:lol: They choked going for the record, only 3 off the final over.

Needs to be remembered that he Would have been caught a few times on a normal sized ground. Still amazing though and they are the obvious favourites for the world cup

He gets out.

Andre Russell did quite well with his last few overs considering the carnage that was happening.

Amla + De Villiers: 11.2 overs, 192 runs, more than 3/4 of those from De Villiers, 17.19 runs an over.

What is annoying is how the commentators often reminisce and talk about the history of fearsome West Indies teams in the 80s and 90s, but what about the fearsome sledging Australian teams of the 2000s and 2010s?

The Simpsons episode "Bart Vs Australia" did not go far enough in mocking Australia, in the nationalist identity of the "Mighty" National Australian Cricket team

Edited by condemned666: 19/1/2015 12:50:26 PM

I was at Central station walking home from the rain from the festivities scheduled at Circular Quay, and there were some heads bowed over the cricket cancelled, it was only 6.30pm, but they knew they werent getting back on

Also, there is nothing carved in stone saying the city of Adelaide has to have a game of cricket on January 26

Stevie Smith with the hat trick!

-PB

in the odi series when the Australian cricket team was competing for viewing interest amongst the asian cup and the tennis (in "another boring ODI") Cricket Australia and its publicists decided to run with a sexting scandal involving the England One dayer cricket captain Eoin Morgan

Even though I didnt watch the match, the game still won the ratings (heaven forbid the cricket ever come second in the ratings in Australia!), but the sexting scandal was nothing more than a publicity stunt to get people interest in a pointless fixture

It couldnt matter any less to anyone, but they ran with it as Eoin Morgan is a good looking rooster, even though hes an Irish ranga :lol:

Shame. Pakistan just started hosting games again. Will they start moving all their games back to Dubai now?

Aus currently playing the West Indies at the moment, we're bowling and have them 3-75.

Geezuz all out already :lol:

Straya back in, Warner out.

Currently 37-1

-PB

Marsh gone outside edge.

38-2

-PB

We're 3 down now. Shit batting. Voges now on debut.

That pitch tho.

-PB

This Jason Holder is a massive cat, you 6 foot 7 start bowling it fast ffs.

lol this test could be over in 3 days.

-PB

Well done Voges.

Also well done to Bishoo for a beautiful spell of leg spin. I can't understand why he has struggled to be picked for the West Indies in recent years. He and Kemar Roach should be the first two bowlers on the team sheet.

This should be over tonight.

Will be surprised if this makes it to a 2nd innings for Australia.

-PB

Former England cricketer Chris Lewis released from Jail after serving 6 years for cocaine trafficking

So, this guy gets 6 years for a drug (thats so RETRO!) that makes people feel really important, where nobody died, and Oscar Pistorius serves 10 months for blowing his girlfriend's head off? :-K ...right...

You make a good point.

Tuned in to see Smith make his tonne (Y)

-PB

Well batted Steve Smith.

I'm still concerned by Australia's batting. It looks way too frail and like a house of cards. Too many batsmen have technical difficulties (or in the case of a couple, mental difficulties). I fear that in England on a green wicket with the ball swinging (conventionally or reverse) the Australian batting will get obliterated by Anderson, Broad and Wood.

I'll be furious if Shaun Marsh is in the XI for the first Ashes test. The guy isn't mentally strong enough and hasn't the powers of concentration to be a Test batsman. That's why he has been playing for Shield cricket for well over a decade and never done consistently well. Mitch Marsh is an inferior all-rounder to James Faulkner (who's a substantially better bowler with a f/c bowling average of 24 vs Marsh's of 30 odd and a higher f/c batting average than Marsh). But the selectors seem to be favouring the Marshes. Dangerous thing if there's favouritism in the Australian cricket set-up.

What Australia needs is a technically flawless number 3 batsman who can both graft out innings on a tough pitch when the ball is swinging around and pick up the pace, depending on the scenario. He has to be able to see off the new ball and strong against spin. A batsman with very soft hands, who plays the ball very late and has a perfect forward defensive stroke. He has to be able to deal with the shortball. He has to be strong on the front foot and back foot and all around the wicket. He has to be able to play pull shots, cut shots, flick it off his pads and cover drives. Basically, Australia's missing that outstanding number 3 batsman around whom a team can be built. I know they're few and far between, but most good sides have such a player. We need a Kane Williamson, AB de Villiers or Ian Bell (of yesteryears) type of batsman.

