Thread: The Ashes

Aussies strike first blow.






AUSTRALIA struck the first blow of the highly anticipated Ashes campaign with the Prime Minister's XI infliciting a humiliating 166-run defeat on the English tourists in Canberra.

New South Welshman Phil Jaques hit a sparkling century and paceman Shaun Tait ripped through England's premier batsmen to firmly stake a test claim.

Jaques' smacked England all over Manuka Oval today, catapulting the Prime Minister's XI to a record 5-347 off their 50 overs.

Then the bowlers, spearheaded by the South Australian paceman Tait's fiery spell of 150km/h thunderbolts, crushed the tourists in their first game Down Under.

Tait and his fellow bowlers, including skipper Cameron White, then mercilessly dismantled England's batting line-up for less than 200, Monty Panesar the last man out as England collapsed to a woeful 188 all out.

Tait took 3-21 in eight overs of fearsome pace, including the prize scalp wicket of England captain Andrew Flintoff, whom he clean bowled for one.

Kevin Pietersen, England's other middle-order tyro, also went cheaply for seven when he tried to pull a short ball from Ben Hilfenhaus, but only skied it to offer wicketkeeper Tim Paine a simple catch.

Earlier Jaques, opening the batting for the PM's XI, Jaques showed no fear taking an England attack that included captain Andrew Flintoff and two other young fast bowlers, James Anderson and Sajid Mahmood.

It took part-time medium pace bowler Paul Collingwood to dismiss Jaques for 112, caught by England's own promising top-order batting youngster Alastair Cook.

Jaques hit his 100 after 151 minutes, at a run a ball, after the PM's XI was put in to bat when Flintoff won his first toss on tour.

It was a surprising decision, given the pitch looked great for batting on.

Perhaps mindful of needing some competitive overs under his belt after a long lay-off with an ankle injury, Flintoff decided to field first.

He took England's first wicket when Tim Paine was caught playing an ugly shot, swiping across the line while advancing down the pitch when on six, and only succeeding in catching the inside edge of his bat.

Wicketkeeper Geraint Jones, a surprise selection ahead of Chris Read for England, took a superb catch down the leg side, diving to his left.

Jones, though, dropped a far simpler chance off Jaques, who had tried to guide a ball through the first slip area. The Blues left hander had not passed 50 at that stage, and Jones and England were made to pay.

Ashley Giles, much maligned as an attacking threat Down Under and, indeed, at home, took a wicket in his first over when Andrew Strauss raced in from the boundary to take a good low catch off a Mark Cosgrove slog.

England's other spinner, Monty Panesar, also had a bowl, but without success.

Travis Birt was the other wicket to go, bowled by Mahmood, with Australia 4-239 after 40 of its 50 overs.

Originally Posted by MeMock

There was a bit of a slip up 2 years ago when for some reason the Poms managed to get their hands on the old urn for the first time in living memory (I am just a young fella)

Young, but I didn't know you were less than 20

Didnt have TV till I was 12 - and I am now 30 - so yep less then 20 years!

I never watched TV betweeen 1987 and 2005, so in my living memory the Aussies have never won the ashes...

Nice try

^You too

^Ooops, that Aussie bowler looks rather West Indian

Originally Posted by NickA

^You too

errr actually I was serious. I live in the bush and there was no TV here untill I was 12.

^Well, I didn't get to watch the last ashes on TV, but I still remember it!!!!

Whats with the pics of Botham playing the WI.
As with most Poms still trying to relive past glories.

^Well, since we won it last time, your past glories would be paster than our past glories

I think that it will become clear that we were only loaning the Ashes to the Pomms, everybody knows that they can't win the world cup or anything like that so we did the right think and allowed them to have the Ashes for a little bit

^Oh, well, I'm pretty sure Australia will win the Ashes this time, I was just trying to set the record straight after MM tried to rewrite history by saying he had his eyes closed whenever they lost

You'll wish your eyes were closed after we wollop you this year!

pretty miserable performance against the PM's 11...

i like to see us win and all but i hope it somewhat more of a competition than that...

I dont! Against the POMS I love it when its over in 3 days!

