The Ashes - 2010-2011 Thread

[Dick Bate's Protege]

So Collingwood has announced his retirement from test cricket. Writing was on the wall, better to go out on a high than being dropped next summer methinks. What a great servant he's been for England.

 

[EastStandBlue]

Another fantastic day for England... Another hour needed tomorrow to wrap things up and let the celebrations commence.

My favourite stat of the series is that Cook's average innings is higher than Ponting's series total.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Another fantastic day for England... Another hour needed tomorrow to wrap things up and let the celebrations commence.

My favourite stat of the series is that Cook's average innings is higher than Ponting's series total.

Well worth watching the highlights, if only for the Shane Watson run-out.

 

[canveyshrimper]

A pity that England couldn't quite get over the line today, it should just be a matter of time tomorrow morning. Some incredible stats from the series, I'm guessing that England probably haven't had three innings victories before in an Ashes series. Incredible that we only needed to bat once in three matches.

Good luck to Collingwood, he'll still be part of the ODI & will skipper the T20 side, he's been a great servant to England and finishes with an average of 40+ which is better than the likes of Atherton, Hussain & Stewart.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Its a bit hard to take in tbh a probable 3rd innings victory in the same series in Australia, unbelievable! All the years of pain now somehow feel vindicated, it is our turn to dominate them and I think we will for at least the next 10 years!

All we need now is India to do the business today and we will move to 2nd in the rankings above the Saffers!!!

All the best to Colly, a good time to bow out of test cricket!

 

[number11]

A pity that England couldn't quite get over the line today, it should just be a matter of time tomorrow morning. Some incredible stats from the series, I'm guessing that England probably haven't had three innings victories before in an Ashes series. Incredible that we only needed to bat once in three matches.

QUOTE]

I can't imagine we have had 3 innings victories in many series?!

 

[number11]

Well worth watching the highlights, if only for the Shane Watson run-out.

I will look forward to catching that tonight......both batsman at the same end? THey are always good? 3rd run out he has been involved in I think! Brilliant.

 

[BrettieAngell]

I will look forward to catching that tonight......both batsman at the same end? THey are always good? 3rd run out he has been involved in I think! Brilliant.

Very poor running, it was an easy 2!

 

[EastStandBlue]

Well worth watching the highlights, if only for the Shane Watson run-out.

Saw a glimpse of it this morning... Looked indicative of Australia in the series; sloppy, amateurish and hugely unnecessary.

I think Swanny deserves to wrap this up, to be honest. He's been unfortunate in that Australia have been so poor that the tests have never really reached stages where the spinner would actually clean up, and his economy has still remained impressive.

 

[Uncle Leo]

Saw a glimpse of it this morning... Looked indicative of Australia in the series; sloppy, amateurish and hugely unnecessary.

I think Swanny deserves to wrap this up, to be honest. He's been unfortunate in that Australia have been so poor that the tests have never really reached stages where the spinner would actually clean up, and his economy has still remained impressive.

Agreed. And with Collingwood taking the final catch too!

 

[EastStandBlue]

[video=youtube;Aaa5veY__D0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aaa5veY__D0[/video]

KP Joins in with the Johnson salutes.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Very poor running, it was an easy 2!

It was an easy single. Have no idea why Watson thought there was a second run in it.

Saw a glimpse of it this morning... Looked indicative of Australia in the series; sloppy, amateurish and hugely unnecessary.

I think Swanny deserves to wrap this up, to be honest. He's been unfortunate in that Australia have been so poor that the tests have never really reached stages where the spinner would actually clean up, and his economy has still remained impressive.

Swann's inflated (deflated?) his bowling figures enough by taking cheap wickets against the tail of crap sides (see West Indies, Pakistan etc).

I'd like to see Jimmy pick up the remaining 3 wickets for a Michelle. He's been excellent all series and really deserves that five-for. He's taken 17 first innings wickets at 18.88 in the first innings which is where, with Cook's batting, this series has been won and loss. Coming into this series we all knew that Australia's class bats were Ponting and Clarke but Jimmy has owned them and they've done nothing.

 

[BrettieAngell]

It was an easy single. Have no idea why Watson thought there was a second run in it.

Well yeah it was a very easy single but the two was there if they ran the first one hard.

 

[canveyshrimper]

Its a bit hard to take in tbh a probable 3rd innings victory in the same series in Australia, unbelievable! All the years of pain now somehow feel vindicated, it is our turn to dominate them and I think we will for at least the next 10 years!

All we need now is India to do the business today and we will move to 2nd in the rankings above the Saffers!!!

All the best to Colly, a good time to bow out of test cricket!

Looks like India are playing for a draw, they're 101/1 off 44 overs, that's around 240 from 46 overs. I guess losing Sehwag didn't help their cause.

 

[BrettieAngell]

Looks like India are playing for a draw, they're 101/1 off 44 overs, that's around 240 from 46 overs. I guess losing Sehwag didn't help their cause.

Yeah looks like it, shame.

 

[number11]

Looks like India are playing for a draw, they're 101/1 off 44 overs, that's around 240 from 46 overs. I guess losing Sehwag didn't help their cause.

