Anyone for cricket?

[Macca 16,604]

Too right! And for the first time ever, we got to hear the song!

Grand performance by all - unbelievable turnaround.

Warnie suggested that there should be joint "man of the series" awards (Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson) I hope they do it as I reckon it's a fitting way to reward both matchwinners.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Too right! And for the first time ever, we got to hear the song!

Grand performance by all - unbelievable turnaround.

Warnie suggested that there should be joint "man of the series" awards (Brad Haddin and Mitch Johnson) I hope they do it as I reckon it's a fitting way to reward both matchwinners.

Agree but Johnson's 37 wickets and efforts just shade Haddin who was equally deserving.

[titan_uranus 24,578]

Absolutely fantastic stuff from Australia. We didn't play flawless cricket (clearly top order batting is an area we need to improve on), but we played much better than our opponent, we showed heart and fight when it was needed, we were ruthless, we were strong, and we were deserving winners.

England are a rabble, confidence shot. They've lost Swann, probably Trott too. Prior's going to find it hard to come back, Pietersen should give it away, Panesar's out of favour, Carberry's not good enough, Cook looks like a ghost. Not great. Luckily they found Stokes who looks fantastic, and Broad was good too, but other than that, the tour could not have been worse.

As Michael Vaughan said in commentary at the end, something that should not be forgotten is that England was the favourite to win this series. It's not like a weak side came over here and got thumped (a la 2006/07). This was a team that was supposed to walk all over us.

Johnson got Man of the Series, and fair enough, though Haddin was equally deserving. Rogers, Smith and Lyon entrenched their Test spots, Clarke's captaincy was A-grade, and his batting was vital when the series was alive (pretty poor from Perth onwards, but oh well). Harris and Siddle made a fearsome trio with the ball too. Question marks still over Bailey (obviously) and Watson, but much smaller question marks over the team than in recent times.

[dee-luded 2,959]

Well done boys!!! bringing back the boof aggression into our Wayz, & we've brought home the Bacon.

the kippers are winging their way home.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Absolutely fantastic stuff from Australia. We didn't play flawless cricket (clearly top order batting is an area we need to improve on), but we played much better than our opponent, we showed heart and fight when it was needed, we were ruthless, we were strong, and we were deserving winners.

England are a rabble, confidence shot. They've lost Swann, probably Trott too. Prior's going to find it hard to come back, Pietersen should give it away, Panesar's out of favour, Carberry's not good enough, Cook looks like a ghost. Not great. Luckily they found Stokes who looks fantastic, and Broad was good too, but other than that, the tour could not have been worse.

I wouldnt be so quick to right off Prior, Panesar and Pietersen given the lack of suitable replacements.

I keep thinking about Malcolm Knoxs comment during the Adelaide Test. England came to this country as arguably one of the best sides to tour (given they had recently been No1 in the world in recent times) but they leave these shores probably the worst side ever to do so.

In 2006-2007 they were expected to be pounded by an Australian side bristling with greats. But here in 2013/14? Simply remarkable.

[Whispering_Jack 29,178]

Now that the series is over we can return to the all important decision as to who will be our next keeper. Despite some concerns about his keeping I think Wade is still # 2 for the time being. What's the prognosis on Paine?

[Nasher 33,607]

Paine has been in poor form with the bat, but he's such a long way ahead of Wade with the gloves that I'd still prefer the former.

[Rhino Richards 1,467]

Why the issue now?? Things can change quickly over a period of time in the pecking order for No2. Haddin is the premier keeper in the country for the foreseeable future.

"Brad Haddin has emphatically denied he will retire after the SCG Test, saying he has no plans yet to hang up the gloves. The Test vice-captain, one of the players of the series, said he had not placed a time frame on his future and has designs to make it to next year's World Cup, to be hosted in Australia and New Zealand. Haddin described talk of an impending retirement as ''all rumours''. ''My thoughts haven't changed since I've come back,'' he told ABC Grandstand on Saturday. ''As long as I keep challenging myself to be the best cricketer I can be I see no reason to give the game away. I'm enjoying being part of this group and moving forward we've got a lot of big series coming up which I would like to be a part of and contribute to this group. And we've got a World Cup not too far around the corner. They're all very attractive offers.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/brad-haddin-heads-off-retirement-rumour-20140104-30atu.html#ixzz2pVhMa3QQ

Edited January 5, 2014 by Rhino Richards

[Biffen 12,812]

Happy to say i was proved wrong by Haddin.

