"Rapid".
Australia quick Brett Lee says he's ready to play fourth Ashes Test
Brett Lee has launched his campaign to be picked for the fourth Ashes Test by saying he is bowling "rapid" before the start of the Headingley clash on Friday.
"The pace has felt really, really good. 100 per cent ready to go."
When I heard that on the radio this morning, I thought he said "rabid".
Anyway, when faced with injury concerns, you may as well consult an expert, especially an expert with a sense of humour:
However his teammate and good friend Shane Watson was less confident of Lee's chances of being called up for the critical match without a practice game under his belt since the injury.
"From my experience of coming back from a side injury you normally need to have one game under your belt."
" ... I think at the moment there is probably less chance of him being picked because of that reason.
If you could guarantee Lee would bowl like he did in Worcester when he got his reverse happening, you would be mad not to pick him. But on top of the most recent injury, he hasn't played a Test since Melbourne and is notoriously toothless in England. It's hard to see how he can play. And yet. That spell, the static emanating out of the media, and Australia's current lack of tooth indicate why the selectors always seem so desperate to get him in the side. With the Oval pitch already looking like a road, it might be time to take a risk and pick Lee.
Yes, I know.
And then there's Klutzy. The selectors love him, too. Not for his keeping, obviously, but because he can bat. But at what cost? At what point do the selectors conclude that dreadful keeping costs more than excellent batting? Haddin with good hands - obviously not in the colloquial sense - is a rotten keeper. How bad will he be with a broken finger? His keeping was passable in the West Indies when he broke a finger there, but ever since India he has been rubbish behind the stumps. And how much will said digit affect his batting? You've probably got to stick with Manou, who is a far better keeper, and is reasonable with the bat.
So, you pick Lee, who goes out? Siddle? And what about Clark? If Manou stays, Lee might get picked because he can bat a bit.
Whatever the make-up of the side - and it will come as no surprise to read it here since every pundit has made the same point - we need to win in Leeds, because we are unlikely to win an Oval bat-a-thon.
Could it be that my churning guts which groaned "we've just blown the Ashes" after Fucken Cardiff were spot on? Unless our bowlers can find an edge this weekend we can wave the urn goodbye.
And then there's this:
Player Runs HS Ave
MJ Clarke 352 136 88.00
AJ Strauss 309 161 61.80
SM Katich 248 122 49.60
MJ North 239 125* 59.75
RT Ponting 233 150 46.60
BJ Haddin 229 121 76.33
And this:
Player Overs Mdns Runs Wkts
BW Hilfenhaus 122.0 32 395 13
JM Anderson 119.0 30 378 12
NM Hauritz 103.2 17 321 10
MG Johnson 103.4 11 423 10
PM Siddle 101.5 13 401 10
G Onions 55.4 6 223 8
A Flintoff 104.0 13 340 7
Superficially, the figures point to Australian superiority. Except one figure: England 1 / Australia 0. Like Richmond last weekend against Melbourne: are England going to win by accident?
MORE OR LESS
Apropos the stats, just saw this in my reader:
The Ashes series that doesn’t add up
Cricket is a numbers game, yet this Ashes series doesn’t add up. Over the first three Tests Australia have scored more runs (1,933) and lost fewer wickets (41) than England (1,799 and 45).
LEE TIPPED?
If you know what I mean:
HERE’s two tips for you ... Stuart Clark will play tomorrow’s fourth Test and Brett Lee won’t play a Test on tour and could be finished.
LOAD OF PANTH
Give it a rest:
Pressure grows as urn comes into view
Should the hosts go forth and reclaim the urn, Andrew Flintoff's heroic effort in north-west London - in which he claimed five Australian wickets on a painful right knee - will ascend to a pantheon of national sporting achievements currently occupied by Geoff Hurst's hat-trick and Jonny Wilkinson's drop-goal.
Selection nightmares. Headlines say it all - Lee '100% ready' | Keeper 'okay' after injection | Gillespie: Australia need Clark | North seeks consistency | Clarke treated for stomach strain | Is Onions married? |
Hilf the only bowling certainty. Keeping now an issue with clean keeping or clean hitting being the options. At least the batting is a bit more settled, for now. In a way you feel for Hilditch and co, Hohns' honchos never had it this tough.
Weather forecast looks pretty reasonable.
Posted by: RT | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 06:06 PM
I was really pleased for Manou, a good citizen wins at last.
And just as I was revising my view that Clarke is a girl, he starts rubbing his poor lil tum-tum and sure enough, he's pulled his bloody g-string.
