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Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 1:18 pm
by andy
Have that box set of that series, always great to watch, brilliant series!

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 8:22 pm
by Durhamfootman
I have a box set entitled 'Botham's Ashes' Well worth a watch. Imagine how much better it would be if the footage had been taken using today's technology

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:55 pm
by GarlicJam
Great opening post, Sussex.

Of course, distance, my age and communication technology meant that I didn't see very much of Botham's efforts in '81, so I have to say that I have not seen a series, let alone a 5 match, Ashes, series so totally dominated by the one player. That point sets it far apart for me.


edit: to be sure, I am referring to Johnson's Ashes.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 9:38 pm
by sussexpob
Botham's effort is historical, and almost unfathomable considering the circumstances. Yet, did it have the impact that Johnsons has had? England were a better team than Australia in 2013, I am confident at the time that most people would have strongly agreed with that. They ended the series humiliated on the pitch, but arguably it wasnt the pitch that was the biggest disaster.

Its both easy to get carried away for the sake of a discussion, but also hard not to underestimate, the impact that Johnson's lead had on the whole spectrum of English cricket. Cook arguably lost his credibility as a captain permanently and has never really been the player he was in recent years. Carberry was dropped. England's wonderkid Root was pulled out before permanent damage to his promising career was made. Trott went home and retired. Swann retired. KP took the can and never played again. Ian Bell never played well again. Prior was finished. Bresnan never played again. Flower got the boot. What followed was a fan frenzy, the polarizing effects turning a lot of people against the ECB. These were consequences that not only destroyed our cricket team, but also ate away at its administration, and effected its popularity and standing from domestic fans. It felt a lot of people turned away.

Its arguable if England lost the series with some fight, any of this would have happened. Yet the manner of defeat left a mark on all those who went on that tour, and Johnson was the reason defeat turned into rout.

Not many players can claim to have done that to a team. There are other factors, many of them. Yet Johnson for me is a main reason, he lit the fuse to a huge bomb.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:17 pm
by bigfluffylemon
Some good stuff here, hard to disagree with any of it.

One that will always stand out for me was Butcher's 173* at Headingley in 2001. England's only victory in a series that was otherwise an utter rout, an incredible run chase, but most amazingly against the team and the bowling attack that he did it. McGrath, Gillespie, Warne, Lee, all at the height of their power. In fact you could make a case (I have on these boards before) that the 2001 Australians were one of, if not the best XI that ever actually took the field in history (Lloyd's West Indies and Bradman's Invincibles are probably the other two contenders there). Against that team, that win, and that innings, for me at least, will always be very special.

Broad's 8-15 will also go down in history as one of the greatest ever Ashes spells, even if it was delivered in the context of a mediocre series between two wildly inconsistent sides.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:55 pm
by from_the_stands
For me, I'm pretty fond of the '89 Ashes series. Australian cricket was still rebuilding and the English media were licking their lips at the prospect of the "worst team ever to tour England" coming their way. The Aussies had won the WC two years earlier, but were still struggling in the Test arena, and on paper, admittedly, we didn't look too strong. Some early tour squabbles between AB and Craig McDermott wasn't what the viewers at home wanted to see, but alas, McDermott would play no part in the series as Border marshalled his troops on their way to the record books. Indeed, Australia smashed England, with the urn then remaining in Oz hands for the best part of a generation. The three standout performances for me in that memorable series were Terry Alderman, who turned the England batting line-up into rabble, Steve Waugh, for his barn storming efforts with the bat, and Mark Taylor for his efforts opening the batting.

As the years have gone by, the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and others have made their contributions to Ashes mythology. If I was to select a top 5 Ashes warriors I've seen in my lifetime from each team, I'd go with the following;

Australia; SK Warne, Alderman, McGrath, Steve Waugh, and MJ for his crushing effort four years ago.
England; the tall blonde English medium pacer, Freddie Flintoff, Beefy Botham, KP, and probably Cook.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 2:19 pm
by Durhamfootman
from_the_stands wrote:
Australia; SK Warne, Alderman, McGrath, Steve Waugh, and MJ for his crushing effort four years ago.
England; the tall blonde English medium pacer, Freddie Flintoff, Beefy Botham, KP, and probably Cook.

look like good teams to me. Perhaps Swann too

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 2:21 pm
by Dr Cricket
would replace broad with cook.
Broad done more in Ashes cricket than cook.
Cook failed a lot in ashes cricket.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 2:27 pm
by Arthur Crabtree
Broad is the English medium pacer!

Lillee/G.Chappell/S.Waugh/Border/Warne

Botham/Gower/Willis/Flintoff/Pietersen

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:22 pm
by Durhamfootman
Dr Cricket wrote:Cook failed a lot in ashes cricket.

if you forget his undefeated double hundred at the Gabba

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:26 pm
by Durhamfootman
and having now checked, he scored 766 runs in 5 matches, at an average of over 127, with 3 hundreds and 2 fifties in that series, and it was a series that was alive all the way through

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:28 pm
by Durhamfootman
I hadn't realised that the tash was the leading Aussie wicket taker that series, despite only playing in 4 matches. Surprised me a bit

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:29 pm
by Dr Cricket
Only series he performed in ashes cricket not actually got a century against Australia outside that series.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:30 pm
by Dr Cricket
Scrap that he got one century in 2006 but the point still stands he only had one good ashes series the rest have been very poor.

Re: Greatest Ashes performances?

PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 2:31 pm
by Durhamfootman
this is about ashes performances, of course, rather than ashes career averages