The Ashes Checkpoint

[The Outsider]

Three gone and two more to come. The cricket hasn't been of very high quality but the series has prodcued it's moments. The nerve racking last wicket stand of the first test, Australia's dumb batting against short pitch bowling in the first innings at Lords', Flintoff's heroics in the second innings there, Clarke's back to back hundreds under pressure, the Anderson-Onions show at Edgbaston. The series is still wide open. With Australia only needing a drawn series to retain the Ashes, both teams will come out trying to win at Headingly. A venue which has not produced a drawn test for the last 13 years will likely yield a result and Australia are the ones with more questions to answer at the moment. The spectacular failure of the Hughes experiment has made Watson into a test opener. Despite his twin 50s at Edgbaston, he does not seems cut out for a long term role and if his bowling was supposed to provide a cover to Johnson the Aussie think tank might have lost their marbles, certainty in the case of their selector, Hughes - man behind the most hilarious quote I have read during the series,

When we picked this squad everyone sat back and said we only had two openers. But we felt we had five, with Hussey, North and Watson. He [Watson] has opened in one-day cricket and done very well there

This kind of insanity is usually the prerogative of the English during the Ashes. Anyhow, it looks like Lee coming in for Siddle will be the only Aussie change up since Clark has probably been sleeping with Ponting's wife on the side. England might take a punt with Harmison instead of Broad, but that's an outside chance at best given their doggedness about manufacturing a new Sami and Agarkar. To some extent it's not a completely dumb thing either given their weak batting line up. Flintoff will probably be able to pull through the test, but seems to have exhausted his bowling batteries at Lords' and to expect another incisive spell from him would be a bit too much. There have been some brilliant passages of play, but the overall standard of cricket has been ordinary. Can Headingly and Oval provide something special? The pitches so far have left a lot to be desired. Cardiff was a patta which would have put Pakistani curators to shame and nothing much happened off the track at either Lords' or Edgbaston, so much that even 500 in the fourth innings looked a possibility at one point. Headingly usually has more bounce and can get pretty up and down by day 4 and 5. If we get some cloudy patches it could make for a challenging, interesting test match. I would back England to wrap up the series at Headingly, though Australia can probably claim to carry the momentum from their second innings at Edgbaston. The biggest odds Australia will have to overcome would be to adjust their bowling at Headingly. It's not the easiest place to bowl at where controlling swing and hitting the right lengths has to be done quickly or you can really end up leaking runs quickly. Also, the slope of the ground which runs down the wicket needs some adjusting. I just don't see anyone versatile and skillful enough in the Aussie line up to put in 3 consistently good spells in a day. Not that England bowling is razor sharp, but the experience of conditions will probably give them the Ashes in the next match.

[kabira]

i thought its 4 test series

[punjabi_khota]

i thought its 4 test series

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[Dhondy]

I don't know Shwetabh. I remember how we all wrote off Australia after their home series against SA, only for them to bounce back from nowhere in the away series. I'd never count them out unless they are knocked unconscious. England, OTOH, did all the running in this Test, but were found wanting at the business end, weather notwithstanding, at their most favourite venue. There's a lot of hype being manufactured by the English media about their bowling attack, particularly Anderson, who's being billed as well nigh unplayable. He's already been anointed the best swing bowler in the world by English pundits. It was sad to hear the likes of Nasser Hussain draw meaningless comparisons with Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar, when Anderson has been comprehensively outbowled both home and away by the daddy of swing bowling, Zaheer Khan. Zaheer averaged 21 & 20 respectively versus Anderson's 50+ & 35 the last two occasions they squared up. Even in this series, he has been outperformed in terms of both wickets & SR by the unfancied Hilfenhaus. This is Anderson at his very peak we are talking about. He epitomises England for me- inconsistent and given to early satiety. My money is on Australia for Headingley. I don't think England can hold the line over five tests.

[sandeep]

My money is on Australia for Headingley. I don't think England can hold the line over five tests.

I'm with Dhondy on this one...

[Dhondy]

And that English batting order looks very, very frail to me. Australia have worked out Cook & Bopara like a cheap clockwork toy. And how many times was Bell out LBW in that 2nd innings? I made it thrice. The odds are that England will be bundled out for a sub150 score in one innings at Headingley. It's almost inevitable.

[The Outsider]

I don't know Shwetabh. I remember how we all wrote off Australia after their home series against SA, only for them to bounce back from nowhere in the away series. I'd never count them out unless they are knocked unconscious. England, OTOH, did all the running in this Test, but were found wanting at the business end, weather notwithstanding, at their most favourite venue. There's a lot of hype being manufactured by the English media about their bowling attack, particularly Anderson, who's being billed as well nigh unplayable. He's already been anointed the best swing bowler in the world by English pundits. It was sad to hear the likes of Nasser Hussain draw meaningless comparisons with Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar, when Anderson has been comprehensively outbowled both home and away by the daddy of swing bowling, Zaheer Khan. Zaheer averaged 21 & 20 respectively versus Anderson's 50+ & 35 the last two occasions they squared up. Even in this series, he has been outperformed in terms of both wickets & SR by the unfancied Hilfenhaus. This is Anderson at his very peak we are talking about. He epitomises England for me- inconsistent and given to early satiety. My money is on Australia for Headingley. I don't think England can hold the line over five tests.

I'm not counting out the Australians - they have the basic machinery for a fightback but their bowling just does not inspire any confidence. After the Sydney test they have played 15 test matches excluding WI and NZ, and have managed to win only 3 of them - one a dead rubber and courtesy a broken Smith finger. That is a terrible record and I fully expect them to slide down the rankings once the annual update is applied. The pitches have been deathbeds and without overcast conditions this would have been a nightmarish series to watch. Australian batsmen are really good at piling up the runs at a quick rate in good batting conditions but shy away like a dog which has been kicked given any lateral movement - pace or spin. Headingly will in all likelihood offer something for the bowlers and I don't see Australia scoring 350-400 they need to win a test. True the England batting is very flaky, but they are up against an attack which regularly leaks 4-5 RPO at crucial stages of a match. Prior has put the attack to the sword in the middle order and his effect invariably means crucial runs from the tail later on against a flagging attack. I feel in bowling friendly conditions, Australia just do not have it to outscore England. On a flattish Oval surface, I would take the punt on Australia because the England like up has no one to rub it in with the big hundreds like almost everyone in the Aussie line up can except Strauss.

[iHammad]

Go Aussies

[Shehezaada]

I don't know Shwetabh. I remember how we all wrote off Australia after their home series against SA, only for them to bounce back from nowhere in the away series. I'd never count them out unless they are knocked unconscious. England, OTOH, did all the running in this Test, but were found wanting at the business end, weather notwithstanding, at their most favourite venue. There's a lot of hype being manufactured by the English media about their bowling attack, particularly Anderson, who's being billed as well nigh unplayable. He's already been anointed the best swing bowler in the world by English pundits. It was sad to hear the likes of Nasser Hussain draw meaningless comparisons with Umar Gul and Shoaib Akhtar, when Anderson has been comprehensively outbowled both home and away by the daddy of swing bowling, Zaheer Khan. Zaheer averaged 21 & 20 respectively versus Anderson's 50+ & 35 the last two occasions they squared up. Even in this series, he has been outperformed in terms of both wickets & SR by the unfancied Hilfenhaus. This is Anderson at his very peak we are talking about. He epitomises England for me- inconsistent and given to early satiety. My money is on Australia for Headingley. I don't think England can hold the line over five tests.

While James Anderson isn't in Zaheer's league yet he's an awesome swing bowler. When he's swinging it he can be very hard to play. He bowled superbly when India visited England and stats won't tell you the full story on that. I agree when you say Aussies can't ever be counted out, they're a champion team. The test will go to whoever can perform down the stretch.

[observer1]

While James Anderson... can be very hard to play. He bowled superbly when India visited England and stats won't tell you the full story on that. ..

That sounds like a comment from a typical Sky Sports commentator. Ignore the stats when it doesnt suit you, and reiterate them when it does... Like saying that Agarkar was the best bowler for India , but the stats wont tell you the full story on that

[Sachinism]

While James Anderson isn't in Zaheer's league yet he's an awesome swing bowler. When he's swinging it he can be very hard to play. He bowled superbly when India visited England and stats won't tell you the full story on that. I agree when you say Aussies can't ever be counted out, they're a champion team. The test will go to whoever can perform down the stretch.

Key point being when it swings, what does he do when it doesn't swing?

[Malcolm Merlyn]

did some body say brett lee plays the next match?