My XI for the first Ashes Test:

Rogers
Warner
Smith
Clarke
Voges
Nevill
Faulkner
Starc
Hazlewood
Harris
Lyon

It's a very marginal call between Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Starc. I'd be happy to see either of them in the XI. It's very tough to leave out Mitchell Johnson and maybe he should make the XI just because the fear factor he brings. But Harris and Hazlewood bring astonishing levels of control (all at the top of off stump) which is vital to stopping England's two best batsmen (Root and Cook) from succeeding. While Mitchell Starc seems to be able to bowl inswinging yorkers at 90mph at will. Joe Burns is unlucky to miss out. He should be next cab off the rank as far as batting is concerned. It's time for Nevill to keep wicket. Haddin has done a terrific job for Australia for a long time. Watson hasn't got the batting form. James Faulkner can win a match in a session. Possibly Fawad Ahmed could replace Nathan Lyon. Fawad might be a vastly more threatening option but Lyon can be excellent too.

Edited by quickflick: 13/6/2015 02:34:15 AM

That is probably one of the most ridiculous posts I've seen on this forum.

Its ludicrous to leave out the current World Cricketer of the Year in Mitchell Johnson, he was player of the series for the last Ashes. Just look at his stats (Wickets/Average/Strike Rate) for the past couple of seasons its world class ffs. He would be the first bowler picked, honestly if he's left out not only have we taken our foot off the Poms throats they've dusted themselves off and started jumping for joy. Madness.

OUCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Poor old Steve Smith. That's gutting. Still as long as Australia win, I'm sure he'd rather have the marginal calls go against him when it doesn't affect the result of the match. But within a whisker of a double. Jeez

Edited by quickflick: 13/6/2015 05:04:16 AM

Settle down. Did you just read "leave Johnson out" or did you actually bother to read what preceded it? Who do you leave out???

Three spots to choose from between Harris, Hazlewood, Starc and Johnson. As I said before, I have no issue with Johnson being selected ahead of Starc. It's as marginal a call as can be made. If we do pick Johnson I think he could easily be the best player of the series. But I also think any of Harris, Hazlewood or Starc could be the best player of the series as well. Don't forget, Harris dismissed more of the English top order last Ashes than Johnson did.

I understand how not playing Johnson is controversial. But believe you me, I'm looking at the nuances. I'm considering the differences between English wickets and Australian wickets, the type of bowling most conducive to (reverse) swing, the weaknesses of each individual English batsman and the balance of the Australian attack.

England's two best batsmen at the minute are Joe Root and Alastair Cook. Both play the ball late, aren't afraid of the short ball and can play the cut and pull shot all day long. But both batsmen are weaker near the top of off stump and Root has a history of not getting forward enough. He has improved a lot. But I suspect he'll still be susceptible to yorkers. If you have bowlers who hit the top of off stump all day long, it's going to be next to impossible for Root and Cook to score runs.

Ryan Harris is probably the best bowler in the world and is ideal for English conditions. The key to bowling in England is control and consistency. You need to be hitting the top of off stump or even fuller very consistently. Ideal for getting out Root and Cook.

Josh Hazlewood is basically a new version of Glenn McGrath with a bit of extra pace and more ability to swing the ball. He's the best bowler in the West Indies series. He can hit the top of off stump all day long. Ideal for English conditions. Ideal for getting out Root and Cook.

Mitchell Starc can bowl inswinging yorkers at 90mph at will. He's Australia's best exponent of swing. It would be a questionable thing to leave out your best swing bowler when playing in England. Ideal for getting out Root.

Johnson is unbelievably good but he doesn't have quite as much control as the other three and his action is less conducive to swing bowling (although he can swing it). If I put myself in the shoes of Joe Root or Alastair Cook, I don't fancy facing any of those bowlers, but Johnson would be the least troublesome.

It's going to be all about line and length. Harris and Hazlewood have to start given their style and given Hazlewood's form. So the question is Starc or Johnson. Starc is in better form and is more conducive to English conditions.

That's not madness, by any stretch of the imagination.

Johnson will be there, but when fit, Harris is clearly the first bowler picked.

Also congrats to Nathan Lyon. Officially Australia's greatest ever off spinner=d> Really hard not to love the bloke

Agreed Harris will be the first to be picked (fitness permitting).

But the question is who misses out? Unless they ditch Watson, they don't pick Mitch Marsh or James Faulkner, and instead choose an extra quick. But that's a big risk because our batting lacks quite a bit to be desired as it is.

Who misses out in lieu of Johnson?

Not Harris. Not Hazlewood, who's the pick of the bowlers on the West Indies tour and ideally suited for English conditions. One of Starc or Johnson will definitely play because they will want to play a left-arm seamer. But they can't play both. I was watching Mitchell Starc's spell in this match. He was bowling a string of deliveries over 145km/h all either going near the top of off stump or a bit fuller. It was lethal bowling and would be tailored to target the weaknesses of the two in-form England batsmen.

Harris will start. And Hazlewood and Starc are both in blistering form and are ideally suited to English conditions. I have a sneaking suspicion Johnson will be twelfth man, unless Harris isn't fit enough.

Hazlewood and Starc will absolutely destroy England on their pitches.

Everyone else is irrelevant.

Poor Windies.

-PB