Work meant I could only go and watch the last day of the Test. A great day too! Ponting is a freak. I know the bowling isn't all outstanding but he has so much vision out there in the middle. It was very brave of Smith to go for a win but he was undone by a lack of strike bowling options. If you have a lack of stirke bowling options the wise thing to do is give your bowlers more time to bowl them out. To do this you should score your runs faster. This is where the Proteas struggled.

Of the two sides that played here this summer, the Windies only outdo RSA in pace bowling potential. On the other indiactors, RSA are ahead. Unfortunately, both sides are rebuilding and whilst they can challenge Australia in particular sessions or on particular days, they never demonstrated the ability to dominate for consecutive days.

Now on to the Twenty20 and the one dayers before Tests in South Africa and Bangladesh. I think the Proteas will benefit a lot from this tour and may even take one Test off the Aussies in their backyard. They are rebuilding.

Australia should be glad they won a matchg despite taking only 15 wickets (three of those during the Day 5 tonk). Symonds is not a first change bowler. On that pitch, I'd have put Bracken in for MacGill with Warne to spin the ball besides Symonds (if it had to some to a second spinner). Good to see Gilchrist return to form. His innings was more encouraging than Symonds' knock in Melbourne. Symonds uis yet to prove himself in the batting departmenr when the chips are down.

Werd.

Would still love to see Hussey batting at six. We need more security around Gilchrist, Warne and Lee.

And who would you have at five? Katich is a mug. Clarke will bat at 4(Hodge is a lump of sh*t who should be banished from the team).

I would have liked to see Cosgrove play in the 20/20 game. It would be good to see what he has got at a higher level.

What would be people's test team for the Ashes, and for the return series in England a few years later?

Ashes this year:

Langer
Hayden
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
?????
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
MacGill
McGrath

Not much change really....I spose it's less than a year away.

Return series:

Hayden
Jaques
Ponting
Clarke
Hussey
?????
Crosthwaite
Watson
Cullen
Lee
Dorey?


Damn no6 position.

i would have a fifth pace bowler

fifth? wait till we've got a third in there first!

i meant the fifth bolwer is a pace bowler

Tait
Bracken?

I know you're only saying that coz he's a Victorian!
The summers not yet half over and no more tests
After last night, I'm missing them. Perhaps 'they' should look at resuming more 5 tests series in the future, with tests through January (eg bring back the Adelaide Australia Day test) and ODI's in February. But I know it won't happen.

I had the same depression when the Test in Perth finished.

Have the return test in South Africa in February to look forward to for those with foxsports

Well my team for the Ashes this year would be:

Hussey
Jaques
Ponting
Hodge
Clarke
Gilchrist
Warne
Lee
Gillespie
Dorey
Bracken

12th & 13th MacGill, S Clark (rotate these guys with Bracken mainly and Tait to replace Lee if injured)

As can be seen, the axe/retirement has fallen on McGrath, Hayden, Langer and Symonds. The first three are considered old and average performers, the other is the equivalent of how Milhouse fits into groups of people in the Simpsons, ie. a try hard geek that just isn’t good enough. They all should be grateful that they are allowed to tour South Africa this year. They have been very, very lucky to have been given the opportunities that they have had throughout their career so they shouldn’t whinge about being dropped at all or think that retirement is out of the question, utter selfishness if Langer and McGrath play longer than the upcoming South African tour (they should’ve been gone before the Ashes last year). Hayden again is being hailed as a great batsman from performing when the bowling standard of the opposition drops, conveniently makes a 100 and 90 as soon as Ntini stops bowling and makes a retarded 60 on Boxing Day when he didn’t have to play a shot for 75% of the deliveries he faced.

I’ve only seen highlights of this Dorey bloke but I like what I see. I reckon he is a better bowler than McGrath right now, get him in the team!

This thread may as well be the same for the VB Series as Sri Lanka don’t seem to be worth talking about at the moment, they seem to have gone back to the level they were in the late 80’s / early ‘90s.

I like the look of Garnett Kruger, bowled well and with good pace in the Twenty20, should be the most destructive bowler in the VB Series along with Brett Lee.

Geeze its hard hearing negative crap about my favourite sportsmen

Disagree strongly about Langer my friend, he was the ONLY batsman that had any sence of patience in the Ashes was always having to worry about the incompetent hack at the other end and was always losing 3-4 wickets quickly.

Was probably our best of our recognised batsman in the first few tests and his innings in Australia while not his dominating best of previous series (think of Langers form last Summer)

Langer before this summer was consistently our most lethal batsman on home soil, and his stroke play and doggedness means that opposition can bowl every other player out...but especially England, found it most difficult to get Langer out.

Langer for me is automatic selection...his performances before this summer have been commendable...and if we can carry a hack like Hayden for over a year now...I think Langer will definately be a value and a strong part of the Australian batting lineup.

But Langer and Hayden are best mates. You have to love 'em both - or not! They're a package deal.

Nope

Hate Hayden (WA v QLD is a fierce rivalry in cricket, built up from the modern era and we have so many Queensland Hacks in our lineup is devastating me )

Langer is the epitomy of the battler reaching success and having to deal with Eastern States bitches of media who were out to get Langer so Slater could be in the team...the pressure he was constantly under was ridiculos.

My WA chip on my shoulder comes out again

For Langer to strive out of that shows the character of the bloke...Hayden is lucky he was born a Queenslander...Anybody that is semi good and from Queensland normally gets into the Aussie Squad immediately...

There won't be a chance for McGrath and Langer and Hayden to be dropped before this year's Ashes. After the SA series, we have Bangladesh, in which every player will make their averages a whole lot more sweeter. Then we have England. A break I know, but not the chance for the selectors to justify dropping them. Same with Symonds. And if he's out, Watson will be in. I know you were dreaming though anyway.

I'd really like for Australia to play in Pakistan this year. They have just spanked England, and are now doing the same to India. Shahid Afridi, Inzi, Younis Khan, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Yousuf are all on fire, and Shoaib has really turned a corner. They've just declared at 679. Afridi hit 100 of 78 balls, including an over of 27 off Kumble (6, 6, 6, 6, 2, 1)....2nd most runs off an over ever. Kaneria would be an interesting prospect on their home pitches. I think that would be a tougher task than England in Australia.