Jon77

I disagree. England are a very good test side that has a number of players out of form currently which happens to every side now anad again.

Cook - out of form
Trott - well out of form
Root - still finding his way but loads of potential, will be world class.
Bairstow - again loads of talent but may or may not make it at test level
Prior - out of form
KP - found some form with the bat at last but has been out of form for the first two tests.

That is 6 top players that are currently struggling a little with their own form.

The best sides in the wolrd find a way to win series when they aren't playing well and also to avoid losing test matches after a few bad sessions.

England haven't been playing as well as they can but they are still winning and that is what counts. If it all clicked for England they could smash Australia within 2 days I think but sometimes avoiding defeat after not playing well can be just as satisfying.

Amazulu

England are an okay test side but not as good as they think they are. Agree that they can get better

The series in Australia will be interesting

Jon77

The test series in Australia will be very hard unless the players mentioned above start to find their form.

Root I am very much looking forward to seeing in Australia. I think he is a very exciting young talent indeed, has the potential to be the worlds best and I am hoping we might start to see the best if him down here.

Bairstow I am yet to be convinced about.

I fancy the series down here will end 2-2 with a draw thrown in somewhere, probably Melbourne as Sydney is a result pitch.

Broad Shoulders

ok, let's just say, all of the controversial decisions go the other way than how they did in that first test....

Agar gets dismissed on 6 instead of 98. Last wicket partnership 163, means Aus are 163 runs in arrears in the first innings. Root doesn't get given out, perhaps makes another 10 or so runs to be conservative, puts us now 173 runs ahead. Trott gets given not out. Let's say conservatively he gets another 20 runs, now puts us 193 runs ahead. Broad gets given out on 31, instead of 65, now puts us 159 runs ahead of where it finished.

There were no other controversial calls by my reckoning in that test, other than Rogers being given out LBW that hawk-eye later showed was just clipping, so that is fair enough.

So unless you want to be selective with the calls, and it is fair to say that the ones that went against England were far more costly in terms of runs than the ones that went against Australia, your claim has no substance. Aus, simply got as close as the cricketing gods could have allowed them in that game. The Aussies mistakenly took too much from the closeness of the test to consider that they were lucky in getting that close in the first place. The result being the carnage we saw at Lord's

Likewise, England took too much heart from the resounding win and didn't really turn up at OT. There are a couple of other factors at OT too. Whoever won the toss there was always going to have a big advantage, but also, that pitch is the closest the Aussies are going to see to a Aussie-style pitch in this series. As we know, even this crap Aussie lineup can play well on their own soil, look at how close the series v the Saffas was, where they were unlucky not to get out of it with a series win.

Amazulu

Paralysis by analysis

Series could be going either way with a few different decisions

England are not as good as they think they are

Australia are not as bad as England thought they were

Basically 2 average test teams with a few good players each but both can get better

Broad Shoulders

substantiate it, or shut up

I've given you the facts of the game, now tell me, what parts of the first test if had gone differently would have altered the outcome?

Likewise, your beloved SA were VERY lucky to have beaten Aus recently. A few weather gods gone a different way and you would have lost the series 2-1. to a very average team at that.

Amazulu

Chillax turbo. I don't gotta do shit

A few decisions either way and the series could be very different

2 average teams but both could improve

Broad Shoulders

I can see why you support Tony Abbott, especially when asked to justify 2 second sound bytes

chris955

Agreed, England clearly were 'disadvantaged' most by the dodgy decisions and those decisions in the end flattered Australia. Agars one off score wouldnt have happened and the game would have finished much earlier. Its clear to see.
England have an excellent team that just arent quite firing on all cylinders. I expect the series to be closer in Australia as the pitches will quite rightly favour the home team but I dont think the final result will be any different, the Ashes wont be leaving these shores just yet.

Amazulu

Jeez what's your problem? You replied to my post (which you obviously disagreed with) by name calling and by getting arsey. We can debate without this shit but you obviously don't want to

We disagree on this. Whoopee f**king doo, who gives a shit - get over yourself

I see 2 average teams - both of which I dislike - playing a series that with a few different decisions could be in a very different place. You don't - everyone's a winner

Broad Shoulders

where exactly did I name call you? If anyone called anyone names it was you with the term "turbo"

old.sparkles

#3313

Broad Shoulders

Oh, yes, England hater. Well it is quite a commonly known fact on here that he is.

Point taken

old.sparkles

Thanks - back to the cricket, who do we reckon will come out to bat then if rain doesn't halt play today?

chris955

I dont know why people rise to his stinky old bait