The Ashes

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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

The basics are pretty simple, Orm. A guy projects a ball...a guy tries to hit it with a bat...there is lots of cool physics [:)]

Don't worry about all the details...they are much more complicated.

This explains the basics well...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3Aea0BR26k

Cheers, Neilster

Edit: There's heaps of strategy, tactics, psychology, weather, history and statistics involved too [;)]
Cheers, Neilster
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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

Australia has handed England another heavy defeat by 281 runs to whitewash the series 5-0. This is only the third time this has happened in Ashes history (games between England and Australia since 1882). England entered this tour as favourites but have been very heavily defeated in every test and, to be honest, this is a bit of a disaster for English cricket.

England finally won a coin toss and asked Australia to bat first on a green pitch in humid conditions that looked likely to suit swing bowling. Yet again they had Australia in big trouble at 5-97 but yet again Australia's wicket-keeper Brad Haddin performed a rescue mission with the able assistance of Steve Smith. By the time their counter-attacking 128 run partnership had been broken with Haddin's dismissal on 75, it was England who was on the back foot. Smith eventually made 115 and Australia reached an unlikely 326.

Australia managed to get a wicket late on the first day and the next morning the English top order fell apart spectacularly against a ferocious assault from the Australian fast bowlers to be 5-23. Some fight from Stokes and Broad enabled them to stagger to 155, leaving England 171 behind on the first innings.

Looking for quick runs to drive home the advantage, Australia survived a bit of a top order scare due to a belligerent 119 from 169 balls from Chis "Buck" Rogers and 48 from 74 from George Bailey. The tail threw their wickets away looking to slog the bowling and Australia finished with 276 at a rapid 4.48 runs per over.

In a game seemingly in fast forward, England were set a potentially record breaking 448 for victory with two and a half days to bat. They struggled to 3-87 before the wheels fell off and they collapsed yet again to be 7-97. Stokes and Broad threw caution to the wind with a brief display of hitting before man-of-the-match Ryan Harris cleaned up the tail to finish with the amazing figures of 5-25.

Mitchell Johnson's heroics with the ball (37 wickets at an other-worldly average of 13.97, and 165 runs) pipped Brad Haddin (493 runs at an average of 61.62 and 22 catches) for player of the series.

Cheers, Neilster

Pictures... (Note: The stumps are pink because the whole game was part of a Breast Cancer fund-raising thing)

1: Brad Haddin lofts to the leg side during his counter-attacking innings on day one
2: Gary Ballance gets hit on the helmet grille by a searing Mitchell Johnson short ball
3: Borthwick about to caught off an outside edge

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Cheers, Neilster
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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

Some more pictures...

Cheers, Neilster

1: Steve Smith smashes down the ground during his first day century
2: George Bailey dives backwards at short leg to catch Kevin Pietersen
3: Michael Clarke takes a brilliant catch at first slip

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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

And finally...

Cheers, Neilster

1: Chris Rogers cover-drives a boundary during his second innings century
2: This summed up England's tour. Michael Carberry surveys his broken bat
3: Man of the series Mitchell Johnson celebrates the crucial early dismissal of Cook in the second innings

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Plodder
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Plodder »

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Not The Ashes but this happened in a domestic Twenty20 game tonight. Jordan Silk took one of the best catches I've ever seen. The great West Indian player Sir Viv Richards, who was no slouch himself in the field, was in commentary and he described it as one of the great catches.

Also, it was instrumental in turning the game. Definitely worth checking this out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORrYTydIwXc

Edited: For a better video quality version

Cheers, Neilster

Not too shabby but still not as good as this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi0M5s7Xugc&noredirect=1
Gen. Montgomery: "Your men don't salute much."
Gen. Freyberg: "Well, if you wave at them they'll usually wave back."
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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

Well, a different sort of catch but that is brilliant too.

Speaking of Kiwi classic catches...Trent Boult...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYUS5ZmMBsM

And this actually happened just below where I was sitting in Melbourne's indoor stadium. Matthew Sinclair, and it probably ended up winning New Zealand a very close game...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-USkrNTtH9I

Cheers, Neilster
Cheers, Neilster
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altipueri
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RE: The Ashes

Post by altipueri »

There seems to be a lot of pink in cricket photos these days.
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Bonners
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Bonners »

ORIGINAL: altipueri

There seems to be a lot of pink in cricket photos these days.