Originally Posted by MeMock

I dont! Against the POMS I love it when its over in 3 days!

yes and no - i still get depressed at the end of the 5th day (3rd or 4th against the POMS) cos it means no more cricket for almost a week......

did i mention that i played in the jakarta sixes this w/e? i played a top spell of bowling for my first over today.... 1 wicket for 9 runs... but that wicket was real sweet cos i'd been tonked for 6 the immediate ball b4.

my team made the semi finals, but lost that game by just 2 runs....

we needed 15 runs off the final over 4 runs off the final ball, but lost by 2.......

mind u the sliver lining was that the drinking started early... thank god i remembered to bring my driver cos i was in no condition to drive home.

Cool - I love playing cricket but only have time to play indoor. I'm a good bowler but crap batter.

Our indoor cricket gets washed out from time to time as it just has a net around it but is still open to the elements.

i'm actually phillip tufnell,

cant bat, cant bowl and cant field.....

but love the game....

yep and I'm Jo the cameraman

gald to hear you love the game. Nothing beats the first ball of a series at the gabba.... boxing day..... listening to the sounds of the carrabian with the ABC on the wireless as you drift off to sleep....trying to explain the game to youre thai wife (well except for that last one!)

Originally Posted by MeMock

yep and I'm Jo the cameraman

gald to hear you love the game. Nothing beats the first ball of a series at the gabba.... boxing day..... listening to the sounds of the carrabian with the ABC on the wireless as you drift off to sleep....trying to explain the game to youre thai wife (well except for that last one!)

hang on matey , boxing day is MCG - i'd know cos i'm usually there, and i got tix to it this year also!

my missus is well up with cricket - in fact last season in thailand she was our scorebook keeper! she even knows the umpire signals for leg byes, LBW and no balls!

for those of you who know the 'green parrots' she won the parakeet of the year award...!

well impressive.

My goodness - that is awesome - my missus fell in love with AFL but cricket seemed to pass her by!

Obviously I know boxing day is melbourne, the '......' were meant to seperate the subjects ie I love the first bowl at the gabba and I love boxing day etc etc.

I cannot believe you have tickets to the ashes at the 'G' - is your wife going as well?

I said to my qife earlier this year that we should go to Melbourne for Christmas and then travel up to Sydney for new years....she got so excited before she remembered the ashes itenary and she put a kabosh on that holiday pretty quick

Originally Posted by MeMock

My goodness - that is awesome - my missus fell in love with AFL but cricket seemed to pass her by!

yeah she is good, when the 'green parrots' toured Burma not so long ago, she and a couple of the other girls where making more noise than anyone else ... we ending up winning that game too, i was well impressed that the recognized the fact that it was a close game ...

Obviously I know boxing day is melbourne, the '......' were meant to seperate the subjects ie I love the first bowl at the gabba and I love boxing day etc etc.

i think i realised that after reading it a second time but couldnt resist throwing that line in anyway.

i also love the fact that you have cricket on the tele, cricket on the radio, and cricket on the car radio for most of the summer... just go out and about and its cricket cricket cricket

I cannot believe you have tickets to the ashes at the 'G' - is your wife going as well?

first year its ever been difficult.....! bladdy POMS!

have my old man to thank - he was in the queue at 4.00am in centre of meblourne, first guy in line, max 4 tix per day per person, by the time they'd sold him his tix the 2nd guy in the queue had missed out! wouldnt ya be pissed!

sadly with 8 brothers and sisters who all enjoy cricket i dont have a spare one for the missus for boxing day (other days should be ok) - one of our cricket friends from thailand is gonna be there too with his wife, i was thinking of just giving her my credit card and send her off to the boxing day sales,,,,, (that just about might get me out of trouble!)

I said to my qife earlier this year that we should go to Melbourne for Christmas and then travel up to Sydney for new years....she got so excited before she remembered the ashes itenary and she put a kabosh on that holiday pretty quick

haha - poor bugger! you almost got away with it, if u do get to melbourne around xmas time gimmi a pm and we'll share a beer of three,

perhaps even some beach cricket and cold chicken sangas in the arvo at brighton beach....