It’s been a rough few weeks. First we had our noses put out of joint; then we had them rubbed in the dirt by our understandably elated antipodean cousins. However, if the bookies are to be believed, we should get our revenge in 2015: they make England slight favourites at odds of 6/5. Basically, the bookies have looked at the real stars of this winter’s Ashes – Rogers, Harris, Haddin and Johnson – and concluded that Australia’s difference makers will be different themselves in two years time...
Don’t believe your own hype – day two at the MCG
After winning the Ashes on the back of a brilliant attack, which won’t be around for much longer, the Aussies suffered what happens to all teams who get cocky and kid themselves they’re the best in the world. We’ve seen it all before with England. When we won the Ashes and then beat India at home in 2011, our players started talking about ‘legacy’ and ‘dominating’ world cricket for years to come. It was all pie in the sky. England hadn’t really been tested against the best attacks, yet we...
Is being over the hill about age or miles on the clock?
Ian Thorburn, a first time poster on TFT, sent us this interesting piece on England’s Ashes debacle earlier in the week. As you’ll see, he raises some important issues. Is success cyclical? Has this particular England team reached its shelf-life? I have to say, my first instinct was to disagree. The average age of England’s team at Perth was 29. Australia’s was 31. Yet the older team won. But is it that simple? As Ian points out, England’s players might be younger...
The inevitable delayed – day four from Perth
Australia 385 & 369-6 dec. England 250 & 251-5 stumps. As England fans we can’t win when we’re in the doldrums. Had we been bundled out for 47, like this Australian team in the recent past, we would’ve bemoaned our lack of fight and guts. Now that Bell and Stokes have shown a bit of resistance, we’re going to agonise over what could have been. For the first time, England’s middle-order showed that this Australian attack might be a very good one, but it’s essentially the same attack that...
Bressie back in the swing
After a week of tedious debate about sledging (and the potential merits of punching George Bailey in the face) we can finally concentrate on the actual cricket again. Phew! Thanks heavens we can all move on. Anyone would’ve though that sledging is a new phenomenon. Let’s just say that Warner crossed a line when he called Trott ‘weak’ during his press conference, and Mitchell Johnson made us laugh when he claimed his sledging rattled England. Mitch, we don’t want to be too harsh, but if...
Why Mitchell Johnson will decide the Ashes
He bowls to the left, he bowls to the right, but Mitchell Johnson will decide who wins this fight. On the face of it, this claim hardly seems credible. Mitchell Johnson is a flawed sportsman: his technique is poor and his mind is fragile. However, I really believe that Johnson’s performances in this series will decide who wins the urn; it’s not because I think he’ll be either brilliant or terrible – to be honest, he’ll probably be somewhere in between – it’s because I think run rates will...
