Cricket, lovely cricket

[martin wilson]

Hi all
450 off 90 at 5 an over? against Freddie and Beefy swinging it everywhere and Underwood keeping it tight, tough one.
Anyway I would go;

Hayden.
Chappel .I (captain)
Bradman
Ponting
Waugh.S
Hussey
Miller
Gilchrist
Benaud
Lillee
Lee.

Hussey gets in ahead of Mark Waugh because he was the best batsman,apart from maybe Hadden in the recent series for Australia, and from memory Mark could be a bit in and out.
Ian Chappel gets the captaincy on the basis if you can skipper Dougie Walters you can skipper anybody.
All the best.

[Adam Went]

Monty:

Actually, you chose the McGrath Foundation last time - remember? That was your call, I just agreed to it. I'd be happy to go a couple of thousand dollars/pounds, BUT, in the interest of fairness, I suggest we wait until much closer to the time before making a final decision on this - a lot can change in two years. Though it would be virtually impossible for your team to become any more purile.

Steven:

With the way our injuries are at the moment, it could be that we go into the WC, certainly the early stages of it anyway, without a specialist spinner - that would be a huge blunder on the sub-continent. But, if our batting line-up can fire as they did in Sydney this series, it might be alright. Watson, the newly crowned Allan Border medallist, is the key, as Gilchrist was before him.

In all seriousness, with the series over, I will be a sportsman and say congrats to England on the Ashes win - they outplayed us right through the series and there's nothing to say than that they deserved to win. I don't think we played particularly badly, we were just beaten by an extremely well prepared team.

Martin:

Not sure when we play SA next, but surely they're not as bad as India? I even support England against India!

Phil:

A very good question. I'll admit to not being that knowledgeable on older England cricketers, but i'll have a go:

1.) Hobbs
2.) Boycott
3.) Gower (c)
4.) Barrington
5.) Botham
6.) Hammond
7.) W.G. Grace
8.) Knott (wk)
9.) Trueman
10.) Laker
11.) Statham

Cheers,
Adam.

[Monty]

Sure Adam,

I can understand that you have no confidence in your team and would rather wait before committing.

I dont blame you, Id be worried $hitless if I were you also.


Monty


PS Boycott? Yeah, that sums up your knowledge. Cook son, Cook. Hobbs and Cook.

[martin wilson]

Hi all
Boycott would be the #1 pick if you needed someone to bat all day for your life, but not in a run chase,unless it was a run off 90 overs I suppose!
I like Statham though,he was Mr consistent apparently.
No Freddie? it might reverse later on, well bound to with that lot clouting the ball everywhere.
Absolutely love the idea of Gower captaining Freddy Trueman, he couldnt get the ball off Botham,no chance with Fred!
All the best

[Robert]

Boycott is a must for a Test team.

Not for junk cricket of course but who needs that?

[Monty]

You a positive Cricketer huh Robert?

Monty

[Robert]

There's nothing like a good, steady Boycott innings, Neil. I call him the Ken Dodd of the crease.

[Adam Went]

Monty:

Actually I was thinking more along the lines of the possibility of you getting injured before the Ashes in 2013, like, say, from a ramp shot off my bat straight into your face.

Cook? Even Boycott probably had a better strike rate than Cook, one of the most annoying and boring batsmen in world cricket.

Martin:

Freddie? LOL.

I'm not old enough to remember Gower in his playing days but have seen plenty of footage, such a classy and elegant player.

I reckon you guys picking the Aussie team might have missed one, a very under-rated player in both ODI and Test cricket, the kind of player people paid their fees just to come in and watch bat: Dean Jones. Excellent player. Who could forget his 210 in that famous Test match in Madras in '86?

Cheers,
Adam.

