England v Australia, 1st Test, Cardiff, 8-12 July, 2015

Brass Monkey wrote:

beamer wrote:
Well, Cook did get 766 runs in an Ashes series... Bell got three centuries in one... nothing to worry the Aussies there, then!

Wally Hammond got 905 runs in an Ashes series - do you reckon Aus are having sleepless nights about him, too?

Well, as long as the England players aren't worrying about players who had a decent series in the not too distant past either... if all the psychological side of things only comes from the most recent series then it will probably be 5-0 again.

Merlin wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

beamer wrote:
Well, Cook did get 766 runs in an Ashes series... Bell got three centuries in one... nothing to worry the Aussies there, then!

Wally Hammond got 905 runs in an Ashes series - do you reckon Aus are having sleepless nights about him, too?

Dead to the world ...in Seattle.

Righto.

beamer wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

beamer wrote:
Well, Cook did get 766 runs in an Ashes series... Bell got three centuries in one... nothing to worry the Aussies there, then!

Wally Hammond got 905 runs in an Ashes series - do you reckon Aus are having sleepless nights about him, too?

Well, as long as the England players aren't worrying about players who had a decent series in the not too distant past either... if all the psychological side of things only comes from the most recent series then it will probably be 5-0 again.

'Not too distant past'? A year is distant past, in cricket. Ian Bell has done f*ck all of note in the two years since that series, Cook has had so many egregious matches and periods that I'm certainly not dumbfounded enough to take umbrage at such a statement: his glory series was about 50+ Tests ago.

Brass Monkey wrote:

beamer wrote:

Brass Monkey wrote:

beamer wrote:
Well, Cook did get 766 runs in an Ashes series... Bell got three centuries in one... nothing to worry the Aussies there, then!

Wally Hammond got 905 runs in an Ashes series - do you reckon Aus are having sleepless nights about him, too?

Well, as long as the England players aren't worrying about players who had a decent series in the not too distant past either... if all the psychological side of things only comes from the most recent series then it will probably be 5-0 again.

'Not too distant past'? A year is distant past, in cricket. Ian Bell has done f*ck all of note in the two years since that series, Cook has had so many egregious matches and periods that I'm certainly not dumbfounded enough to take umbrage at such a statement: his glory series was about 50+ Tests ago.

If that's the case though, I'm just saying our players shouldn't get worked up about Johnson and Haddin etc. based on past history, and if they do then we've lost before a ball is bowled.

Well Haddin has been a consistent thorn in our side, rather than a flash in the pan like Bell and Cook. As for Johnson, maybe we shouldn't get worked up, but all accounts are that he's bowling very well.

OK, so we've lost the psychological battle... we've probably lost the sledging battle... bring on the rain!

As always, much like lardy and probably a few other Aussies on here, I am nervous as a kitten but like a kid at Xmas. I sooo love the Ashes. I reckon we are in for a belter of a series. I hope it's close and tense, the best sort of Test series.

I hope so too... although since we've only had two closely contested Ashes series since 1986/87, the odds are very much against it!

There's always hope, beams. Another 2005 would be fantastic.

Bugger off, I want 2006-07 or 2014-15 again.

It's been a tough time here recently and although it's unreasonable and against the odds, I want 5-0.

There are other things I want and fantasise about, but Elle McPherson, Rosamund Pike, and Emily Blunt have not been sighted in my bed recently, separately or together, and such blessings seem almost as unlikely as the above cricket scenario.

I don't think there will be draws, unless the weather intervenes in a big way. So whoever gets the early momentum could well run away with it, England being the most likely side where heads could drop... a heavy defeat in Cardiff and it's perhaps getting towards even money. Handing us a dead rubber doesn't seem to happen any more, though we did our best to return the favour in "Kerrigan's match" a couple of years ago.

lardbucket wrote:Bugger off, I want 2006-07 or 2014-15 again.

It's been a tough time here recently and although it's unreasonable and against the odds, I want 5-0.

There are other things I want and fantasise about, but Elle McPherson, Rosamund Pike, and Emily Blunt have not been sighted in my bed recently, separately or together, and such blessings seem almost as unlikely as the above cricket scenario.

