It's been over 100 years...

JKLever wrote:

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...

He was cack for quite a long time actually. There was a lot of bad form leading up to his dropping.....

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?

Correction, for Boeta read AB.

JKLever wrote:

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?

Changed Boeta for AB

And as you said Boeta was gash.

In addition Giggs, Polly and Nicky were soming to the end as well. Yep, and Rudolph was on the cusp at that stage.

No ways can this be called a strong SA team.

PearlJ wrote:

JKLever wrote:

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...

He was cack for quite a long time actually. There was a lot of bad form leading up to his dropping.....

He wasn't cack at all. He was however beginning to pick up niggly injuries over his last 10 tests which has reduced his effectiveness. Missed parts of the WI home and SL away series and the whole of the home IND series. He has only played 5 tests since Dec 2006 !!

Took 4-29 against SL only 4 tests ago

All this talk of gash reminds me of the "fit birds" (as you English like to call them) you see in the Saffie crowds.

taipan wrote:
No ways can this be called a strong SA team.

It's hardly weak either though. Especially playing at home...

Hehehe, this thread has degenerated into a "we're sh!tter than you'"athon.

JKLever wrote:

taipan wrote:
No ways can this be called a strong SA team.

It's hardly weak either though. Especially playing at home...

Okay if you want to talk England up, I won't argue any more.

taipan wrote:

JKLever wrote:

taipan wrote:
No ways can this be called a strong SA team.

It's hardly weak either though. Especially playing at home...

Okay if you want to talk England up, I won't argue any more.

No problem Taips, you've given me a good idea for excuses when you batter us later in the summer...

Taipan's talking sh*t as usual. Rebuilding my arse.

JKLever wrote:

PearlJ wrote:

JKLever wrote:

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...

He was cack for quite a long time actually. There was a lot of bad form leading up to his dropping.....

He wasn't cack at all. He was however beginning to pick up niggly injuries over his last 10 tests which has reduced his effectiveness. Missed parts of the WI home and SL away series and the whole of the home IND series. He has only played 5 tests since Dec 2006 !!

Took 4-29 against SL only 4 tests ago

And since the start of the last Ashes he has taken 26 wickets in 9 Tests @ 37.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Taipan's talking sh*t as usual. Rebuilding my arse.

"Whoosh" as usual.

At times I wonder if I will ever reach the depths of your stupidity.

As I said PJ - it coincided with his injuries.

He wasn't as threatening but never bowled as rubbish as he did at Wellington.

PearlJ wrote:

JKLever wrote:

PearlJ wrote:

JKLever wrote:

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...

He was cack for quite a long time actually. There was a lot of bad form leading up to his dropping.....

He wasn't cack at all. He was however beginning to pick up niggly injuries over his last 10 tests which has reduced his effectiveness. Missed parts of the WI home and SL away series and the whole of the home IND series. He has only played 5 tests since Dec 2006 !!

Took 4-29 against SL only 4 tests ago

And since the start of the last Ashes he has taken 26 wickets in 9 Tests @ 37.

That stat means nothing, as has been explained plenty of times.

taipan wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Taipan's talking sh*t as usual. Rebuilding my arse.

"Whoosh" as usual.

At times I wonder if I will ever reach the depths of your stupidity.

It's ok Nigel. Everyone knows you talk sh*t.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:

taipan wrote:

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Taipan's talking sh*t as usual. Rebuilding my arse.

"Whoosh" as usual.

At times I wonder if I will ever reach the depths of your stupidity.

It's ok Nigel. Everyone knows you talk sh*t.

Hey, Charlie or JK either of you prepared to explain the joke to her? I really don't have an hour or two to waste.

I can see the joke. It looks like this:

A word of warning, remember how you made a prat of yourself over hearsay.

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.

England had real momentum going into that 2005 series. This time, we're unlikely to have such momentum, but I think that Aus will almost certainly be a weaker team on paper to what we played in 2005. The hope is that England can get those 2 Aussie tormentors Flintoff and S.Jones fit and firing in time for next years series. If we can, we have a very good chance.

At the moment, i'd predict a drawn series.

taipan wrote:A word of warning, remember how you made a prat of yourself over hearsay.

It's ok, pixie. We all know it was a big joke. You didn't actually mean you were rebuilding.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:

taipan wrote:A word of warning, remember how you made a prat of yourself over hearsay.

It's ok, pixie. We all know it was a big joke. You didn't actually mean you were rebuilding.

Sudden retraction. The "I was only joking" defence.

BTW did you you notice Pixie is still registered? Did you ever wonder why that was?

pixie-

I haven't used the "I was only joking" defence. I think you'll find you have.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:pixie-

I haven't used the "I was only joking" defence. I think you'll find you have.

Yes Trev.

PJ - Hoggard was blighted by injury, but at no point let the side down, he just IMO was never back up to full fitness, and when your the type of bowler he is, you lose a bit of rythmn and nip and you become less effective. However he never really performed even at his worse, worse than Harmless or even Anderson.

taips - I take your points on the side, but Ntini was in better nick than now, and Pollock was still quality back then. Steyn I will give you was raw, and AB and Rudolph newbies.

We on the other hand were a side doing well and our bowlers were in good form.

Still don't see us competing unless your batters have a massive brain explosion and lose the ability to bat!

holcs wrote:
taips - I take your points on the side, but Ntini was in better nick than now, and Pollock was still quality back then. Steyn I will give you was raw, and AB and Rudolph newbies.

Was more baiting the trap than anything else.