******Cricket Thread******

[Dr Jacoby]

Cummins would have bench-warmed for Lee in competition with Tait, Hazlewood would have replaced Gillespie mid-way through as he's an English wicket bowler.

I would struggle to put many current England players in the 05 team on this year's form, maybe Stokes at 5 but with KP and Freddie already in it would have been a big choice and Buttler would replace Jones. That 4 man seam attack was too good even for Jimmy so none of the others would get in.

Tait was rapid but he couldn’t be relied on as a test bowler. His action put too much strain on his back, which is why he eventually became a T20 specialist.

I take your point about Hazelwood but he’s a less skilful (with a bit more pace) version of McGrath to me.

My ‘05/present day composite eleven for England would be:

1.Trescothick
2.Strauss
3.Vaughan
4.Root
5.Pietersen
6.Flintoff
7.Buttler :/
8.Giles :S
9.Broad
10.Harmison
11.S Jones

It’s tough to omit Hoggard, Stokes and Bell.

 

[Bluemoon dan]

Frustratingly I dont think our batting was the main deciding factor in this Test. We lost it in the field with dropped catches in the first innings and the dismissal of Smith off the no ball. Those things alone probably cost about 200 runs. Its just worrying that no one element of the team is really standing up to even a semblance of pressure being applied to it.

 

[crooky]

My memory sucks. Was Katich their number 6?

If so, I’d go for:

1.Hayden
2.Langer
3.Ponting
4.Smith
5.Martyn
6.Clarke
7.Gilchrist
8.Warne
9.Cummins
10.Lee
11.McGrath

Clarke was bang average that series. I'd like to say I'd swap him with one of the 2019 team so maybe Labershaunge could do the trick. Or cheat and put someone who should've been in the 2005 Aussies team at the time. The ever underrated Mike Hussey.

 

[Dr Jacoby]

Yes, Katich batted 6 and Martyn 4. I remember Katich having a pretty good series though, saying that Martyn had an excellent test record.

Martyn was the superior player but I can’t recall him scoring many runs against England in 2005. In fact, he may have retired during or after that series.

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

Tait was rapid but he couldn’t be relied on as a test bowler. His action put too much strain on his back, which is why he eventually became a T20 specialist.

I take your point about Hazelwood but he’s a less skilful (with a bit more pace) version of McGrath to me.

My ‘05/present day composite eleven for England would be:

1.Trescothick
2.Strauss
3.Vaughan
4.Root
5.Pietersen
6.Flintoff
7.Buttler :/
8.Giles :S
9.Broad
10.Harmison
11.S Jones

It’s tough to omit Hoggard, Stokes and Bell.

Buttler? Prior would surely be in there? You also appear to have missed out Jimmy Anderson, who’d be in for Jones. I’d put KP at 4, drop Root and bung Stokes in at 5.

 

[Dr Jacoby]

Clarke was bang average that series. I'd like to say I'd swap him with one of the 2019 team so maybe Labershaunge could do the trick. Or cheat and put someone who should've been in the 2005 Aussies team at the time. The ever underrated Mike Hussey.

He was just beginning his test career but he went on to become one of Australia’s best middle order batsmen in recent years. He was a brilliant captain, too.

I guess it depends if you’re selecting players based on ability or their contributions in the series. Labuschagne would get the nod if it’s the latter.

 

[Dr Jacoby]

Buttler? Prior would surely be in there? You also appear to have missed out Jimmy Anderson, who’d be in for Jones. I’d put KP at 4, drop Root and bung Stokes in at 5.

For no apparent reason, I was trying to think which of the current England team would make the XI that predominantly featured in the infamous 2005 Ashes series. Prior and Anderson were not involved.

 

[PannickAtTheDisco]

Tait was rapid but he couldn’t be relied on as a test bowler. His action put too much strain on his back, which is why he eventually became a T20 specialist.

I take your point about Hazelwood but he’s a less skilful (with a bit more pace) version of McGrath to me.

My ‘05/present day composite eleven for England would be:

1.Trescothick
2.Strauss
3.Vaughan
4.Root
5.Pietersen
6.Flintoff
7.Buttler :/
8.Giles :S
9.Broad
10.Harmison
11.S Jones

It’s tough to omit Hoggard, Stokes and Bell.

I'd drop Strauss on principle but we don't have a capable opener these days.

