The Ashes Blog

Day 1: Australians 337 for 8 (Hussey 143*, Katich 95)

There were some concerns for the Australians with a few of their top batsmen failing, but Mike Hussey looks like he could be back to form and ready to terrorise the England bowlers.

Phillip Hughes was once again dismissed cheaply, and I just wonder if he might have used up too much energy in playing for Middlesex. He’s a terrific player, and I’m not going to discount him, but he needs to get this run of low scores out of him as soon as possible. He is the sort of guy that can just turn it on at anytime … a little bit like Adam Gilchrist, you just never want to write him off.

However, another shining light was Mitchell Johnson, who once again showed the more qualified batsmen the way to go. You England fans shouldn’t underestimate this guy – he is seriously good. And I mean, Flintoff ‘05 good. Look out.

Day 2: England Lions 302 for 6 (Moore 120, Denly 66, Davies 53, Lee 5-53) trail Australians 358 (Hussey 150, Katich 95, Harmison 4-80) by 56 runs

Brett Lee is back and ready to perform, but the other bowlers in this game will have to improve if Australia are to push for a win in the 2009 Ashes. Ok, so Johnson still needs a bit of bowling time to get back into the swing of things, so I’m not too worried about him, but Stuart Clark? Seriously, he needs some work. Sure, he bowls like a superstar on Australian and South African pitches, but in England’s it’s a different proposition. Perhaps the Aussie selectors will regret picking Clark for those few one day matches which prevented him from getting a few games with an English county, which surely would have given him some valuable practice time in English conditions.

Then there’s Nathan Hauritz, who is being out-bowled by part-timer Marcus North. I can’t see him getting a spot in a Test unless the wicket looks like being a massive turner from day one, and even then he’s probably better off carrying the drinks.

Day 3: 276 for 4 (North 106*, Clarke 80) lead England Lions 352 (Moore 120, Rashid 66, Denly 66, Lee 6-76) by 282 runs

Marcus North is back scoring runs, Michael Clarke has shown himself to be the rock of the middle order, and Phillip Hughes doesn’t like facing Steve Harmison. Hughes has been through this sort of battle before, when in South Africa he was peppered with short balls, and he came through that ok so I reckon he’ll figure out a way to survive. Ricky Ponting, though, is a concern. The Aussies always talk of targeting the opposition captain. Well, if England were to do the same then I’d reckon they’ll find their job pretty easy. I mean, he’s a quality player, so you can’t write him off, but I don’t think he’s in the best of form at present.

On the England front, Harmison is looking really good. As an Aussie fan, I’d prefer not to see him in the England side, so hopefully the Pommy selectors do the right thing and stick with Stuart Broad. Graham Onions and Saj Mahmood, on the other hand, have looked pretty ordinary.

Day 1: Australians 349/7
Not a great start, with a few in the top order going cheaply. Hughes batted how I expect him to go during the Test matches – chasing hard, going for quick runs, and occasionally losing the fight as a result. But that’s ok, because I think more often than not his style will come off. My one concern is Captain Ponting, who made just 8. He needs runs to get him into the groove again. However, the Aussies recovered thanks to their lower order. Brett Lee showed he can bat, and if his bowling is good enough to get him in to the XI for the First Test, I reckon he could add some pretty valuable runs.

“I’ve heard this pitch compares a lot to Cardiff, although obviously it will be a different stage with a lot more pressure for the Test.

“It was good to spend some time out there. We’ve been going pretty hard in the nets, but it is good just to see where you’re at in the middle and things felt okay.

“The main point of this game was blowing some of the cobwebs out and part of the process towards stepping out for day one at Cardiff.
- Brad Haddin

Day 2: Sussex 311 … Australians 18/0
All of the Aussie quicks had a good day at the office, with Lee and Clark leading the way and Peter Siddle close behind. Hauritz was disappointing, and I can’t see him making the Test team. Read the rest of this entry »

Kevin Pietersen is living on the edge. He should take 3 months off from playing cricket to allow his achilles heel injury to recover, but he’s not going to do that because he’s got an Ashes series to win. The problem, however, is that he could break down at any time. He could potentially wake up on the 3rd morning of a Test and be unable to walk down the stairs. And there’ll be no warning.

KP is England’s most dangerous batsman. He has to play, and he’s worth the risk. However, the potential is there for him to cause some serious problems for the England team should he break down at an inopportune time.

“I’m taking the best medical advice and I’m doing everything I can to be fit to face Australia.
But if my injury flares up just before a Test, I won’t be able to take part. But I promise you I will be doing everything in my power to make sure that I am OK.
I’ve got one more injection I can have before I’m not allowed any more. That would be a cortisone epidural into the spinal cord.”
- Kevin Pietersen in News Of The World

Do you think Pietersen will make it through all five Tests? Will he have to pull out unexpectedly either before or during a Test?

I’m thinking of trying something this year that I haven’t done before. I’d like to open up The Ashes Blog to allow anyone to provide our famous re-enacted photos for each day of every Test.

