The skippers exchange talks before the Ashes

[EnterTheVoid]

What has England ever done to piss you guys off ? India and England get on quite well don't they? Afrer all, they did come and play in Chennai But seriously, what underachievers. Not a single world cup next to their name and these are the mob that invented cricket I want England to put up a decent fight but still want Australia to win the series, hence the 3 - 2 scoreline in favor of Australia.

[DomainK]

What has England ever done to piss you guys off ? India and England get on quite well don't they? Afrer all, they did come and play in Chennai But seriously, what underachievers. Not a single world cup next to their name and these are the mob that invented cricket I want England to put up a decent fight but still want Australia to win the series, hence the 3 - 2 scoreline in favor of Australia.

Yes. One has to show them respect for that. They came to India and played when things didnt really look good. That was a great gesture. Okay, I will support them. Though I know that they will lose.

[EnterTheVoid]

From a neutral perspective, I find the England cricket team quite likeable to tell you the truth Had I been born in England, lived there or trace my ancestory there, than the connection would've been much more meaningful and I would've supported them more ardently. They're still serial underachievers but I like to watch them play. Kudos to them for the gesture. Extended a hand and a shoulder to lean on when India needed them the most

[f.b.m]

From a neutral perspective, I find the England cricket team quite likeable to tell you the truth Had I been born in England, lived there or trace my ancestory there, than the connection would've been much more meaningful and I would've supported them more ardently. They're still serial underachievers but I like to watch them play. Kudos to them for the gesture. Extended a hand and a shoulder to lean on when India needed them the most

So what is it that you find likeable with people like Prior, Broad, KP, Collingwood and co? And what exactly are you supposed to do when the english "experts" think that Ian Bell can be an alltime great if given a second chance. Ok, they have Flintoff, Andersen and Sidebottom who're in the likeable category (in my books anyway). But I've been living in England for the last 2 years and its really annoying. The media, the mediocrity of the side, dreariness, holier than thou attitude etc, etc. Australia on the other hand have just gotten rid of Hayden and Symonds, have brought in simple, hard working cricketers like Siddle and North into their team and have wierd, unorthodox players like Hughes and Katich.

[Mr. Wicket]

I'm with fbm. Great post there mate. Prior and Pietersen are unlikeable gits and just as unpleasant as the likes of Symonds and Hayden. The media is ridiculous and absurdly deluded in its praise of their team and players. There are a few genuinely good guys in the England side (Andrew Strauss is a class act who I have all the respect in the world for, and Panesar's apparently a very nice guy from what I hear)... but they're not more likeable than Aus. Not even now, despite Ricky Ponting being an idiot and running his mouth. Shut it Ricky and get to work on your batting. Make up for last time.

[fineleg]

I hope Aus thrash Eng and win the Ashes. However, no centuries for Ricky Pwnting pls.

[Freedom]

I wish India had a test series with the Aussies in australia this year. We would have shut him totally. Threatening an already weak Pommies sounds funny IMO. let him issue all these warnings when aussies tour India or when we tour them. That would be fun. MSD will make sure punter never opens his big mouth ever :--D

[EnterTheVoid]

So what is it that you find likeable .....

I got my reasons which I'll keep to myself

[cowboysfan]

So what is it that you find likeable with people like Prior' date=' Broad, KP, Collingwood and co? And what exactly are you supposed to do when the english "experts" think that Ian Bell can be an alltime great if given a second chance. Ok, they have Flintoff, Andersen and Sidebottom who're in the likeable category (in my books anyway). But I've been living in England for the last 2 years and its [i']really annoying. The media, the mediocrity of the side, dreariness, holier than thou attitude etc, etc. Australia on the other hand have just gotten rid of Hayden and Symonds, have brought in simple, hard working cricketers like Siddle and North into their team and have wierd, unorthodox players like Hughes and Katich.

they still have the biggest ***** in international cricket in Ponting and Clarke is also getting there is his douchiness.I just cant stand those guys.For an all time great ponting is such a failure as an ambassador of the sport.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

I want 4 of the matches to end in draw due to bad weather... 1 win for england... 0 win for australia. Aus should later whine that had that match been not rained off, they would have won the series. enghland will be happy to keep the ashes, although they cannot brag as they know it was not a very convincing victory.

