Boeta.......

[Reg Smeeton]

.....What do you reckon  :?:

   Australia Ashes squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Michael Clarke, Jason Gillespie, Brad Haddin, Matthew Hayden, Brad Hodge, Justin Langer, Michael Kasprowicz, Simon Katich, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne

[walrus]

What no Mark Viduka or Harry Kewell?!?!

[Boeta]

No surprises for me. The Australians are class, but here's a few things:

Michael Clarke: He's a gun and will be a star for the next 10-15 years, but at the minute he's looking a bit dodgy against express pace, having not faced much of it before. Having two, perhaps three, genuinely quick bowlers will really test him.

Jason Gillespie: Was apparently shocking in the first two Tests against New Zealand last month, although had his rhythm back for the 3rd.

Matthew Hayden: Has been on a poor run of form for a year now and hasn't scored in ton for god knows how long. If we can knock him over early a couple of times in the 1st and 2nd Tests, it will hardly inspire confidence in the rest of the Aus side

Michael Kasprowicz: Also had a relatively poor series against New Zealand and for some unknown reason the Aussie press are championing Brett Lee for his place, which will heap the pressure on Kasper.

And the fringe players you may not have heard of:

Brad Haddin: A lesser version of Gilchrist. Fast scoring bat, bit of a dodgy keeper.
Brad Hodge: Aussie domestic cricket run machine (and also for Leicestershire over here)
Shaun Tait: Young quickie who's taken their domestic cricket by storm this year. Had a shocking two game spell with Durham last season - runs per over of 9.77 due a horrific no-ball problem

[Reg Smeeton]

OK you're Duncan Fletcher....how do you go about winning this?

[Boeta]

Hope and pray that Steve Harmison is on form and fired up

If he turns up we're a chance, if he doesn't its all over already.

Meanwhile, I'd drop Geraint Jones for Matt Prior.

[Reg Smeeton]

Is that it ......I think we should resort to dirty tricks.  Try and catch a few Aussies in flagrante delecto.....visiting Uncle Charlie.....or women of dubious repute.

  A bettting scandal or match fixing corruption scam would be good......

 Remember when John Crawley got battered on a night out in Cairns, I always assumed he was cruising gay bars, he was never the same afterwards , (OK he was crap before)

 No stone should be left unturned.

[DMR]

Hope and pray that Steve Harmison is on form and fired up

If he turns up we're a chance, if he doesn't its all over already.

Meanwhile, I'd drop Geraint Jones for Matt Prior.

   Geraint Jones knows what it's about to bat against the Aussies.

Harmisons overrated. We need Shrek to be at his very best to try and keep the runs from flowing and try and outfield them so we can outscore them.

Not very hopeful.

[oxford_fan]

come on freddy flintoff! that's the extent of my cricket knowledge.

[Boeta]

Warnie does all the dirty tricks for you.

Last week he had the third sex text scandal of his career. He's had the match-fixing scandal and the drug scandal. You can't ask for much more than that.

Thing is, he's still awesome.

Harmisons overrated..

One shocking series from a well-documented homesick player and he's overrated - how fickle is that.

Name the three most important things for a seam bowler - 1) bounce 2) movement and preferably 3) at pace. Harmison's got them all, we just need him to use them.

We need Shrek to be at his very best to try and keep the runs from flowing and try and outfield them so we can outscore them

Hoggard's main selling point is that the Australians have only seen him when he's been at his worst which may mean they'll be over-confident and play one shot too many. On the other hand, they could reduce him to ruins like last time.

come on freddy flintoff! that's the extent of my cricket knowledge.

re: Flintoff.Lets hope he's fit

[Onion_Jimbo]

come one teh flintoff

[DMR]

Hoggard is our equivalent of the Pidgeon, while Harmy is a Brett Lee.

I know who gets my vote.

[Reg Smeeton]

come on freddy flintoff! that's the extent of my cricket knowledge.

 Did you ever meet Peter Roebuck.....he came from O*ford, former public school boy. Got convicted for beating young cricketers in his charge across the buttocks for being naughty?

[Boeta]

Hoggard is our equivalent of the Pidgeon, while Harmy is a Brett Lee.

I know who gets my vote.

They are about the two most useless comparisons I've ever heard:

McGrath's strengths
1) Bounce
2) Line

Lee's strengths:
1) Sheer pace

Harmison's strengths:
1) Bounce
2) Pace

Hoggard's strengths:
1) Swing
2) Length

[DMR]

Whose their most accurate seamer, whose ours? Which one of each side puts the shitters up a batsman, supposedly? It's a fair one.

Fucking hell Boeta, even I wouldn't mind having a pop at a Harmy low on confidence. Plenty of hittable crap at a pace that only needs a nudge.

[Reg Smeeton]

Warnie does all the dirty tricks for you.

Last week he had the third sex text scandal of his career. He's had the match-fixing scandal and the drug scandal. You can't ask for much more than that.

Thing is, he's still awesome

 OK...we have to be disciplined as much as you or I may love Warne...we have to drag him down. this may be best done by leaving him out of the spotlight and concentrating on the others.