It is a day in aid of breast cancer charities in memory of Glen McGrath's wife who died of the disease.

As for the cricket, well done to the Aussies, but to anybody who followed the preceding series in the English summer not entirely unexpected. Australia were only a few poor sessions away from making it a much closer series. What surprised me was the lack of form showed by the English batsmen against pace bowling. My thoughts in our summer was the reason the English batsmen were playing so badly was the lack of pace in the pitches......I was proved severly wrong on that score!
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warspite1
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RE: The Ashes

Post by warspite1 »

Just realised no thread started for the latest Ashes series.

Oh well here's a recap:

July 08-11
1st Test, Cardiff

England won by 169 runs

Joe Root, in with England struggling at 43 for three, is dropped on nought by Australia wicket-keeper Brad Haddin and goes on to make 134 in a first-innings total of 430.

Root also makes a valuable 60 in the second innings as England leave Australia with a stiff chase of 412 for victory.
It proved beyond the tourists, with Stuart Broad and Moeen Ali sharing six wickets between them as England win with more than a day to spare.

July 16-19
2nd Test, Lord's

Australia won by 405 runs

Another four-day finish sees Australia utterly dominant, with Steven Smith (215) and Chris Rogers (173) both making their Test-best scores in a huge first-innings total of 566 for eight declared.

England's alleged plan to prepare lifeless pitches in a bid to negate Australia's quicks proves futile as they are dismissed for 312 in reply.
Worse follows when, having been set a mammoth 509 for victory, England are skittled out for just 103 in 37 overs as left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson lets rip.

July 29-31
3rd Test, Edgbaston

England won by 8 wickets

After two four-day Tests comes a match that is all over inside three.

Australia captain Michael Clarke opts to bat first on a classic seaming pitch in overcast conditions and sees his side shot out for 136 as James Anderson, wicketless at Lord's, takes an Ashes-best six for 47.

The tourists fare better in their second innings but recalled fast bowler Steven Finn takes a Test-best six for 79 before Ian Bell, on his Warwickshire home ground, leads England to a modest target of 121 with his second fifty of the match.

To play:
Aug 06-10: 4th Test, Trent Bridge
Aug 20-24: 5th Test, The Oval

Ashes 2015 by the numbers:

Leading run-makers
England - Joe Root (313)
Australia - Chris Rogers (385)

Leading wicket-takers
England - Stuart Broad (12)
Australia - Josh Hazlewood (14)

Best batting performance
England: Joe Root (134, Cardiff)
Australia: Steven Smith (215, Lord's)

Best bowling
England: James Anderson (6-47, Edgbaston)
Australia: Mitchell Starc (5-114, Cardiff)
Now Maitland, now's your time!

Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
jamus34
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RE: The Ashes

Post by jamus34 »

I will freely admit cricket is one sport I truly know nothing about beyond the bat being called a "wicket".
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warspite1
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RE: The Ashes

Post by warspite1 »

What the....?????? [X(][X(][X(][X(][X(][X(][X(]
Now Maitland, now's your time!

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JosephM
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RE: The Ashes

Post by JosephM »

Yep Warspite. Fastest first innings in test history I think.
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warspite1
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RE: The Ashes

Post by warspite1 »

I can't be doing with these shocks at my age. Perhaps I'll wake up and find that normal service has been resumed in a day or two. England will be bowled out tomorrow cheaply and then Australia will make a heroic innings (perhaps aided by the weather) to save the test. Australia then win the final test to retain the Ashes.

Back to normality.....
Now Maitland, now's your time!

Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
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JosephM
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RE: The Ashes

Post by JosephM »

Well, 400odd-9 and declared. But Oz are already on 113-0, so potentially this might be the start of a fightback. Admittedly we are still 200odd ahead, with an innings still to go, but Oz are fighting back hard.

edit, just refreshed and 4 odd hours later they are at 138-4, so their top 2 were doing well, the next 2 fell quickly, and now it looks like it'll be an England victory by the end of day 3. We'll see.
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warspite1
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RE: The Ashes

Post by warspite1 »

I thought my "prediction" was going to come true for a while there [X(]

Let's hope they get this wrapped up asap tomorrow and we can celebrate winning back the ashes without worrying about the next test.
Now Maitland, now's your time!

Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
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warspite1
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RE: The Ashes

Post by warspite1 »

Well done boys [:)] Great stuff from Joe Root when it all looked a bit wobbly, Stokes for his bowling in the 2nd Innings - but Stuart Broad? What is there left to say?

Incredibly after all this time the no. of wins for each is exactly the same!

Glad to see Michael Clarke is going to go on his terms. A good man and magnanimous in defeat and victory.
Now Maitland, now's your time!

Duke of Wellington to 1st Guards Brigade - Waterloo 18 June 1815
Pvt_Grunt
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Pvt_Grunt »

ORIGINAL: warspite1

Stuart Broad? What is there left to say?

Only one thing left to say - "Man of the Match"

I tuned into the first innings a little late and they were already 7 for!!!! All out for 60 in the end.
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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

ORIGINAL: jamus34

I will freely admit cricket is one sport I truly know nothing about beyond the bat being called a "wicket".
Err...no. It's called a bat. The wickets are the three wooden poles behind the batsman. Weirdly a wicket is also when a batsman gets "out" or dismissed. Cricket has a lot of anachronistic terms because it's a very old game.

Cheers, Neilster
Cheers, Neilster
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Neilster
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RE: The Ashes

Post by Neilster »

Superb performance from England. Far too good for us except the second test. Hopefully we can salvage something in the last one but for the future we need to rebuild and learn to play the swinging ball. We might have to start using the Dukes ball in Oz as well.

There's a lot of analysis that Australian batsmen's techniques have deteriorated due to too many flat wickets and an emphasis on fast scoring in One Day Cricket and 20 over stuff. Old-fashioned defensive skills have been forgotten and young batsmen are all dreaming of fat Indian Premier League contracts.

It appears home advantage is more important than ever too but that's just a challenge that has to be overcome if we want to be consistently at the top of World cricket. I wouldn't mind a bit Allan Border/David Boon/Steve Waugh steel in the batting and Shane Warne and Glen McGrath bowling would be pretty bloody handy too.

It's a bit sad that Michael Clarke won't get a farewell test in Australia but with his back/hamstring problems and form in the last 12 months he was on borrowed time. He played over a hundred tests though, with some wonderful innings and crucial wickets.

Cheers, Neilster
Cheers, Neilster
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warspite1
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RE: The Ashes

Post by warspite1 »

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Superb performance from England. Far too good for us except the second test. Hopefully we can salvage something in the last one but for the future we need to rebuild and learn to play the swinging ball. We might have to start using the Dukes ball in Oz as well.

There's a lot of analysis that Australian batsmen's techniques have deteriorated due to too many flat wickets and an emphasis on fast scoring in One Day Cricket and 20 over stuff. Old-fashioned defensive skills have been forgotten and young batsmen are all dreaming of fat Indian Premier League contracts.

It appears home advantage is more important than ever too but that's just a challenge that has to be overcome if we want to be consistently at the top of World cricket. I wouldn't mind a bit Allan Border/David Boon/Steve Waugh steel in the batting and Shane Warne and Glen McGrath bowling would be pretty bloody handy too.

It's a bit sad that Michael Clarke won't get a farewell test in Australia but with his back/hamstring problems and form in the last 12 months he was on borrowed time. He played over a hundred tests though, with some wonderful innings and crucial wickets.

Cheers, Neilster
warspite1

That is the thing that surprised me most. Even in the bad times (for English cricket) we did occasionally have the Aussies on the ropes - but you could pretty much guarantee that there would always be a game-saving/game winning stand somewhere in the Aussie batting order. With memories of that I genuinely feared that Australia would get a draw out of the last test... but instead the Aussies collapsed like they were England....
Now Maitland, now's your time!

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