Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

India(yeah the no 1 test ranked team) did play well in south africa !
we will see how england manage to repeat their ashes performance against india. wont be easy for england even on their home soil !

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

ooh...you mean the No. 1 Team in Test Cricket :)

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

It won't be easy, but I'm very optimistic about England's chances. Apart from anything else, we've improved as the Ashes went on . . . gained confidence, cohered as a team. And it looks like some individuals have grown in stature considerably, e.g. Cook.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

My money will definitely be on England.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Sorry the No. 1 Team in Test Cricket full of whiners like the Italian soccer team :msntongue:

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

why waste, donate the money instead :D

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Wow. England just won the 1st T20 on the last ball, with a single wicket remaining :eek:.
Apparently, they are now unbeaten in the last 16 series of any format. That I didn't know.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

are the highlights on the box tonight??

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Possibly on ITV4. Haven't checked.
I was actually following it on cricinfo, must have been helluva game to watch.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

A bit late, I know, but that fifth test was rather fun - I was at the SCG for the last two days. Possibly the highlight of the whole thing was sitting in the Member's Pavillion and listening to Billy Cooper playing the Last Post while the crowd were silent. As he played the last note, Tremlett runs in and that was the last wicket.
That and the eight Aussie lads behind us on day four half-heartedly chanting 'come on England'.
The Barmy Army were surprisingly tuneful when belting out 'We all shagged Matilda" and the afore-mentioned Mitchell Johnson song.
Five layers of sunscreen on day four, a big, floppy hap and I still got cooked. That evening, we went to a bar not too far away and saw a few very dejected Australian cricketers (Peter Siddle and I can't remember the other one - I'd had quite a few) walk past, plus the chap from My Family and those excruciating BT ads came into the bar.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

'We all shagged Matilda"

Brilliant - never heard this one before!! Who are the wits that create these songs? I envy you being there.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Ah, you should have heard them singing "God save YOUR Queen"...
It was really good fun - very lucky to get in the member's on the last day as well as it being free entry for the whole ground.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Well done to England. Definitely the better team.

I can see them having a run of bad form like they did after 2005 now. I do remember my joy when they went to Pakistan with their noses in the air and got gubbed right after beating a very good aussie team in the ashes.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

And don't they follow it up with "Long to reign over YOU!" whilst pointing to the Aussie supporters?

One day series looking like it might become a close-run thing.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

It was a great innings by Watson in the 1st ODI.

England had reached a reasonably good total and until Watson started to accelerate towards the end it looked like it might be enough.

The turning point for me was when Bresnan had two no balls in one over and gave away 11 runs. After that the spare wickets allowed Australia to play more expansively. Having said that, I don't know why the England bowlers didn't start to attempt yorkers earlier.

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Yeah, but Freddie the beer monster was still celebratibng the ashes victory, and the rest if the team with him. Now he's gone, so maybe they won't, or be so complacent...

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Looks like they're still out celebrating without Freddie after all. Meanwhile hes wrestling in Darren Gough in Mexico and jumping off cliffs...someone was right about that run of bad form. Still, theywon when it really mattered, I suppose

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

Winning the ashes with three matches having an innings victory versus some odi series....i wonder what the aussies would have wanted :)

Re: Build up to the Ashes
 

I see the Aussies lucked out.