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Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:22 am
by from_the_stands
In less than eighteen months time, the oldest surviving international rivalry will once again be played out, as a captivated audience from around the cricket world will watch two old foes slug it out once more for what they both regard as the ultimate prize in Test cricket, the Ashes. With Australia having comprehensively won the Urn during this most recent encounter, which much surely represent the lowest point for English cricket in quite a while, time will move on, allowing the Poms time for a media circus to unfold and a national enquiry to take place.
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For the Aussies, it seems that the game is finally moving in an upward direction once more; national team success, huge crowds at the Test matchs, and young players starting to filter through, with a new generation of superstars now banging on the door of national selection... something that was painfully absent a few short years ago. Not only that, but an arsenal of very talented quicks await their next chance, in the shadows of a trio touted as being the best in the world.

Looking ahead and contemplating what the Australian side might look like in just over a years' time, there's every likelyhood that Chris Rogers and Ryan Harris will have retired, and possibly Brad Haddin. And for some time, I've felt that Shane Watson is one more injury away from retiring from the long form of the game. And George Bailey would seem to have played in his last Test match, in spite of his world record equaling effort in Perth. Assuming that these five gentlemen are no longer with us, five new faces come into the equation; Jordan Silk (I'd like to say Phil Hughes, but I can't be bothered arguing his case) for Chris Rogers, James Pattinson (hopefully Dennis Lillee sorts him out as he did with MJ) for Harris, Tim Paine (it might be Matthew Wade, but I hope it's Paine) for Brad Haddin, James Faulkner for Shane Watson, and Alex Doolan for George Bailey.

As for the England set-up, it seems like a case of where do we start? I suspect that Matt Prior, KP, Jonathan Trott and James Anderson will have retired, and Boyd Rankin will be cast adrift somewhere in the Irish sea. I'm undecided about Michael Carberry. He wasn't the worst English batsman on tour, so he might still be around if nobody better can be found. The England side could very well look like the one we saw in Sydney, with Joe Root at 3, Ian Bell at 4, Gary Ballance at 5, and a player to be named later at 6, with yet another player to be named later batting at 7 and keeping wicket. Stuart Broad will lead the attack, with Tim Bresnan and... Steve Finn (if the England management haven't comepletely messed him up), and a spinner, but who that is likely to be is anyone's guess.

I sensed half way through the 2013 that the pendulum was swinging, and it ended up swinging so hard, it broke the clock. I guess now, for the first time since the halcyon days of Warne, McGrath, Punter, Haydos, Gilly and co., that Australia will find themselves once more being favourites going into the next Ashes series. With Darren Lehmann transforming the culture within the dressing room, the resurgence in Oz cricket could very well continue for some time, and hopefully beyond the next Ashes series. With the dust on this last contest yet to settle, I'm already counting down the days until the next one. Only about 500 sleeps left!

My Ashes squad to tour in 2015;

Dave Warner
Jordan Silk
Alex Doolan
Michael Clarke (c)
Steve Smith
Tim Paine
James Faulkner
Mitchell Johnson
James Pattinson
Peter Siddle
Nathan Lyon

Jackson Bird
Mitchell Starc
Adam Zampa
Phil Hughes
Joe Burns
Peter Neville

:box

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 5:18 am
by Gingerfinch
2015?

How come it's not 2017?

Will KP, and Jimmy still be with us? Probably, I'd say. By then we have found a spinner, opener, and third seamer.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sat Mar 01, 2014 9:09 pm
by andy
well KP wont be...Dr.Rob..

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 2:15 am
by from_the_stands
The venues have been announced for this next Ashes series. The opener will be at Cardiff, which does very little for me as a venue, tbh. It seems the Poms are too scared to play us at Headingley, which I think is a lovely ground.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 8:42 am
by Aidan11
Headingley daren't bid for an Ashes test though.

