4th Ashes Test: England v Australia at Nottingham on Aug 6-10, 2015

[WaznTheGreat]

Lehmann should be sacked after this tour,this will be his 2nd Ashes thrashing in England as coach,cya fatso

 

[Pete Cash]

Smith averaged 43 and Warner 59 during that disastrous mauling against Pakistan. Sure Smith wasn't great but 40 plus in tough conditions Australians aren't great on is alright.

 

[JJ]

Smith has scored runs outside of Australia...don't get too far ahead of yourself tommy he only scored a 200 a few tests ago.

His technique is not all that different to Amlas.

On a flat track...

Time will tell with him, clearly he's a very fine player but much of his recent domination has been on very flat tracks - I don't mind the foot movement but like many current Australians the bat and pad are seldom close... that's not a good recipe in these conditions

 

[Hutty1986]

Poms halfway there already

 

[BunniesMan]

15 from 22 for Cook. He is making this look easy.

Will be interesting to see how England bat

Really since Waugh's era Austral have insisted on endless aggression, and just going about playing the way they do regardless of conditions - that's all well and good when you have one of the greatest teams ever assembled... but you don't now

There was no reason to be bowled out that quickly - leaving, discipline, good technique - all seem things foreign to them.

But confidence will be restored when they can swing merrily through the line on their return to Straya... Just hope when they come to NZ we too produce greenish (traditional NZ) pitches

The problem is we don't have the weapons we had during the Waugh era. 1 to 11 we had an absolute star studded team. We could go for endless aggression and win almost all the time. Now we have a mortal team and we haven't realized we need to be smarter. Theres a time and a place for aggression, and there's a time and a place where a bloke getting 20 runs in a session but lasting for a whole session would be priceless in the context.

Just think of the caliber of batsmen that couldn't get a regular game back then. Elliott, Blewett, Hodge, Lehmann, Bevan, Maher, Love, the list goes on and on. Some of those names would be our leaders today.

 

[JJ]

15 from 22 for Cook. He is making this look easy.



The problem is we don't have the weapons we had during the Waugh era. 1 to 11 we had an absolute star studded team. We could go for endless aggression and win almost all the time. Now we have a mortal team and we haven't realized we need to be smarter. Theres a time and a place for aggression, and there's a time and a place where a bloke getting 20 runs in a session but lasting for a whole session would be priceless in the context.

Just think of the caliber of batsmen that couldn't get a regular game back then. Elliott, Blewett, Hodge, Lehmann, Bevan, Maher, Love, the list goes on and on. Some of those names would be our leaders today.

Thanks for restating my exact point :sarcasm:

 

[Bazal]

There's no doubt that the roads Australia produce in home conditions affect them overseas.

Be it this Ashes series or that equally disastrous mauling vs Pakistan a year ago; the Aussie flat track bullies, led by Smith, can't bat in adverse conditions.

I mean Smith's technique is diabolical and he'll always get eaten up by movement or swing. But because he scores runs on dead pitches they revere him as Don the 2nd.

Warner is even worse. A brute at home but a mug in most overseas conditions.

Truth is they read too much of their own press that perennially anoints their batsmen as the world's best.

Smith was our best in that Pakistan series, IIRC. And he managed a double on this tour. Even a purple patch like that can't last forever, and often seems to end much more abruptly than a normal run of form. I suppose after being so good for so long it takes a lot to adjust to not being that good any more.

It's not about their ability in these conditions. It's about their attitude. Matt Hayden was a true flat track bully. Of this side, you could argue Warner is, definitely. Although he has scored tough runs in the past. The sad fact is they could just about all score big runs in these conditions, but they are either out of form or trying to attack when they should be patient and defensive. Smith and Clarke are feeling for the ball. Voges isn't up to it, nor is Marsh. Look how England are playing...it's everything we didn't do.

 

[BunniesMan]

Cook runs like a spastic. Dickhead, carry the f**king end of the bat with your other hand instead of waving it around.

