It's been over 100 years...

Cheers. I guess I remember him as a bit a tearaway in his debut v Windies (I think) in what seems many years ago. He went wicketless and then turns up years later off a doddering short run and hoops it all over the place.

In fact it was Pakistan in 2001. He was 22 and did go wicketless.

Might be off a shorter run but I reckon he's consistently faster now than he was in 2001

Which is weird!

Thw only way we compete against the Saffies is if KP fires and our bowlers manage to rip out their batting.

I cannot see us dealing to well with there attack TBH.

I get the feeling that it'll be Ponting, Hussey and Symonds that step up against us in next years ashes. If they do fire we are farked!

Also bear in mind that Lee is a better bowler now, and Clark will jag it both ways to get MPV and the boys nightmares!

When you put it like that holcs, bring it on!!

I'm not expecting us to regain the urn but my hope is we compete and at least wipe out the memory of 2006/7

skully wrote:When you put it like that holcs, bring it on!!

Well it is the same side effectively that got pumped at your place.

Sibo for Hoggard, Broad for Harmless. These even themselves out IMO.

Our batting as you will have read is IMO poor.

But then I don't rate your backup bowlers at all. And without Langer/Hayden your opening partnership is shaky IMO.

So could well be interesting.

Sibo if fit and bowling well will give your openers, Pup, Symonds and Haddin the squits though to be fair.......

JKLever wrote:I'm not expecting us to regain the urn but my hope is we compete and at least wipe out the memory of 2006/7

Surely though you'd have to think the two sides are closer than perhaps they seemed at this stage in the lead up to Ashes 05? We were at full strength with one of the best XIs we could put on the park.

The fact that you ambushed us, outplayed us, outcaptained us and outcoached us was obviously hugely satisfying and euphoric for all England supporters.

holcs wrote:

skully wrote:When you put it like that holcs, bring it on!!

Well it is the same side effectively that got pumped at your place.

But we are nowhere near the same side. No Langer, Martyn, Gilly, McGrath, or Warne.

skully wrote:

JKLever wrote:I'm not expecting us to regain the urn but my hope is we compete and at least wipe out the memory of 2006/7

Surely though you'd have to think the two sides are closer than perhaps they seemed at this stage in the lead up to Ashes 05? We were at full strength with one of the best XIs we could put on the park.

The fact that you ambushed us, outplayed us, outcaptained us and outcoached us was obviously hugely satisfying and euphoric for all England supporters.

Aye, we're closer if we're playing well come 2009 AND we have Fred. And maybe even SPJ

There really was no reason for Australia to have been ambushed in 2005 if they were totally as professional as they liked to make out. Infact I remember one quote from someone in the Aus team saying ' they always do this just before the Ashes' . They should not have been surprised at how good we were, we had just won in SA after all.

Our performances pre-2006/7 were nowhere near as good, and probably should have been a warning shot for a few of us Poms tbh

JKLever wrote: we had just won in SA after all.

We were in in a bit of a rebuilding phase at that stage.

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote: we had just won in SA after all.

We were in in a bit of a rebuilding phase at that stage.

Has yours continued for nearly 4 years as well with the same group of players?

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote: we had just won in SA after all.

We were in in a bit of a rebuilding phase at that stage.

I'll remember that one for use in September!

skully wrote:

holcs wrote:

skully wrote:When you put it like that holcs, bring it on!!

Well it is the same side effectively that got pumped at your place.

But we are nowhere near the same side. No Langer, Martyn, Gilly, McGrath, or Warne.

Aye, and we are the same side, but just even more inept IMO.

JKLever wrote:Aye, we're closer if we're playing well come 2009 AND we have Fred. And maybe even SPJ

There really was no reason for Australia to have been ambushed in 2005 if they were totally as professional as they liked to make out. Infact I remember one quote from someone in the Aus team saying ' they always do this just before the Ashes' . They should not have been surprised at how good we were, we had just won in SA after all.

Our performances pre-2006/7 were nowhere near as good, and probably should have been a warning shot for a few of us Poms tbh

We were ambushed because we didn't have the check-every-little-detail of SRW to ensure Ned Flanders had all the correct DVDs to look at. I think we marched into Ashes 05 far too arrogantly (we had just come off beating India in India and smashing NZ and WI at home) and then won the 1st Test on the back of a TGM/tgm masterclass. We needed a tough match first up to kick us up the @rse.

holcs wrote:

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote: we had just won in SA after all.

We were in in a bit of a rebuilding phase at that stage.

Has yours continued for nearly 4 years as well with the same group of players?

4th test SA v ENG Jo'burg
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004-05/ENG_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/ENG_RSA_T4_13-17JAN2005.html

*GC Smith
HH Gibbs
JA Rudolph
JH Kallis
HH Dippenaar
AB de Villiers
+MV Boucher
SM Pollock
N Boje
M Ntini
DW Steyn

Looks pretty strong to me. We were also carrying Giles,Key & GJones.

Oh look, Jimmykins got pumped again!

That was a brilliant test match, Tres and Hoggard were immense! Remind me why Hoggard was dropped again...?

Steve wrote:That was a brilliant test match, Tres and Hoggard were immense! Remind me why Hoggard was dropped again...?

He was cack.

How's Pigsy's form been in CC?

PearlJ wrote:

Steve wrote:That was a brilliant test match, Tres and Hoggard were immense! Remind me why Hoggard was dropped again...?

He was cack for 1 match

Fixed...

JKLever wrote:

holcs wrote:

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote: we had just won in SA after all.

We were in in a bit of a rebuilding phase at that stage.

Has yours continued for nearly 4 years as well with the same group of players?

4th test SA v ENG Jo'burg
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004-05/ENG_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/ENG_RSA_T4_13-17JAN2005.html

*GC Smith
HH Gibbs
JA Rudolph
JH Kallis
HH Dippenaar
AB de Villiers
+MV Boucher
SM Pollock
N Boje
M Ntini
DW Steyn

Looks pretty strong to me. We were also carrying Giles,Key & GJones.

Oh look, Jimmykins got pumped again!

Um, how many tests had Boeta, Rudolph and Steyn played at that stage?

He was on crack for one match?

skully wrote:How's Pigsy's form been in CC?

Been ok, the word floating about was that he had lost a bit of nip.

He was really poor in Wellington. The first really bad game he has had.

A shame. One of the stoutest performers in many years for England. His 7-fer at Adelaide in Ashes 06-07 was immense.

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote:

holcs wrote:

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote: we had just won in SA after all.

We were in in a bit of a rebuilding phase at that stage.

Has yours continued for nearly 4 years as well with the same group of players?

4th test SA v ENG Jo'burg
http://uk.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/2004-05/ENG_IN_RSA/SCORECARDS/ENG_RSA_T4_13-17JAN2005.html

*GC Smith
HH Gibbs
JA Rudolph
JH Kallis
HH Dippenaar
AB de Villiers
+MV Boucher
SM Pollock
N Boje
M Ntini
DW Steyn

Looks pretty strong to me. We were also carrying Giles,Key & GJones.

Oh look, Jimmykins got pumped again!

Um, how many tests had Boeta, Rudolph and Steyn played at that stage?

Sure, but it's rare a team doesn't have at least 1 player who has under 10 caps in their line up.

Boeta & Rudolph were gash, at the time Rudolph was talked up as the next big thing

It's hardly wholesale changes is it anyway... not much different to the team that visited in 2003

Will an SA win in England for the first time since 65 be any less worthy?