[f.b.m]

I got my reasons which I'll keep to myself

Ohh, its that private is it (;

enghland will be happy to keep the ashes, although they cannot brag as they know it was not a very convincing victory.

False. Come to England and you'll know.

[Fontaine]

There are so many reasons to not like the England players and their media. From likening Stuart Broad to Sir Garry Sobers, to how they choke and crumble under pressure, to how they repeatedly pander to no heart phonies like Harmison, to their giant egos (Cook's autobiography a few years ago, Prior hassling Indian batsmen because he drove a porsche), and how they're ready to declare greatness on a few achievements (Sidebottom the world's best lefty), England just leave a really bad taste in my mouth. At least the Aussies have the records and achievements to back it up and are honest at introspection. The last English honest, decent, and down to earth talented cricketer retired when Alec Stewart called it quits.

[EnterTheVoid]

There are so many reasons to not like the England players and their media.

Some of those reasons could be used to describe our team and it comes as no surprise that such barbs were aimed at India's Tendulkar, Dravid etc. Here are a few I can recollect from the top of my head: 1. The Indian players are treated like demi gods 2. They play for themselves and not for the team. 3. Players get in because of the internal cricketing politics (Ganguly - Chappell saga) At the end of the day, everybody wants a chunk of you. They're just people with families who are trying to make a honest living. There is only so much one can do with the chips hes been dealt with. When you work, work, work and the results just dont come, I cant help but feel sorry for them. What have they achieved of significant importance that they can be proud of despite spending so much time, money and effort ? I support them not in awe of what they've achieved but purely out of sympathy and greatfullness (Chennai post 26/11) There, I said it.

[Mr. Wicket]

The last English honest' date=' decent, and down to earth talented cricketer retired when Alec Stewart called it quits.[/quote'] Graham Thorpe hung around a couple of years after. One of the finest and most underappreciated England players there's been in the last couple of decades, and another great person.

[Fontaine]

Graham Thorpe hung around a couple of years after. One of the finest and most underappreciated England players there's been in the last couple of decades' date=' and another great person.[/quote'] Thorpe was another good one and I was partial to Naseer as well. But that era is long over.

[Mr. Wicket]

Yup, Nasser was a good guy. But IMO Thorpe was in a separate class from him and Stewart as a batsman. Very, very high quality player who of course was mistreated by his board/idiot selectors to select people like Ian Bell and punished for honesty and missing a winter season for personal reasons. That hundred of his on a dog of a wicket at Barbados in 04 still remains among the best unappreciated innings I've seen. Class act.

[Dinx - the Jinx]

Come to England and you'll know.

Let them have it na.. What goes for us. Do we care who wins an old age trophy for winning a battle between minnows and brags. Atleast I dont.

[f.b.m]

The skippers exchange talks before the Ashes

Let them have it na.. What goes for us. Do we care who wins an old age trophy for winning a battle between minnows and brags. Atleast I dont.

You've got to listen to them day in day out. Hell even in lectures, there are slides about how teamwork, success, etc and they give examples of ashes 2005 (and this was in 2008). And that to half of the students who dont even know anything about cricket. Then you turn on the news and you see comparisions between James Andersen and Wasim Akram and see how some knob thinks that Alistair Cook could be the leading test run scorer in the world in a decade, etc, etc.

[Feed]

England will suffer if they risk Flintoff: Ponting Australia captain Ricky Ponting warned England that playing Andrew Flintoff in the forthcoming Ashes series could be fatal if the all-rounder is not fully fit. More...

[cowboysfan]

what ever ponting says should automatically go into the joke section along with akram,moyo,miandad and others.