The Ashes 2009

The first ashes test starts today and I thought it would be a good idea to have a thread devoted to the series. Feel free to share your news and views and i'll try to update you guys with scores as often as I can.

I can't wait for the ashes to start,i hope it's a good series for the sake of the future of test cricket ( they're talking about four day tests! you got to be kidding me.) I think England really need to get off to a good start too keep the pressure on the Aussies,history shows when they're under the cosh they can crumble mentally.COME ON ENGLAND!!!!! P.S. Apologies babes the ol' PP won't be around much for the next five days.

I think with Brett Lee being out for possibly 2 matches It will be to close to call. Before he was injured I would have said that the aussies have to much firepower in attack. Brett Lee, Stuart Clarke, and Mitch Johnson are all capable of bowling out teams on their own. With our attack(with the exception of a fit freddie) we dont have any who fits that descrption at the highest level. lets be honest this attack is a pail imitation of the 2005 series, so brett lee being injured is a huge equaliser since he was looking in ominous form in the warm up game.

setter1000 Wrote:I think with Brett Lee being out for possibly 2 matches It will be to close to call. Before he was injured I would have said that the aussies have to much firepower in attack. Brett Lee, Michael Clarke, and Mitch Johnson are all capable of bowling out teams on their own. With our attack(with the exception of a fit freddie) we dont have any who fits that descrption at the highest level. lets be honest this attack is a pail imitation of the 2005 series, so brett lee being injured is a huge equaliser since he was looking in ominous form in the warm up game.

I agree Brett Lee being out is a major plus for us,i think Jimmy Anderson is the key for England if he hits the ground running,we'll be sucessfull. Welcome to the forum by the way.

Bopara is taking it to the aussies. He really has surpised me with his improvement over last few years. I am an esssex fan and i very much thought he was at best a useful county standard all rounder who would average 25 with the bat and 30 with the ball.

He is such a great competitor, and the selectors saw something in him when plenty of others did not. I have to give selectors their due when for a change they show they know what they are doing. I was shocked when he was picked for the fifty overs world cup and since then he has gone from strength to strength.

Lunch on day 1 of the first test and England are 97/3 after winning the toss and electing to bat first.

Bopara's been a lucky chappy, jammy innings, shame strauss got out when he did, he was looking solid, as is KP.
I didnt fancy our chances in this series and the reason was in particular Peter Siddle, the guy aint taken a wicket but he's such a gd bowler, especially on flat decks.

Brett Lee missing dont mean anything, he was there when they got beat by SA and wasn't there when they beat SA, I dnt rate Johnson as a bowler, he usually takes wickets off poor balls but he's bowling well, extracting gd bounce which is gd for Fred

Tea. England survive the second session without losing a wicket with Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood both making half centuries. 194/3

what sort of shot was kevin Pietersen playing? You can see why the Aussies call him Figjam. F**K im great just ask me

Lets not get angry at KP, this is part of his game, he's a genius, but shots like that most of the time they come off, sumtimes, like this time they go tits up. He dug us out of a hole 2day, jus like he does all the time. Far and away our best batsman.