Were the Aussies paid to lose

[icyman]

or may be they under-estimated the englishmen

i would take this..
they apparently under setimated the might of bangladesh too.
maybe they were just riding a bit high after the indian tour where they won after 35 years to be precise.

 

[valvolux]

it's one series, already in the past. the aussies came back better than ever after the last time they lost a series, will do the same again. but anyway, i can't see any teams dominating for 10 years like the aussies did again in this lifetime.

 

[icyman]

well they had the west indies at one stage.

 

[sachin]

They were not paid to loose. What an idiotic thread.

 

[Sando]

I know this is a joke, but its quite simple why Australia lost. This side (and for that matter batsmen the world over) have struggled against swing bowling, particularly bowled at a rapid rate (i.e Shane Bond). The Aussies came up against a pace attack that all could swing the ball, and conditions (ball and enviornment) that assisted their cause. The Aussie batsmen were beaten by the English bowlers, and the Aussie bowlers were not backed up by their fielders.

I think it's one of the better things to happen the Aussie cricket for a while actually. It may see the beginning of a selection policy that favours form over reputation, a dedication to younder talent, and a re-assessment of the coaching ranks. It also should make for greater public interest when England come down under for the next series, crowds in general have been down over the past few years so hopefully the prospect of a hard fought series will bring the people back to the grounds.

 

[Sureshot]

Well said Sando, although conditions were the same for both teams. Our bowlers weren't 100% either, Giles was poor throughout, Harmison had the odd bit of magic, and Hoggy was a bleak figure for the first 3 tests.

 

[Sando]

^ Fair points, but the Aussies have nobody that can/wants to swing the ball aside from perhaps Lee. Because there is relatively little swing/seam at home these days, it's always a costly exercise to pitch the ball the red ball up in Tests past the first couple of overs. As a consequence there aren't many blokes looking to swing the pill in our domestic comp, and even blokes that used to have gone to a more conservative 'hit the pitch approach' to keep the runs down.

I'm not making excuses, I just think all of the criticism the Aussies have received is ridiculous. A swinging ball + a good pace attack was always going to equal trouble and it did. It was a shame to lose the Ashes, but as I said I think it will be a good thing for Aussie cricket in the long run. They still have a decent lead in the standings, so its up to them to maintain that lead over the next couple of months and gear up for a defence of their hard earned #1 ranking when the next series comes around. It should be a cracker!

 

[Sureshot]

Australia have a had a golden era, i think people in the media will always criticise them as the Media knows feck all about what they are writing about. Australia are still a force to be reckoned with.