That's because the incredible series are when a team managed to get themselves up to Australia's level. So of course the standard was going to be good. And Australia generally lost because they weren't used to having a fight on their hands.

I am going to sound very unpatriotic, but I sincerely hope that the next generation of Australian cricketers keep us around the 5th best nation for a fair while, it has been extremely dull watching the cricket for the most part over the last 15 years as we have just been so amazingly consistently good. I might even get back to the point of fanatically watching them play again.

Oh and sorry for being late to this thread, but Michael Clarke needs to be dropped out of a plane somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, as far as I am concerned he has the nickname Pup because he hasn't even been house trained yet - one of the worst batsmen I have had the misfortune of representing Australia.

Oh, I will be doing my level best to snaffle my bosses SACA membership for the Adelaide Oval test :D

We could be twins, (apart from the whole SACA thing), coz I've been saying this for years. :p Good to finally find someone who agrees with me.

Clarke just pisses me off, even more so since we share a last name - thankfully he is of no relation to me!

Do you find it weird that the selectors keep trying to select our bowling attack like we have Dizzy & Mcgrath & Warne available? Also what is up with them giving CA contracts to players who are 1, injured & 2 not consistent? Really think they need to sweep the broom through our selectors before we do anything else.

Oh and my other rant is them selecting test players for one day and T20 games - they require entirely different mind sets! Choose the best players for each format FFS you doppy bastards!

Yeah, the selectors really need a change. North and Hussey should have been gone long ago. But they're constantly given chances when they don't deserve them.

Agree with this.

In my ideal squad I would think maybe 3 or 4 would be in the Test and T20 teams

It's slowly getting through to them. Used to be a time the ODI and Test teams were always the same.

I think I'd make an awesome selector. My only problem would be the heavy Victorian Bias.

Get you as the Victorian selector
One of us Blues boys on there
Ashnak from the Redbacks

and we are good Funky

Easy, don't select them for anything but T20 as they are a bunch of useless bastards :lol:

I'll put my hand up for New South Wales

Andrew Hilditch ffs... and even worse David Boon, like the kids are going through the academy up in Brisbane and this is the guy who thought the whole fitness, skills coaching etc etc was a crock of shit when he was playing, same as Merv Hughes

Edited by The Doctor: 14/10/2010 03:43:16 PM

glad you edited your post Doc, I can tell that you were so inarticulate with rage that you hit the wrong keys :lol:

I loved coaching clinics when I was a kid - they were awesome. My problem with cricket was that I was an all rounder in the classic sense, I could bowl medium pace/off spin, keep, play short and boundary field and was a mid order batsman. Then went to high school and chose to row instead ;)

on the topic of khawaja, i'm a big fan of his, in the next few years he's gotta be a chance to break into the test side

anyway turning to the english team

this is the probable starting XI

strauss (C)
cook
trott
peitersen
collingwood
morgan
prior
swann
broad
anderson
finn

rest of the squad: bell, bresnan, davies, panesar, tremlett

i'm in love with eion morgan at the moment, probably 'cos he's irish/english like me and plays for middlesex but other than that he's an awesome batsmen

steven finn (another one from middlesex :d ) seems to be coming along nicely as well, the ICC emerging player award backs that up

Englands ain problem will be if their bowlers will be effective in Australia. Broad, Anderson, Davies and Bresnan are all middle of the road pace, who don't move it unless theirs swing in the air. Finn and Tremlett move it off the seam, but Finn is still new-ish and Tremlett isn't that good. If their bowlers can maintain the form they've shown, in particular Swann, the Poms will breeze it home IMO.

davies is a keeper funky

Anderson + Broad = shit on Australian wickets

tbh i think Peitersen is the weakest link in that XI, his form has been terrible , so too Cook (although i think Australian pitches should suit Cook, such potential)... what i'd do to get a batsmen like MBE across, alot of people give him heaps of shit but he's a really good batsmen and gets on with his work and digs in for the team, for many of these players it will be there first tour of Australia and i think that will be the big factor, Broard, Prior, Morgan, Trott, Finn and Swann... Fuck i hate Broad, he's just got such a hateable face... Morgan is Irish playing for England, get it right ;)

Edited by The Doctor: 14/10/2010 03:55:30 PM

i'd almost drop peitersen for bell

My bad. Was thinking of this bloke.

Peitersen is deff the weak link, He really hasn't batted well for over a year now. I'd still give him a chance though, he's the kind of player that can turn it around in an instant. IT would be just like him to do it against Aus as well.

Pietersen is the Pommy version of Micheal Clarke. He won't be dropped.

yeah, thought you must have been thinking about him :)

Didn't realise there were so many cricket fanciers on here, am gonna have to brush up on what is going on outside of SA in order to compete with you blokes!

anyone else think george bailey should get a look in for australian test selection or in any form of the game for that matter?

i may be bias, but he has constantly been the stand out performer for tasmania over the past few seasons

This I definately agree with, acually there have been a reasonably large number of cricketers who should be getting selected but aren't due to the whole photocopy the last team sheet and change 1 name... maybe... that our selectors have been doing over the past 3 years.

If I'd known there were that many interested on here I'd have started a Cricket Thread earlier. We've had a few before but they've never taken off. I'll warn you all now, I can talk you into a coma when it comes to cricket:p

Gooner: Bailey should def be in their minds IMO. Alongside a few other players who also deserve a call up. He'd be in an Aus A side for sure.

Always willing too listen to someone who knows what they are talking about mate, how else do you learn?

I didn't say I know what I'm talking about, just that I talk a lot:p

bailey, khawaja, klinger, quite a few more are all pretty good examples of this

Aus A (Off the top of my head, Bias Included)
Hughes
Rogers
Kinger
Khawaja
Dussey
Bailey
Paine (Assuming Haddin returns)
Smith
Siddle
Harris
George

Would challenge most International sides methinks.

:lol: maybe we are twins ;)