Are Australia really “twice as good” as last year?

By Will 2 years ago, at the start of September Leave a comment on this post

Glenn McGrath is clearly fighting fit once more. More pre-Ashes banter today from the big (and bulkier, apparently) fast bowler:

“I look back on last year’s Ashes with a lot of positive memories,” he said during the team’s camp in Coolum. “You learn the most from the times you get beaten or don’t play well. As a whole, the team learnt so much from that Ashes tour.

“We looked at what we needed to improve on and put that in place. Since then, I think we’re twice the team we were at the start of the last Ashes.”

The “positive memories” bit is clearly utter bullshit. There are none, for Australia, other than the performance of Shane Warne. Even that was too inevitable for it to be a positive, especially as it was in a losing cause.

What do you think? Are Australia a crumbling, ageing side or do they have one last series in them (after which they’ll all retire into cardigans and bungalows)?

Tags: ashes, australia, glenn-mcgrath, the-ashes |

Comments to “Are Australia really “twice as good” as last year?” suraj wrote:
September 1st, 2006 at 7.41 pm

Ha Ha! Didn’t this guy predict a 5-0 whitewash last year. Unless the Aussies have a fetish pleasure from heartburns there is no looking back and smiling at the last Ashes for them. This is just false bravado lke last year and shows that Aussies never went back and took a lessons learnt class after the loss.

auvergne wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 3.34 am

I think Australia will win the Ashes comfortably (I’ll put my neck on the line and say 3-1). A lot of factors will be (or are most likely) to be different from last year. First, they’ll be at home (and Cricket Australia are obviously trying to keep it that way by banning online mark-up sales). Second, England were about as strong as they can get in the pace bowling department last year, but are likely to struggle if Jones and perhaps Harmison are not fit. (Monty’s a bonus, which will make the curators think twice about making pitches, especially Sydney, too spin-friendly - well, maybe not!) Third, Australia’s selections last year were very poor: persisting with Gillespie out of loyalty while he was getting tonked was injudicious to say the least, and Kasprowich too was well below par. The middle order was another puzzle, as players like Hodge didn’t get a go (as far as I recall), while Martin struggled (albeit his demise was aided by a couple of dodgy umpiring decisions - anti-Aussie Elite Panel umpiring bias, anyone?!), and the selectors refused to draft Symonds into the Test squad, even though he had caused England big problems in the one-dayers, when he’d come back from the sin bin.

I think the batting will be stronger this time round. As for the bowling, Warne is a match-winner and Lee’s back to something like his best. Actually, to me the big imponderable is McGrath himslef. Perhaps he knows that, and that’s why he’s the one who’s talking things up: to give himself a boost as much as to get the wind up the Poms!

Kathy wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 3.53 am

If you’re twice the team you were, then maybe you’ll win 10-0 this time, Glenn!

It’s so hard to know how this series will play out, but I suspect Australia will win. Their form and confidence are good, their players settled and injury-free and they have the home advantage. And there’ll be no complacency.

England, however, are up against it. Captaincy still up in the air, with numbers 1 and 2 in line injured. Freddie’s fitness up in the air. A bowling attack low on confidence. A very unsettled line-up with, I would say, severely damaged team cohesion. Their one series victory was against a weakened Pakistan, who, I would suggest, would have won if they’d had all their bowlers.

Contrast this with England last June â€” a settled happy team with a strong captain, a tight firing bowling unit, and a series of confidence-boosting wins under their belt. Great sense of team unity and loyalty.

My gut says 2-1 to Australia.