[Don Sharma]

Ponting smashes dressing room door Frustrated with the Australia's disappointing Ashes campaign so far, Ricky Ponting's anger boiled over during the drawn third Test here and he smashed a dressing-room door at Edgbaston. More

[Fontaine]

James Anderson + swing = wickets James Anderson - swing = Sami You expect an international bowler with so much experience, pace and exposure to be able to mature as a bowler and develop new techniques like reverse swing, or cutters, good slower deliveries, or yorkers but Anderson is as one dimensional as it gets. This is the same bowler who couldn't get out West Indian tail enders in must win situations in the caribbean when England were embarressed there. And now according to Sky sports we're supposed to believe he's a lethal bowler?

[cowboysfan]

I still feel England's weeak link is Stuart Broad(never mind his runs with the bat).Onions and Anderson require conditions to be right for them to click and when it doesnt swing and Freddy is not firing they are in big trouble.I think a gamble with Harmison is really warranted.

[kabira]

man I was under the impression that ashes will be over next week. what a bummer. What more they have 7 ODIs Jeez, so cricket fan has to tolerate Ponting comments and door slamming

[Fontaine]

~While the cricket overall has been of lower quality so has also the BBC commentary apart from a few notables like Boycott/Chappell. In the Edgebaston test when Australia got off to a great start and England bowled utter rubbish the BBC commentators were crying out for bowling tighter, bowling to a field and creating lots of pressure especially because the wicket was so flat at first with no swing. When the English bowlers couldn't, all the talk was about, you guessed it, blaming the IPL for making bowlers less patient and they started saying well why "don't bowlers do it anymore" as if they speak for the entire world. When India only did that same damn thing against Australia (bowling to a specific packed off side field with Zaheer/Ishant on a flat track) the BBC, specifically Jonathan Agnew was calling it a negative tactic/bowling even though they got the wickets eventually. Now, when England should have done the same thing, it's no longer negative bowling but a rich part of test history that's being corrupted by shorter formats namely the IPL (even though English County Cricket has been the biggest advocat of T20 cricket). What a bunch of crying, whining *******s.

[Fontaine]

And seriously when the hell did James Anderson become and outswing AND inswing bowler? He very occasionally inswings the ball.

[Sachinism]

~While the cricket overall has been of lower quality so has also the BBC commentary apart from a few notables like Boycott/Chappell. In the Edgebaston test when Australia got off to a great start and England bowled utter rubbish the BBC commentators were crying out for bowling tighter, bowling to a field and creating lots of pressure especially because the wicket was so flat at first with no swing. When the English bowlers couldn't, all the talk was about, you guessed it, blaming the IPL for making bowlers less patient and they started saying well why "don't bowlers do it anymore" as if they speak for the entire world. When India only did that same damn thing against Australia (bowling to a specific packed off side field with Zaheer/Ishant on a flat track) the BBC, specifically Jonathan Agnew was calling it a negative tactic/bowling even though they got the wickets eventually. Now, when England should have done the same thing, it's no longer negative bowling but a rich part of test history that's being corrupted by shorter formats namely the IPL (even though English County Cricket has been the biggest advocat of T20 cricket). What a bunch of crying, whining *******s.

These guys are whinny little biatches. They start crying foul as soon as some Asians do something better than them.

[The Outsider]

James Anderson + swing = wickets James Anderson - swing = Sami You expect an international bowler with so much experience, pace and exposure to be able to mature as a bowler and develop new techniques like reverse swing, or cutters, good slower deliveries, or yorkers but Anderson is as one dimensional as it gets. This is the same bowler who couldn't get out West Indian tail enders in must win situations in the caribbean when England were embarressed there. And now according to Sky sports we're supposed to believe he's a lethal bowler?

Anderson is no Zaheer Khan, but at the same time he sticks to what you suggest Pathan should do - just concentrate on swing, his strength, rather than experiment with cutters and slower balls all the time. BTW, Anderson can reverse swing it. The conditions in this series have been dreadful for any reverse swing and I haven't seen any bowler do it, though if you want the lulz you should read this insightful article by an Australian about how it was reversing all over the place at Edgbaston :

