Aussie Ashes Squad

tac wrote:Fark me, is skull trying for a topbottom? Makes a change from the usual "bottom" he gets down in Darlo . . .

skully wrote:

tac wrote:Fark me, is skull trying for a topbottom? Makes a change from the usual "bottom" he gets down in Darlo . . .

Well, I was. Then taips and Pete showed up. Then some ex-pat with a strange accent and a penchant for raw fish.

PeterCS wrote:Rich vein? Coal? Gold? Heroin?

PeterCS wrote:

skully wrote:

tac wrote:Fark me, is skull trying for a topbottom? Makes a change from the usual "bottom" he gets down in Darlo . . .

Well, I was. Then taips and Pete showed up. Then some ex-pat with a strange accent and a penchant for raw fish.

Keep Trev out of this.

lardbucket wrote:I did this last weekend, on a 'predictions' thread, but got 'booted off' when I hit 'send', and lost the lot. Couldn't be arsed typing it all out again. Here's 'take 2', editing skully's predictions:

Ricky Ponting - 400 runs at 40ish, two tons, some great catching, occasional inexplicable drop

Michael Clarke - poor series, 1 or 2 games missed through injury, one century, lots of crappy low scores. 200 runs at 25ish. Good fielding, coupla run outs

Stuart Clark - will be Aus's 2nd best bowler, only because he's chosen late - 20 wickets at 23 ish

Brad Haddin - will make one century and another score of 70 or 80 mixed with a lot of 20s and single figure scores - 250 runs at 30ish

Nathan Hauritz - may play one or two Tests - 8 wickets at 35ish. Hopeless batting and poor fielding

Ben Hilfenhaus - should play all games, but won't, Lee being preferred early on - 20 wickets at 25 ish

Phillip Hughes - poor series. Will start badly and get worse. Dropped for the last game. 150 runs at 19

Michael Hussey - repays the faith. 550 at 55 ish. Last out on two occasions. Fields superbly. Takes a wicket

Mitchell Johnson - bowls short, wide, and expensive. Scrambled seam throughout, no swing. One lusty 50, but otherwise fails to cope. Learns a lot from the experience and emerges a better bowler. 15 wickets at 40 ish

Simon Katich - will go OK - 500 at 50 ish

Brett Lee - plays 2 Tests, two more than he should. 3 tailenders in Test one, and 5-110 which means he is included for the Second test, in which he gets pasted and eventually (fortunately) breaks down. 8 wickets for the series, at 38. No runs (<30). Never plays again

Graham Manou - plays just one Test. Keeps generally well and makes 50 runs in two innings. Drops Pietersen for <5, and this is horribly expensive ... he goes on to make 158

Andrew McDonald - one Test. Ineffectual

Marcus North - steady, nothing spectacular, 4 or 5 games, averages 33. One good score. Takes 5 wickets

Peter Siddle - plays all tests and bowls lion-heartedly, the Merv Hughes role to Hilfenhaus's 1989 Alderman role and Clark's slightly more miserly 1989 Lawson. A couple of lusty 20's with the bat. A couple of embarrassing dropped catches but his ground fielding is good. 29 wickets at 26 ish

Shane Watson - plays 3 games. Bowls very little. 5 wickets in total, 3 in one innings. Makes runs, including an 85 at the end of the series. Finally realises he is a batsman

lardbucket wrote:skully: 2-1 England or 1-1, is my guess. I'm expecting 2 games to be drawn owing to rain (or other events).

sceptics: If I were woofing, I wouldn't have talked up Paris' probable deeds this series. All predictions, however fantastic, come from the same murky crystal ball.