Must be Geoff Marsh if they want him to replace Katich.

The Aussies are getting desperate like they were in 1986/87 when they called Taylor into the squad, so the press phoned up Mark Taylor to congratulate him only later to find the actual call up was Peter Taylor who had only played 4 Sheffield Shield Games. They fancied the SCG would turn so wanted to go with two spinners and he was the only off spinner they could find. They were right because him and Peter Sleep got stacks of wickets (so did Emburey) and the Aussies won. Dean Jones played a fantastic innings as well.

I remember for a while a lot of cricket writers had a theory that that last Test of 1986/87, when we had already won the Ashes but they took the final Test off us, was more significant in hindsight than we realised. The Aussies had really been at rock bottom but that win meant they finished the series on a high rather than us, and we played them soon after in the World Cup Final and they beat us. That period marked the turning of the tide....Ashes winners Down Under and World Cup finalists in early 1987 was the high point of English cricket in the 1980s. From that point on, guys like Botham, Gatting, Broad, Emburey and Dilley never made any significant contributions any more, meanwhile the guys in the Aussie side who we had humiliated, Steve Waugh, Dean Jones, Boon, Hughes, Bruce Reid etc, all started to go from strength to strength. By the time they came to England 2 years later they had gone well ahead of us.

It's a lesson we need to bear in mind if we win the Ashes before the last Test....when the Aussies are down don't give them a sniff, we might come to regret it in the long run.

Smith, Beer, Johnson and Hughes all in. North, Katich and Doherty out.

Aus will probably line up like this:-

Hughes
Watson
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
Haddin
Smith
Johnson
Harris
Siddle
Beer

Haddin up the order, Smith as the alrounder with Johnson taking the batting to no.8 and two spinners in the side.


Englands bowlers did not get much joy today although Tremlett's figures looked ok 15-4-29-0

I've just watched the pre first test build up now I'm back in civilised society. Ricky Pontings statement that the group is settled, confident and ready to go does not seem to ring true with these panic selections.

It's lovely to see

Quote ="sally cinnamon"Must be Geoff Marsh if they want him to replace Katich. The Aussies are getting desperate like they were in 1986/87 when they called Taylor into the squad, so the press phoned up Mark Taylor to congratulate him only later to find the actual call up was Peter Taylor who had only played 4 Sheffield Shield Games. They fancied the SCG would turn so wanted to go with two spinners and he was the only off spinner they could find. They were right because him and Peter Sleep got stacks of wickets (so did Emburey) and the Aussies won. Dean Jones played a fantastic innings as well. I remember for a while a lot of cricket writers had a theory that that last Test of 1986/87, when we had already won the Ashes but they took the final Test off us, was more significant in hindsight than we realised. The Aussies had really been at rock bottom but that win meant they finished the series on a high rather than us, and we played them soon after in the World Cup Final and they beat us. That period marked the turning of the tide....Ashes winners Down Under and World Cup finalists in early 1987 was the high point of English cricket in the 1980s. From that point on, guys like Botham, Gatting, Broad, Emburey and Dilley never made any significant contributions any more, meanwhile the guys in the Aussie side who we had humiliated, Steve Waugh, Dean Jones, Boon, Hughes, Bruce Reid etc, all started to go from strength to strength. By the time they came to England 2 years later they had gone well ahead of us. It's a lesson we need to bear in mind if we win the Ashes before the last Test....when the Aussies are down don't give them a sniff, we might come to regret it in the long run.'" I well remember that. There seemed to be a lot of patronising comment in our media along the lines that it was good to see the Aussies salvage some self-respect, and mild amusement that the unheralded Peter Taylor delivered a man-of-the-match performance. Here's the scorecard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63448.html We've certainly never been as dominant since as we were in the first four matches of that series. We don't do sustained excellence in this country, every time we get it right we think we've cracked it and rest on our laurels. It's about time we learned to become serial winners. Apparently we put down a load of catches in the game with Victoria, so the shortage of wickets for our second string attack is probably less significant than the fact that they all got some overs under their belts and appear to have bowled tidily. Shaun Marsh is actually the son of Geoff Marsh, although he'll have to wait until another time for an opportunity now.