He kept wicket well and batted like a champ.

I hope Wade replaces him in time (only due to the MFC connection)

[Macca 16,604]

The following link ... Australia win 5-0 after an emphatic win in Sydney has included in it, a 15 minute video wrap-up of today's play. Brendan Julian and Stuart Clark provide a bit of an overview of the series and there are interviews conducted with Michael Clarke and Mitch Johnson.

From an English perspective, here's a "Test Match Special podcast" with Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott ... Australia wrap up the series 5-0 after winning the final Test in Sydney. The podcast also includes the presentations and interviews held immediately after the match.

[titan_uranus 24,578]

I wouldnt be so quick to right off Prior, Panesar and Pietersen given the lack of suitable replacements.

I keep thinking about Malcolm Knoxs comment during the Adelaide Test. England came to this country as arguably one of the best sides to tour (given they had recently been No1 in the world in recent times) but they leave these shores probably the worst side ever to do so.

In 2006-2007 they were expected to be pounded by an Australian side bristling with greats. But here in 2013/14? Simply remarkable.

If I were England I'd stick with Panesar but he's clearly out of favour. The search has to begin for a better spinner than Monty; whether that's Borthwick or whether they need to wait and see who else is available (it's not, for example, Kerrigan) remains to be seen. But the way Cook used him in Melbourne shows that he's really not in favour right now.

Pietersen won't be dropped but I just don't see the enjoyment there from him. I'd also run with Bairstow over Prior, though I wouldn't be surprised to see Prior back at some point as England surely start re-jigging things.

Now that the series is over we can return to the all important decision as to who will be our next keeper. Despite some concerns about his keeping I think Wade is still # 2 for the time being. What's the prognosis on Paine?

Wade can't get back in until he learns to keep. His keeping is woeful. Paine gets in on that basis, despite the inferior batting average.

Of course, Haddin stays until he decides to retire, which may be 12 months or more from now. In that time plenty can change. But Wade needs to improve his keeping if he wants to get back into the Test side.

[DeeVoted 583]

Who would have predicted this result. Not I. Best I was hoping for was to win the ashes back,it didnt matter to me if we only one 1 Test.So long as it was enough to win the series. The signs were there in England, We went down with the scoreline showing 3 nil in favour of the enemy. But to those not wearing rose coloured glasses that scoreline could and should have read a lot closer than 3 nil. With fortunes not running our way,weather affected results and disasterous descisions not going our way.We had no choice but to take it on the chin and move on.

Enter the poms back into the ring, cocky, smug and thinking easy peasy. Just like the battle back in 1874, little did they know they were walking into an ambush. Just like Custer they failed to see the signs.

We gave them a mouthful and they found themselves under attack from the 1st ball bowled. Unveiled a Mitch Johnson V2 with great support from Harris and Siddle the poms, never recovered.

1: Broke their spirit

2: Broke their back

3: Broke their hearts

4: Broke their bats

5: Broke records

Thats the 5 right there. 5 nil whitewash. And exit the poms .. shellshocked

I wont gloat, this Aust team is good but not great. Unlike the sides of Steve Waugh and then Ponting,when anywhere or anyone they played, it would be like a 15yr schoolboy climbing into the ring to fight Mike Tyson. It wasnt how long they would last ,it was how bad the defeat would be.

Our next real test is Sth Africa, our batting is still brittle, and it remains to be seen how the bowlers can perform when under the pump.

Wasn't Haddin hard done by? If ever there was a need to share the POTS, this would have been it. Still MItch deserved it, not since the days of Lillie and Thomo have I seen pommie batsman wondering what was coming next.

Well done to Boof and the boys. Now off to catchup with a few poms I know. Winners are grinners.

So now that I have this warm fuzzy feeling inside me, knowing when a good team plays as well as it can, and has the right personal behind the scenes anything is possible. If nobody minds I'm going to enjoy the next few weeks, then hope my footy team can also turn it around.