It's a tough one to know who to want to win really. Can rarely want South Africa to win, but equally the way India and their board have acted over the past few years and the powere they hold, Im no great fan of them. Maybe a draw is for the best as it keeps it interest as to who is number 1 team, and I do feel we have a genuinely good chance of beating India over here in the summer if our main players stay fit and we have a bit of luck with the tosses.

 

[canveyshrimper]

It's a tough one to know who to want to win really. Can rarely want South Africa to win, but equally the way India and their board have acted over the past few years and the powere they hold, Im no great fan of them. Maybe a draw is for the best as it keeps it interest as to who is number 1 team, and I do feel we have a genuinely good chance of beating India over here in the summer if our main players stay fit and we have a bit of luck with the tosses.

I agree, the Saffers will normally ensure they can't lose before trying to a win, apart from their 1970 side which could have been one of the great XI's, they've always been the same. And again I agree about your comments about India, and above all with India I would really like to punch Sreesanth. India don't normally travel well, therefore I've been surprised how well they have fought back in South Africa. But they are an aging team with Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid, Sehwag and Zaheer Kahn (I think) all the wrong side of 30, and some the wrong side of 35. I think England will have a pretty good chance of beating both Sri Lanka & India this coming summer, and it will be interesting to see what happens when we go to the sub continent later this year.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

I agree, the Saffers will normally ensure they can't lose before trying to a win, apart from their 1970 side which could have been one of the great XI's, they've always been the same. And again I agree about your comments about India, and above all with India I would really like to punch Sreesanth. India don't normally travel well, therefore I've been surprised how well they have fought back in South Africa. But they are an aging team with Tendulkar, Laxman, Dravid, Sehwag and Zaheer Kahn (I think) all the wrong side of 30, and some the wrong side of 35. I think England will have a pretty good chance of beating both Sri Lanka & India this coming summer, and it will be interesting to see what happens when we go to the sub continent later this year.

I was reading something that listed that Australian team c.1975 as one of the greatest teams ever. That surprised me as on paper they didn't seem to be all that, other than Lillian Thompson and Greg Chappell. Obviously those 3 are greats, but the West Indies team of the 1990s similarly had some great opening bowlers and a great batsman and that team was decent rather than great. Am I missing something from that Australian side of the mid-70s? Were the support acts like Redpath, Yallop, Chappelli, McCosker, Mallett, Gilmour, Walker etc (who have I missed?) better than I'm giving them credit for?

Sreesanth is the Indian Andre Nel.

 

[canveyshrimper]

I was reading something that listed that Australian team c.1975 as one of the greatest teams ever. That surprised me as on paper they didn't seem to be all that, other than Lillian Thompson and Greg Chappell. Obviously those 3 are greats, but the West Indies team of the 1990s similarly had some great opening bowlers and a great batsman and that team was decent rather than great. Am I missing something from that Australian side of the mid-70s? Were the support acts like Redpath, Yallop, Chappelli, McCosker, Mallett, Gilmour, Walker etc (who have I missed?) better than I'm giving them credit for?

Sreesanth is the Indian Andre Nel.

The Aussie side of the early 70's after Bobby Simpson retired was quite average. Captained by Bill Lawry at first until Ian Chappell took over around 1972. Ian Redpath was a very under rated batsman IMO, but blokes like Yallop & Kim Hughes weren't much cop, although I think Yallop did score a big double hundred (268 IIRC). Rod Marsh was a recalcitrant convict git, but made himself into a decent keeper and lower order hitter, bit of a poor mans Gilchrist. Their attack was pretty good as you say the had Lillie & Thomson, plus Max Walker, Bob Massie, Gilmour, Malone and a few others.

The Saffer team circa 1970 were a bit special with players like Eddie Barlow, Barry Richards, Graeme & Peter Pollock, Dennis Lindsay & an Essex player Lee Irvine. I'm not sure if Bland had retired by then, but he was a heck of a fielder. Captained by Dr Ali Bacher they for a Saffer team played positive cricket and always wanted to win. Barry Richards & Graeme Pollock are two of the best batsmen I've ever seen. A shame that politics got in their way.

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

The Aussie side of the early 70's after Bobby Simpson retired was quite average. Captained by Bill Lawry at first until Ian Chappell took over around 1972. Ian Redpath was a very under rated batsman IMO, but blokes like Yallop & Kim Hughes weren't much cop, although I think Yallop did score a big double hundred (268 IIRC). Rod Marsh was a recalcitrant convict git, but made himself into a decent keeper and lower order hitter, bit of a poor mans Gilchrist. Their attack was pretty good as you say the had Lillie & Thomson, plus Max Walker, Bob Massie, Gilmour, Malone and a few others.

The Saffer team circa 1970 were a bit special with players like Eddie Barlow, Barry Richards, Graeme & Peter Pollock, Dennis Lindsay & an Essex player Lee Irvine. I'm not sure if Bland had retired by then, but he was a heck of a fielder. Captained by Dr Ali Bacher they for a Saffer team played positive cricket and always wanted to win. Barry Richards & Graeme Pollock are two of the best batsmen I've ever seen. A shame that politics got in their way.

That's what I thought. Apparently they were statistically one of the best ever. I think the one I missed was Walters, what was he like?

Might have been a bit early for him, but Clive Rice is the other one also mentioned when talking about the great South African team that might have been. Also Mike Proctor.