|
|
This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
|
|
Author
|
Topic: Can Australia ever win the ashes again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
John Wilson
Film God
Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 12-18-2017 08:39 PM
Hi Jonathan
For some reason or another, I have been thinking about you these past couple of weeks. How have you been? ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Now, let me see if I can remember how to post a link here...
Ah yes...I remember now...
Ashes 2017: Australia have reclaimed the urn after victory in the third Test in Perth
AUSTRALIA has won back the Ashes in emphatic style after Josh Hazlewood farewelled the WACA with the trait the ground will forever be linked with – outstanding fast bowling.
Ben Horne
News Corp Australia NetworkDECEMBER 19, 201711:17AM
Australia won back the Ashes in emphatic style on Monday night after Josh Hazlewood farewelled the WACA with the trait the ground will forever be linked with – outstanding fast bowling.
England are on their knees with several senior players on the ropes and now facing the stark realisation that they could suffer a third 5-0 humiliation on Australian soil in the past 11 years.
Former England star Kevin Pietersen has already declared that one of Stuart Broad or James Anderson should be axed for Boxing Day, after Australia stormed to a 3-0 advantage on the back of a Hazlewood five-wicket haul and a batting masterclass from man-of-the-match Smith and prodigal son Mitchell Marsh.
For England it’s the third time in 12 months they’ve been in relative control of a Test match having scored 400 in the first innings, only to collapse to an innings defeat.
Smith can smell blood in the water, but on Monday night the emotions poured out of an Australian captain determined to lead from the front, who has achieved part of a life-long dream.
“I was crying in the sheds a bit a minute ago,” Smith said.
“Everything just came out.
“We have worked incredibly hard. It has been a great couple of weeks and I am really proud of everyone back in that room.
“I’d love to do that (win 5-0). I was part of the series obviously back in 2013-14 when we did that and it was an amazing part of my life and everyone else’s who was involved as well
“I’d love to do that again but we’ll just take it one step at a time at the moment and first of all enjoy the success we’ve had over last couple of weeks and have a good celebration.”
Smith was full of praise for his bowling attack who have taken 60 wickets in the first three Tests – despite losing the toss and having the worst of the conditions in all three.
Australia defied the embarrassing fiasco of groundstaff having to get rid of wet patches on a length before play could resume on day five – but the loss of 28 overs didn’t affect them as Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins ripped in.
Smith’s side started the series a lowly No.5 in the world, but the skipper believes they can be on the road back.
“I’d like to hope this team can keep growing and getting better and keep working our way up the rankings and just try and get better and gelling as a team,” he said.
“We’ve still got a long way to go but this has been an incredible couple of weeks and one I’m sure we’ll look back on in time and just be so proud of what we’ve achieved.”
England captain Joe Root said: “It’s very difficult to take. Fair play to Australia they outplayed us in all three games and we’ve got to be better.”
Speaking about the pitch, he said: “When we got here this morning definitely it wasn’t fit to play. It did dry up and by the end there it was probably fit to play.”
On the second morning of the match England were in control at 4-368.
The final damage was a mammoth loss by an innings and 41 runs with more than a session to spare.
Hazlewood immediately exploited the very patch that groundstaff had been so feverishly trying to dry and harden up with industrial leaf blowers, and the ball appeared to stay low as it cleaned up Jonny Bairstow’s off-stump.
An over later Hazlewood hit the giant crack that lay adjacent to the soft patches and the ball deviated 6.14 degrees from the point of impact and ended up a Steve Harmison-like distance to the left of the first slip.
Nathan Lyon trapped bunny Moeen Ali plumb lbw when there was no turn to click things into gear.
When Hazlewood managed to sneak an edge down the leg-side from a brave Dawid Malan (54) the fight was virtually over.
Cummins, who barely pitched a ball up all day, removed Stuart Broad, who had little idea about a short one whizzing past his chin and edged behind.
Then Cummins ripped in first ball to No.11 James Anderson and struck him viciously on the helmet, leaving a visible mark.
