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

lardbucket wrote:Agar is still playing, but isn't even in the squad - kept out by Fawad Ahmed.

Play him as a batsman, 98 would have top scored in either innings...

I'd have had him in this tour squad, for sure, but that's partly my Wozzie bias emerging, and Fawad's last two Shield games on late summer Australian wickets impressed the selectors more ... so much so that they must have thought on the strength of those games that he was a better bet for an England tour than a very good player, 15 years younger.

Congratulations poms, many Aussies weren't half as sanguine as the objective observer seemed to think, but it was a capitulation in the end. Clarke has much to do if he wants to realise his dream of winning an Ashes campaign in England.

We all know what he needs to do first.

Gideon Haigh implied on 'The Offsiders' that there are tensions between Clarke and Lehmann and, of course, these are exacerbated, when the team is under siege.

Suddenly with them looking a bit old and ill-equipped the pressure is on both captain and coach to achieve harmony and build confidence. Looks like Starc will definitely miss.

Even if Starc is in less pain than two days ago, he needs to get his ankle right so that he can play (hopefully) the last 3 Tests.

Siddle may bowl well to the English left handers.

Let's face it. we're

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

Blackadder wrote:At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

Other than for the godawful 60s (62 to 72 actually) when there were 4 of them, there has only ever been one drawn Ashes series.

So the plan to play pie-chuckers for Kent and Essex worked well for the poms.

Starc having ankle spurs is a worry because the soreness will linger all series. Cummins has no first class cricket behind him so looks like it will be Siddle. Only consolation is these slowish type pitches probably suit him.

Apparently* no side has won an Ashes Test in England batting second since 2001 (although a number have come very close). 

Makes the toss a bit more important than I thought.

Anyway, to summarise the first Test, the only good thing to come out of it was seeing Cook get smacked in the nads.

JGK wrote:Let's face it. we're

DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a disaster but Im willing to put it down to Haddin (98%) and Watson.

The Haddin drop of Root was as influential as there has ever been.

between Aus-Ind, Aus will always win the toss.
between Aus-Eng, Eng will always win the toss.

this is unwritten rule of International Critters playing Cricket.

JGK wrote:Apparently* no side has won an Ashes Test in England batting second since 2001 (although a number have come very close). 

Makes the toss a bit more important than I thought.

Comment was made halfway through the test that whoever bats first will have a great advantage throughout the series. Still had Haddit being able to glove Root, the complexion of the game could have changed dramatically so that we weren't always at a psychological disadvantage.

JGK wrote:Apparently* no side has won an Ashes Test in England batting second since 2001 (although a number have come very close). 

Makes (winning) the toss a bit more important than I thought.

Correction ... winning the toss and BATTING.

lardbucket wrote:

JGK wrote:Apparently* no side has won an Ashes Test in England batting second since 2001 (although a number have come very close). 

Makes (winning) the toss a bit more important than I thought.

Correction ... winning the toss and BATTING.

And that goes back at least 60 years.

Aye, but has resonance with 2005 in particular.

Nasser made the same error.

Blackadder wrote:At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

I would take a drawn series. Still not convinced we will win the Ashes but if we managed to srape a draw then we would keep our 14 year unbeaten record which at this point I would be happy with.

If we win at Lords then I might change my tune. Big if though as it's been a whipping ground in the past.

For a moment I thought "hold on a minute we chased down 120 at Trent Bridge" but then remembered we still batted first in that match.

That's a crazy stat.

lardbucket wrote:

JGK wrote:Apparently* no side has won an Ashes Test in England batting second since 2001 (although a number have come very close). 

Makes (winning) the toss a bit more important than I thought.

Correction ... winning the toss and BATTING.

A quick stats guru check indicates that since 2001, the only side to bat first and lose was England at Leeds in 2009.

vilkrang wrote:

Blackadder wrote:At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

I would take a drawn series. Still not convinced we will win the Ashes but if we managed to srape a draw then we would keep our 14 year unbeaten record which at this point I would be happy with.

If we win at Lords then I might change my tune. Big if though as it's been a whipping ground in the past.

We have won the last two at Lords.Only Pup remembers what it's like to be in a winning side at Lords.

Basil wrote:

vilkrang wrote:

Blackadder wrote:At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

I would take a drawn series. Still not convinced we will win the Ashes but if we managed to srape a draw then we would keep our 14 year unbeaten record which at this point I would be happy with.

If we win at Lords then I might change my tune. Big if though as it's been a whipping ground in the past.

We have won the last two at Lords.Only Pup remembers what it's like to be in a winning side at Lords.

If we win a 3rd then perhaps the times are changing but before the last two I believe it was in the 40s the last time we beat Australia there (maybe 50s, cba to check).

vilkrang wrote:

Basil wrote:

vilkrang wrote:

Blackadder wrote:At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

I would take a drawn series. Still not convinced we will win the Ashes but if we managed to srape a draw then we would keep our 14 year unbeaten record which at this point I would be happy with.

If we win at Lords then I might change my tune. Big if though as it's been a whipping ground in the past.

We have won the last two at Lords.Only Pup remembers what it's like to be in a winning side at Lords.

If we win a 3rd then perhaps the times are changing but before the last two I believe it was in the 40s the last time we beat Australia there (maybe 50s, cba to check).

Pretty sure it was Verity's Test in 1934.

JGK wrote:

vilkrang wrote:

Basil wrote:

vilkrang wrote:

Blackadder wrote:At least we have the comfort a drawn series will be enough to retain the Urn, but that still looks a long way off atm.
Outplayed by England in all aspects, and beaten inside 4 days.
Hopefully the mistakes are learnt from, and a better effort in the Second Test.

I would take a drawn series. Still not convinced we will win the Ashes but if we managed to srape a draw then we would keep our 14 year unbeaten record which at this point I would be happy with.

If we win at Lords then I might change my tune. Big if though as it's been a whipping ground in the past.

We have won the last two at Lords.Only Pup remembers what it's like to be in a winning side at Lords.

If we win a 3rd then perhaps the times are changing but before the last two I believe it was inf the 40s the last time we beat Australia there (maybe 50s, cba to check).

Pretty sure it was Verity's Test in 1934.

And we have a winner