billy2shots Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 Thought it was worth starting a thread on this now. A little late given the hammering we took in the first test. I for one can't see things getting any better. We were lucky in the summer winning against a very poor Aus team and we even needed the weather to help us out on more than one occasion. Our ability with the bat is the big worry. We have struggled for the last couple of years to score over 300 runs in an innings. That's always going to put us on the back foot and leave us relying on our bowling attack to bail us out. Thankfully we have one of the best attacks in the game but they can't do it every time and when it fails we get destroyed. The batsman averages are not to bad but imho they are very misleading. We have batsman that score very heavy in a few games then hardly anything for game after game. KP, Cook, Bell, Trott are all form players and when they are in the groove they score big hundreds. They all seem out of form and the scores have dried up. Give me a batsman who scores 40 game in game out over any day of the week and he is worth his weight in gold. The toss could decide this series as Ausie pitches are designed to fall away on day 4 and 5. Win the next four toss's and we have a slim chance. Lose, bat second and it could get embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 We'll win. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy2shots Posted December 4, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 A MrMe sporting prediction. We're doomed now ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 I have been very bad indeed recently too. Even moreso than normal. That's quite something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 MrMe - we bloody won't. Actually, I don't necessarily believe that. Michael Vaughan wrote something for an Aussie paper which was quite good about England now having to show their character and bat differently, not with flamboyance but with venom and anger and a stubborn refusal to give an easy wicket. The Gabbattoir (copyright Waylander) was a horror show. The chat from Adelaide is that it is a good batting track. So level, hard no grass. Just the sort of wicket that a ball paced at 93mph might enjoy too. Hard hats at the ready boys ... I'll be watching the first hour for sure to see how my beloved cricket team get on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 We will. So we've had a poor first test, it doesn't mean we're going to lose. Johnson won't bowl as well as that again. Plus, the statistics that out of all his bowling only 12 would have hit the stumps is a very telling one. It could be argued he doesn't need them to, but I think the England batsmen will have learned their lesson and won't make the same mistakes again. I think we'll win it 2-1, possibly 3-1. I certainly don't see the Aussies winning the series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 I take heart from your optimism sir, I really do. It does make for an interesting series though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torino101 Posted December 4, 2013 Report Share Posted December 4, 2013 I'm an avid England cricket supporter, but just have a bad feeling about this tour, even before the last massacre. I do hope you're right MrMe otherwise it's going to be a long long series to endure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy2shots Posted December 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2013 Not the best end to day 1. We still have a chance but it could have been a lot better had we held a couple of those chances. Two spinners in the team batting second looks like a mistake so hopefully Monty will score 100 with the bat lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Busby Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 It's getting worse and worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 For fúck's sake. Are we just not as good as we thought? The Aussies probably had the upper hand in the second half of the summer series. Is it the coaching? We look like a team that has never seen an Aussie wicket before. Or is it the players? Arrogant enough to think they'd won before they started, get roughed up a bit and now look like rabbits in headlights. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 All of the above I would suggest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Well that and the curse of MrMe's prediction.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy2shots Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 We have never replaced Strauss. He got a lot of stick towards the end of his career and the kp stuff made him leave slightly earlier than he intended. He captained this team to where they are in the rankings. Cook took over a winning team full of confidence and he was also in supreme form which helped guide England to some great wins against Aus and in India. However the cracks started to appear and they are getting bigger and bigger. A couple of years ago we were neck and neck with SA. They beat us quite easily last time and would destroy us if we met now. If it wasn't for our bowling attack we would be battling for wins against Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Now our bowling attack is showing signs of tiredness no one is bailing out our woeful batsman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 (edited) I've avoided this thread all day as I've just finished listening to the TMS 'as live' rerun. I woke this morning to my best mate texting "don't look" so I was expecting a proper calypso collapso in our innings. So Aussie put on a shed load, we are 34-1 and in the game for a draw surely? Not half as bad as I thought it might be - however I'm not too hopeful but it isn't a catastrophe. Lots of changes to our team to be fair and messing around with the order. No excuses - I think they thought this tour would be easier than this and thus were a bit arrogant. And Billy, with respect, our batsmen are far from woeful. Don't jump on that bandwagon - they are a proper quality unit. Edited December 6, 2013 by Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_C Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 We have never replaced Strauss. He got a lot of stick towards the end of his career and the kp stuff made him leave slightly earlier than he intended. He captained this team to where they are in the rankings. Cook took over a winning team full of confidence and he was also in supreme form which helped guide England to some great wins... Agreed, I was absolutely gutted when Strauss stepped aside, I was shocked, Cookie and him made a superb left handed pairing, both very meticulous methodical and almost old school batsmen. I wish we had Strauss Cook Trott as our top three right now. Short term target has got to be 370 and go from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Stuff changes (just ask MrMe) and it needs bedding in. That said, I don't like the way Cooky interviews - far too much like politician I think. Wind Aussie up enough and you have to expect them to bite. Clarke fighting for his career, Lehmann a gobby shister who is playing the press card, and a home crowd. It was always going to be a tough job and let's face it, we are not exactly out of it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy2shots Posted December 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 And Billy, with respect, our batsmen are far from woeful. Don't jump on that bandwagon - they are a proper quality unit. You just have to look at our scores over the last 2 years to see how we are performing with the bat. Cook, kp, trott all averages heading south. Bell I would guess is doing ok thanks to some great recent innings. As a team we make reaching 300 difficult. Australian wickets are geared towards massive run totals, how did we do in the first test? Adelaide is a 400+ wicket so let's see how we do tonight chasing over 500. Normally from this position a draw would be the obvious result. It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if we struggle to 350 or don't even avoid the follow on. It's times like this I miss collingwood, he wasnt the greatest player but my god he was a fighter, something we are short on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waylander Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Spot on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinspark Posted December 6, 2013 Report Share Posted December 6, 2013 Prediction. We'll miss the follow-on target and lose by an innings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torino101 Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 This is getting really really embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Oh dear. I turned off last night when KP got out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billy2shots Posted December 7, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 170 all out on that track. Woeful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinspark Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Strange they didn't force the follow-on, as it would have been all over by lunch tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garcon magnifique Posted December 7, 2013 Report Share Posted December 7, 2013 Only one reason for that. They're enjoying themselves too much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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