Cricket: The 2006/2007 Ashes Thread

[Capital_Shark]

From smh.com.au

British Bobby to battle Barmy Army
January 1, 2007

A British Bobby recruited by the NSW government to keep England's Barmy Army cricket fans in check has already started work in Sydney.

Assistant Chief Constable Bob Dyson went straight to work helping to police Sydney's New Year's Eve festivities after flying in on Sunday morning.

NSW Police Minister John Watkins said Mr Dyson was on duty at Sydney hotspots including Bondi, Coogee, Kings Cross and The Rocks as 2007 ticked over.

"And tomorrow he will watch over England cricket supporters when the Sydney Ashes Test gets under way," said Mr Watkins, who is assisting with crowd management and control.

Mr Watkins said the specialist cricket cop would serve as an extra deterrent to anti-social behaviour and his presence sent a clear message.

"Police will crack down on any troublemakers intent on spoiling the cricket or any other events during this exciting time of year," he said.

Mr Dyson, who has been brought to NSW for less than $7,000, would be on hand at a number of sporting events, including the Sydney FC football match against New Zealand on Sunday.

"This posting is about much more than the Fifth test alone and the behaviour of the crowd at the game," Mr Watkins said.

Mr Dyson, who emigrated from Britain to Australia with his parents when he was 10 and then returned to England as an adult, is the first foreign police officer brought to NSW for security at a major sporting event outside the Olympics.

He started his career as a cadet in Victoria, and currently holds the position of national leader for policing of cricket in England and Wales.

Cricket fans were put on notice on Monday to behave, with Cricket Australia announcing a ban on Mexican waves at the SCG for the Fifth Test.

The ban has been imposed to stop dangerous rubbish being flung into the air during the stadium-wide wave.

[jenny]

McGrath can reign in damp
FOX SPORTS
By Malcolm Conn
January 02, 2007

UNSETTLED Sydney weather may provide Glenn McGrath with an unexpected farewell present when the fifth and final Ashes Test begins today.

Ironically, given the pain McGrath has inflicted on England over the past weeks, months and years, it could well be England that hands over this retirement gift as he, Shane Warne and Justin Langer all play what is certain to be an emotional farewell Test together.

Embattled England captain Andrew Flintoff will be desperate to bat first so his slow bowlers, which could include uncapped off-spin bowler Jamie Dalrymple, can have last use of a turning pitch and, just as importantly, avoid Warne late in the match on a wearing deck.

But it would leave England squarely in the sights of McGrath.

Showers are forecast for the next three days, leaving moisture in a well-grassed pitch, cloud cover and humidity, which 10-year curator Tom Parker believes will all help pace bowlers to move the ball in the air and off the pitch.

"The ball will probably move around for the first session and a half, especially if we get the cloudy conditions here at the SCG," Parker said.

"You've seen that when it's cloudy, the ball seems to swing through the air a bit and then it should settle down.

"And by day two it'll be a good batting pitch and then on day three you'll start to see the turn come into the game."

As expected, Australia named an unchanged side yesterday, with captain Ricky Ponting reinforcing Australia is desperate to win the series 5-0 to give Warne, McGrath and Langer an appropriate send-off.

Flintoff's memory of the Sydney Cricket Ground pitch is as a spinning wicket from when he played a Test there for a World XI during October 2005.

Ricky Ponting's side won by 210 runs with leg spinners Warne and Stuart MacGill taking 15 wickets between them.

As a result Flintoff yesterday conceded his side may play limited-overs off spinner Dalrymple, 26 this month, as a second spinner alongside Monty Panesar even though Australia ignored its usual option of picking MacGill as a second spinner.

Dalrymple is a replacement in the original squad for Ashley Giles, and like Giles, who played the first two Tests, it appears England is once again considering a bowler as much for his batting, given the spectacular ability of the team's long tail to collapse.

"He's made an impact in the one-day game as an off-spinner," Flintoff said of Dalrymple, who has 11 wickets and two half-centuries in 14 limited-overs games.