Edited January 5, 2014 by DeeVoted

[dee-luded 2,959]

http://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/cricket/australias-victorious-cricketers-party-long-into-night-on-scg-pitch-after-ashes-win/story-fnhq5ybi-1226795679938

6 minutes to midnight, and not a Luxury Yaught, or even the Titanic insight. nor any pumpkins

well done Boof....

& well done young fella, there's time for you Yet... even if your ciraff is a bit on the large side.

[jazza 1,323]

Now that the series is over we can return to the all important decision as to who will be our next keeper. Despite some concerns about his keeping I think Wade is still # 2 for the time being. What's the prognosis on Paine?

interesting poser jack

ludes said to be the best gloveman and has a marsh batting ave 26 ish

p nevill said to be next on abc radio,ave 39

paine jury still out on hand standing up to back to back tests with a full pace attack

wade,indian tour may have sullied his waters

at least ian botham can go home in the knowledge that he predicted a 5/0 result

but we still dont know what our standard is after thrashing a second class team

Edited January 6, 2014 by jazza

[dee-luded 2,959]

at least ian botham can go home in the knowledge that he predicted a 5/0 result

but we still dont know what our standard is after thrashing a second class team

I think they Need some old hands with a dash of shyte about them, to take over the runnings of their fairytale.

even if they're up in the commentary box watching from on high.

they need some to spice up the ship, & instil some ginger into their dna.

atmo their on their way home

Edited January 6, 2014 by dee-luded

[dee-luded 2,959]

the poms have played a bit like we played over there 6 months back. the camaraderie has allowed our players to play closer to their abilities, & form is returning to our side.

IMO, the Poms main issue is Cook. he's too conservative & unsure of himself & I reckon the poms are resembling his leadership, dropped catches & all, bickering, going home, etc.

I think they need a more outgoing leader, with utmost confidence in himself. I think Ian Bell could do the job, & I don't see any others in their lineup who could.

sounds like a rudderless ghost ship, doesn't it? just a silhouette of the former team.

Llleadership! it just aint there, one player gets unwell & goes home another then decides to retire mid tour. all failing, & in poor form.

no leadership & all unhappy??? sounds familiar doesn't it? & the only international test side in real form in recent years is the Sth Africans, & 2 of their home boys have coached their opponents really badly.

good culture demands the right fit as coach.

on they're way here,,, they were cook a hoop

the tinman had rejoined them, to be back on the tour

but alas, the strawman went back unwell

then the lion pulled the pin half hearted & left the picture

& their tour leader went right back into la la land.

the Wizard of Oz was too tough.

[P-man 13,366]

The following link ... Australia win 5-0 after an emphatic win in Sydney has included in it, a 15 minute video wrap-up of today's play. Brendan Julian and Stuart Clark provide a bit of an overview of the series and there are interviews conducted with Michael Clarke and Mitch Johnson.

From an English perspective, here's a "Test Match Special podcast" with Jonathan Agnew and Geoffrey Boycott ... Australia wrap up the series 5-0 after winning the final Test in Sydney. The podcast also includes the presentations and interviews held immediately after the match.

Haha..have a listen to Boycott in that podcast. I like Geoffrey but it is staggering that when questioned about Australia's bowling performance he still downplayed the ability of the Australian players and attributed it to England playing poorly.

Apparently Mitch is the only ace, and "they might have Clarke but we have Pietersen and Bell". What exactly is it going to take for him to accept that England are simply not as good as they thought, playing on soggy England wickets and arsing out wins, and the likes of Harris, Rogers, Haddin, Siddle and Smith are a lot better than they gave them credit for. For gods sake Geoffrey, if you still think England are the better side after THAT, I have no words.

[P-man 13,366]

Further to the above, I can appreciate this isn't a great Australian side like that of the dominant Waugh/Ponting era, but these players deserve recognition as announcing themselves on the biggest stage, and on paper or otherwise have shown that they are the better side out of these two.

[Macca 16,604]

Haha..have a listen to Boycott in that podcast. I like Geoffrey but it is staggering that when questioned about Australia's bowling performance he still downplayed the ability of the Australian players and attributed it to England playing poorly.

