Pre Ashes Thread

[achilles]

:listen_dawg:

[RamP]

well then. lets start stirring pieterson on behalf of the aussies. bring on the pieterson stirring threads please

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Ricky: Bat's All, Folks! THE ASHES LET THE MIND GAMES BEGIN More... Ricky Ponting kicks off Ashes mindgames with sledge at England batsmen By Dean Wilson 20/10/2010 Ricky Ponting has directed an early Ashes sledge at England's batsmen. But Ian Bell welcomes the comments as a badge of honour, because he knows the Aussies only get stuck in when they fear you. The under-fire Aussie skipper has taken pot-shots at Kevin Pietersen, Alastair Cook and Paul Collingwood as the phony war cranks up a notch 10 days from departure. "Kevin Pietersen is a big question mark for them at the moment," said Ponting. "Alastair Cook is just holding on to his spot by the skin of his teeth and Paul Collingwood has probably not had the best Test summer of his life either. So there is enough happening around there to know they will be a little nervous when they arrive in Australia." Although with powder-puff bowlers like Doug Bollinger, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitch Johnson at his command, Ponting's words sound like empty threats. Bell is happy to take it in his stride after being on the receiving end of plenty of banter during the last tour Down Under when Shane Warne gave him the nickname 'Shermanator' after the geeky American Pie character. And that abuse only came about in 2006 because he was doing some-thing right, rather than the silence that greeted him in 2005 when he hardly made an impact. Bell said: "It was a bit weird to hear them calling me that to begin with, but I've heard it so many times now I just laugh. "To get chirped in Australia was probably a good sign, because I was starting to do things right. I'm not sure I got chirped once in 2005, because I probably wasn't at the crease for long enough. "To get sledged means I was doing something better than I was in 2005, so if I get chirped again it must mean I'm doing something right and that goes for the rest of the batsmen too." Bell has changed a lot since those first two Ashes exchanges with the Aussies in 2005 and 2006/07 and it has been for the better as he enjoyed his most consistent spell in the England side until injury last summer. His match-winning hundred in Durban followed by a match-saving 50 in Cape Town last winter were the fruits of some soul-searching and hard training. He had an OK tour to Australia last time, considering how badly the team performed, but one innings at the Oval apart last summer, Ponting's side have not seen the best of him. "I did all right last time out there, I felt I'd improved," added Bell. "But I didn't get the real big score you need to have a good series. "In 2005 I was well short of being a Test cricketer, but in the six years since I'm a hell of a better player than I was. I've learned some tough lessons along the way. "I think I learned from being left out in the West Indies how much it means to play for your country. I thought at one point I was going to play for my country for 10 years, but you realise sometimes you've got to do a little bit more. "In the last 18 months I feel my Test cricket has been as good as it has ever been. I've played the innings people wanted me to play under pressure and developed into a more mature player." Jaguar is an official partner of the ECB and the Jaguar Academy of Sport is committed to nurturing young sporting talent.

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Lillee predicts Australia win in Ashes Former Australia paceman Dennis Lillee believes Ricky Ponting's men will regain the Ashes due to a stronger bowling attack. More... Lillee predicts Australia win in Ashes Former Australia paceman Dennis Lillee believes Ricky Ponting's men will regain the Ashes due to a stronger bowling attack. Lillee took 355 wickets in 70 Tests from 1971-84, forming a lethal partnership with Jeff Thomson to destroy England in the 1974/75 series in Australia. And he is expecting the likes of Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger to shine on home soil when battle gets underway next month. "In the end it's got to be (about) your attack - you've got to bowl sides out twice," he told Sky Sports Radio. "If I look at both attacks I think Australia - even without (Shane) Warne and (Glenn) McGrath - have a better attack than England. "(England's) spinning attack - they may use spin twins (Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar) - may be better than ours because Nathan (Hauritz) is still evolving, but overall our attack is better and that's where games are won." Pressed for a prediction on the Ashes outcome, Lillee declared: "It's going to be much closer than the other ones (recent Ashes series in Australia). "But we should probably win it 2-1 or 3-2." Meanwhile, Brett Lee is adamant the arrival of the Ashes series won't leave him regretting his decision to stand down from Test cricket. The 33-year-old called a halt to his Test career earlier this year, lessening the workload on his body so he could concentrate on making it back into Australia's one-day and Twenty20 sides. "There is still a lot of cricket left in me and the reason I stood down from Test cricket was to prolong my career in the shorter forms of the game," he told Sportal. "If I chose to continue with Test cricket the odds were, with the strain on the body, the cards weren't going to fall my way. "That's why I drew a line in the sand. "I loved every single moment of my Test career but I haven't missed it one little bit. "I'm more than content with what I've achieved."