Tres,*cough*,Vaughan(c), KP, Stokes, Freddie, Buttler, Giles, Hoggard, Harmison, Jones

RE: Tait, yes but that only really manifested itself later on and I believe he made his test debut in that series so he would have been in contention, brilliant bowler nonetheless. I'm taking the 05 teams as was then, not what happened after

 

[The Light Was Yellow Sir]

For no apparent reason, I was trying to think which of the current England team would make the XI that predominantly featured in the infamous 2005 Ashes series. Prior and Anderson were not involved.

Fair do’s. Thought you’d done a 2005 to 2019 composite 11. I’d still try and get Stokes in though.

 

[bavarian blue]

This attack is as good as theyve sent over bar the War

The issue is Bairstow spat his dummy out when they took the gloves off him . Buttler should be keeping imo. Also if we are dropping Roy which I agree with who comes in?

Ollie Pope.

 

[Neville Kneville]

So you finally got your e-tickets then? ;)

Hopefully you see some decent resistance tomorrow - and if we escape with a draw, it’ll feel like a win.

Nope, I logged into the account I created when I paid for them & they were in there, as downloadable files. They didn't bother emailing me, to let me know. (And all fucking named the same, they couldn't even be arsed with 1,2, 3 so I was getting a message re if I wanted to download the same file again) Swales lives

It was a better effort, albeit without particular skill from most of the batsmen.

If they had shown more concentration & determination in the first innings, they would have saved the game with time to spare. But, had they done so, would then be going into the next test with 3 batsmen for whom scoring 30, is like scoring 100, whilst they have Smith, to paper over their shit.

Surely they have to change at least a couple of positions, just give some a try out ?

 

[Gray]

Root banging on about how he is the man for the job of captaincy.

If that is the best we can do then heaven help the England test team going forward.

 

[wattle]

Unchanged squad for the oval. Staggering decision

 

[Gabriel]

Unchanged squad for the oval. Staggering decision

Probably see Woakes back in for Overton, though they arguably got that the wrong way round, and Curran in for Stokes.

 

[waspish]

Fcuking pissing it down in manchester where was this yesterday!?

Same squad and Root speech is everything I expected after this loss.

 

[ancoats]

Root banging on about how he is the man for the job of captaincy.

If that is the best we can do then heaven help the England test team going forward.

the thing is he can not defend results and has nothing to back it up with, the right man for the job quote ?? he will say all the right things in a interview but plain old facts say other wise and he is not good enough, look its not just him but the head coach bowling coaches batting coaches the whole setup is wrong, we have had 3 games at trying to get smith out early and think he is at 600 runs or more in 3 test ??? that can not be right ok he is a great batter, but root and england are just adding the fuel to the fire by the bowling and field settings, and i truly think they have given up and roots only plan was to hoped to get the rest out leaving him not out

there will be a new head coach come next week and hopefully its micky arther who i like and lets hope he gets full control with his own backroom staff and coaches and pick of captain ?? i doubt he will get any of the above and root will be still captain and most of the setup from the ashes will still be in the squad

 

[The Stockport Iniesta]

Unchanged squad for the oval. Staggering decision

3-1 it is then.

 

[BLUEMATT23]

Unchanged squad for the oval. Staggering decision

Not really when you think about it.
Due to the domestic scheduling it's been all t20 blast last few weeks, bar 1 round of championship games.
It's not really fair to throw in an unknown or a youngster for 1 game when chances are they haven't been able to play domestic games.
I personally also blame the international schedule and the world cup win for our poor Ashes showing.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Not really when you think about it.
Due to the domestic scheduling it's been all t20 blast last few weeks, bar 1 round of championship games.
It's not really fair to throw in an unknown or a youngster for 1 game when chances are they haven't been able to play domestic games.
I personally also blame the international schedule and the world cup win for our poor Ashes showing.

Sibley and Crawley both made ducks in their only 4 day game in months. I agree it doesn’t make sense to pick them.

Pope and Foulkes could have come in though. Burns is never going to be a test batsman, so I’d have given Pope the nod.

Harder to pick another player to drop. Buttler maybe, but if we were doing that, I’d pick Sam Curran to bat at 7 and give us a left arm option.

Denly will open again, so can’t drop him.

 

[M18CTID]

Had a great day on Friday despite the late start. I know it’s the Ashes so it’s always going to be well attended but in terms of test cricket in general, England is bucking the trend and it seems to be every bit as popular with the fans. Many fans buy into the full day out and the atmosphere tends to be fantastic, regardless of whether the team are doing well or not.

As for the cricket itself, I’m still pretty gutted about the defeat. Unlike football where you can usually put it right pretty quickly, home Ashes series only come round once every 4 years. The daft thing is though, for all the talk of Australia retaining the Ashes we can still draw the series so there’s plenty to play for.