I loved the way Watson wore that whack from Freddy and didn't even ask for the magic spray. No arm guard or chest guard either. Maybe he'll do, though I reckon Hughes should still open - it's alea jacta est time.
Posted by: os | Thursday, August 06, 2009 at 06:31 PM
I'm very happy to read the Crash article! Lee would be a shocking pick.
Posted by: Nick | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 12:14 AM
Lee would be an enormous gamble given the lack of games he has played and the possibility of injury.
Australia must win as the Oval is a batting paradise.
We must pick bowlers who will get wickets.
Motels is first pick. He is our best swinger of the ball and the most likely to get wickets.
Mummy's boy also must be selected as his record over the last year speaks for itself. There is the possibility batsman have worked out how to play him ( wait for short ball to cut and play off the hip on the leg).
Clark must play as well. He bowls line and length and keeps the pressure on which bowlers such as Motels and especially Mummy's boy desperately need.
It then comes down to either Horrors or Bing. I favour a spinner.
In our favour is the fact that when the ball doesn't swing their bowlers are fodder. Our bowlers are used to this because of the disgraceful action of TV stations on groundsman here.
Posted by: The Don has risen | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:14 AM
Flintoff out, Harmison in.
Pity about that. I was hoping they'd run him into the ground, or go the soft option and pick a batsman.
But Harmison can bowl, and has been bowling well. He's much more of a threat than Freddie at the moment and a much more attacking option than a replacement batsman.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 03:50 PM
Not on Cricinfo yet - confirmed?
Posted by: nick | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 04:30 PM
The Sun is pretty unequivocal (if you can be pretty unequivocal):
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 04:58 PM
Fascinating few days. First the Slot media machine rolls in and he looks a certainty to play. Then Paper Cut bags him and he's now completely out of favour. Clark must surely come in, probably for Siddle who lacks supporters, but possibly for Ritz, who has maybe not quite done enough. And all the while they talk about how the current team "did the job" in South Africa, Despite being different in several respects - notably McDonald, but now also Our Phil and Klutz.
I have this feeling, that this will be the test that it clicks for Studs. Not that that means we will win, but I wouldn't drop him. Before Edgbaston, maybe, but not now.
As for Harmy. It is no bad thing when you need to take 20 wickets, to see only 5 specialist batsmen, two of whom are struggling a bit. Not that Flintoff has ever been that reliable, but he has done enough to be a scourge in the past.
I am dreading the idea that we'll do the same, drop North, and play five bowlers plus Paper Cut. Apart from being horrid overkill (neither PC or Krab bowled much at Edgbaston, so why add more armory), it is also terribly dangerous when you've made a habit of being bowled out for less than 300. The last test in South Africa, where we played five bats, was an out an out disaster. It is hard to believe we'd contemplate doing that again.
Posted by: Russ | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 05:00 PM
England leave themselves pretty exposed by not picking a batsman to replace Flintoff.
They only have 5 specialist batsmen in their team now, and 1 of those is Ravi Bopara.
Prior comes in at 6 and I guess now Broad will bat 7?
Collingwood, Bell and Cook are the other 3. They are basically putting all their eggs in the Andrew Strauss basket.
A couple of early wickets and it could all be over very quickly. Even more reason to pick Lee in my opinion, he swings it back in to the lefthanders and has a knack of picking up wickets very early in a match. He's got Graeme Smith LBW early a heap of times like that.
Get Strauss out early in the remainder of this series and we could easily win it 2-1 from here.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 06:20 PM
Hope you're right. It would be a similar situation to us in the third Test in SA.
That's if our bowlers can get their collective act together and put the heat on the Englands.
Got a similar gut feeling to Russ: Studs, come on down.
Adolphe out, Klutz in.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:08 PM
Update: England agree with me and it looks like they are going to drop Prior, play an extra batsman and give the gloves to Collingwood..
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:12 PM
There is speculation Prior did a Klutz and got injured in the warm-up.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:12 PM
This morning England were ousted from their beds by their hotel's fire alarm.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:14 PM
Prior actually did a McGrath. He got hurt playing footy... sorry, footer.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:25 PM
Wait!!! England don't agree with Yobbo any more.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:26 PM
The Croquet bloke is having conniptions.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:28 PM
Good Lord, Fat Gat is an ugly man.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:29 PM
Fat Gat is so ugly that he makes Boof look good.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:30 PM
The Crooky bloke will have a conniption if he keeps using panic words.