"He's a fine batsman as well. He bats at six or seven for his county, so he does add quite a lot to a side. He can also field. He's a good package to have around."

For McGrath, who has taken 44 wickets at 24.25 in 11 home-ground Tests as part of his 557 at 21.68 overall, this SCG strip is likely to offer more pace and bounce than some of the decidedly spin-friendly surfaces he was forced to endure earlier in his career.

Ponting claims Australia is better equipped to handle the conditions regardless of how the pitch plays, largely thanks to departing greats McGrath and Warne, who was man of the match in Melbourne with seven wickets, including 5-39 in the first innings.

"Shane likes bowling on wickets that are a bit moist," Ponting said.

"He always says, if they seam they spin, and we saw that down in Melbourne last week.

"It seamed everywhere early on but spun quite a bit on the first day as well.

"Our bowlers certainly adapted to those conditions better than the England bowlers did in Melbourne. Our lines and lengths we bowled down there were far superior to theirs.

"If there's a wicket here that's got something in it I'm sure McGrath, (Brett) Lee, (Stuart) Clark and (Andrew) Symonds are going to use those conditions pretty well."

Surprisingly, McGrath is not so keen for the helpful strip which may be served up to him.

"If it's juiced up a bit, I think it will bring the two teams a lot closer together," McGrath said.

This was highlighted in the previous two Tests, when Australia was bowled out for 244 in its first innings in Perth and reduced to 5-84 in Melbourne on pitches with early life.

It was Langer who yesterday sat his baggy green cap on the table and talked again with emotion about how much it meant to wear the famous Australian icon.

But the calculating and clinical McGrath also showed a rare emotional side yesterday by highlighting how much the baggy green meant to him.

The realisation came during a drink at the bar with senior batsman David Boon, now a selector, back in 1994, when McGrath had been playing Test cricket for less than a year.

"We were talking about what it meant to wear the baggy green, the honour, the pride, the tradition and everything that goes with it," McGrath said.

"Before that I always wore my white floppy hat and since that day I've worn my baggy green every time I've walked onto the field.

"There's a lot of pride that goes into wearing it and representing your country."

Ponting believes that pride will shine through again over the next week.

"There's a lot riding on it with the retirements and the possibility of a 5-0 result," Ponting said.

"It's a big game for us and a big game for Australian cricket."

[Poida]

England 5-245 Collingwood out caught behind to very good McGrath outswinger.
Otherwise England are belting Australia .

[Poida]

Lee on hatrick taking Read ( caught behind) and Mahmood (caught Hayden)

[hugebrianfan]

geez i hope that Australia wins this test match then it'd be the first time in 85 years that they've one 5 neil! Go the aussies!! Man im gonna miss Shane Warne and Glen Magrath..but i dont really know justin langer!

[jenny]

Branson Ashes campaign bid

By Josh Massoud and Luke McIlveen

January 03, 2007 12:00
Article from: The Daily Telegraph


FORMER England captain Ian Botham and billionaire Sir Richard Branson yesterday said their team had no right to the Ashes after their drubbing in Australia.
Speaking his first words of sense since England's disastrous campaign began, "Beefy" Botham ? who called Australia's cricketers "colonial geriatrics" ? said the urn should remain here.

"We are playing for the Ashes and to me it seems ridiculous that England take the Ashes back," he said.

"We have seen what Ashes fever can do and how Australia responded to losing them 18 months ago.

"Who knows, if the Ashes were here for another two years, what a great moment then for England to see them brought back to the UK."

Sir Richard Branson flew the Ashes to Australia in a first-class seat on one of his Virgin Atlantic jets but said yesterday he was reluctant to take them back.

"It seems wrong that the Ashes should be going back to the UK when England have just lost the match. Australia should keep the Ashes until we come and win them back again," Sir Richard said.

"As the airline that has actually sponsored bringing the Ashes down, I feel uncomfortable about the idea of flying the Ashes back to England."

The two men will get no argument from Australian cricket fans, who have lobbied the stuffy Marylebone Cricket Club to give the urn to the winning country.