[Sir john]

:two_thumbs_up:

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England Ashes plans take hi-tech turn Watching Steven Davies clip a virtual Mitchell Johnson nonchalantly off his pads, it was hard not to let the mind wander towards Brisbane. It marked the unveiling of the ECB's new Pro Batter tool. More... England Ashes plans take hi-tech turn 21 October 2010 | By Justin Goulding Steven Davies says facing a virtual Mitchell Johnson on Pro Batter felt more realistic than hitting balls on a standard bowling machine Watching Steven Davies clip Mitchell Johnson nonchalantly off his pads, it was impossible not to let the mind wander towards Brisbane and beyond. Admittedly, Davies is unlikely to be playing in the opening Ashes Test – he conceded as much to ecb.co.uk later – and Johnson was in fact a computer simulation. But yesterday’s unveiling of the ECB’s new Pro Batter tool further whetted the appetite for the winter that lies ahead for Davies and the rest of the England touring party. The squad as a whole will begin the next chapter of their Ashes preparations today, spending two days in Loughborough before their departure for Australia next Friday. Part of that will involve making use of the ECB’s unrivalled resources at the National Cricket Performance Centre, of which Pro Batter is the latest addition. This state-of-the-art piece of equipment, used as a tool to aid batsmen in the nets, attempts to replicate batting in a match situation by showing footage on a giant screen of a bowler running in to bowl. At the point of delivery, a ball is fired out of a hole positioned where his hand is, after which the batsman does his bit. In essence, it is like playing a giant computer game but with a real bat and ball and, according to Hugh Morris, managing director of England Cricket, will give the England players "some sort of competitive advantage" Down Under. Based on a device used by baseball teams in America, Pro Batter has been developed so that it contains footage of all bowlers playing international cricket and can even replicate all their deliveries. Hence the scenario of Johnson ‘bowling’ a full-length inswinger to Davies, who made light of the fact that he had not used the machine before to time it sweetly through (virtual) midwicket. Swap Johnson’s inswinger for Hilfenhaus’ outswinger, Bollinger’s bouncer or Hauritz’s arm ball, and it is easy to see how the England batsmen will become very familiar with Australia’s attack long before the first Test gets under way at the Gabba on November 25. Australia have also been using Pro Batter; Ricky Ponting is reported to be a fan, and one cannot help but wonder which England bowler he has been practising against the most. Dene Hills, the ECB’s lead batting coach and the main driving force behind the refinement and implementation of Pro Batter at the NCPC before he joins the Australia set-up later this year, uses a golf analogy to highlight its benefits. “A bowling machine is good for practising shots – a bit like a golf driving range,” he told ecb.co.uk. “With Pro Batter we’re trying to make batting more like it would be in a match. Eventually I can see it being in an enclosed space, with extra variables like crowd noise, wind and humidity.” Davies added: “It’s good because you get your visual cues - you can see the bowler running in rather than a coach putting a ball in a machine. I also felt more pressure facing this than I do on the bowling machine.” Such advances in technology highlight the investment the ECB has made in coaching, and the importance it attaches to providing its players – from the England senior squad down through the age-group, women’s and disability teams – with the best environment in which to hone their skills. The days of throw-downs in the nets are coming to an end, it seems, a view reinforced by a quick glance at the workings of Pro Batter (think nuclear reactor). It was the flagship piece of kit on display at the NCPC yesterday, alongside Merlyn and Trackman. Hugh Morris hopes the technological advancements made by the ECB will help give England a "competitive advantage" Down Under Merlyn may be familiar to some cricket followers. A sophisticated bowling machine capable of imparting great spin on the ball, it has been used by England in the past to mimic facing the world’s best slow bowlers. With Shane Warne now safely ensconced in the commentary box, there appears less need for it this winter than on previous Ashes tours, but it will travel to Australia nonetheless. Trackman requires more of an introduction as it is thought to be the first device available in cricket which can measure how many revolutions a spinner puts on a ball. Adapted from a version used on the European golf circuit and built using missile technology of the kind found in Hawk-Eye, Trackman is a small laser camera mounted on a tripod behind the bowler. It detects the ball rotating in flight (even from as far away as the stands) and sends the results to a laptop. To give you an indication, Graeme Swann manages around 2,000 revolutions per minute (more than 30 per second and mightily impressive for an off-spinner, according to the experts), and Adil Rashid, a leg-spinner, nearer 2,500. “We wanted something that measured spin so that we could benchmark English spin bowlers,” said David Parsons, the ECB performance director and former spin bowling coach. “We can then see who spins the ball the most and how much a bowler spins it from one year to the next, for example. It’s a really useful tool.” It all adds up to a mightily impressive array of hi-tech gadgetry at the ECB’s disposal, and England fans will echo Morris’ feelings in hoping that it stands the players in good stead over the coming months. .