Maelstrom of madness. Utter chaos. Trouble at t'mill. What a morning. What a morning. Sheesh.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:32 PM
Perhaps they can draft a Triffid to keep wicket.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:34 PM
Prior apparently passed fit now. Can we get the English to play more sports prior to the toss in future? Maybe jai-alai, a bit of Greco-Roman, perhaps some UFC?
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:36 PM
Ponting lost the toss - again! Call tails, ya peanut!
The one time he won the toss the match was rooted by the weather.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:40 PM
Fingers crossed Klutz doesn't drop any catches in this first session. Same goes for the rest of them.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 07:59 PM
THAT WAS PLUMB!!!!
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:00 PM
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
First ball dudded by an LB.
Get Rudi back.
Fvcken Bowden!
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:01 PM
Jesus Christ.
First Ball, plumb, not out?!?!?
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:01 PM
Billy, Billy, Billy.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:01 PM
Bowden is an idiot show off and incompetent with it.
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:02 PM
WHERE THE FUCK DO THEY GET THESE IDIOTS!!!!
Hatstands with a camera - it's the only way.
Posted by: Bruce | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:03 PM
That's it. We're gawn.
Screwed by Billy in 2005. Screwed by Dar in 2005. Screwed by Rudi in 2009. Screwed again by Bowden first ball here.
You watch when we bat. The maggots will fire us like machine guns.
(Although I agree with Athers. I thought he hit it.)
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:06 PM
There are too many wrong decisions against Australia by too many umpires to be a coincidence.
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:09 PM
The only query Billy might have had was that it was too high, as it often is early in a Test match. He's just off the plane, I presume, so he hasn't seen much of how the ball is acting in English conditions on local pitches lately. A conservative decision that was wrong but understandable.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:12 PM
You can't deny that one Bowden you cheat.
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:15 PM
Justice done.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:16 PM
I'll put that on a placard round his neck as I drag him round the streets of Leeds behind a taxi.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:16 PM
Snorter from Snorter!
Klutz tackled him like a madman!
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:18 PM
Love Warnie:
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:23 PM
Hit the bricks, Bipolar! Club cricketer.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:27 PM
How does Bopara get a game, honestly. He's got no idea.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:27 PM
BiPolar lives up to his ability.
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:27 PM
38, 39, 40: I think that's what you call "consensus".
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:28 PM
"1 brings 2" has never been more apt than when talking about the current England top order.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:29 PM
Ian Botham is so flustered he forgot the no ball rules.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:34 PM
He wasn't flustered; he was trying to beat up a dodgy wicket for Straya.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Sir Ian is a buffoon of the highest order.
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Hilfy is really tempting them to reach for hit outies.
Noice.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:37 PM
Siddle's last over was a smorgasbord.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:43 PM
Well done bumble for shutting down the no-ball talk. He actually seems to understand the rule, which I'll admit I didn't until the Hauritz one in Cardiff.
Where it lands and his heel did indeed touch down behind the line - just.
Posted by: Bruce | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:44 PM
Couple more for Siddle, at most, unless he gets it on the spot.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:44 PM
Blowers: "Strauss palpably out first ball."
The radio blokes have absolutely been laying into the pre-match shenanigans.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:47 PM
Hope Studsy going for four first ball isn't an omen.
Although.
With a little luck we'll have Bell out slicing into the off.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:49 PM
Rauf will do a decent job in this test, I think.
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:50 PM
Samir, I hope so. It would make a change from the other clowns.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:51 PM
Geez Bell misses a lot of straight ones.
Posted by: Bruce | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:52 PM
Paul Harris is in the top ten bowler rankings. Test cricket is a shambles.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:54 PM
Carn Stuey, swing that sucker. Good lad.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:55 PM
oh Sarfraz, I've missed you
Posted by: SaggyGreen | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:56 PM
Both these batsmen are prime LBW candidates.
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Gah, Bux interviewing Juddy on Seven. I am sick of hearing both of their voices.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Clark is swinging it but it's pretty easy to pick. Has he got Aldermanesque variation?
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:06 PM
Come on, Stuey! Duck one in.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:06 PM
Go you Studley!!
Get trudging, Bell. Best forget about today's innings.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:10 PM
OK, fine, Bell is a caught-behind candidate too.
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:10 PM
I think my comment at #9 is doing pretty well so far.
Strauss out all out?
Collingwood might scratch around for a few hours but I think England will be lucky to get 200 from here.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:11 PM
England will be lucky to get 200 from here.
See comment #9.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:11 PM
Studs!!! Big inny. