The Ashes - 2005

[chezlaw]

No idea what Ponting was thinking about when he put England in. I hated Vaughn's decision to enforce the follow on - 2.5 days to go, good batting conditions for oz and Warne to bowl at the death was always asking for trouble. I think we should have batted you out of the game and backed ourselves to bowl you out in 5+ sessions.

Who would have believed that Warne could actually enhance his reputation - what a geezer. Lee has really impressed as well even if he is a bit expensive, its the rest of the bowling that looks weak.

Weather permiting a draw can't be very likely so still all to play for.

chez

[RRRRICK]

I was actually surprised when the commentators were saying Australia would need a lead of 200 - 250 to have a chance.
When oz followed on I was thinking 150 was even money. As it turned out it may well have been enough.

In Vaughn's defense given the way his bowlers were going a win by Innings was very possible or at worse a smallish 50 - 60 chase. 129 is one of those numbers where losing a few early can give the batsman a little bit of a wobble.

Don't get me wrong we would rather eat hot coals then see England regain the ashes, but, it is awesome to see that one of the greatest rivalries in sport is now a fair dinkum contest again.

If England get up we will take our hats off to them and the better team will have won. But we hope that Australia at the very least show up to play from the first ball at the Oval, instead of fighting back from near hopeless positions on day 3 - 4.

If I had to pick one key factor to Englands success I would have to say the negating of Adam Gilchrist.

On several occasions in recent years when the oz top order has collapsed Gilly has been there to pick up the pieces.

He turns 5/150 into 400 - 450 and does it in quick time.

Obviously the England bowlers haven't given him any oppotunity to play himself in and get going. England have done ther homework and have recognised that Gilchrist is the key and they understand that he's suspect early in his innings and is prone to playing terrible shots in his first 25 balls. If you look at any of his big innings he almost always survives one or two sketchy shots early but once he finds the middle he destroys bowling.

I thought the series we lost in India in '03 would be a tough one to top but this is just on a different planet.

In that series there were lulls, there were sessions where the game just ticked on. Here every session is like a round of a boxing match with punches flying.

Brilliant stuff I wish it didn't have to end

[chezlaw]

Before the tour I thought the key differences between the sides was the huge superiority of Gilchrist over Jones and Warne over Giles and I agree with you that Gilchrist's failure has made a huge difference.

Its been a hot topic of converastion over here. He looks so uncertain at the wicket - loss of form or at nearly 34, is he past it?

What's the view in oz?

chez

[RRRRICK]

I think up until now we have all been waiting expecting that Gilly will eventually unleash a trademark innings.

It just hasn't happened. He is unsure which balls to leave and which balls to play. All the bowlers are really doing is bowling around the wicket outside off stump. Its the fact that they are swinging the ball into his off stump and away to the slips which is causing his uncertainty. We are used to seeing Gilchrist get out because he's playing big shots and he miscues one, oh well that's Gilly. But in this series he's getting himself out playing some awful shots, feeling for the ball bat away from he's body.

I don't think we are ready to right him off just yet as he's never really had this sort of a dry spell in his career.

Hayden and Martyn on the other hand have had more than enough chances. Time to give Hussey and Hodge a go.

[chezlaw]

Its frightening for us poms that you have players like Hussey, Hodge and Symonds sitting on the sidelines.

What team would you pick with and without McGrath?

chez

[RRRRICK]

It's a real tough one.

If Matthew Hayden can't make runs at The Oval then he's washed up. The pitch will play in a similar fashion to the WACA hard, fast with a lot of bounce. This is taylor made for Hayden's best shots, backfoot square of the wicket on both sides.

So what do you do if you are a selector?

Dump him? or throw down the gauntlet to him, runs or its over Matthew.

On the other hand throwing in a test novice in the biggest match I can remember is asking a lot.

I do think McGrath will play, if he doesn't

Langer
Katich
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Hodge
Gilchrist
Watson
Warne
Lee
Kasprowic
Tait

Kaspa out McGrath in is the likely line up.

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
Langer
Katich
Ponting
Martyn
Clarke
Hodge
Gilchrist
Watson
Warne
Lee
Kasprowic
Tait

Kaspa out McGrath in is the likely line up.


[/ QUOTE ]

I know we have you lot worried but you have to stick to eleven a side [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

chez

[cognito20]

Gilchrist was also horrible in the classic 2001 Test series in India, although he was great both leading up to and directly after the series and played well in the one-day matches. In fact, in the Second Test at Kolkata (the one India won after following on when Laxman hit the 281) I believe Harbhajan and Tendulkar (of all people, he actually bowls some pretty nifty leg-spin) got him for a king pair.

If this wicket was going to help spinners at all perhaps it would be worth reinstating Stuart MacGill (who has an outstanding record bowling in Fifth Tests lol, albeit most of them on an outstanding spinner's wicket at the SCG), but from what I hear that's not usually the case at the Oval (remember, I'm American, I don't get the latest pitch updates on ESPN Sportscenter here lol).

I think the three keys to this match and Australia retaining the Ashes are:

1)McGrath coming back and bowling well,
2)Gilly becoming Gilly again, or a reasonable facsimile of, and, most importantly...
3)Shane Warne coming through when Australia needs him. He is the greatest leg-spinner of all time (and right up there with Laker and Murali as one of the 3 greatest spinners ever, period) and, more importantly, has absolutely -owned- England for the better part of a decade and a half. If Ponting needs to bowl him 40+ overs per innings, he should do it. In fact, I don't think it would be a bad idea to only have McGrath (because of his injury) and Kaspro or whoever the second quick is going to be just get the shine off the ball and then hand it to Warne (and hopefully MacGill, although I don't think he'll be selected) and let them exploit England's traditional weakness against quality legspin. It's Australia's best chance of retaining the Ashes.

--Scott

[RRRRICK]

You can bet your last American dollar that The oval will be perfectly flat without a blade of grass on it. England will want to do everything possible to negate Warnes threat.

The better the track is for batting the more likely the game will not be lost by England and the ashes will be retained.

It probably won't be that straight forward, nothing about this series has been

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
You can bet your last American dollar that The oval will be perfectly flat without a blade of grass on it. England will want to do everything possible to negate Warnes threat.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its a bit late to do anything to change the nature of the pitch but rain dancers are on standby.

chez