[Sachinism]

That is crazy stuff. Imagine having your own one, then even you could do what the pro's do and smash Mitchell

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Paine edging ahead of Haddin : Marsh Former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh believes young gloveman Tim Paine is edging ahead of his older rival Brad Haddin. More... Former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh believes Tim Paine be retained ahead of Brad Haddin Daniel Brettig From AAP October 22, 2010 Australian wicketkeeping's elder statesman Rod Marsh believes young gloveman Tim Paine has edged ahead of his older rival Brad Haddin. While remaining an admirer of Haddin and his capacity for destructive batting bursts, Marsh thinks 25-year-old Paine has done so well in his Test and limited overs appearances this year that the question of who gets the gloves for the Ashes is not straightforward. "Tim is a more correct or traditional type player, whereas Brad with the bat can be as explosive as anyone I've ever seen, he's a magnificent striker of the ball and I think anyone would like to have Brad in the team," Marsh told an ICC podcast. "However, Tim has done so well it is going to be hard for Brad to get back in. "That's not such a bad thing for Australian cricket if you've got two guys playing exceptionally well and challenging each other." Marsh echoed Paine's own feelings that he has developed a great deal in his time behind the stumps at Test level in England and India this year, the widest possible contrast in terms of technical and physical demands. "I think Tim obviously playing in Test matches now and also a few one-dayers, his 'keeping will come on in leaps and bounds," said Marsh. "It happens that the more you're picked the better you become." Chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch has so far been firm in stating that Haddin will slip back into the Australia side the moment he is deemed to have fully recovered from a long-term elbow problem. "Brad richly deserved his opportunity when Adam gave it away. He's done really, really well for us so he's still our No.1 keeper/batter," Hilditch said after the Mohali Test. "Tim's challenge, just like Brad's was, is to make sure he's putting on as much pressure as he possibly can. "He's a very impressive young man and we're really pleased with how he's going, a very talented player. "So he's putting pressure on but if Brad's fit, that's the way we'll go." However the addition of the lateral thinking Greg Chappell to the selection panel - he famously plucked Ian Healy from the obscurity of second choice for Queensland to turn him into the man who broke Marsh's record for dismissals - may help Paine's case.

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India tour was preparation for Ashes: Nielsen Australia coach Tim Nielsen says the three-match ODI series is a mere formality for his team and an opportunity to try out youngsters. More...

