The Ashes

[NBC]

Any cricket fans on CP?

It is time for the 2010-11 version of the Ashes. The first test is on 25 November in Brisbane. Australia are reeling and look the most vulnerable they have in decades. Can England's batsmen take advantage of a weakened Australian attack? We'll soon see.

[Jagger]

I used to be a cricket fan. Played it in school a bit, went to The Oval to see a test match (vs India) etc.

Lost touch since I've been in Canada however. Not easy to follow it here.

I'll look at the Ashes results with interest though for sure

[Da_Chief]

The Ashes...im neither an English or an Ausie fan but I'm gonna hope for some good games and some wickets.

3 current tests going on right now with not many wickets falling. India seriously has to play some away series. Another draw looms between them and Kiwis.

Pakistan has to chase 342 on 8 wickets, expect a batting collapse there.

So glad they took captaincy away from Gayle, the guy can finally play his game again. Just dominating the Lankan bowling right now.

[Da_Chief]

Free Beer for adult Aussies if they win the Ashes.

http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/pos...urn=top-286127

[burn_baby_burn]

I lived in Australia during the Clashes for the Ashes in 1998 - 99. I didn't go to see any of the matches live. However I did see a bunch of it on TV and had numerous Aussies explain to me the significance and history of The Ashes. I still wear a shirt I bought at the time with a grimacing lion face to face with a grimacing kangaroo.

[burn_baby_burn]

Just in case anyone is wondering what The Ashes is.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes

The Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of international cricket's most celebrated rivalries and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Cricket being a summer sport, and the venues being in opposite hemispheres, the break between series alternates between 18 and 30 months. A series of "The Ashes" comprises five Test matches, two innings per match, under the regular rules for Test match cricket. If a series is drawn then the country already holding the Ashes retains them.
The series is named after a satirical obituary published in a British newspaper, The Sporting Times, in 1882 after a match at The Oval in which Australia beat England on an English ground for the first time. The obituary stated that English cricket had died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. The English media dubbed the next English tour to Australia (1882–83) as the quest to regain The Ashes.
During that tour a small terracotta urn was presented to England captain Ivo Bligh by a group of Melbourne women. The contents of the urn are reputed to be the ashes of an item of cricket equipment, possibly a bail, ball or stump. The Dowager Countess of Darnley claimed recently[when?] that her mother-in-law, Bligh's wife Florence Morphy, said that they were the remains of a lady's veil.
The urn is erroneously believed by some to be the trophy of the Ashes series, but it has never been formally adopted as such and Bligh always considered it to be a personal gift.[1] Replicas of the urn are often held aloft by victorious teams as a symbol of their victory in an Ashes series, but the actual urn has never been presented or displayed as a trophy in this way. Whichever side holds the Ashes, the urn normally remains in the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum at Lord's since being presented to the MCC by Bligh's widow upon his death.[2]

[GirlySports]

Test cricket is fun. It's almost like a best of 5-series that's combined into one game!

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Test cricket is fun. It's almost like a best of 5-series that's combined into one game!

On a good pitch it can be a dandy. You're right on a small 5 day series, further to that you could say each session has a winner.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

On a good pitch it can be a dandy. You're right on a small 5 day series, further to that you could say each session has a winner.

Yes and people don't realize it but even though it's pretty long (total 35 hours?) every ball in important and every mistake is magnified.

A fielder drops a catch and the batter can go on to bat for the rest of the day! Especially those 4-6 wickets that expose the tail.

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Yes and people don't realize it but even though it's pretty long (total 35 hours?) every ball in important and every mistake is magnified.

A fielder drops a catch and the batter can go on to bat for the rest of the day! Especially those 4-6 wickets that expose the tail.

Oh ya, test matches are won on fielding. Drop your chances and pay the price. The recent Pak-SA test, Younis Khan was dropped twice and he went onto to a match-drawing, unbeaten 131.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Test cricket is fun. It's almost like a best of 5-series that's combined into one game!

I figured it was pretty boring at times. Really makes you appreciate how exciting baseball is in comparison. I did really enjoy the recap the Aussie TV stations had after the days play was over. They would put all the highlights into an hour long show, bypassing all the standing around. Kind of like the Jays in 30.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

I figured it was pretty boring at times. Really makes you appreciate how exciting baseball is in comparison. I did really enjoy the recap the Aussie TV stations had after the days play was over. They would put all the highlights into an hour long show, bypassing all the standing around. Kind of like the Jays in 30.

But that's no fun. Gotta see it all. Something can happen anytime! It's the suspense!

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

But that's no fun. Gotta see it all. Something can happen anytime! It's the suspense!

Who has the time to watch a sporting event all day for five straight days?

[NBC]

^ A billion Indians for one.

[GirlySports]

Originally Posted by burn_baby_burn

Who has the time to watch a sporting event all day for five straight days?

They break for lunch and tea

[GirlySports]

England have just won their warm-up match against Australia A by ten wickets. Here's the scorecard. How worried should Australia be?

[Da_Chief]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

England have just won their warm-up match against Australia A by ten wickets. Here's the scorecard. How worried should Australia be?

none at all, considering English just beat the A team, the only guys that might get a shot with the big club are Hughes and White, other then that expect the likes of Watson, Ponting, Clarke, Hussey, Bollinger, Hillfenhues to be back when the games matter.

Edit - Hughes and White do not make the cut as Aussies announce the 13 man squad.
Australia squad Simon Katich, Shane Watson, Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Marcus North, Brad Haddin (wk), Steven Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Xavier Doherty, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger. (Bold will the playing 11 in the first test imo North has been a sitting wicket all-season, lets see if gains some form now)

[NBC]

This should be an interesting 5-test series. England have performed poorly in Australia the lsat 2 series there. Australia in in poor form and I don't think that Punter Ponting wants to be the only Australia captain to lose 3 Ashes series.

The first test is key.

[burn_baby_burn]

Originally Posted by NBC

^ A billion Indians for one.

I can see a billion Indians having interest in test cricket. However, do a billion Indians all watch every minute of a 35 hour test match?

[NBC]

OK, maybe half that do.