AUSTRALIA'S bid to claw its way back into the Ashes was decimated by a combination of superb England reverse swing and bad weather at Edgbaston. Australia's 2005 reverse swing Ashes nightmare returned to devastate it as it was bowled out for 263 with Jimmy Anderson (5-80) and Graham Onions (4-58) the destroyers. England then fell to 1-2 but recovered to be 2-116 with captain Andrew Strauss unbeaten on 64 when bad light stopped play with 19 overs remaining. The Poms were batting well but Australia - wary it is 1-0 down in the Ashes - was desperate to stay on the field in a bid for late wickets under darkening skies. Australia had some early success when Peter Siddle, preferred for the new ball to the struggling Mitchell Johnson, had Alastair Cook caught behind for a duck. Ravi Bopara, who has not looked like a Test batsman this series, was dismissed for 23 when he dragged a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery back onto his stumps. Ian Bell, who was unbeaten on 26, should have been given his marching orders when he was 18 as he was plumb lbw to Johnson who launched a huge appeal. Umpire Rudi Koertzen inexplicably turned it down in his latest poor decision of the series. Earlier, unheralded seamers Anderson and Onions became England's new reverse swing kings on a day when Ricky Ponting moved past Allan Border's long-standing Australian Test run record. In scenes reminiscent of how Simon Jones got the old ball to swing around corners in 2005, Onions and Anderson wobbled the ball everywhere and both took their best figures against Australia. Onions was the early destroyer with a superb reverse swing surge of 3-13 in 27 balls and Anderson continued the mayhem by taking 5-13 in 38 amazing deliveries. Australia started the day at 1-126 but lost 7-77 in the first session and 9-137 overall. Onions started the reverse swing rout and Anderson stepped up the destruction when he firstly produced a big inswinger which hit vice-captain Michael Clarke on the pads and trapped him lbw for 29. Then Anderson snared Marcus North (12), caught superbly one-handed by wicketkeeper Matt Prior, and Johnson (0), who shouldered arms to a late inswinger, with consecutive deliveries. It was a double-wicket maiden only seven minutes from lunch and continued a session of mass reverse swing carnage, which ended when Anderson bowled Manou (8). After lunch Anderson snared his fifth wicket, and his best figures against Australia, when he had Siddle caught behind to a ball that swung in. It was the second time in the series that Anderson has been the chief destroyer for England after he took 4-55 at Lord's. Onions had kickstarted England's extraordinary wicket surge when he snared the wickets of Shane Watson (62) and Mike Hussey for a golden duck with the first two deliveries of the day. The little-known but lion-hearted Onions created more carnage when he bounced out Ponting (38) who got a thin edge behind to a rearing delivery that he had tried to pull behind square. Onions, a keen Newcastle soccer fan, had some mixed emotions as long-time Newcastle and England manager Bobby Robson died last night after losing a long battle with cancer. Things should have been far worse for Australia and Onions' figures should have been even better as reverse swing became a big factor for the first time during the Ashes. Clarke, on 20, was dropped by Andy Flintoff in a sitter of a catch at second slip. And Clarke should also have got his marching orders when, on 18, he was rapped on the pads in front of middle-stump by an Onions reverse swinger which came in late. Umpire Aleem Dar turned down a prolonged appeal from every England player, including captain Andrew Strauss who had his arms pleading in the air for an eternity. During his innings, Ponting became Australia's most prolific batsman when he clipped Andrew Flintoff off his legs for three. Ponting celebrated his fabulous milestone, overtaking Border's record of 11,174 Test runs, by waving his bat to all parts of the Edgbaston ground as he received warm cheers. However he didn't have much time to enjoy the moment as he was walking off the ground soon after. Onions' terrific spell was the equal of Flintoff's last day heroics at Lord's as great West Indian quick Mike Holding noted that reverse swing had become a factor for the first time in the series. ""The ball is doing a lot this morning, creating a lot of problems,'' Holding said. WTF did Holding or anyone talk about reverse swing!! :hysterical: Onions started the carnage immediately when he trapped Watson plumb lbw with a superb swinging delivery which squared the makeshift opener up and dismissed him for his overnight score. More amazing scenes followed when Hussey shouldered arms to the second ball of the day and had his offstump knocked over as England roared like they had won the Ashes. A nervous Clarke survived Onions' hat-trick delivery - a short ball which rose sharply down the legside.

England press might hype up their players but at least they are not idiotic enough to confuse reverse and conventional swing!! Thing is that England can get away with having a limited Anderson when they are playing 5 bowlers because the attack becomes pretty specialized and if the ball is not swinging the captain has the option to call up another resource more suited to the conditions.