[dial_100]

How to lose Ashes practice.. :hysterical:

[Ram]

I think the team will benefit immensely from the India tour, especially vis-à-vis the Ashes. When I first heard of the BCCI proposal to change the 7 ODI tour to a 2 test, 3 ODI one, I thought CA wouldn’t agree to it. Those guys generally don’t make such haphazard changes to their tour schedule. But to my surprise, they agreed to it. They wouldn’t have done so only to cave in to the demands of BCCI, they obviously also felt there was some benefit to the Aussie team from playing 2 tests in India so close to the Ashes. And that makes a lot of sense because it is such tours that toughen you up mentally. Australia may have lost the series, but they would have take a lot of heart from the fact that they matched India on 9 out of the 10 days. Their batting, especially in the first innings would have given them a lot of heart. The India tour was a like dress rehearsal, only a lot tougher. The Poms are in for a surprise come Brisbane.

[coffee_rules]

After a tough tour in Aus 03-04, India went to Pak and thrashed them all over their parks. Aus will do the same to Eng now.

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Fiery Mitchell Johnson vows to 'get up Kevin Pietersen's nose' with some Ashes bouncers The last time Kevin Pietersen came face to face with Mitchell Johnson in an Ashes series opener, they had to be pulled apart as a spat in training threatened to turn into a brawl.More... Fiery Mitchell Johnson vows to 'get up Kevin Pietersen's nose' with some Ashes bouncers By Peter Hayter 23rd October 2010 The last time Kevin Pietersen came face to face with Mitchell Johnson in an Ashes series opener, the two men had to be pulled apart as a spat in training threatened to turn into an all-out brawl. Now, with six days remaining before England touch down in Perth for the rematch, Johnson stoked up the fires when he vowed to ‘get up Pietersen’s nose’ and launch a bouncer attack against the out-of-form England star. Head-to-head: The last time Mitchell Johnson and Kevin Pietersen faced each other was during a training ground spat In a heated confrontation before the final day’s play in the first Test of the 2009 Ashes in Cardiff, the Australian quick and the England batsman traded insults. Although peacemaker Stuart Clark, the Aussies’ 12th man, managed to stop the two coming to blows the incident, which occurred when Pietersen hit a pullshot in the direction of the Australian, caused extreme ill-feeling. Johnson, speaking in next month’s issue of Australian magazine Inside Cricket, warned: ‘We don’t mind bowling short early — get up his (Pietersen’s) nose. You like to go after the blokes who are the best in the world. It’s nice to get them out and it’s another intimidating factor for you down the track. There’s pressure on him being their best batter. Pietersen is not someone I’m going to ring up every weekend. If I see him I’ll say Hello.’

[achilles]

I'm going to trouble Viru with bouncers

[rkt.india]

I'm going to trouble Viru with bouncers

h troubled Viru with bouncers and short stuff in Mohali and took his wicket....remember though Viru had scored 50 by then....he plays so fast until they got their bowling right he smashed them allover the park:two_thumbs_up:

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

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Shane Warne says to turn up heat on Graeme Swann Shane Warne has dared Australia's batsman to be brave against England spin ace Graeme Swann this winter. More... Shane Warne says to turn up heat on Graeme Swann By Ahmer Khokhar 24/10/2010 Shane Warne has dared Australia's batsman to be brave against England spin ace Graeme Swann this winter. The retired Aussie legend rates Swann, 31, as the most improved bowler in world cricket and the biggest obstacle to Australia's hopes of regaining the Ashes. Warne said: "I think Steve Finn and James Anderson will struggle out here and England will heavily rely on Swann for a lot of their wickets. "Swann has a big reputation for getting a wicket in his first over, so a lot of teams have become negative against him. Australia's batsmen have to show some bravery and really try to go after him. If Swann starts getting smashed, that'll put doubts into his mind." Warne also believes Swann has the swagger needed to unsettle Australia's batting line-up. He added: "Swann has got attitude and great body language. He believes he is going to get you out."

[achilles]

This body-language aspect is something that can do a lot of work for you. Its working for R.Ashwin, P.Ojha, S.Smith and a lot of spinners.

