Broad Shoulders

...absolute rubbish!

Anderson was the leading wicket taker in the series in 2010/11 in Aus taking 24 wickets at 26 which is about as good as it gets for foreign bowlers in Australia. Broad got injured in the first test of that series so it was a bit difficult to judge his one test on the run-fest Gabba.

However Broad actually bowled really well in the 5-0 drubbing, he just didn't get backed up by Anderson in that series, nor the batsmen for that matter. Eng had Aus 6 for <200 on a number of occasions in that series but our batsmen couldn't back it up. Broad left that series with the 3rd most wickets in the series, 1 wicket behind Harris at a very healthy 27 average.

Our batsmen were what caused that drubbing not our bowlers. It had been coming for a long time. The bowlers had been keeping Eng competitive for a very long time. Goes back to when Eng lost 3-0 in UAE in 2012. Broad and Anderson (especially Broad) were phenomenal in seamer-unfriendly conditions, but our batsmen were bamboozled by Saeed Ajmal, who incidentally has since been found to have a very illegal action and therefore banned from bowling.

To say Anderson and Broad can't bowl in Aus is incredibly naive and shows a lack of understanding. In 2010 they bowled beautifully simply because the coaching preparations were meticulous, as it was for the batting too. In 2013 Flower and Co were way too lax in their preparations and believed that by just showing up they would win. This just never works in Aus, no matter how good you are. England got complacent after the 3-0 home series win, in which I thought we were crap, but fortunately for us, Aus were crapper! Pietersen knew this and he appeared to be the only one willing to stand up and tell it how it was. Unfortunately for him that was seen as petulant and caused the latest fracas.

Now the shoe appears, albeit after one test, to be on the other foot and Aus have rocked up under-prepared and all complacent expecting to just roger us. Aus HAVE to win at Lord's otherwise I don't think they stand a chance.

Beoz

You are back ....... missed you in the last Ashes.

And right you are. Jimmy had a great series. I had to Google that to find out then the memories came flooding back. That was the series we prepared the green wickets, tailor made for Jimmy. Something about result driven tests. Talk about doctoring wickets. Another brilliant move by Cricket Australia.

When the pitches are proper Aussie wickets Anderson averages 82.60 and 43.92. If it doesn't swing, he's got nothing.


Oh Yes it is and as I have said it looks like we have just rocked up, see what happens. I hope all the "kick up the backside" talk is more than talk.

Good to see you back. Lets hope its just not singing when you're winning

OzTennis

Umm, a Cook situation (12 failures in a row, clueless captain last time; still kept in team; same cricketer game after game, a Trott situation ..........,)

I don't live through Google. As I said I was brought up with high performance cricketers. Before you were born I was going to tests and state games with my pals and we'd sit from start to end behind the bowlers arm and fill in our scorebooks without taking our eye off play.

I was referring to the 5-0 with reference to Anderson and Broad not 2010. I saw some WC games as well this year and Broad and Anderson were pretty clueless on the hard wickets.

Lehmann was one of the major factors in turning things around when the last series was played in England. What's funny about saying he helped turned things around and therefore is capable of different thinking which you claim Aussies aren't capable of.

Broad Shoulders

Doesn't matter when you were referring to. You said they couldn't bowl in Aus. They can if given the right preparation. Granted, they have been average to crap in Perth but otherwise they have shown they can bowl very well on all the other surfaces. As for the WC, Broad had just come back from a big injury and was rushed into the squad and Jimmy should just not have been playing, he's not a ODI player and hasn't been for 10 years now.

Broad Shoulders

at the end of the day even the best bowlers struggle more on certain surfaces.
Steyn's figures in Aus are way higher than his career average (22.55 v 28.03), even his figures in England are not great (31.65), UAE (32.75).

For me, the measure of a great seamer is how well they can bowl on the sub continent where there is next to no help whatsoever.

Steyn in India (20.23), Pakistan (24.66), Sri Lanka 24.71
Anderson in India (29.81), Sri Lanka (40.72), UAE (27.66)
Broad in India (145.50), Sri Lanka (66.33), UAE (20.46)
McGrath in India (21.30), Pakistan (31.00), Sri Lanka (29.20)
Walsh in India (18.55), Pakistan (21.90), Sri Lanka (60.00)
Johnson in India (40.09), Pakistan (never bowled), Sri Lanka (52.16), UAE (29.56)

The point with the above is that even the best bowlers to have graced this earth struggle in some conditions. Some of the above stats are a bit skewed too as some of those players have only played a few tests in those conditions. However, what is clear is that Broad and Johnson are crap on those surfaces.

For me Broad, is way more versatile than Johnson. Johnson has only ever been devastating in two places on earth, SA and Aus. Whereas Broad has shown he can have those spells in a lot more places.

Beoz

Are you one of those old blokes with the beard and toweling hat that sits in the stands for 5 days straight at state games, ticking of the runs in their own score book?

Jury is out on Lehmann in my opinion. Something in the preparation and leadership went horribly wrong in Cardiff. Lets see what he can do at Lords.