The MCC has been the guardian of the tiny sacred trophy at Lord's since 1927.

"It is definitely going home. We've had a great response in Australia and we are happy with the numbers coming through as it is about to head down to the Melbourne Cricket Club museum before going off to Hobart for its last visit," MCC chief executive Keith Bradshaw said.

"It is fragile, but we hope it could perhaps tour again. I know some people have said this may be the last time it gets to Australia but I guess that is something we'll keep assessing."

Prime Minister John Howard fuelled the debate yesterday, backing Sir Richard's campaign.

"I'm sure it would be treated with immense care and reverence. I can assure you that Australians have great warmth towards that symbol of cricket supremacy," Mr Howard said.

[Poida]

Warne in strife for dissent


January 03, 2007

SHANE Warne may face disciplinary action and a possible fine for dissent in his farewell Test after speaking sharply to umpire Aleem Dar.

Warne snapped at the Pakistani umpire after having an appeal for leg before turned down when he was bowling to England captain Andrew Flintoff.

Warne, who bowled 19 overs without taking a wicket on the first day, appealed loudly for leg before to the second ball he delivered on the second day.

The ball appeared to pitch outside Flintoff's leg stump and umpire Dar turned it down.

Stump microphones then picked up the voice of Dar asking Warne not to follow through in his line of vision because he was blocking his view of the batsman.

Warne shot back: "You worry about getting it right at the other end, Aleem, and don't worry about where my foot's landing."

The words Warne chose show he has a long memory.

In a Test match against New Zealand at the Gabba in 2004 Warne was frustrated when Dar called wide several times to balls Warne pitched outside leg stump on a turning wicket.

When he queried the calls, Dar told him: "You look after your job and I'll worry about mine."

The pair also had on-field exchanges over leg before appeals during the Lord's Test of the 2005 Ashes series.

Flintoff was on 76 at the time of Warne's appeal today and threatening to make his first century of the series.

But on 89 and running out of partners the England captain charged at Stuart Clark and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.

It meant the three Australia pace bowlers, Clark, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee each had three wickets while Warne was in danger of going unrewarded on the Australian pitch that most favours spin bowling.

Warne however took the final England wicket, wrapping up the England innings for 291 when he had Monty Panesar leg before for a duck.

It was his 707th Test wicket, which, added to his 293 one-day wickets, made Warne the second bowler after Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan to take 1000 wickets in international cricket.

The umpire who raised his finger was Aleem Dar.

If Dar decides to report Warne to match officials over their earlier exchange the bowler faces a disciplinary hearing and a possible fine.

AAP

[Poida]

Lol Warne in more strife. Thats not new.

[Poida]

England the Dad's Army: Botham

By Iain Payten
January 04, 2007

FORMER England great Ian Botham has stood behind his infamous Dad's Army taunt - but he says he gave the label to the wrong team.

Delivering a critical appraisal of England's poor preparation, Botham yesterday said the tourists had "had their noses rubbed in it" by Australia after a threadbare warm-up to the five-Test battle.

"The players were not match-fit at the start of the series. You talk about Dad's Army, well at the end of a day in the field it's England that have looked more like Dad's Army," Botham said.

The 102-Test veteran, who played in England's victorious Ashes sides of 1981, 1985 and 1986-87, also raised the possibility of England going winless through the entire tour with their inferior one-day side soon to start up.

"There will be celebrating if we win one," he said.

Daily Telegraph

[Poida]

GO WARNEY AND CLARK.
Warne on 60 odd and Clark over 25.

[Ryan]

Warney is having a good slog
Dunno how Stuart CLark is still in

[Ryan]

Warney is having a good slog
Dunno how Stuart CLark is still in

10secs later.......
Hang on.....He's gonnnnnnnnnnnnnnnne! :rotflmao:

[Poida]

He out now .
GO PIGEON AND WARNEY.

[Titanium_BD1103]

It was a nice innings... and Warne has played beautifully.... Cmon Pidegon.. stay in there and let Warnie get 100...

[Poida]

Warnes being an idiot. He gotta hit it along the ground.