Apparently Mitch is the only ace, and "they might have Clarke but we have Pietersen and Bell". What exactly is it going to take for him to accept that England are simply not as good as they thought, playing on soggy England wickets and arsing out wins, and the likes of Harris, Rogers, Haddin, Siddle and Smith are a lot better than they gave them credit for. For gods sake Geoffrey, if you still think England are the better side after THAT, I have no words.

Geoffrey is a beauty, P-man.

You are right, he's got stuck into a few Aussies previously (especially Nathan Lyon) but when it comes time to give a bit of credit, he often defers to the other teams deficiencies. It's just his style and I'm not sure he likes being too complimentary! But overall, he can be very entertaining (unlike his own batting, of course)

But I agree with you, we've played some great cricket and in the process, we haven't allowed them to play very well at all. It's a combination of both factors but Johnson and Haddin have had stellar series'. And ... we've had some fantastic contributions from a number of our other players ... Kudos to Australia!

As for England, the group they had that took them to the top has come to an end (they did reach no.1 status a couple of years ago - albeit briefly) They'll need to replace a number of out of form players and a few retirees. Stokes looks a player.

ps - and let's not forget "boof" Clarke's captaincy has been top notch (as usual)

[Whispering_Jack 29,178]

One area where we improved immensely is in the immeasurables - the little 5%ers in the field, bowling changes and field placements working, a lot of little factors that worked for us and failed for them which saw us building in confidence as the series went on while their morale dropped. This was much the opposite in the northern summer when everything seemed to go right for them - winning some close ones and the draw when it rained and we were on course for a win.

South Africa will be a new ball game. We need to work on our poor starts to our first innings and that might involve some changes in our batting order. What to do with Bailey? What happens with Watto and his place on the batting order?

[titan_uranus 24,578]

One advantage we will have over South Africa is the relief bowling. They have Steyn and Philander to take the new ball, but Morkel represents their only good back-up bowler. Robin Petersen is mediocre, Imran Tahir is awful, JP Duminy's off-spin is gentle at best. Remember, no Jacques Kallis to keep the pressure on.

Johnson and Harris may not be as good as Steyn and Philander, but they'll put up a decent show hopefully, and then Siddle, Watson and Lyon are far better relief bowlers than what South Africa will have.

[Jumping Jack Clennett 1,748]

Happy to say i was proved wrong by Haddin.

He kept wicket well and batted like a champ.

I hope Wade replaces him in time (only due to the MFC connection)

Hey Biff, what's Wade's MFC connection?

Does he barrack for the Dees?

If so, I can't help but hope he becomes Haddin's replacement,though I hope that's not too soon.

Haddin has really improved his keeping in his thirties, so it's not too late for Wade.

[Nasher 33,607]

Hey Biff, what's Wade's MFC connection?

Does he barrack for the Dees?

If so, I can't help but hope he becomes Haddin's replacement,though I hope that's not too soon.

Haddin has really improved his keeping in his thirties, so it's not too late for Wade.

Wade is Jeremy Howe's cousin.

[Macca 16,604]

According to Malcolm Conn ...

Selectors to drop George Bailey from Australia Test XI in South Africa, Alex Doolan to come in

Alex Doolan is in line to replace his Tasmanian captain George Bailey as Australia looks to stiffen its batting for next month's three-Test tour of South Africa.

Both may tour South Africa but Doolan has been pencilled in at number three, with all-rounder Shane Watson moving down to number six, forcing Bailey out of the side.

[jazza 1,323]

is this the same watto they said couldnt/wouldnt bat at 6 ?

we do need to bolster the top 6

the poms were dreadful and still made inroads to our batting order

our last time at the bottom of the ladder happened because under pontings time we didnt feed a younger batsmen into the team while we were going ok

after smith has played 35-40 tests he will have experienced the normal run of outs and rain delays ,saved tests and etc.

then he can start to dominate the batting for us.

but in that time rogers,haddin,clarke will be near the end and we will start looking for the next batsman.

do it now ,pull the band aid off and feed in the next 80 test batsman