Hussey: we're better than fifth in the world!!

A fair call, Red. This is a real weak link in the Test rankings. Pretty much only Aus v Eng series are now played over the traditional 5 Tests. Even 3 Test series can be a lottery.

The top 5 are all close these days. It's not like those years when we were at number 1, with day;light second ...

The rankings are a bit strange, with India and Sri Lanka having never won in Australia, yet being ranked above. I wonder what effect a single decision from Billy Bowden in Test 1 India v Australia might have had (ie, what effect would it have had if we'd drawn a series with the number 1 team, away?).

Still, no complaints. So long as we beat New Zealand.

Aus are the joint 3rd best team along with Eng. SL aren't good enough to be at 3.

lardbucket wrote:I wonder what effect a single decision from Billy Bowden in Test 1 India v Australia might have had (ie, what effect would it have had if we'd drawn a series with the number 1 team, away?).

Same here.

I wonder what effect would have Bucknor getting back his eyes and ears in THAT test on fortunes of Indian cricket. We'd have at least drawn a test series against no.1 test team away.

Or Billy & Gould not screwing Gambhir & Ishant in Mohali test. Or both of them not reprieving Katich at least 3 times during his 2nd innings of that test.

We'd have won pretty convincingly instead of that heart stopping win.

What this means is that we will have a cracking ashes this time around. The Aussies are hurting. The English are confident yet a little weary due to the "Aussie" home advantage. At the end of the day the best contests are between closlely matched teams. We have got that this time and I reckon that the public will be voting with their attendance. Bring it on.

On Hussey himself I would say he is a little delusional. Wonder if he feeld that his real average is 80 + and not what the score board says given that he was up there in the first 2 or so years, in ODIs anycase.

He should have quit/been dropped from tests after the last ashes and concentrated solely on ODIs and T20s, where he remains a force.

Henry wrote:He should have quit/been dropped from tests after the last ashes and concentrated solely on ODIs and T20s, where he remains a force.

He got a hundred in his last Ashes test innings.

And that could yet turn out to be a blessing in disguise for England.

Henry wrote:And that could yet turn out to be a blessing in disguise for England.

I'd drink myself into a coma if they dropped him for Cam White.

I'm thinking of putting serious money on England this Summer and not just to whoof them.

The weather (and some of the long range forecasts are scary) may end up saving us for once.

So it's forecast to piss it down this summer?




Rain wont stop play at all then....

Drainage is pretty good in most Aussie grounds so unless it pisses down incessantly, the weather shouldn't be a huge factor.

BTW Hussey was dropped during his last Ashes innings which could have saved him at the time from test oblivion.

He was dropped several times in his subsequent ton as well.

Red wrote:.

BTW Hussey was dropped during his last Ashes innings which could have saved him at the time from test oblivion.

NTR

Spoiler:

I think Paris will do OK this summer.

Eyetest time.

I read this thread title as: "We're better than filth in the world".

I was just about to say that's setting the bar nice and low, when the penny dropped.

skully wrote:I think Paris will do OK this summer.

So do I.

If by 'OK' you mean an average of around 35 (Which is what he averages since the start of 2009 anyway), then yes, I agree as well.

I think he will do a lot better than that. I have no idea why.

He is a man with a mission. A man with a new mission.

Manumission could be his slogan.

So about five of you have bigged him up for the ashes.


He's doomed now.

skully wrote:I think Paris will do OK this summer.

I hope Paris will do OK this summer. But hope is not a sound operational method.

I heard Mickey Arthur interviewed tonight on radio. He maintains that Australia and South Africa are the two best teams in the world because they can win outside of home.

He predicts Australia to narrowly win the Ashes and SA to be a bit too strong for India.

Having been involved in the Aussie domestic scene he rates it marginally ahead of SA's domestic comp. followed by county cricket in terms of the pecking order for breeding cricketers.

Red wrote:I heard Mickey Arthur interviewed tonight on radio. He maintains that Australia and South Africa are the two best teams in the world because they can win outside of home.

He predicts Australia to narrowly win the Ashes and SA to be a bit too strong for India.

Having been involved in the Aussie domestic scene he rates it marginally ahead of SA's domestic comp. followed by county cricket in terms of the pecking order for breeding cricketers.

When was the last time we did that?