Australia in England: 2015 Ashes series

[Der Amf]

Thought splitting the thread would be handy

A week ago, I was foreseeing little but a pasting looming. After this Lords test though....now not so sure. Damn hopes rising again. Still a month to go before it starts (8 July)

I still think we'll get pasted, over by the 3rd test again.

Watch out guys, we are coming to get you. The Aussies will be pumped up after the World Cup. We have a some fantastic young pace bowlers although I'm not as confident about our batting. Hoping Steve Smith can keep going with the unbelievable form he showed this summer in Aus. If Starc can start moving the red ball as well as he does with the white, watch out.

Have any of them played county cricket and got used to English conditions? That might be one hope for us. Young pacey bowlers getting frustrated by pitches not as bouncy as they're used to. England's bowlers have talent but they're not exactly like the 2005 quartet.
I think there's a general feeling floating around that plucky failure, putting a marker down for the future, will be accepted this summer. Of all the years....

I just realised there's no Headingley test

List of the tests:

1: Cardiff *8 - 12 July
2: Lords 16 - 20 July
3: Edgbaston *29 July - 2 Aug
4: Trent Bridge 6 - 10 Aug
5: The Oval 20 - 24 Aug

* = Wednesday start

England's W-L (D) record vs Australia by these venues:

Cardiff 0-0 (1)
Lords 7-14 (14)
Edgbaston 5-3 (5)
Trent Bridge 5-7 (9)
The Oval 16-6 (14)

Total 33-30 (43)

Overall figures for Ashes tests in England:
England 48 - Australia 47 (drawn 66)

Can't wait- love it when Australia tours England.

Its a shame the old style tours no longer exist, when back to back Tests were rare, and the touring side would play a county side in between them. One of the last ones the number of victories Australia racked up.... I wonder when that was. In the 90s I suppose.

Tours are so jam packed onto such a short period of time now. It must have been special back in the days when they jumped on a ship and were away for months.

In 1985, the tour lasted four months, from start of May to start of Sep

1-day vs Duchess of Norfolk XI (5 May)
3-day vs Somerset
3-day vs Worcestershire
1-day vs Nottinghamshire
1-day vs Surrey
4-day vs Sussex
3-day vs MCC
4-day vs Derbyshire
1st ODI
2nd ODI
3rd ODI
3-day vs Yorkshire
4-day vs Leicestershire

1st Test (13 June)

1-day vs Oxford and Cambridge
4-day vs Hampshire

2nd Test (27 June)

4-day vs Essex

3rd Test (11 July)

1-day vs Minor Counties
3-day vs Glamorgan
3-day vs Gloucestershire
4-day vs Northamptonshire

4th Test (1 Aug)

4-day vs Middlesex

5th Test (15 Aug)

4-day vs Kent

6th Test (29 Aug - 2 Sep)

Seem to remember us getting our butts kicked in 85.

I think Australian cricket in general was in a big mess around then, divided etc. Packer? Rebel tour to South Africa? England also won in 1989 but I think the first stirrings of Australia's future dominance happened then. I remember in 1993 before the series started a couple of commentators saying, this series could go either way, the teams look closely matched. Um, no. And that series plunged England into the morass that lasted pretty much a decade.

[Der Amf]

Watch out guys, we are coming to get you. The Aussies will be pumped up after the World Cup. We have a some fantastic young pace bowlers although I'm not as confident about our batting. Hoping Steve Smith can keep going with the unbelievable form he showed this summer in Aus. If Starc can start moving the red ball as well as he does with the white, watch out.

In todays paper: "Ryan Harris is a serious doubt for next week’s first Ashes Test in Cardiff after being ruled out of Australia’s tour match against Essex at Chelmsford."

Is that much of a worry? I had heard that Australia have more worthy fast bowlers than bowling places in the team anyway, iirc

[tribe125]

We're in for the usual angst, recriminations and despair from Geoff Boycott, I imagine.

[CamB]

In todays paper: "Ryan Harris is a serious doubt for next week’s first Ashes Test in Cardiff after being ruled out of Australia’s tour match against Essex at Chelmsford."

Is that much of a worry? I had heard that Australia have more worthy fast bowlers than bowling places in the team anyway, iirc

While I would like Harris in the team if fit, there was a lot of talk that he would not get in with Hazlewood on fire in the West Indies, Starc having torn the World Cup to pieces and Johnson. Then you have the all rounders in Marsh and Watto to back them up with Lyon to bowl spin. Honestly as great as Harris has been, we have an embarrassment of pace bowling riches at the moment. Pattinson ( who I rate very highly) and Cummins couldn't even make the squad.

[Der Amf]

Fair to say none of us saw this coming

[GaryF]

I can't believe how long it took the aussies to work out the pitch. That pace attack looked a bit one-dimensional when they didn't have physical intimidation to fall back on.

[Steppy]

Definitely didnt see that coming. Despite the high score set for them in the last innings, I thought 412 was doable over 2 days.

I still don't have full confidence in our batting though, always feel a collapse is possible

[CamB]

Shocking batting and a very costly dropped catch from Haddin when Root was on 0 in the first dig. Sets the series up though. Haddin and Watson have to go.

[GlennO]

Yes Watson doesn't deserve any more chances. Well played to England. If they keep it up they have a very good chance of taking out the series, especially if the remaining pitches are anywhere near as slow as that one.

[Steppy]

Yes Watson doesn't deserve any more chances. Well played to England. If they keep it up they have a very good chance of taking out the series, especially if the remaining pitches are anywhere near as slow as that one.

I would imagine they will be, pitches to order and all that