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The Big One. England v Australia. The Ashes. Cricket. Spoliers.


wycombe

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Australia in England 2005

June

11 v Leicestershire, Leicester

13 Twenty20 International, Rose Bowl

15 v Somerset, Taunton

NatWest Series dates

July

7 1st NatWest Challenge ODI, Headingley

10 2nd NatWest Challenge ODI, Lord's

12 3rd NatWest Challenge ODI, The Oval

15-17 v Leicestershire, Leicester

21-25 1st Test, Lord's

30-1 Aug v Worcestershire, Glamorgan, Gloucestershire or Northants, TBC

August

4-8 2nd Test, Edgbaston

11-15 3rd Test, Old Trafford

18 v Scotland, Grange

20-21 v Northants or Middlesex, TBC

25-29 4th Test, Trent Bridge

September

3-4 v Essex, Chelmsford

8-12 5th Test, The Oval

Australia land for marathon tour

Ponting has the utmost respect for this England team

Australia landed in England in the early hours of Sunday morning confident the tour schedule would aid their chances of retaining the Ashes.

The Aussies, looking for a ninth straight Test series win over England, play their first warm-up game against a PCA Masters XI at Arundel on Thursday.

The 15-week tour also takes in two one-day tournaments ahead of the Ashes.

"It'll work well for us and we'll have lots of cricket under our belt once the Tests come around," Ricky Ponting said.

"We're not just here to prepare for the Test series because we have the one-day series to play first and that's our main focus right now."

Australia have not played competitive cricket since the fifth Test against New Zealand in late-March.

"It's an advantage for us the way the summer has panned out and us having a long break before we came here," Australia skipper Ponting added.

This England side have certainly achieved a lot of great things over the past year or so

Ricky Ponting

NatWest Series fixtures

"We have 10 one-dayers before the first Test and England will be at the end of a summer of cricket, which is probably a good time to be playing them."

But Ponting believes this Ashes series could be the most competitive since England last won back in 1986-7.

"We're all looking forward to it tremendously," he admitted Ponting.

"It's been built up big time already and coupling that with a seven-week break the guys have had, they're all very keen to get over here and get things started.

"The Ashes is always a big tour for us and this one is going to be a bit more special considering it's going to be number one against number two in the world.

Australia will be hoping for a big series from rising star Clarke

"You would think this would be the most competitive of the recent Ashes series. We've always looked forward to and cherished Ashes battles in the past.

"England have always had very good teams coming up against us over the last 20 years, but this side have certainly achieved a lot of great things over the past year or so.

"Their Test record speaks for itself and you don't get to the number two ranked team in the world without achieving a lot and they've certainly done that.

"We've got some homework to do over the next couple of weeks before the start of the Test series but hopefully we can start spot on."

Australia and England are clear favourites to reach the final of the NatWest Series, which also involves Bangladesh.

And the World Cup holders plan to set the record straight after losing to England in the semi-finals of last year's Champions Trophy.

Ponting insists his side will play hard but fair and any 'sledging' will not go beyond the spirit of the game.

"We are more than happy to be talking to opposition players in the field so long as it is not personal or abusive.

"A lot of the talk that goes on out on the field can sometimes be misinterpreted as the harsher type words and that's not always the way it is.

"We've drawn our own line in the sand and we have said that we are not going to overstep that mark and in the last couple of years we have been very good at that," he said.

here we go mates, basically what we've been waiting for.

COME ONE ENGLAND icon_mad.gif

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  • 2 weeks later...
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Batting order should be something along the lines of:

Trescothick - Awesome ODI opener

Strauss - Decent opener in test cricket, can attack as well

Vaughan - Only seems to produce large ODI innings against the Aussies

Pietersen - We've all seen what he can do towards the end of an innings, plus he seems slightly better than Flintoff at constructing an innings.

Flintoff - Again, we've seen what he can do towards the end. The thought of having these two in for the last 10 overs makes me gooy inside icon_redface.gif

Collingwood - Can produce extremely useful innings late on at a run a ball or better just by nudging it around with the odd good shot

Jones - Much more suited to No.7 especially in England

Giles/Batty - Both can bat a bit and will be about as useful as Solanki was from this position. Plus they will bowl better than a mixture of part timers.

3 Seamers - Pretty obvious really.

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by sebs:

would you put kp as a substitute so that you could save him on the batting order and bring him in with 20 overs to go? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Could be a good tactic, only if you bat 2nd though icon14.gif

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by haze.13:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by James M:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by haze.13:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Wicom:

icon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gificon_biggrin.gif

Australia choked </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Who choked?

Funny i thought you guys had it in the bag icon_biggrin.gif </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

When we were 33-5 icon_confused.gif </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Come on we made 196!!

Surely the new england with superstars like pieterson and flintoff could knock that off before dinner time. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

it is before dinner time, and we made the total.

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  • 3 weeks later...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pjburrage:

Looking at those groups, I think we need to win our group to give us chance to reach the final. Although finishing second in the first group stage, and then winning the second group stage, could see us go all the way to the final without playing Australia. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

nah, relook, you'd have to play any team before you met them in the final

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Kapper:

I'm sure the Aussies would rather have Hayden and Ponting not dead... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

hook shot though?

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It started all so well. Harmison and Hoggard bowling (mostly) good length balls. The only blemishes were Pieterson's two dropped catches. I hop he makes up for it and gets a big score for us tommorrow whilst protecting the tail.

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cottager:

given up on that tripe.

fo divinity </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

:**********(

Don't talk the talk if you don't like it being shoved back at you.

1-0. icon_smile.gif

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scatter:

Gotta make the most of this, because as I said, I fully expect you to level the series at Edgbaston (before losing the remaining tests in the series), and I can just expect what this place is going to be like in two weeks. There's no middle ground with you lot. You're either the greatest team around, or absolute pap apparently... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thats spot on. We're either world beaters or a sack om monkey jiz. Tbh we probably just between them. Lets not forget the Aussies are the greatest side in the World. We got shown up more because we had a drastically bad test and the aussies were bang on song.

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by NICK_GIFF:

...we just have to be patient - the next series in 18 months will be closer because Warne and McGrath may have gone and they certainly will have done by 2009, when some others will have too, or will at least be beginning to consider their pensions. Clarke aside i can't see too many young Aussies coming through so i think we will have a real chance then. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I take it you've been watching plenty of domestic cricket in Australia? i mean, guys like Jacques and Dave Hussey have been able to score plenty of runs in county cricket while not doing as well in Australia shows the depth of Australian cricket TBH

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  • 2 weeks later...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scatter:

gahahaha...

i'll settle for a hundred run deficit about now... icon_frown.gif

we are soooooooooo going to lose this test. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

don't worry we're only just ahead, and can throw away a 5 day game in a session at any point, it wouldn't suprise me if your tail (not even including Gilchrist) could take you up and beyond 400. We have to keep up the pressure and not allow players to score runs regardless of whether or not we're getting them out.

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by TM:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Cottager:

*predicts 250 pages* </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

if it goes to the 5th test as a decider maybe, if the Aussies power away to win, no chance </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

depends if we win the next one by one run really

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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by The_Bends:

The follow on is the right decision. Even if they get 500 which is unlikely at best then we've got a catchable target.

400 would be a huge second innning total given thier form and that would leave us with 150 to knock off which we shold be able to manage. If we're scared of doing that then we will never win a test match. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You're right, 400 would belie their form so far.

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  • 2 weeks later...

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pjburrage:

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by GingerFurball:

Who are the alternatives to Giles? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Batty, Blackwell, Swann </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Keedy, Udal, Loudon, Dawson, Brown etc... None any good.

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