Quote ="sally cinnamon"Must be Geoff Marsh if they want him to replace Katich. The Aussies are getting desperate like they were in 1986/87 when they called Taylor into the squad, so the press phoned up Mark Taylor to congratulate him only later to find the actual call up was Peter Taylor who had only played 4 Sheffield Shield Games. They fancied the SCG would turn so wanted to go with two spinners and he was the only off spinner they could find. They were right because him and Peter Sleep got stacks of wickets (so did Emburey) and the Aussies won. Dean Jones played a fantastic innings as well. I remember for a while a lot of cricket writers had a theory that that last Test of 1986/87, when we had already won the Ashes but they took the final Test off us, was more significant in hindsight than we realised. The Aussies had really been at rock bottom but that win meant they finished the series on a high rather than us, and we played them soon after in the World Cup Final and they beat us. That period marked the turning of the tide....Ashes winners Down Under and World Cup finalists in early 1987 was the high point of English cricket in the 1980s. From that point on, guys like Botham, Gatting, Broad, Emburey and Dilley never made any significant contributions any more, meanwhile the guys in the Aussie side who we had humiliated, Steve Waugh, Dean Jones, Boon, Hughes, Bruce Reid etc, all started to go from strength to strength. By the time they came to England 2 years later they had gone well ahead of us. It's a lesson we need to bear in mind if we win the Ashes before the last Test....when the Aussies are down don't give them a sniff, we might come to regret it in the long run.'" I well remember that. There seemed to be a lot of patronising comment in our media along the lines that it was good to see the Aussies salvage some self-respect, and mild amusement that the unheralded Peter Taylor delivered a man-of-the-match performance. Here's the scorecard: www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/63448.html We've certainly never been as dominant since as we were in the first four matches of that series. We don't do sustained excellence in this country, every time we get it right we think we've cracked it and rest on our laurels. It's about time we learned to become serial winners. Apparently we put down a load of catches in the game with Victoria, so the shortage of wickets for our second string attack is probably less significant than the fact that they all got some overs under their belts and appear to have bowled tidily. Shaun Marsh is actually the son of Geoff Marsh, although he'll have to wait until another time for an opportunity now.

The Aussies didn't pick 2 spinners in India and will be even less inclined to do so in Perth of all places.
I think they will go with Smith to replace North and 4 pace men. Smith can bowl spin if need be.

True, althought Smith's leg spin is poor by all accounts so it won't be much of an option for them I don't think.

It's not the best but must it be a better option than someone who's only played 5 Sheffield Shield games in his career! An average of 39 runs per wicket with best bowling figures of 3-39 doesnt bode well for them.

It seems the only question the Aussie selectors seem to ask re their spinners these days is "is he left-handed?"

It's the recalls of Hilfenhaus and Johnson that are most indicative of the panic that seems to have set in - if they weren't good enough to be in the side one Test ago, how are they suddenly the best available option right now?

Hilfenhaus was probably a bit unlucky to be dropped after one ordinary game when he was consistently good against England in our last series, especially as Brisbane was only his second Test on home soil, but recalling Johnson for Bollinger only a week after making the reverse change seems clueless. Johnson didn't even play for WA in their Sheffield Shield match this week, so all he's done since being dropped is bowl in the nets.

It looks like a "sh*t or bust" selection. An opening partnership of Watson & Hughes, a bowling attack including Johnson and Smith smacks of desparation, but its not inconceivable that they could come off, particularly if England are complacent.

Clarke could help with the spin options, if they decided just to play Smith rather than both Smith and Hauritz - providing his back doesn't give out on him.

Has Hauritz just got a century for NSW too in their recent shield match? Better spin option than Smith and can also bat......

Quote ="Mike Oxlong"Clarke could help with the spin options, if they decided just to play Smith rather than both Smith and Hauritz - providing his back doesn't give out on him. Has Hauritz just got a century for NSW too in their recent shield match? Better spin option than Smith and can also bat......'" Yes, looks like he went in as nighchman and made the most of it. Scorecard here: www.espncricinfo.com/ausdomestic ... 74034.html The selectors were probably more interested in Steve Smith's bowling in the same match. I'm more interested in Phil Hughes' scores!

Quote ="Mike Oxlong"Clarke could help with the spin options, if they decided just to play Smith rather than both Smith and Hauritz - providing his back doesn't give out on him. Has Hauritz just got a century for NSW too in their recent shield match? Better spin option than Smith and can also bat......'" Yes, looks like he went in as nighchman and made the most of it. Scorecard here: www.espncricinfo.com/ausdomestic ... 74034.html The selectors were probably more interested in Steve Smith's bowling in the same match. I'm more interested in Phil Hughes' scores!

Anybody been watching Swanny's diary on the ECB website? Not only is the man a good spin bowler, hes a funny man to boot.

[urlhttp://www.ecbtv.co.uk/page/Video/TwelfthManTV/0,,11617~0~3127,00.html[/url

Quote ="Prince of Denmark"Yes, looks like he went in as nighchman and made the most of it. Scorecard here: www.espncricinfo.com/ausdomestic ... 74034.html The selectors were probably more interested in Steve Smith's bowling in the same match. I'm more interested in Phil Hughes' scores!'" As no doubt i've mentioned before, I was lucky enough to play against Dean Jones when he spend about half a season at nostell probably a year or two after that, he was ranked 4th in the world at the time, and was playing in the Leeds League, absolutely amazing to see up close, timing from a different planet. Agree with what's been said, Kick em while they are down boys, then kick em some more.

