fantastic performance all 4 days.Starc is injured for 2nd Test, then , after Harris's retirement, i would suggest they are in a bit of disarray. Also, as i suspected, their batting is nothing much - especially as England have 'sussed' Smith and Warner and Voges and Watson and Rogers and Clarke and......
A great day at the cricket, I seem to time my appearances well :-)
What was impressive about England today was that it wasn't a one man show, the wickets were shared around the bowlers, whereas Australia have relied a lot on Starc as their strike bowler. Broad was superb today, as has been said he always comes to the party in 4th wicket high pressure situations
Australia have looked pretty ordinary throughout in fairness!!!! I enjoyed England's attacking intent which bodes well for the future. Moen could develop into a top all rounder. I'd try to fit Hales in there though.
I think we can thank the Kiwis for the early season work out which has done much to push forward the attacking attitude. I was thinking I could see England loose the Ashes at Edgbaston next month now I am thinking I could see us winning them back!!
New coach has to take a lot of credit. Positive cricket and positive, dynamic captaincy - something we've been missing since Vaughan. Broad is utter quality when he pitches it up, wood looks like that quality 3rd seamer we've needed since Simon Jones. We just need a swing bowler to slowly replace Anderson and we've got a top side for the next few years. Got two genuine all rounders in stokes and ali. Things are looking good for English cricket.
The great strength of this England team is that they bat AND bowl deep, having four seamers and two serviceable spinners means that Anderson and Broad don't have to bowl so many overs.
To have six wicket taking bowlers is a massive bonus and having specialist batsmen at 1-8 - with two decent players in Wood and Broad at 9-10 means we have insurance.
All is not well in the Aussie camp, their success was papering over a feud between Clarke and Lehmann and between the pro and anti Shane Watson camp - a lot of which is fueled by agent/management issues.
Their 5-0 win last time was a strange one because it was achieved despite their top-order batting basically failing in every first innings - but Haddin somehow rescuing them every time courtesy of some outrageous good fortune on most occasions.
The bowling they produced from Johnson and Harris was extraordinary, the sledgehammer of Johnson and the scalpel like precision of Harris who was Hadlee-esque with his accuracy and movement - few double acts can have performed as brilliantly in a series as they did.
All of that - added to several England players at the end of their time and serious management issues with key players produced a landslide result that probably exaggerated the actual difference in quality between the sides.
Take Johnson out of the equation with slow pitches and with Harris gone too then England can put runs on the board - something they simply could not do in Australia on the last tour - and that suddenly puts the Aussies creaking batting under huge pressure.
The Aussies are due a clear out, and it might come sooner rather than later. Harris is gone, Watson surely must go, Rogers is decent but hardly got too long left, voges is nothing special, haddin's luck has run out... Pleasing.
You can't write the Aussies off in this Series but one thing that is obvious is that, for the second time in less than a decade, they will have to start re-building for the future.
Rogers is 38 next month and whilst he is a 50s run machine right now he can't convert them into hundreds, Clarke at 34 isn't finished but his back is giving up on him, Haddin is 38 soon and averages 15 since the last Ashes series, the career of Vosges at 36 will be over before it has begun and Watson is too old to learn new tricks. That leaves just Warner and Smith from their current top seven.
Also, despite his recent average, i dont believe Smith is as good as his numbers suggest - i think England have sussed him and this will be replicated across the Test playing nations - i think his average will drop significantly, especially when Steyn and Morkel/Philamder can get at him- he'll have a 'poor' Ashes too.
Think Wood is going to be a great addition. Takes pressure off of broad and Anderson so they are not bowled to death. I don't think broad had been fully fit for about two years so good to have him back. With Ali and even Root able to be used as well we have a good unit in place.
It's great that the wickets bwete all shared and no pressure on any one bowler. I think our batsmen need to share the load a bit more, especially the openers, bit our middle order all put in at least one good score over the two innings. I can't wait for the Lords test
Comments
Ali 77 (88)
Anderson 18.5-6-43-3
Broad 17-4-60-2
Bell 60 (89)
Root 60 (89)
Broad 14-3-39-3
Ali 16.3-4-59-3
Hiiiiiiiiii Hohhhhhhh!
Hi Ho
Hi Ho
It's take the piss we go....
Also, as i suspected, their batting is nothing much - especially as England have 'sussed' Smith and Warner and Voges and Watson and Rogers and Clarke and......
The Aussies never lie down though so we need to keep or foot on their throat metaphorically speaking!
What was impressive about England today was that it wasn't a one man show, the wickets were shared around the bowlers, whereas Australia have relied a lot on Starc as their strike bowler. Broad was superb today, as has been said he always comes to the party in 4th wicket high pressure situations
To have six wicket taking bowlers is a massive bonus and having specialist batsmen at 1-8 - with two decent players in Wood and Broad at 9-10 means we have insurance.
All is not well in the Aussie camp, their success was papering over a feud between Clarke and Lehmann and between the pro and anti Shane Watson camp - a lot of which is fueled by agent/management issues.
Their 5-0 win last time was a strange one because it was achieved despite their top-order batting basically failing in every first innings - but Haddin somehow rescuing them every time courtesy of some outrageous good fortune on most occasions.
The bowling they produced from Johnson and Harris was extraordinary, the sledgehammer of Johnson and the scalpel like precision of Harris who was Hadlee-esque with his accuracy and movement - few double acts can have performed as brilliantly in a series as they did.
All of that - added to several England players at the end of their time and serious management issues with key players produced a landslide result that probably exaggerated the actual difference in quality between the sides.
Take Johnson out of the equation with slow pitches and with Harris gone too then England can put runs on the board - something they simply could not do in Australia on the last tour - and that suddenly puts the Aussies creaking batting under huge pressure.
Rogers is 38 next month and whilst he is a 50s run machine right now he can't convert them into hundreds, Clarke at 34 isn't finished but his back is giving up on him, Haddin is 38 soon and averages 15 since the last Ashes series, the career of Vosges at 36 will be over before it has begun and Watson is too old to learn new tricks. That leaves just Warner and Smith from their current top seven.
What did we learn.. Whilst we can't bat in Australian conditions they can't bowl in English conditions...