Key Ashes Battles

[JimmyD]

I would be interested to know who you think will come on top in these key ashes head to heads:

1. Trescothick vs McGrath
2. Strauss vs Lee
3. Pietersen vs Warne
4. Harmison vs Ponting
5. Flintoff vs Gilchrist

Also if you could pick the best XI from the two teams what would it be?

England

Trescothick
Strauss
Vaughan
Bell
Pietersen
Flintoff
G.Jones
Giles
S.Jones
Hoggard
Harmison

Australia

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Katich
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie?
McGrath

Finally why isn't Mike Hussey in the Australia team??? England have gone with the form player in Pieterson over Thorpe. I thought Australia were supposed to be ruthless in team selection and always play the form players, Hussey is their form batsmen and to me looks more a complete player than either Clarke or Katich. England have taken the risk that Australia seem not to have been brave enough to take. Lets wait and see who regrets their decision!

I reckon my XI would be:

Trescothick
Strauss
Ponting
Martyn
Pietersen
Flintoff
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Harmison
McGrath

 

[squiz]

ruthless, not stupid. England drop the player who is one of their best form players over the last 12-18 months, for a someone who's never played test cricket before.

 

[ricky1988]

1. Trescothick vs McGrath Mcgrath
2. Strauss vs Lee Strauss
3. Pietersen vs Warne Pieterson
4. Harmison vs Ponting Ponting
5. Flintoff vs Gilchrist Gilchrist

 

[Jarryd]

^^ When you said Pietersen would beat Warne my respect for you vanished.

 

[m_vaughan]

Warne is the key for Australia, and Freddie is the key for England

 

[JimmyD]

ruthless, not stupid. England drop the player who is one of their best form players over the last 12-18 months, for a someone who's never played test cricket before.

So you think that playing Pietersen is stupid?!? Oh boy you might regret saying that. Also playing Hussey would not have been stupid it would be sensible, in my opinion.

 

[woodzy]

I think its going to be a great battle between Warne and Pietersen but Warne will win with experience. Pietersen needs to learn that Warne is not just any spinner and he cant just dance down the wicket and bang Warne out of the ground! Warne figure batsman out he gets inside their head and reads what their thinking

 

[squiz]

Aside from Strauss, Thorpe has been one of the best batsman in the side in the past 12-18 months. If you're going to drop someone, why not drop Bell. Also Ricky how can you pick Pietersen over Warne (arguably the greatest spin bowler ever)?

 

[woodzy]

I'd rather see Trescothick get dropped. The amout of time we'll see the Scorecard read "Trescothick cHayden bMcGrath 0 is far too much if England are going to win the ashes. I'd move vaughan to open and bring in Graham Thorpe

 

[squiz]

For the last 6 years, Thorpe has made 3292 test runs @ 50.64. In the last 12 months he's made 1192 runs @ 62.73, how you can drop someone with stats like that is beyond me

 

[JimmyD]

Trescothick's stats:

class mat inns no runs hs ave bf sr 100 50 4s 6s
Tests 61 115 10 4775 219 45.47 8707 54.84 12 24 680 35
ODIs 109 108 6 3848 137 37.72 4496 85.58 10 20 466 38

He's also rated number 10 in the ICC LG Test Batsmen Rankings, the highest of any england batsmen by a distance, and he has one of the highest test strike rates in the history of test match cricket, and lets not forget his brillant unbeaten hundred in the ODI against australia at headingley.

Why do you want to drop him?!?

I'm seriously glad you're not a selector.

 

[Ashish_Nehra]

1. Trescothick vs McGrath, McGrath very quickly
2. Strauss vs Lee, Lee very quickly
3. Pietersen vs Warne, Warne after being whacked hard
4. Harmison vs Ponting, Harmison after sometime
5. Flintoff vs Gilchrist, Gilchrist freddie's no match, but harmison will thrash gilly

Pieterson too is arguably one of the best batmen ever,
average 0/0, calulate it.

warne will be whacked firstly

six, four, six, four, four, kevin out.

 

[woodzy]

Yes he is good against any other cricket nation except Australia. McGrath will figure him out so easily because he is a left hander and he doesnt move his feet. Just look what McGrath did to Stephen Fleming on Australia's last tour of New Zealand. What about Mark Ramprakash. Does he deserve another chance?

 

[JimmyD]

I agree that his previous against australia is not great, and the aussies have exploited his lack of foot movement, but he's only played in one ashes series and he has improved immensely since then. i believe that a player of his class deserves another opportunity. If he can survive the new ball, especially mcgrath's opening spell, then i think he could score big runs. If tresco does well usually so do england.

Ramprakash?!? Why?

 

[woodzy]

Yes that is true, if Tres does well then England do well. Tell me do either Graham Hick or Mark Ramprakash deserve a recall to the England squad, maybe in Mark Butcher's place?