Quote ="Prince of Denmark"Yes, looks like he went in as nighchman and made the most of it. Scorecard here: www.espncricinfo.com/ausdomestic ... 74034.html The selectors were probably more interested in Steve Smith's bowling in the same match. I'm more interested in Phil Hughes' scores!'" As no doubt i've mentioned before, I was lucky enough to play against Dean Jones when he spend about half a season at nostell probably a year or two after that, he was ranked 4th in the world at the time, and was playing in the Leeds League, absolutely amazing to see up close, timing from a different planet. Agree with what's been said, Kick em while they are down boys, then kick em some more.

Quote ="Peckerwood"Anybody been watching Swanny's diary on the ECB website? Not only is the man a good spin bowler, hes a funny man to boot. [urlhttp://www.ecbtv.co.uk/page/Video/TwelfthManTV/0,,11617~0~3127,00.html[/url'" Interesting set of teams in his favourite sports outside of cricket...Newcastle United, Warrington Wolves and Northampton Saints www.digdeep.com/graeme-swann/ico ... lters=true

Quote ="Peckerwood"Anybody been watching Swanny's diary on the ECB website? Not only is the man a good spin bowler, hes a funny man to boot. [urlhttp://www.ecbtv.co.uk/page/Video/TwelfthManTV/0,,11617~0~3127,00.html[/url'" Interesting set of teams in his favourite sports outside of cricket...Newcastle United, Warrington Wolves and Northampton Saints www.digdeep.com/graeme-swann/ico ... lters=true

Jones was, for me, the most talented of the young Aussie batsmen to emerge in the mid 80s, I even thought he was a better player than Steve and Mark Waugh. He was seen as more of a one day player but he had a superb technique and could concentrate for long periods, some of his Test innings were superb. As well as that famous Ashes innings against England at the SCG he played one of the most legendary innings in Aussie history with a double hundred in the Tied Test in India in sweltering heat when he had to be hospitalised for dehydration and put on a saline drip overnight in the middle of his innings. He also got a double century against the West Indies against a bowling attack of Marshall, Patterson, Ambrose and Walsh. Jones and Gavaskar are the only players to get double hundreds against the W Indies in their glory days of the 1980s.

But Jones mysteriously disappeared from the Aussie Test team in 1992 when he was in good form, and never got picked again. Yes he was controversial but plenty of other players were controversial not least Warne, and generally the Aussie selectors will pick an outstanding talent even if he is outspoken, but something made them cut all ties with Jones. Sarfraz Nawaz tried to implicate Jones in the match fixing scandal but Hansie Cronje said Jones was one of the players who had been offered significant amounts and turned it down because he wouldnt get involved.....its always intrigued me what went on behind the scenes to cut short his career...

We're having a good old fashioned collapse at the MCG today, 59-4 chasing 311. All the batsmen have failed miserably.

Tremlett for me for Perth, hopefully he'll produce some extra bounce.

If it wasn't Perth i'd of gone for Bresnan

As if Bresnan would ever bowl Test batsmen out. It's like going back to the days of Mark Ealham or Dermot Reeve being in the England team.

A bit like the last Test, would the brave decision be to bowl first? Lots of grass around on the pitch so the first day could be the best for bowling!

All seam attack for the aussies, Hilf and Johno back.

So, not the best of starts then...














...if you're the Australian captain!

I'm actually stoked we are doing so badly in the Ashes


I seriously find test cricket to be as exciting as watching paint dry. Apart from possibly snooker test cricket is EASILY the most boring sport known to mankind.

The only type of cricket thats even slightly worth watching is Twenty20.


I have read that the Australian side is so weak because no kids back home want to play the sport anymore and are playing decent sports...like RL. Hopefully we wont go down the England route and get South Africans to become Australians and Aussie test cricket will continue to die its slow death and we wont have to read or watch it ever again

Barry McKenzie never thought he would say this but I'm hoping the poms win all the tests

The 230 start time wasn't a good one, been drifting in and out of sleep all morning.

I don't think we bowled that well to be honest, but I thought we were well on course to skittle them for less than 200, they've pulled it back a bit now but hopefully we'll restrict them to less than 250 - that should be well below par from what people were saying about the pitch.

I do wonder what a par score is at Perth? In the tour match WA scored less than 250 both times and England scored 223-8 and 223-4.

Good day for England but I think we might have let them off the hook a bit if they get 250.