Too much in debt.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Wed May 14, 2014 11:04 am
by Arthur Crabtree
Harris has to be a doubt for this series. And Clarke. I'd guess a lot will depend on Johnson's form/fitness. Without him, the series becomes very hard to predict. I like Lyon though, and he could be a big factor in the second innings'. England are a team in decline, and Moores made a mess of his previous time in the job. Flower is still about, we have a poor skipper, and Downton doesn't encourage confidence. If we lose at home to India and have a bad WC, some of this might have changed. Australia still look less of a formidable side to me than England are in disarray. It feels too far out to guess.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2014 12:16 am
by Alviro Patterson
from_the_stands wrote:The venues have been announced for this next Ashes series. The opener will be at Cardiff, which does very little for me as a venue, tbh. It seems the Poms are too scared to play us at Headingley, which I think is a lovely ground.


Don't worry Stands, Headingley will get a test match in 2019 as they got a guarantee of test match cricket up until this point. No reason why this should be extended, after all Yorkshire are huge contributors to the national setup in the form of players.

Surprisingly enough Sophia Gardens is a nice cricket ground, not the biggest but rather intimate. Not sure it has the divine right of hosting a prestigous test match though.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Thu May 15, 2014 12:25 am
by SaintPowelly
Alviro Patterson wrote:Surprisingly enough Sophia Gardens is a nice cricket ground, not the biggest but rather intimate. Not sure it has the divine right of hosting a prestigous test match though.


Makes you wonder what The Rose Bowl needs to do to get a test.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 3:19 pm
by from_the_stands
I wish it was next year already...

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 9:34 pm
by ianp1970
Only 4 tests to play before the Ashes start again :) so how many positions are still to be filled?

My current thinking is along the lines of:

Cook
*
Ballance
Bell
Root
Ali
Buttler
Stokes/Woakes/Jordan
Broad
Finn/Plunkett/Spinner
Anderson

The second opening slot is wide open, maybe Trott as a wild-card :hide

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 10:15 pm
by hopeforthebest
ianp1970 wrote:Only 4 tests to play before the Ashes start again :) so how many positions are still to be filled?

My current thinking is along the lines of:

Cook
*
Ballance
Bell
Root
Ali
Buttler
Stokes/Woakes/Jordan
Broad
Finn/Plunkett/Spinner
Anderson


The second opening slot is wide open, maybe Trott as a wild-card :hide


Moeen v Mitch Johnson could be a one sided affair.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 10:50 pm
by ianp1970
hopeforthebest wrote:
ianp1970 wrote:Only 4 tests to play before the Ashes start again :) so how many positions are still to be filled?

My current thinking is along the lines of:

Cook
*
Ballance
Bell
Root
Ali
Buttler
Stokes/Woakes/Jordan
Broad
Finn/Plunkett/Spinner
Anderson


The second opening slot is wide open, maybe Trott as a wild-card :hide


Moeen v Mitch Johnson could be a one sided affair.


I expect Mitch will work him out by the 5th test :)

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 11:14 pm
by GarlicJam
As swimmingly well everything went for Aus in the last series, they went as sinkingly badly for England. After all, the result in the series was way off from accurately reflecting the respective skill levels of the sides. Fortune and circumstance played a huge role.

Surely, the fortunes of both will normalise somewhat for this series? Especially being on Eng's home turf.

Even with some erratic performances of late, England are looking a lot more settled.The sudden emergence of Ali as a test player really helps here. And has Cook gone through his run of poor form - or is there more to come?

I reckon it will be a pretty tough and close series, with the form of Cook having a big say in the result. How will Johnson handle the English conditions this time, will it swing to fourth slip, or back to middle/leg stump?

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sat Aug 16, 2014 11:36 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
The series will decided on Johnson and Harris.I imagine England's batters will struggle against pace.

Re: Counting down to the Ashes series in 2015

PostPosted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 12:21 am
by hopeforthebest
Arthur Crabtree wrote:The series will decided on Johnson and Harris.I imagine England's batters will struggle against pace.


Will Harris be put back together by then, what's the current situation with him? If he's fit and in form he'll be hunting Cooks next summer.