Unofficial Buildup to the 2010/11 Ashes

[aussie1st]

I really don't know if we can afford to carry Siddle and Johnson. Both are high risk bowlers and you can only afford one of them as we saw in Lords. It's not one we have to take either with Harris already back playing for Queensland.

 

[sifter132]

On Hughes. ATS i dont think think he needs to prove & score that heavily like a Ferguson, Khawaja, North, Hussey domestically before he gets a recall TBH. He has already proven himself on the international stage in general & wasn't out of form when he last played. So for me i'd back him to step it up when he puts on the baggygreen again if hopefully picked for the 1st test.

Yeah agree with most of that. Hughes should have a bit more leeway. But if the selectors have kept North when he's been making less runs than Hughes, there's no way they drop North when he's made MORE recent runs than Hughes.

I think North's there to stay for the Ashes, afterwards maybe we'll get lucky.

 

[War]

I really don't know if we can afford to carry Siddle and Johnson. Both are high risk bowlers and you can only afford one of them as we saw in Lords. It's not one we have to take either with Harris already back playing for Queensland.

Harris is back?. Did i miss something since the last QSL game i followed:
Queensland v New South Wales at Brisbane, Oct 31-Nov 1, 2010 | Cricket Scorecard | Cricinfo.com

Big Harris didn't play. But yes in a perfect world Johnno & sidvicous wouldn't play in the man 4-man pace attack. Harris would play infront of sidvicious once fit.

War added 5 Minutes and 30 Seconds later...

Yeah agree with most of that. Hughes should have a bit more leeway. But if the selectors have kept North when he's been making less runs than Hughes, there's no way they drop North when he's made MORE recent runs than Hughes.

I think North's there to stay for the Ashes, afterwards maybe we'll get lucky.

Well as we both would agree the keeping of North for so long has just been dumb. These same selectors (maybe not the exact same panel ha), dropped Hodge for oppositie reasons. So the logic by which they do things these days is highley quesiton & really gives off no confidence.

 

[aussie1st]

Harris back for the Bulls

Played grade cricket last week and now hes in the Shield side coming up.

 

[War]

Hauritz resists Ponting's push for change

What the hell!!. Just lost faith in G Chappell as a selector. Its time for Mark Taylor..

And Hauritz yesterday received encouragement from selector Greg Chappell, who suggested Australia would play a spinner in the first Test on the traditional seam-friendly wicket at the Gabba.

"I am not convinced four fast bowlers is the way to go; I think the balance of the bowling attack is what you need to be looking at in a Test match," Chappell said.

Advertisement: Story continues below "I am also a believer you pick a bowler for the conditions. What I've found in my experience is that when you take in four fast bowlers one of them doesn't get to bowl too many overs, so you have to weigh up how much you actually get out of that last fast bowler.

"We've got [Shane] Watson there, that is why you have a batsman in the top order who can bowl."

 

[TumTum]

"I think the most important thing for me is to stick with what I know and what's got me here and what I've done so far at this level," Hauritz told the Herald.

So he wants to remain ████

 

[Num]

Plus no AUS dont need a batsman to do some spinning in a 4-man pace attack, although it could be useful for the obvious potential over-rate issue. But i'd back the AUS 4-man pacee attack of Bollinger/Hilfy/Johnson/Siddle ATS once they bowl to potential to own ENGs batting line-up more often than not in the Ashes, thus such a problem with the overates due to ENG posting alot of big totals may not be an major issue IMO.

The opposing side doesn't necessarily need to post a big total to cause overrate issues, just bat for long enough, and it's no certainty that a four-man pace attack for Australia will always bowl out the opposing side cheaply/in a short amount of time. Particularly if Katich and Clarke can't bowl because of their injuries, who's going to make up the overs?

 

[sifter132]

Well the opposition only need to bat for a day at most to cause over rate issues. I'd say currently a 4 man Aussie pace attack might get 80-85 overs in by stumps - and that's with the extra half hour. England would be very disappointed if they couldn't bat 85 overs.

Now of course Australia could always pull their finger out and be more efficient in the field. It annoys me greatly the amount of dawdling that is done now, and it would probably wipe away half the concerns I have about the 4 quicks if they could just bowl their overs a bit quicker. Hilfy's pretty good with his runup, but Bollinger's is long, Mitch likes to pause at the top of his mark and Siddle is OK, but he's not particularly quick with his overs. Improvements could definitely be made.


And just on Watson filling the 4th seamers role: he had some decent pace last night. Saw one ball at 138, so the signs are good. A bit more bowling in the next couple of weeks and he should get his accuracy honed a little more too. It wasn't too long ago he took 7 wickets at the Gabba for QLD, so I think he enjoys the conditions there.

 

[War]

The opposing side doesn't necessarily need to post a big total to cause overrate issues, just bat for long enough, and it's no certainty that a four-man pace attack for Australia will always bowl out the opposing side cheaply/in a short amount of time. Particularly if Katich and Clarke can't bowl because of their injuries, who's going to make up the overs?

