Give us our bloody urn back then , ya qunt

Ashes? We're not good enough, says Strauss

Peter Badel From: The Daily Telegraph January 20, 2010 11:17AM

FRUSTRATED England captain Andrew Strauss has delivered his squad a pre-Ashes rocket, declaring "we're not good enough" as resurgent Australia bask in the comfort of a series sweep of Pakistan.
Strauss's stinging spray came as former England bowler Derek Pringle urged the Test selectors to shut the door on Andrew Flintoff amid speculation the all-rounder is considering a shock comeback for this year's Ashes.

With another Ashes battle just 10 months away, a jaded Strauss questioned England's mental toughness after they crashed to an embarrassing innings defeat in the fourth Test in South Africa.

Trailing 1-0 entering the fourth and final Test, the Proteas saved the series on Sunday by routing the Poms, whose twin batting capitulations of 180 and 169 handed South Africa victory by an innings and 74 runs.

The pressure appears to be getting to Strauss, who has withdrawn from England's upcoming tour of Bangladesh in a desperate bid to save himself from pre-Ashes burnout.

He said: "I'd never forgive myself if I turned up for the next Ashes feeling exhausted. The notion that the captain must just carry on until he is mentally and physically exhausted doesn't make sense."

Mindful of Australia's revenge mission, Strauss warned his side to lift their game as England prime themselves for one of world cricket's toughest challenges - that of defending the Ashes on Australian soil.

"We're not good enough at this stage, that's the simple answer," Strauss said in the aftermath of England's fourth-Test drubbing in Johannesburg.

"We've shown resilience and proved we can be a hard side to beat, which is an important attribute. But we're not clinical and consistent enough.

"That's been a trait with this team for quite a long time. We need to look at why; perhaps we don't react to match conditions quickly enough. We need to get better.

"We were behind the eight-ball in three out of the four (South African) Tests ... if you keep putting yourselves under that sort of pressure, the other side is going to win games eventually. It leaves a bit of a bitter taste in the mouth."

Shaken by the heavy defeat, the English received a ray hope when Flintoff - his nation's 2005 and 2009 Ashes hero - revealed he was keen to return for county side Lancashire after undergoing knee surgery.

Flintoff's stance has raised the unlikely prospect of him making a spectacular return to haunt Australia later this year.

But Pringle said England should forget about Flintoff, claiming the 32-year-old's casual attitude to training could ruin team harmony.

"Even if he makes a full recovery, selectors should take a deep breath and move on," Pringle wrote in his UK newspaper column.

If Flintoff happens to be fully fit come November, it would be mighty tempting to pick him in the Ashes squad should he make himelf available.

Extremely unlikely it'll happen, though.

To call Flintoff a 2009 Ashes hero is more myth than fact

He took 8 wickets for the series at 50 odd

5 in the second innings at Lords (2 of them tailenders) after Jimmikins and Rings had bowled Oz out of the game in the first innings and Oz needed 522 to win

Awwww... shit.... Cue the poms posting that picture of the smarmy git holding the replica urn...

embee wrote:To call Flintoff a 2009 Ashes hero is more myth than fact

He took 8 wickets for the series at 50 odd

5 in the second innings at Lords (2 of them tailenders) after Jimmikins and Rings had bowled Oz out of the game in the first innings and Oz needed 522 to win

Don't forget the run out of Ponting at the Oval.

Was he in the team for his fielding?

Poms have got to be specials for the Ashes, a 5-0 sweep coming up

occurs to me that the 09 series was not an ashes series given the Dubber and wannabe xi the NSP selected...hand the urn over now you perfidious pomgolians

embee wrote:To call Flintoff a 2009 Ashes hero is more myth than fact

He took 8 wickets for the series at 50 odd

5 in the second innings at Lords (2 of them tailenders) after Jimmikins and Rings had bowled Oz out of the game in the first innings and Oz needed 522 to win

Word.

His performance at Lord's ( I woz there all 5 days!! Yessssss! ) was his pinnacle - that final day's effort being the best IMO that Flintoff had ever delivered.

He is however, a mischievous bugger - even now after his set-back - but agree, Flower and Strauss should not be tempted to bring him back ... not unless he bags a half dozen Michelle's and takes over 100 wickets at sub 30 in a minimum of 20 matches in the CC this coming season.

Unlikely!

boo hoo sook sook, we not good enough boo hoo, well sunshine I don't care !!!! it's ours give it back.

Meh, the Poms won the urn fair and square. We were sh!t in the clutch moments.

skully wrote:Meh, the Poms won the urn fair and square. We were sh!t in the clutch moments.

maybe but they can still give it back..

I don't buy this little ploy of boo hoo we not good enough spiel. mind games at work again.

aus will have to tighten up a few things before the ashes begins.

On immediate form, Swanny looks the only real threat with the ball while Colly and maybe Cook with the bat. Strauss's comments seem pretty spot on to me.

embee wrote:5 in the second innings at Lords (2 of them tailenders)

We had a sniff going into that last day but I thought his spell on that morning was the best of the series, he snuffed us out with some brutally fast bowling.

Yep, it's a nailed on Ashes victory for Aus.

In our last 2 series we've just not been up to the mark...

CT wrote:

skully wrote:Meh, the Poms won the urn fair and square. We were sh!t in the clutch moments.

maybe but they can still give it back..

I don't buy this little ploy of boo hoo we not good enough spiel. mind games at work again.

aus will have to tighten up a few things before the ashes begins.

Isn't Clarke's voice at a high enough pitch to warrant that attention ... the likes of Howitzer, Siddle and Bollinger (what a waste of a decent champagne's name ... couldn't he have settled for Doug Cava instead) will be spending hours in urinals searching frantically for their shrivelled-up orbs, whilst the Drunk pension drawing skipper takes his senility brainfreeze medication before making any worthwhile decisions (ie., do I chance a run or a run-out).

If you want the urn back, you're gonna have to urn it ...

What if KP and Trott get going? What if Strauss recaptures his best form? England are then getting close to the best batting line-up in the world.

Heheheheh

call me a sceptic but I still think mind games, play on the theory that over confidence will be aussies undoing which has occured before.

colly yes, ducky yes, broad would have to be in contention but the lack of swing on aus pitches might be a minus.

Broad isn't really a swing bowler though, it's Anderson who will be gashed to all parts...

On paper, I think the Yarps have the best batting line up in the world, in all conditions. On form, England's isn't too shoddy, but their recent form belies their potential.

skully wrote:On paper, I think the Yarps have the best batting line up in the world, in all conditions. On form, England's isn't too shoddy, but their recent form belies their potential.

Injah.

ON PAPER ... frankly any side (bar the Bangles) today, given the pick of individual form, can claim to be "the best".

Consistency is what England lacks ... having at least 3 top order batsmen contributing a hundred each or as close as dammit, with the others chipping in with decent 30's. Amassing a first innings total over 400 these days has always got to be priority, yet England batsmen don't seem to grasp that ... the number of "gimmes" throwing their wickets away testifies to that.

Strauss was right to be hyper critical - and yes, taking time out pre-Ashes is wise.
PS he also doesn't want to be associated with Cap'n Cook's England team returning home beaten by the bangles!!

JKLever wrote:

skully wrote:On paper, I think the Yarps have the best batting line up in the world, in all conditions. On form, England's isn't too shoddy, but their recent form belies their potential.

Injah.

On South Asian decks, mebee. But get 'em on bouncy Aussie and Saffie decks and occasionally juicy English decks and overhead conditions, not so.

we will have to wait and see, least we will get some excitement next summer.