I know Australia are a great side, but ....

... to me it's all about Warne. I know McGrath is the best pace bowler in the world and Lee is faster and just as dangerous if not quite as accurate, but Warne is just unplayable. McGrath and Lee get hit for runs and have dips in form, but just when you get on top of them on comes Warne. As long as I can remember he has been unbelievable and always turned a game Australia's way. It feels like Australia always know when he comes on he will come up with the goods. England saw off McGrath and Lee earlier today, and Gillespie plus one other would have given England a glimmer of hope but no, on comes the most talented, devious, cunning, tricky spin bowler the world has ever seen. Hats off to a tremendous talent and the main reason why Australia will retain the ashes again.

 

Have faith, there are another four tests yet.

 

Yeah he seems to raise his game when he plays for Australia, because he hasn't actually done amazingly well for Hampshire, though maybe that's due to early season wickets which aren't too conducive to spin.

 

why is pieterson the only player who looks prepared to take on the aussie bowlers, the rest seemed scared of them, attacking them is the only way to get them out their stride

 

He's looking a bit good isn't he

The *******. The ball that got Bell out was exactly the same as the previous 2, but the previous 2 turned a mile while that just went straight on. Dunt know how you're supposed to cope with that. The *******.

 

I agree about Pieterson ...

... he isn't scared and I love that. My worry is Freddy was like that not so long ago. Unless you have 11 players of that ilk (as Australia seem to have) it tends to get eroded away. Pieterson will lose confidence if we get beaten comprehensively and he has no-one up there alongside him to fight back. On today's performance we are still looking scared and gutless.

 

They shouldn't look scared though

We've beaten every other team of of sight in the last few years. Like for like we're not far away from Australia. Mcgrath looked fantastic in the first innings, but so did Harmison for us. And the best batsman of the two sides looks to be Pietersen thus far. Our problem, as you pointed out, is that we don't have a Shane Warne.

 

Spot on. Thing is, we've had this cricketing academy for ages and still haven't produced a legspinner of any note. We need one, desperately.

 

It was interesting listening to Atherton and Greig after close of play. Atherton said it is the Australian bowling that has made them dominant in test cricket, although he did think that Warne is not as 'good' now as the period between '93 and '98!!?

Greig's view was that the Aussie bowlers, when put under pressure, can find that bit extra to regain the upper hand, while England's bowlers under pressure, can tend to fade. That seems fair comment, while the England bowling has improved a lot in the last 18 months, we do seem to bowl more loose stuff than the Aussies.

Having said all that, the dropped catches will probably be a major cause of what appears to be impending defeat (miracle or weather apart).

Fantastic entertainment though and you have to hand it (maybe begrudgingly) to the Aussies as being, on this evidence, still the best side in the world.

That Pietersen dunt look bad does he? Cracking 6 off Lee. Even Mr Boycott is a fan.

 

Warne is still brilliant, I love watching him bowl, even against us.

You are always thinking "how do you play that?"

Think we've missed a trick with the two major points in planning for this Ashes :-

1. Scheduling - Lords as first test, should be Edgbaston or Headingly for me. Drop Old Trafford against Oz as Warne will have a field day, bring in Headingley as first or second Test and put Lords back.

2. Thorpe - should've been in for Bell. Thorpey can hang around and hold an innings together, Bell is too inexperienced and could have played in the winter tours when Thorpe retired. Young lad, time on his side, and a series of low scores against the convicts could put him back mentally.

and yes, need a mystery spinner to replace Giles, The King of Spain.

if you don't get that last comment please ask, as the story is quite funny.

 

I have watched Richard Dawson of Yorkshire play recently and i think that he is by far better than Giles. He could be a different option to Giles in the spin area

 

RE: They shouldn't look scared though

Thereby hangs the problem. The established players are scared shitless by Shane Warne.

 

Yeh, Dawson seems to have re-discovered a bit of form, rips it more than Giles, younger, can bat a bit (prob same standard as Giles).

Still not the ideal solution tho - mediocre spin bowlers (at test, not county level)seem to be our speciality, Peter Such, Ian Salisbury, Chris Schofield, Batty etc

Not good enough, one and all.