 

[undertaker]

Did I just see Johnson clock 155.7km/h there for the last delivery of the over? That's some serious pace.

 

[Pete Cash]

On a flat track...

Time will tell with him, clearly he's a very fine player but much of his recent domination has been on very flat tracks - I don't mind the foot movement but like many current Australians the bat and pad are seldom close... that's not a good recipe in these conditions

If he averages ~43-45 on tricky wickets that will be fine. We just need solid at the moment not the return of Ponting/Chappell/Bradman.

I thought both he and Warner were fine during the Pakistan series.

 

[ggmu]

I thoughtRoot might get the aussie score by himself. Looks like that useless bald opener might do it.

 

[Tommy Smith]

Lol@Tommy having a go at Smith. You really are a prize mong.

Now now let's be civil

I just don't rate Smith that highly. Not even close to Ponting. And never will be. I don't care what the stats say.

As foe the double hundred, haynetrain could have scored 200 on that wicket. Flat deck, which is what Smith feasts on.

 

[undertaker]

Steve Waugh averaged 74 in England,what a beast

and yet Ian Chappell has the audacity to bag out Waugh at any opportunity, even going as far as to say Ricky Ponting was a better captain than Waugh:lol: At least Tugger didn't lose an Ashes as captain, let alone with Warne and McGrath in the side.

 

[shiznit]

Watching the Aussies fall to pieces like that seriously made me worry as an All Blacks fan...

I reckon we are probably just around the corner from something similar.

It just goes to show how important champion players are...

 

[Pete Cash]

Now now let's be civil

I just don't rate Smith that highly. Not even close to Ponting. And never will be. I don't care what the stats say.

As foe the double hundred, haynetrain could have scored 200 on that wicket. Flat deck, which is what Smith feasts on.

Why didn't any of your batsman score a double century at lords ?

 

[Hutty1986]

Now now let's be civil

I just don't rate Smith that highly. Not even close to Ponting. And never will be. I don't care what the stats say.

As foe the double hundred, haynetrain could have scored 200 on that wicket. Flat deck, which is what Smith feasts on.

Im not sure stating he isnt as good as Punter is that much of an insult. Ponting is one of the all time greats.

I know this flat track myth is your latest fad re. Smithy but he'll have scored big runs in all conditions by the end of his career.

 

[umina panther]

Watching the Aussies fall to pieces like that seriously made me worry as an All Blacks fan...

I reckon we are probably just around the corner from something similar.

It just goes to show how important champion players are...

Yeah but at least thats a shit sport no one cares about

 

[Timbo]

I'm starting to worry about Smiths technique off flat decks.

That massive stride across he gets, the only player I can think of doing anything similar is Kat, and his wasn't anywhere near as pronounced.

The stride means he often gets his body behind the ball if it moves, reflexively drawing him into a shot. It's how he's gotten out several times this series and it shows a glaring weakness in his game.

 

[Bazal]

I'm starting to worry about Smiths technique off flat decks.

That massive stride across he gets, the only player I can think of doing anything similar is Kat, and his wasn't anywhere near as pronounced.

The stride means he often gets his body behind the ball if it moves, reflexively drawing him into a shot. It's how he's gotten out several times this series and it shows a glaring weakness in his game.

He'll be fine. He does need to tweak it, but I think he's just overconfident this series. He doesn't always move around...that was part of what made him so hard to bowl to in our summer. He was also leaving plenty alone.

 

[Pete Cash]

I'm starting to worry about Smiths technique off flat decks.

That massive stride across he gets, the only player I can think of doing anything similar is Kat, and his wasn't anywhere near as pronounced.

The stride means he often gets his body behind the ball if it moves, reflexively drawing him into a shot. It's how he's gotten out several times this series and it shows a glaring weakness in his game.

Amla moves a fair bit across the stumps.

He has only been doing it for about 6 months. He needs to settle it down a bit because its getting ludicrous. I have said it a few times but he should consider switching back to a more normal stance in places like England and South Africa or at least wait until he is set.