you think Morgan will show up with the bat? There is a better chance of Collingwood finding his touch than Morgan scoring a 100 in a Ashes Test match. I'd give one more chance to Colly. Then again, I don't know much about the English team.


And I don't blame Collingwood for getting out like that on the last ball of the day. That was all on Pretty boy.
 

barmyarmy

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Some chat about Bell at 4 and KP and Colly moving down a place. Might be a plan but I think 5 is too low for KP.
 

midgetwars

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Watson and Usman to open.

"Hussey plays right to Morgan, and Morgan drops easy chance!- Hussey scores 150"

Collingwood lost his form with the bat, no doubt. Even if Morgan scores a 50, Collingwood still adds way more value to the team. As you mentioned experience, great fielder, and not to mention he is not too bad with the ball either. And what makes you think Morgan will show up with the bat? There is a better chance of Collingwood finding his touch than Morgan scoring a 100 in a Ashes Test match. I'd give one more chance to Colly. Then again, I don't know much about the English team.


And I don't blame Collingwood for getting out like that on the last ball of the day. That was all on Pretty boy.

Just like Hussey. Out of form, but good value to the team. Experienced, good fielder. But UNLIKE Hussey, collingwood hopefully won't keep getting 50s from now on.
 

Roofrom50

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But Hussey isn't out of form. He's the in form batsman for Australia.

Hussey was down on form before this Ashes series. The selectors weren't going to select him in the squad at one stage. But they have been proven wrong from the man himself
 

riz7khan12

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yeah Morgan hasn't impressed at all with the bat in tests so he isn't a valid replacement, the only reason i think he's in the squad is because of his one day form.

For Australia maybe north might come back and open for them, this way they have 2 spinners and they still get to keep their 4 quicks, but realistically they'll just persist with Hughes.
 

angryangy

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Hussey was down on form before this Ashes series. The selectors weren't going to select him in the squad at one stage. But they have been proven wrong from the man himself
The selectors have clearly been proven right, else he would not have been playing at Brisbane.
 

McLOVIN

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Alan Tyers: Jimmy takes charge of England's sledging | Page 2 | ESPN Cricinfo

HAHA! :lol

McLOVIN added 2 Minutes and 50 Seconds later...

My fav parts:

"Okay Finny," said Jimmy. "So you've walked past Haddin at the end of an over - good work on the excellent filming, by the way, Swanny."

"I've been on a training course," said Swann. "I'm going to host my own bantertastic chat show once I finish cricket. And film it too. And direct it. I'm going to be a banter auteur."

"I don't know what that means, but it sounds like top banter,"

Bresnan woke with a start, dropping his Scotch egg.

"Tha's nobbut a gret fookin Jessie," shouted Bresnan, to nobody in particular.

"I didn't understand a word of that," said Tremlett. "The Aussies won't even know what he's trying to say."

"Given how well the abuse worked last time, that might not be a bad thing," said Anderson. "Meeting adjourned."




There was a murmur of approval. Chris Tremlett crushed a beer can on his head in a macho fashion, but with only moderate success.

It harts like bitch if you are not drunk enough.
 

Owzat

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Some chat about Bell at 4 and KP and Colly moving down a place. Might be a plan but I think 5 is too low for KP.

Form since Bangladesh :

Bell : 213 runs @ 71.00
Cook : 662 runs @ 60.18
Trott : 668 runs @ 66.80
Pietersen : 413 runs @ 41.30
Strauss : 333 runs @ 30.27
Collingwood : 181 runs @ 18.10


Yeah Collingwood might be a great fielder, but he does miss chances and drop catches too. Maybe not as often as others, and can pull off amazing catches, but what difference did that make in the last Test...................? Bowled out for less than 200 in both innings, our bowling wasn't great but it wasn't that which cost us the match - although it didn't help conceding near 200 runs for their last five wickets in the 1st innings.

What worried me about the 2nd innings batting was England may have given up hope very early. SIX of the usual top seven made double figures yet only one passed 30. Collingwood made just 16 runs and faced just 44 balls, Pietersen made THREE runs and faced 26 balls, but then he came off the back of a double in the previous match

I trust England don't panic, batting could be revised and I guess the bowling could be too. Anderson for me is a good bowler, but needs to lead the line which he doesn't always to the standard of a good bowler. For me he's another England bowler who can bowl very well but is too inconsistent to be world class. Swann also has a nasty habit of disappearing when good opposition come knocking, figures of 2/103 this Test and while he may have taken a 5wi last Test, that was bowling last and a laboured 5wi ie one which came as the pick of the bowlers without really ripping through the opposition. Swann still averages 39.68 against the aussies, 39.50 against India and 31.38 against South Africa which in the first two cases is poor. 70 wickets against Pakistan, Bangladesh and West Indies keeps his career average below 30
 

midgetwars

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Clearly, the English can't stand pressure.

Australia 3/2 made it out to 240. IF that was england, australia could roll them for 50 runs or so.

Australia 5/69 ends up getting 260. England 5/81 ends up 187. OR this all could be because Hussey is so damn reliable
 

Owzat

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Just done a very interesting analysis of England bowlers, Sidebottom and Onions thrown in as one was hailed great for a while and the other has done business for England before :

05/06-10/11

vs AUS/IND/SAF/SRI

Tremlett : 21 wkts @ 25.52 (SR 54.33)
Finn : 14 wkts @ 33.14 (SR 46.14)
Onions : 18 wkts @ 37.17 (SR 64.22)
Anderson : 86 wkts @ 38.99 (SR 70.16)
Broad : 44 wkts @ 40.02 (SR 76.95)
Sidebottom : 21 wkts @ 43.48 (SR 97.71)

and the spinners

Swann : 54 wkts @ 36.43 (SR 69.70)
Panesar : 61 wkts @ 41.62 (SR 84.75)

vs BAN/PAK/WIN

Onions : 10 wkts @ 20.00 (SR 27.30)
Sidebottom : 58 wkts @ 21.62 (SR 45.52)
Anderson : 79 wkts @ 21.85 (SR 44.09)
Finn : 32 wkts @ 23.22 (SR 36.94)
Broad : 55 wkts @ 31.42 (SR 60.13)
Tremlett : n/a

and the spinners

Swann : 69 wkts @ 21.14 (SR 46.80)
Panesar : 65 wkts @ 27.57 (SR 59.57)



Very interesting, shows England not only wipe the floor with the easy opposition, and note in the early series from 05/06 in Pakistan and India the bowling attack was much different with Hoggard and Harmison still around, but also play them too often. Broad interestingly enough not only has a very ordinary average against the weaker sides, but also has bowled only 79 balls less at them. Of the bowlers starting the last Test Tremlett has the only average against them which is below 33, I'm sure that may change but it does beg the question why he hasn't come in more often ahead of the likes of Pattinson, Khan, Bresnan and maybe even Shahzad - injuries permitting, but he hasn't been injured all the time surely?!?

Swann has been hailed as a great spinner, but 69 wickets against weaker sides compared to 55 against the better four sides with averages contrasting so heavily suggests that he still is a long way off. But then all this just backs up what I said about England only winning three series against decent opposition since beating Sri Lanka in 2002, England win a lot of matches and series, but not that often when facing the big boys which is when it matters. Perhaps England need to trim the West Indies series, play the kiwis a bit less often and while I'm sure they couldn't get away with playing only one-off Tests against Bangladesh maybe only as often as they absolutely must
 

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