1st ASHES TEST: England v Australia at Cardiff, July 8-12, 2009

[Tommy Smith]

420 is very optimistic. Its more likely to be alot closer to 350 IMO. Broad and Swann are very handy with the bat, but they would have been more dangerous batting with Prior.

 

[Collingwood Storm]

Ideally keep them to less than 375, but if we don't strike within the first 30mins it could get nasty. Broad and Swann can both bat a bit.

 

[aussies1st]

Quite pissed that Siddle got the wickets late as frankly he was dog crap all day. I'd rather they piss him off for the next test and bring in Clark.

Johnson is the one that bowled like crap. 3 or 4 good balls and the rest were sh*t

 

[Tommy Smith]

Johnson is the one that bowled like crap. 3 or 4 good balls and the rest were sh*t

Isn't that the Oxford English Dictionary definition of Mitchell Johnson?

 

[Big_Bad_Shark_Fan]

420 is very optimistic. Its more likely to be alot closer to 350 IMO. Broad and Swann are very handy with the bat, but they would have been more dangerous batting with Prior.

Unlikely to get 420 but not out of the questions.

370s probably what there looking at with Swann, Broad and Anderson. Even if it is 350 I put the Poms on top as ive seen Australia struggle alot over the years when they dont bat first.

 

[Azkatro]

If we're not 100 ahead by the time they're batting again we're gone.

 

[eddiesmith]

Quite pissed that Siddle got the wickets late as frankly he was dog crap all day. I'd rather they piss him off for the next test and bring in Clark.

I've seen some crap posted but that takes the cake, unbelievable :lol:

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

Siddle was hardly crap during the day, that would have been Hauritz and Johnson. Not selecting Clark will cost us dearly. What was the point in playing Hauritz if all he was going to do was bowl stump to stump to a defensive 35th over ODI field?

Hilfy was by far the pick of the bowlers and it was absolutely ridiculous he didn't bowl the last over as his last 3 were quality. If Hilfy gets that inswinging yorker to Anderson on middle or leg stump he has him.

 

[hineyrulz]

Hilfy was easily our best bowler, next best was Siddle who didn't have a lot of luck early and rattled Bopara up nicely. Johnson was the dissapontment. But no doubt he will clean up the tail and get all the wraps. If Hauri is turning it on day one i wouldn't want to be chasing to many in the last innings epsecially when the Poms have 2 spinners.

 

[eddiesmith]

Ponting used Hauritz wrongly, he used him as a stock bowler to rest the quicks for the middle session, should have been more attacking, never letting them settle with 2 spinners for a long period and he should have tried Hauritz earlier before KP got settled

 

[Ali's Choice]

IMO 400 is the par score for the Poms. Anything less than 400, after wining the toss and batting first, will be a disappointment for England and a huge psychological boost for Australia. Past 400, the Poms will gain more ascendancy with every run scored.

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

400 being par? Australia would have to score atleast 500 to have any realistic chance of winning the test and any lead over 200 for the last innings will be extremely hard to chase down.

400 would pretty much do it.

 

[Ali's Choice]

I was so very disappointed with Mitchell Johnson. Considering he gave up a lucrative IPL contract to concentrate on being 100% right for the Ashes, I think he looks disinterested and underdone. I heard that their have been some issues between his mother and missus playing out in the media? Maybe that's to blame?

 

[Ali's Choice]

400 being par? Australia would have to score atleast 500 to have any realistic chance of winning the test and any lead over 200 for the last innings will be extremely hard to chase down.

400 would pretty much do it.

The pitch looks a belter. I stand by my assertion that 400 is par, less than that is advanage Australia, more is obviously adv Eng.

What do you think is par for the Poms, having won the toss and chosen to bat first?

 

[Twizzle]

Ponting used Hauritz wrongly, he used him as a stock bowler to rest the quicks for the middle session, should have been more attacking, never letting them settle with 2 spinners for a long period and he should have tried Hauritz earlier before KP got settled

I thought he also used him at the wrong time

just as KP and Collingwood were getting set, he brings on Hauri to help them get their eye in and set up a 50 run partnership

no pressure build up what so ever

 

[hineyrulz]

The Poms will be happy with around 370 i reckon, the pitch is good to bat on now day 1 but it might be a nightmare by day 4. It was a massive toss to win, and now the Poms have the runs on the board. And our biggest problem is Hauri with a pitch to suit will not bowl out anyone cheaply.........

 

[Twizzle]

The pitch looks a belter. I stand by my assertion that 400 is par, less than that is advanage Australia, more is obviously adv Eng.

What do you think is par for the Poms, having won the toss and chosen to bat first?

If I were the poms I would have wanted 400 on that pitch,

dont know much about it, doesn't look like it will deteriorate very quickly, has a lot of turn but its slow turn

the poms will have the advantage of bowling last but they only have some ordinary finger spinners, not exactly any Murali's in their team

 

[Tonearm Terrorwrist]

The pitch looks a belter. I stand by my assertion that 400 is par, less than that is advanage Australia, more is obviously adv Eng.

What do you think is par for the Poms, having won the toss and chosen to bat first?

375 is par with 400 being a very good score

The wicket is already turning on day one and the pitch is going to break up late on day three - the Poms have two spinners and will be presumably bowling on the last day to a batting attack that has been susecptible to spin as recent as the Pakistan ODI series.

A lot of people on here question whether Swann or Monty are that good but even against Pakistan we struggled and people were rubbishing their spinners/chuckers. Swann and Monty are better than Harris who got wickets against us.

If England get 400 then any lead they take into their second innings almost sees them with a win

 

[andrew057]

Hilfenhaus was exceptional and shouldve had KP LBW too. Johnson and Siddle leaked waaaay to many runs.

 

[eddiesmith]

Siddle was very unlucky though, had Bopara in trouble only for him to get boundaries through edges