Don’t know what I mean? Have a look here … for the past two Ashes series I’ve gotten together with some friends and family here in Brisbane, and we’ve put together our own re-enactments of key Ashes moments. It’s been a little of fun, and it’s seen us get some mild media attention. That’s been cool. This year, though, I’d like to do it a little differently, but I want to know if anyone’s interested.

So, are you interested in sending in your re-enacted Ashes photos?

In the past photos from TheAshesBlog.com have appeared on the front cover of The Daily Telegraph’s Ashes coverage, Zoo Weekly magazine, and elsewhere.

So if you’re interested, please leave a comment below, and we’ll see if this can work. I’m not sure if I’ll get different people to supply each day, or get a different group of people to be the exclusive supplier of images for each Test match.

Your ideas are welcome.

I know they’ve copped a lot of flak (“See ya, sheilas” – The Sun newspaper), but I think Australia’s early exit from the Twenty20 World Cup will be a blessing in disguise. They can now focus everything they have on their Ashes defense, rest up a little, and become well accustomed to playing under England conditions. This was on my mind as soon as I heard we were knocked out by losing to the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and Shane Warne shares this view:

“Although Australia will still be hurting, this could be a blessing in disguise for the Ashes. They will be able to have a short break to get this out of their systems and then tick along with their practice out of the spotlight before the warm-ups. They have one focus now, no distractions before July 8 in Cardiff.”
- Shane Warne in The Times

Match time is good, but Twenty20 cricket is so different to Test match cricket that I think a good amount of time between games is a good thing. And by the time we get to Cardiff on July 8, I think they’ll be hungry for some international cricket success. If Australia goes on to win the Ashes, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the English press do a 180 degree turn and pronounce that England lost because they stayed in the World Cup for too long.

What do you think? Will Australia’s early exit from the World Cup be to their advantage when they get to the Ashes Tests?

Symonds is out, McDonald is in, and Brett Lee gets another chance at glory on English soil. Frankly, I think the selectors have done alright. I am surprised they went with Ronnie (McDonald) over Roy (Symonds), but I think they made the right decision. As for the rest, it’s all fairly predictable stuff. Only one specialist spinner is in the squad (Hauritz), but that’s not going to be a problem. If Cardiff is a turning pitch, then guys like Clarke, Katich, and North are all wicket takers who can combine to fill the extra spinner position.

As for the fast bowling “pack”, Johnson and Siddle are automatic selections, which leaves Lee, Clark, and Hilfenhaus fighting for the extra 1 or 2 spots.

Here’s the squad: Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a new game on the way, and it looks sensational!! It’s called “Ashes Cricket 2009″, and it’ll be available for XBox360, PlayStation 3, and PC from June, and later in the year it’ll be released for Nintendo Wii. Real players, real grounds, and even the latest cricket rules. You’ll be able to play Tests, one-dayers, and Twenty20 games, with each team incorporating different players depending on the format being played.

Here’s an interview with producer Jamie Firth:

Read the rest of this entry »

I thought I’d try and put together a playing list of recent Australian and English players who have struggled to play as much cricket as they would like because of various injuries. Some seem to spend half their life on the bench, whilst others have experienced occasional injuries but have nevertheless missed out on some big moments. Here’s my Injured Ashes XI:

1. Marcus Trescothick
2. Phil Jaques
3. Michael Vaughan (c)
4. Shane Watson
5. Andrew Symonds
6. Andrew Flintoff
7. James Foster (w)
8. Brett Lee
9. Simon Jones
10. Shaun Tait
11. Bryce McGain

Not a bad playing list, but do you think all eleven could be simultaneously fit for a game??! And how many of these guys will play a Test in the 2009 Ashes series?

Michael Vaughan, the part-time miracle worker from Yorkshire, has been selected in a 25 man squad for the 2009 Ashes series. Some people, especially writers at England’s Guardian newspaper, think that Vaughan should play regardless of how many runs he makes. Others go even further:

“There is a rumour that KP and Freddie will be rested for the Ashes if Vaughan is fit. No point risking their fitness when Vaughan is around to win the game.

Andrew Strauss might as well be shot; he is just that superfluous now. England don’t even need a coach, Vaughan is back, save your money ECB, in fact the ECB is no longer necessary, Vaughan is here to plug all gaps and make everything better.”
- Michael Vaughan is here to win the Ashes: Crikey

Ok, so that’s a bit over the top. The real issue is whether there is another capable player who can win matches batting at number 3 for England in the same way that Vaughan could. Who are the other contestants? Owais Shah (not enough runs at Test level), Ravi Bopara (batting average of 24 just not good enough), and Ian Bell (former wunderkind who has been struggling lately). With competition like that, Michael Vaughan would appear to be a near certainty, with or without his signature walking stick.

Who would win in a match between an Andrew Flintoff XI (that is, a team of eleven Flintoffs) and a Mitchell Johnson XI (a team of eleven Johnsons)?

Read the rest of this entry »