First & foremost the main focus when talking about the 4-man pace attack, is the fact that its AUS most likely route of taking 20 wickets consistently in most conditions.

Once that is covered, matters like over-rate issue (although it could bring it problems with fines etc) & which of the top-order can assist in bowling some part time spin, immediately become secondary. Since the main task above would be accomplished more often than that not.

We cant expect perfection here, since AUS dont have a quality enough spinner to do the main job of a spinner. Thus those potential over-rates problems with the 4 quicks is a minor issue that AUS will just have to tolerate.

 

[sifter132]

The Ashes 2010-11: Injuries the main threat for settled Australia | Cricket News | The Ashes 2010-11 | Cricinfo.com

This little snippet from this preview article interested me than all the standard crap from Hilditch:

Unless Simon Katich and Doug Bollinger succumb to lingering injuries, almost all of the men who lost the urn at The Oval will be given an initial chance to get it back. Among those Hilditch supported were Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Clarke and Nathan Hauritz, whose sore heel allowed Stuart Clark to appear in the deciding 2009 Ashes fixture.

Since when?? I heard nothing about Hauritz' heel. Smells like BS to cover a bad call to me.

And I think the article is right on, that will be the 12 for the Gabba. Sorry fans of Khawaja, Harris etc. but they've stuck loyally to the other guys for the last year. No last minute insecurity will make them change their minds. Particularly when they pick the team BEFORE the 'A' game...

 

[War]

The Ashes 2010-11: Injuries the main threat for settled Australia | Cricket News | The Ashes 2010-11 | Cricinfo.com

This little snippet from this preview article interested me than all the standard crap from Hilditch:


Since when?? I heard nothing about Hauritz' heel. Smells like BS to cover a bad call to me.

And I think the article is right on, that will be the 12 for the Gabba. Sorry fans of Khawaja, Harris etc. but they've stuck loyally to the other guys for the last year. No last minute insecurity will make them change their minds. Particularly when they pick the team BEFORE the 'A' game...

SMDH. I give up, if that squad is picked as expected i think i will struggle to watch the Ashes.

Who would ever have thought a selection panel could cause a team to struggle so much & be so dumb. DEAR GODD...

 

[aussie1st]

Are we really surprised? Hopefully Siddle bowls like he did in his last Shield and not like his 1st Ashes Test last year. Johnson seem to be hitting a good length in his last game so he might start the Ashes off with a bang. As for the collapso pair, its going to take losing the 1st Ashes test to get rid of them.

 

[Themer]

Since when?? I heard nothing about Hauritz' heel. Smells like BS to cover a bad call to me.

Haha.

Getting their excuses in... for the last Ashes? Hauritz was fit to play in that match Ponting just decided that to try and bowl us out with just his seamers ala Headlingley even though the pitch was a dustbowl.

 

[Themer]

England news: Blood clot rules Carberry out of Australia trip | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Real shame for Carberry as a couple of poor performances from Cook and it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility for him to be getting a gig opening alongside Strauss. Especially as he's pretty suited to conditions in Australia (ie he's a very good player of pace).

 

[War]

Are we really surprised? Hopefully Siddle bowls like he did in his last Shield and not like his 1st Ashes Test last year. Johnson seem to be hitting a good length in his last game so he might start the Ashes off with a bang. As for the collapso pair, its going to take losing the 1st Ashes test to get rid of them.

Well no. Most of us 90% expected this to happen. But i was holding up hope that the 10% chance which was left, the selectors would realise that the ivestment they have made in North & Hauritz, Hussey is failing just in time. Thus would pull out before calamity happens i.e losing the 1st test.

War added 2 Minutes and 8 Seconds later...

Haha.

Getting their excuses in... for the last Ashes? Hauritz was fit to play in that match Ponting just decided that to try and bowl us out with just his seamers ala Headlingley even though the pitch was a dustbowl.

Well Ponting, the AUS & ENG selectors or pundits didn't expect the Oval to be the dustbowl/turner that it turned out to be. Oval pitches in history generally dont play like the one last summer. Everyone misread the pitch, ENG would have likely played Panesar again as well if they expected the pitch to turn.

War added 3 Minutes and 31 Seconds later...

England news: Blood clot rules Carberry out of Australia trip | England Cricket News | Cricinfo.com

Real shame for Carberry as a couple of poor performances from Cook and it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility for him to be getting a gig opening alongside Strauss. Especially as he's pretty suited to conditions in Australia (ie he's a very good player of pace).

As we have argued before. Regardless of the fact that Carberry is a better player of pace than spin. I personally wouldn't have had much confidence in him handling international quality pace of the calibre AUS would bring.

So for me, if Cook fails in the Ashes as expected. A backup opener such as Carberry or Lyth wouldn't play anyway. Reluctantly Trott would have to play as makeshift opener & Morgan would have to come in to the middle-order (this presuming non of the other middle-order bats struggle that is, which is why Hildreth should have been in the squad).