Play stopped as the Australians ran to his aid, another sign that Australia has mentally got inside the heads of the English tail with their sheer pace.
Anderson padded up again but the end was nigh, with Cummins finishing the job by taking the edge of Chris Woakes and sparking huge celebrations.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
John Wilson
Film God
Posts: 5438
From: Sydney, Australia.
Registered: Dec 1999
|
posted 12-28-2017 06:46 PM
Very happy for Alastair Cook on his unbeaten 244. Master class...
Alastair Cook carries his bat...
The Ashes: Alastair Cook rediscovers Australia as Test
greats fall in his wake
By Catherine McGregor
Sadly, I am old enough to recall vividly the highest Test match score on the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The large honour board bears the name of Robert Maskew Cowper, who batted for an eternity in February 1966 to score
307.
Cowper was a tall, handsome left-hander whose physique and lineage equipped him to also play against the All Blacks
for Victoria before he concentrated on cricket.
As a left-handed kid, in an era when teachers still studiously and unsuccessfully tried to make us conform to righthandedness,
Cowper was my first cricketing hero. None ever really replaces the very first subject of a cricket fan's
adoration.
Cowper's epic innings occupied more than 12 hours. He came in on the evening of Saturday, February 12, 1966 when
Australia still possessed a derivative of English currency, pounds shillings and pence.
This reflected our British origins and the European discovery by James Cook. When Cowper departed on the February
16 the nation had adopted decimal currency, disparaged by my Mum as a sign of creeping Americanisation. Britain
announced its withdrawal from East of Suez the following year.
We had already joined the Americans in Vietnam. Cowper's long innings coincided with the end of an era. White Australia
and Aboriginal invisibility were both being cast into the dustbin of history. Cowper's punishment of our former colonial
masters perhaps epitomised the dawn of a new geo-strategic era. Though the Barmy Army rejoices in reminding us of
'our gracious Queen' in their ditties, Australia's transformation into an American ally and Asian nation was gathering pace
and irreversible momentum.
Cowper was much on my mind yesterday as another, former captain, Cook, rediscovered Australia.
Alastair Cook played the innings of a lifetime to salvage his Test career and the honour of his nation. The large crowds
saw the immovable Cook of 2010-11 return in all his majesty.
This was his fifth Test double century and, in personal terms, the most vital and satisfying.
He defied time, tide and the pundits.
And in negotiating the path from cricket's Gethsemane to the peak of Olympus, he eclipsed the great Wally Hammond as
the highest scoring English player on this ground.
Eight runs later the great Isaac Vivian Richards drifted into Cook's wake as the highest scoring visiting batsman at this
venue.
Other legendary names, while not erased from the record books, were relegated down history's batting order.
He passed Mahela Jayawardene's career aggregate late on Wednesday evening. Yesterday, Shivnarine Chanderpaul
and Brian Lara were surpassed.
At his best Cook has always possessed extraordinary powers of concentration. But he has rarely set the pulses of crowds
racing.
Yet a glance at his wagon wheel for this innings revealed that his prolific flicks off the pads and crisp square cuts were
embellished by a hitherto rare profligacy though the covers.
Some of his straight drives were simply sublime. The shape has returned to his batting and he is playing later, with eyes
over the ball.
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All times are Central (GMT -6:00)
|
This topic comprises 4 pages: 1 2 3 4
|
Powered by Infopop Corporation
UBB.classicTM
6.3.1.2
The Film-Tech Forums are designed for various members related to the cinema industry to express their opinions, viewpoints and testimonials on various products, services and events based upon speculation, personal knowledge and factual information through use, therefore all views represented here allow no liability upon the publishers of this web site and the owners of said views assume no liability for any ill will resulting from these postings. The posts made here are for educational as well as entertainment purposes and as such anyone viewing this portion of the website must accept these views as statements of the author of that opinion
and agrees to release the authors from any and all liability.
|
Home
![[beer]](graemlins/beer.gif)
Thanks John ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[puke]](graemlins/puke.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[bs]](graemlins/bs.gif)
Printer-friendly view of this topic