First Ashes Test - Cardiff

[FrediKanoute]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Is Haddin under any pressure?

No, not yet. In a match where no Aussie performed, its hard to attribute blame onthe keeper. Yes the Root drop, ultimately won the game for the Poms, but a keepers role as a batsman is to ice the top 6s performance, not bail them out.

Watson faces the same problems, is at the end of his career and for me needs to make way for either a specialist bat or Marsh as the all rounder.

Our bowling was poor. We allowed them to score too quickly. Yes they batted aggressively, but we helped that. Ryan Harris' retirement is going to hurt us, because Johnson lacks penetration and Starc still bowls too many four balls. Personally, we should have come to England earlier andironed out the bugs. Need to turn it around quickly in four days.

[lemmon]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson has to go, the position is untenable now. Haddin looks finished and has for months but the selectors won't rock the boat that seriously one test in, I suspect Voges will be the sacrificial lamb. The bowling interests me, Starc's injury may decide things but Siddle will come in somewhere.

This result confirms my thoughts from the Windies, this is an undeniably flawed Australian side in conditions that expose it.

[ledge]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

For those of you on Facebook look up a page called cricket stuff one of the funniest pages I have seen in a long time, poor old Shane Watson must have broken the record for cricket memes.

[hujsh]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Is Haddin under any pressure?

Too good a bloke for that. We'd also be concerned about losing precious exp points

[bulldogtragic]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Is Haddin under any pressure?

None whatsoever G. Nada.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson has to go, the position is untenable now. Haddin looks finished and has for months but the selectors won't rock the boat that seriously one test in, I suspect Voges will be the sacrificial lamb. The bowling interests me, Starc's injury may decide things but Siddle will come in somewhere.

This result confirms my thoughts from the Windies, this is an undeniably flawed Australian side in conditions that expose it.

I would be disappointed if Voges was dropped. He is a good solid bat in a middle order that likes to play shots. Was unlucky on Day 2 and yesterday was part of a bad bunch. Has heaps of English experience, something that we lack.

Agree though, we were unimpressive in the Windies and an average bunch of English cricketers have exposed this.

[ledge]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

I would be disappointed if Voges was dropped. He is a good solid bat in a middle order that likes to play shots. Was unlucky on Day 2 and yesterday was part of a bad bunch. Has heaps of English experience, something that we lack.

Agree though, we were unimpressive in the Windies and an average bunch of English cricketers have exposed this.

Cook, Bell, Root and Anderson, Hardly a bunch of average cricketers, all
Of them have ripped Australia apart at some stage.. Broad has had his moments too, Australia would trade Watson for Stokes any day of the week.
England at home certainly aren't average.

[Remi Moses]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson still bats like its his first class debut .
Same mistake over and over, and unlike Smith who has worked on his technique, this bloke clearly doesn't.
I'm tipping not many of the batsmen have played league or county cricket in England .

[Bornadog]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson still bats like its his first class debut .
Same mistake over and over, and unlike Smith who has worked on his technique, this bloke clearly doesn't.
.

[GVGjr]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson isn't our only problem. The captain despite being a prodigious talent with the bat is too soft on the players. I'm sick of hearing him saying that we play our natural game rather than playing to the conditions. When I'm driving and it's belting down rain I slow down, when the weather forecast is for rain on the 5th day in the test and we are unlikely to win of course we don't tighten up we just keep playing our shots wickets tumbling or not.

[Remi Moses]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson isn't our only problem. The captain despite being a prodigious talent with the bat is too soft on the players. I'm sick of hearing him saying that we play our natural game rather than playing to the conditions. When I'm driving and it's belting down rain I slow down, when the weather forecast is for rain on the 5th day in the test and we are unlikely to win of course we don't tighten up we just keep playing our shots wickets tumbling or not.

I think the current crop have seen the team of the 90's and tried to emulate them.
Unfortunately they don't have the skill set that side had, and G nailed it .
You have to play the conditions and respect the opponent

[lemmon]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

Watson isn't our only problem. The captain despite being a prodigious talent with the bat is too soft on the players. I'm sick of hearing him saying that we play our natural game rather than playing to the conditions. When I'm driving and it's belting down rain I slow down, when the weather forecast is for rain on the 5th day in the test and we are unlikely to win of course we don't tighten up we just keep playing our shots wickets tumbling or not.

When it's a mandate coming from the coach who today said they won't be toning down their aggression to Ali where do you attribute blame?

[GVGjr]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

When it's a mandate coming from the coach who today said they won't be toning down their aggression to Ali where do you attribute blame?

Good point but we frittered away wickets instead of making it hard for them The team needs to understand why it's called a test and that taking games into the 5th day is more than okay.

[FrediKanoute]

Re: First Ashes Test - Cardiff

]Cook, Bell, Root and Anderson, Hardly a bunch of average cricketers[/B], all
Of them have ripped Australia apart at some stage.. Broad has had his moments too, Australia would trade Watson for Stokes any day of the week. England at home certainly aren't average.

I disagree. Cook is nothing like the dominant force he was 5 years ago. he has struggled against all nations for about 3 years. My get his mojo back, but I think teams have sorted him out. Bell is "ok". he has never really dominated consistently. He's good, but not great. Root has had a good 12 months and I see him as being their no.1 batsman that we have to get out. He's not infallible though and not as hard to get out as say a Kohli. Its about working a plan.

Anderson is interesting. In England, in English (or Welsh) conditions he is pound for pound the best swing bowler in the world - outside of that he barely takes a wicket.

This is not a great English team. Its average at best. in 2005 we were beaten by a team that had Strauss, Vaughan, Pietersen, Flintoff, Hoggard - this team pales.

They jumped us - played aggressive cricket (which is most un-English) and put us constantly under pressure. Don't forget though - we had them 3-43 in the first innings and 2-22 in the second - what we failed to do was turn the screw. We allowed them to get out of jail.