The 2006-07 Ashes series is getting closer, and the hype gets bigger, is this the most anticipated series ever?

With sell outs already for the: Perth, Brisbane and Sydney Tests, and the Melbourne and Adelaide tests are close to selling out as well.

Will it live up to all the hype?

Can we regain what's rightfully ours, against the Flintoff led Poms?

It would be great if we could have last year's series with this year's build up/anticipation/venues/crowds.

australia will send fat ass flintoff back...with the smirk wiped off his face

Is anyone else less interested in this series than what they were 6 months ago? I’m really starting to think this series will be nothing special for me. This series is made for a Hayden runfest, Ponting trying to be Australia’s greatest ever captain, Langer comeback, more Watson game time and more general Aussie player love fests on the field when they take wickets. Excuse me while I spew.

Australia have the potential to have the series won on Day 3 of the Perth Test. It seems only the Aussie players old age and arrogance is standing in the road of Australia failing.

Am devastated that Jones and Vaughn will not be touring, I don’t know if they can be replaced, and the England squad does not look threatening at all, especially since there are injury clouds over many players.

I agree.
The redeeming hope for me, is the fact that England performed outstandingly well against Pakistan in their most recent test series. Harmison dominated.

They still have enough quality players to give a contest. Monty is a better spinner than Giles, so that's one area in which they will be better-off than last time. They still have Hoggard, Harmison, Strauss, Flintoff, Trescothick. It doesn't have the sheer class of the Australian team, but it's still a strong-enough team. And they are well-coached, in terms of their technical/tactical coaches.

Those handful of quality players would be lucky to be as strong as last years touring South African team. And although South Africa put up a fight last summer, they still lost 2-0. Hopefully it will be competitively fought, athough the series result may not reflect the competitiveness of the matches.

Australia will be better coached than what they were for the last Ashes series when they went in thinking they would win 5-0, didn’t need technical coaching, just a geek manager telling them what to do via a laptop.

Lucky the Barmy Army are coming, they look like they’ll be the greatest form of entertainment again.

Im bloody excited about the Ashes.

Well I will be happy if we win it on the 3rd day of the Perth test, I have tickets for that day.

I reckon it will be pretty even, England where fairly impressive against a rapidly improving Pakistan team.

Its going to be a let down but a lot of fun with the barmy Army although i'm not sure how many of them will make it over to Perth not so many last time compared to other test matches.

bring on the beer snakes!!!!

Meh, once you see a world record beer snake in size...the less enthusiastic you are about the miniature versions that will be around.

For old times sake here, it is again - perhaps the only good thing the Fanatics have ever done The crazy thing was, it became even bigger then this shot shows.



Only 23 days to go to the first ING Cup game - And boy have I been having mass cricket withdrawal symptoms!!!!!

that is brilliant!!!

gotta love cricket...for the crap that happens in the stands..

i remember going to the world XI game..and watching the kids play behind the Churchill stand every tiime i wanted another tray of beer ...they had a bigger crowd than the real game

Ahh Australia vs Pakistan at the WACA biggest snake i have ever seen.

The thing I love about it, is people where not objecting to standing up, so the Beer Snake could get bigger

The whole crowd was cheering as the snake was getting built in stages, when it was joined up it was great.

The only problem then was when they decided to chuck it onto the field...and the game was delayed