Oh BTW, Geoff Boycott disagrees with your opinion on Cook.

Ashes 2015: Australia paying for reliance on old guard

Beoz

Agree. The sub-continent is a good measure and those wickets certainly favour English seamers over the current crop of Aussie quicks. I agree with your sentiments on Johnson too, which is why I've been banging on about his position in the team in this Ashes. Certainly shouldn't have been in the team for Cardiff - oh hang on - maybe as the all rounder

Will be interesting to see what he serves up at Lords.

Good to have you back. Will you stick around if Australia start winning?

Broad Shoulders

Probably not

I've been away for a few reasons. I got heavily bogged down running my local football club, which took up all of my spare time. All the while I was working a job that was taking me to China every few weeks. But I quit both roles a few months back so now I have more time on my hands whilst I ponder my next move

OzTennis

No, I'm one of those people who has played and experienced more cricket than you've had hot breakfasts but you make out you are the fount of all knowledge and I wouldn't know what I'm talking about because I come from Melbourne originally and have tennis as my main sport.

I have no desire to be tarrred (sorry you'd say tainted) with the same brush as Boycott. He has been out of step with most opinion all his career and life and is Boycott centric on everything.

Alastair Cook is so up himself he thinks he is untouchable as England captain - Telegraph

OzTennis

In the last Ashes series England bowlers didn't effect 21 of 100 dismissals in the series while Australian bowlers took all 100 wickets. England bowlers didn't let the side down? Bowlers of course have to take 20 wickets in a match to win; England did that once, in the last test and lost it by 281 runs (that's when batsmen let you down for sure).

I notice you aren't accused of just getting your knowledge from Google.

Meanwhile 2 changes to the team for Lords - Watson out (lbw of course!) and Mitch Marsh (back to back tons in the 2 lead up games) in; sadly Brad Haddin has had to withdraw, again, due to the recurrence of his young daughter's cancer, Peter Nevill in. The Haddin family woes put sport in perspective.

Broad Shoulders

That's hardly a good yard stick to judge a bowler though. All bar one innings in that series Aus declared in the second innings after finishing the first innings with a commanding lead.

That's like saying Mitchell Johnson can't bowl in Australia because the Aussie attack only took 66/100 wickets in the 2010/11 series.

in 2013/14 Aus posted competitive scores, despite Eng having their batsmen down 6 for next to nothing. The difference was their tail (and Haddin) batted well and saved them from sub-par scores. Eng batsmen posted very crap first innings scores all throughout the series and so left the Eng bowlers trying to achieve a miracle and Aus having the luxury of declaring with only 200 odd on the board in the second innings. Again, the bowlers did their job, the batsmen didn't hold up their end of the bargain, nor did our fielders for that matter.

If Aus lose this series it will have been a long time in the making. Their tail has been getting them out of the sh!t for a very long time now. The batsmen, as a collective have not been doing a good job. Essentially what we are seeing from Aus in this series is a complete replication of what happened in Aus last year. The difference is Aus still have the time to remedy it.

Beoz

To be fair, both sides have not been batting well for a long time or better put, the bowling attacks have been really good on their selected surface. Johnson and Co in Oz or SA, Anderson and Co in England or a green pitch in Oz.

That said I thought England batted a lot more sensibly than Australia in Cardiff. England's shot selection was a lot more patient and were able to pick and choose the balls they played and the balls they left a lot better than Australia were. It was made a lot easier for England because the Aussie bowlers just couldn't find the right length. The Aussie bowlers just couldn't find the top of off stump, with any consistency, and therefore the England batters were able to either leave or play with authority.

On the other hand, the England bowlers were way more consistent, hitting the top of off more often, forcing the Australian batters into frustrated shots when the loose ones appeared.

I'm really glad Nevill has been given the opportunity to play the Lords test. He has a a decent rap sheet. We don't know yet whether Marsh or Watson are holding up the all-rounder spot, but I'd be inclined to keep Watson in for now, only because Marsh has a pretty awful bowling record, and with our bowling attack, who haven't really found the right length yet, they may need someone like Watson to tighten up one end. If you throw Marsh in then you would have to have a serious look at Siddle too at the expense of a quick - probably Johnson. Someone needs to be there to do the hard yards and keep things tidy.

OzTennis

Chicken or egg - why the commanding lead after 1st innings? Australian batsmen, English bowlers, combination of both; it certainly was something to do with the bowlers not taking wickets. We have one analyst who only concentrates on bowling and another analyst who (appears) to only concentrate on batsmen.

OzTennis

Re Mitch Marsh, you were at the MCG for the WC game against England when he took 5 wickets and bowled very well? I know it was a 50 over game and not a test but as Clarke said he's bowling high 80's and getting plenty of bounce in the nets - only time will tell.

Beoz

I don't watch cricket at the MCG. Especially ODI's. I like red ball cricket and I like my grounds to be near the action and to have a little bit of atmosphere.