Time to upgrade the first name? She is 51.

beamer wrote:OK, so we've lost the psychological battle... we've probably lost the sledging battle... bring on the rain!

We lost the sledging battle when our players woke up non-Australian. We lost the psychological battle forever more at the start of the last Ashes, until Johnson retires. Welcome to cricket. Welcome to English cricket.

beamer wrote:I don't think there will be draws, unless the weather intervenes in a big way. So whoever gets the early momentum could well run away with it, England being the most likely side where heads could drop... a heavy defeat in Cardiff and it's perhaps getting towards even money. Handing us a dead rubber doesn't seem to happen any more, though we did our best to return the favour in "Kerrigan's match" a couple of years ago.

We did our best throughout the series by playing feeble cricket.

Pissing down in Cardiff today and likely tomorrow as well, which will all but rule out Rashid.

Brass Monkey wrote:

beamer wrote:OK, so we've lost the psychological battle... we've probably lost the sledging battle... bring on the rain!

We lost the sledging battle when our players woke up non-Australian. We lost the psychological battle forever more at the start of the last Ashes, until Johnson retires. Welcome to cricket. Welcome to English cricket.

Well that's what we've got to change... out-qunt them, take them on at their own game, cricketing and otherwise. Target them with bouncers, beamers, follow-through shoulder charges. Provoke Warner into throwing a punch on the field and getting a lengthy ban from all cricket. Smash Johnson all around the park to the famous tune of the Barmy Army trumpeter. And most importantly, don't be scared of anything they can do with bat or ball.

Otherwise, we may as well not turn up...

Other than the outright physical confrontation, this is precisely
what Michael Holding said in his interview.

Take the game to the Aussies.
'tis the only way ... but I am still unsure of this being the case,
especially if led by Cook with, trailing in his wake, the Ballancing
Act and Belf ...

Ship in the Ginger Tyke ....NOW.

Nobody was calling for Bairstow to be picked a month or so ago... probably not even his mum. Having him as backup keeper batting 7 or 8 would have made us nervous! Now potentially in the frame for coming in first drop against the Aussies. How quickly things change.

beamer wrote:Nobody was calling for Bairstow to be picked a month or so ago... probably not even his mum. Having him as backup keeper batting 7 or 8 would have made us nervous! Now potentially in the frame for coming in first drop against the Aussies. How quickly things change.

Well ... as the Dellboy pointed out in the Domestic thread ... the Ginge is well in amongst the runs
this season, averaging 108 + over the past 7 matches - no mean feat at the best of times.
Good fielder too ... but I'd have him come in after Root - ie., 3rd drop ..
after Belf at 3, Root at 4 then Ginge at 5, Stokes 6, Buttler 7, Moeen 8, Wood 9, Broadly and Jimmeh.
Shame there won't be any room for Rashid ... talented and a tad different.

You know that now they've picked this group of players, no one else will get a look-in until we are 0-3 down in the series.

We all know Bell doesn't fancy it at 3 and won't put himself forward... like the striker who hides at the back of the group with a penalty shoot-out looming and lets a centre-back step up and smash the crucial kick into row Z.

Rashid won't play in Cardiff but if Mo doesn't get runs or wickets then there will be increasing calls for him to get a go sooner rather than later.

lardbucket wrote:Bugger off, I want 2006-07 or 2014-15 again.

It's been a tough time here recently and although it's unreasonable and against the odds, I want 5-0.

There are other things I want and fantasise about, but Elle McPherson, Rosamund Pike, and Emily Blunt have not been sighted in my bed recently, separately or together, and such blessings seem almost as unlikely as the above cricket scenario.

Would you accept Shemale McPherson, Rosamund Trout and Emily Sharp instead?

beamer wrote:We all know Bell doesn't fancy it at 3 and won't put himself forward... like the striker who hides at the back of the group with a penalty shoot-out looming and lets a centre-back step up and smash the crucial kick into row Z.

Rashid won't play in Cardiff but if Mo doesn't get runs or wickets then there will be increasing calls for him to get a go sooner rather than later.

Wise words, gloomy as they are.

Heh. Jonny Knicks? J. Knicks. Hard handed gate merchant. Nyet.

By the time the series is lost and they make changes, there will no doubt be another "flavour of the month" player making hundreds of runs in county cricket.