[martin wilson]

Hi all
Fair do's I did totally forget about Dean Jones, was that the match he was sick and Alan Border was less than sympathetic? told him to get off and they would get a proper Australian in there,something like that?
Gower, a privilege to watch as Botham said, I remember watching him on the tv score a hundred against New Zealand before lunch.
Poor Lance Cairns dropped him and then throwing the ball back,dropped that as well, not his finest moment.
Useful fielder as well,but he had some problem with his shoulder which restricted him somewhat.
I suppose I could cheat a bit by picking Derek 'rags' Randall and Paul Collingwood,both brilliant fielders.
Boycs would probably make it into my all time XI but not when we need 450 off 90, I would probably prefer him to commentate as he comes out with some bizarre moments, like on TMS last year (?) when he threatened to turn Harry Potter into a mushroom!
All the best.

[Monty]

Trevor Bailey - RIP

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-12414599

Monty

[Adam Went]

Martin:

It was the famous tied test in Madras in '86. Jones came in to the dressing room having already scored a pile of runs and said that he couldn't go on any more, couldn't even see properly and was numb, was "batting entirely from memory" I believe it was said....Border made the comment you mentioned, I think it was "We'll get somebody tough in there, we'll get a Queenslander" - Jones got his pads back on quicksmart and ended up with 210.

But that's just tests, he was a wonderfully talented ODI player as well.

Boycott is in the team to anchor the innings - plenty enough attacking players in that line-up, but somebody has to be the Dravid-esque "wall" at the other end in the meantime.

Cheers,
Adam.

[Adam Went]

Despite the fact that we managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the warm-up game against India.....Captain Ricky actually scored a fifty! 57, to be precise.....let joy be unconfined!!

Cheers,
Adam.

[martin wilson]

Hi Adam
You are really into this one day stuff arent you? every test I was up listening to TMS but not the one day stuff.
Then again it may be because its only available on pay tv as are the tests.C5 do a half hour highlights show for the tests and ODI's but unless you pay Sky tv thats your lot.
Same with the footie, ITV show England home matches but I think away matches are pay tv as well.
We must be the only country in the world where our two most popular national sports are only available if you pay extra.
I've heard rumours they may be making the football world cup pay tv only as well, with those corrupt money obsessed gits at FIFA in charge,this is a stonewall certainty.
Anyway,I am glad Pouting is coming into a bit of form, I know anybody can say this in hindsight but I genuinely did think they were writing him off a bit too early.
All the best.

[Adam Went]

Hey Martin,

I am a fan of all forms of cricket, though certainly not a fan of what T20 cricket has been doing to the great Test and ODI formats. Here in our domestic one-day season this year, a revised format has been used - split innings cricket: one team bats for 20 overs, the second team bats for 20, and then both bat for a further 25. It's been received pretty well and is a good change IMO.

As bizarre as this might sound, I don't think Ponting has been in particularly bad form - he copped a couple of jaffas early on in the Ashes and then was playing with a broken finger....hopefully it's the start of a turn in form for him.

Cheers,
Adam.

[martin wilson]

Hi Adam
There was a great joke over here, 'Test cricket is the only sport where they play for four days but when you ask who's winning they say its too early to tell' That was Andy Parsons.
I suppose thats why the one day game doesnt really do it for me, I understand test matches,and I can appreciate the tactics and what both teams are trying to do.
If their are any tactics in one day matches I'm jiggered if I know what they are,other than a spinner firing it in on leg stump.
So for me its still hit and giggle stuff, they used to show the county Sunday league one day matches over here live on tv, on one occassion they didnt bother with commentators and just played classical music instead.
I know the split innings game I think,thats where you start where you left off? so do you go for it or not in the first 20 or save wickets for the next 25?then again you might be facing too big a total, I like the sound of that a bit better.
T20 is seen as the big money spinner over here, I know Warwickshire were playing it in the evening to get in the after work crowd,its a bit of fun I suppose,I cant really say it gets me going, its a bit like American Football,why bother with all the boring stuff? just have the bits that the crowd like.
All the best.