I really can’t believe, though, the Australians thinking they’ll get Aussie umpires for the Ashes. How would they react if England had said they wanted English umpires last year? Bizarre.

auvergne wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 4.06 am

Kathy, I think the Australian “proposal” (piss-take, more like, as they were still smarting from one of their own committing harikari) would have meant that Hair, Taufel, Harper and Benson would have rotated, i.e. the four Anglo-Aussie members of the Elite Panel. Like I say, just a bit of pro-Darrell bravado - a sort of “He’s fair dinkum, mate!” Get Well Soon message…

Reverse Swing wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 9.37 am

Normally when the question ‘one last series in them?’ is posed, the answer is a resounding ‘no’. (Maybe one last test, but not a five game series)

Home advantage isn’t going to mean much this year. Trust me, there will be HUGE numbers of England supporters at every test - at least 25% at the first three, higher than that on days 2-5 at Melbourne, and similar at Sydney. The ACB have totally underestimated the amount of money English people are prepared to spend to watch their team - and totally failed to recognise that most of us have Australian friends and family who would have been happy to have their address used for ordering tickets.

Yes, England have question marks, but then so do Australia.

The big difference since last summer is that England will raise themselves for an Australian series, rather than cower as they did during the 90’s.

A drawn series - but with Australia winning at Sydney for the draw. We’ll be celebrating in Melbourne.

http://www.reverseswingmanifesto.blogspot.com

Jonno wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 12.03 pm

“utter bullshit….” Will, Will, Will. My, my Glen’s little barbs appear to be hitting some raw nerves. Like most true blue Brit supporters you seem to have blown last years Ashes win out of all proportion. I recently read Kevin Pietersen saying that England “smashed” Australia. A 2-1 series win with the two England winning margins being 2 runs and 3 wickets.

Deep in your hearts you know England played better than even the most optimistic supporter expected. Can a side without Jones, Vaughan, Giles and with Freddie on one leg reproduce the heroics of last year? Will the Australian’s be as complacent as last season? Be honest with yourselves! You know the answer!!

Normal service will be resumed this Australian Summer. Sorry guys.

Larry Teabag wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 4.38 pm

Well the England team clearly look back on last year’s Ashes with even even more postive memories than Oz’s, and we learnt a whole lot more than them too - such as how to win. So I’d say that we’re at least four times the team that we were at the start of the last Ashes. So even if oz are twice as good as they were, we should still beat them easily.

The series will be pretty much a formality in fact - barely worth playing it.

suraj wrote:
September 2nd, 2006 at 5.36 pm

Any hopes of an England win in the Ashes are highly optimistic and Aussies will serve revenge in the next series

Clancy wrote:
September 3rd, 2006 at 10.47 am

I look back on last years Ashes with fond memories - And I’m Australian!

While Glenn isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, I doubt he’s talking about the performance of Australia (or should I say purely Warne?). I think he’s talking about the whole euphoria of the series, how everyday, every session, every hour was dramatic, and exciting. Sitting up at 1am in the morning watching the battles was something I’ll remember forever. Cricket underwent a revolution in the 70s with World Series Cricket - but the Ashes 2005 will be remembered always as the series which reignited the intense rivalry England and Australia had.

Watching a lucklustre England in 2002-03 out in Australia made me think the Ashes would slowly become less competitive than say India and Australia (who fought out a terrific series the summer after England came).

Michael wrote:
September 4th, 2006 at 2.10 am

Perhaps he was thinking of what he did at Lords. Perhaps he was thinking of Michael Hussey. Perhaps he wasn’t thinking at all.

Harrowdrive wrote:
September 4th, 2006 at 12.40 pm

Regardless of the result, I hope it’s a good series and McGrath stops saying silly things.

sahil wrote:
September 4th, 2006 at 5.15 pm

It’s certainly an interesting one… Aussie’s third seamer and England’s fourth are weaknesses. They will play contrasting roles, I suspect. If Stuart Clarke (and his sucess against SA and Bangladesh means little ) plays, he is primarily a holding defensive bowler and if Sajid Mahmood plays he is an attacking but expensive bowler. The batting sides are both strong, though Englands tail is a problem. Provided Harmison, Flintoff and Hoggard are fit, then it could be decided on which one of Clark and Mahmood perform best. I’d love to say 2-1 England (to win at Perth and Melbourne), but I’m not sure I believe myself!

Tim wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 2.26 am

I often chuckle reading articles from English journos and fans. It wouldn’t matter where you’re playing, who you’re playing or how you’re playing the article is ALWAYS about how you beat us in the ashes. You think your better because you have won one series against us in the last 18 years (I’m not sure if that’s the exact time so forgive me if I’m wrong) What makes Australia the best is we beat everyone. Don’t get me wrong, England (at full strength) is,in my opinion, equal to Australia, however your only priority seems to be beating us. What about the rest of the world? What about ODI’s? Watching England post Ashes reminds me of England post Rugby World Cup. England may retain the Ashes this year (although I doubt it) but they will still have a lot to prove. If England can dominate the rest of the Cricketing world for the next decade, they would then be where Australia is now. I don’t think Australia is twice as good, I believe our opposition has been twice as bad as England in 2005. Glenn is just trying to rattle a few cages, and by the looks of it, he’s done just that.

Harry wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 10.42 am

reverse swing…i think you’ll find home advantage will be massive. come on, it’s not the crowds that will matter, they can be all english. its hte grounds, pitches and conditions that will give aussies the home ground advantage. your name says it all, reverse swing is practically what won the series for you last time round, in YOUR conditions on your pitches. This time round, watch the aussies spank your bowlers EVERYWHERE. Did you see us cope with your bowlers (particularly freddie) in the world 11 matches while on our pitches? he got drilled. so think about it!

sahil wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 10.51 am

freddie got drilled? 4-59 & 3-48 in the only Test Match. According to that, I hope he gets one of your “drillings” every match this winter!

Harry wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 10.54 am

look at the one day figures. all around they coped with him very well, particularly the top order

Harry wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.28 am

all up he got carted for 153 runs for JUST two wickets off a bit over 25 overs…and yes his figures in the test match LOOK ok, but he got out shane warne twice, shane watson once, brett lee once and gilchrist once he was already in the 90’s. the other two wickets he got were of the best batsman in the world, but he never dominated ponting who went out to due to attacking play. the bottom line is he was a far less potent force in australia, which was my point, so dont argue

sahil wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.30 am

thankfully the ashes is not a one-day tournament. Also the nature of Aussie pitches is generally hard, bouncy and pacy wickets (aside from Adelaide). The idea that the sort of wickets that have aided McGrath/Lee etc would somehow be a hinderence to Flintoff seems puzzling.

Harry wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.37 am

i never said it should be a hinderence to flintoff more than our bowlers, what i said was he won’t be able to do here what he did over there. and that alone is a massive advantage to australia im sure ull agree. im not saying he’ll do badly (yet he might) or even better than our bowlers, but as long as the carnage cant take place over here as it did over there (which i feel confident of) then i am very happy with australia’s chances, as we all know they bat supremely in this country

Harry wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.38 am

or even worse*

sahil wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.42 am

so you clearly agree then that your initial comment of “This time round, watch the aussies spank your bowlers EVERYWHERE.” is ridiculous, and more likely both bowling sides will perform similar and it’ll be a very good series.

Harry wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.47 am

no i dont think it is ridiculous, becuase if our bowlers and your bowlers both bowl at the same level, australia are still far more likely of spanking your bowlers than your batsmen spanking ours. It might have been a while since u sat and watched the likes of Ponting, Langer, Hayden, Hussey bat at home. They put average bowling away more than any other line-up in the world. Our batsman will spank your bowlers EVERYWHERE.

harrowdrive wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 11.58 am

Is anyone else slightly uncomfortable with all this talk of spanking each other?

sahil wrote:
September 5th, 2006 at 12.13 pm

it seems most likely that niether sides bowlers will be spanked around. Anyway, as you’ve said yourself “They put average bowling away” thats very true, sadly, they wont be facing average bowling, they’ll be facing good bowling. which is your batsmen will not “spank the bowlers EVERYWHERE”.

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Are Australia really “twice as good” as last year?