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Andrew Strauss tells Ricky Ponting to stop wasting his time with Ashes mind games Andrew Strauss last night warned Australia that their usual Ashes mind games will be utterly futile this time around. Of all the painful memories the England skipper brought home from their 5-0 dismantling four years ago, one still stands out as a chilling reminder.More... Andrew Strauss tells Ricky Ponting to stop wasting his time with Ashes mind games By Peter Hayter 23rd October 2010 Andrew Strauss last night warned Australia that their usual Ashes mind games will be utterly futile this time around. Of all the painful memories the England skipper brought home from their 5-0 dismantling four years ago, one still stands out as a chilling reminder of how things were. England had arrived in Australia in 2006 as Ashes holders, but all the positive thinking acting skipper Andrew Flintoff initially tried to muster could not disguise a deep unease within the squad that the absence through injury and illness of Michael Vaughan, Marcus Trescothick and Simon Jones might have all but wrecked their chances before they started. Warning shot: Captain Andrew Strauss says England are mentally stronger than last time they traveled down under And Strauss’s first contact with the opposition prior to the start of the series in Brisbane merely hardened his sense that things were about to get much, much worse. Strauss said: ‘I remember the day before the first Test started I bumped into a couple of their players in the corridor at the Gabba. I said, “Hi mate, how are you doing?” and they blanked me, just walked straight past me. ‘After having been beaten by us in 2005, they obviously had this thing, that they were going to give these guys absolutely nothing for six weeks — and it worked. ‘We had got off the plane and there was a huge sign saying, “Tonk a Pom”. Mind games: Ponting has suggested Kevin Pietersen could be England's weak link 'We built up and built up how their media were going to go after us, the stuff we might encounter off the pitch, and we ended up scaring ourselves. We were like rabbits in the headlights.’ Cue Steve Harmison’s first ball double-wide, pouched by Flintoff at second slip, and definitive, not to say deafening, evidence according to some of the psychological fragility among England’s finest. ‘There were a mixture of reasons why we didn’t give of our best, but in the end we weren’t good enough, weren’t strong enough, weren’t resilient enough,’ added Strauss. 'But I truly believe things are different now.' ‘I’m aware of all the stories that have been circulating; the fact that one of our batting coaches, Dene Hills, will be leaving us to join Australia, the things John Buchanan has said about Kevin Pietersen being an individualist and other comments supposedly coming from Ricky Ponting about KP being the weak link. ‘Our attitude is that it is all a load of old rubbish, the usual phoney war. This time we’ve built up the size of the challenge cricket-wise, but played down the other side of it. ‘Nothing actually matters until the first ball of the series, and one guy runs up to bowl at another guy. The rest is just words. We have to be prepared and focused for that, not what anyone might say or think before that, and I’m sure we will be.’ If he needs extra motivation, Strauss has another recollection from four years ago. ‘To have your own supporters get in a lift with you, saying you’re a disgrace to your country and having to look at your feet while they tell you how much money they’ve spent coming to watch you let them down, is a hard thing to take.’ While he accepts the cracked rib suffered by James Anderson from the boxing gloves of Chris Tremlett was not part of the grand scheme, Strauss is convinced the idea behind the recent team-bonding exercises in Germany — to take his players to uncharted psychological and physical territory and make them find their own way back — remains sound. ‘I must admit I didn’t fancy climbing into the ring with Chris,’ said Strauss. ‘He’s very tall and strong and just kept coming at you like Ivan Drago out of Rocky. While Jimmy’s injury was unfortunate, the exercise was all about making people do things they would not normally do and not all of them were comfortable. ‘Somewhere down the line, we might have two guys at the crease in a tight spot who can say to each other, 'Look, we’ve been in tougher situations than this and got through', and that might just win us a match.’

[vamos_rafa]

:hysterical: Finally Strauss has attained Nirvana. Now he knows how the world functions. But its easier said than done. Englishmen have made far too many statements which only tells me that they are nervous but still are trying to show that they are not. But I still think its gonna be Austraila who are going to lift the Urn.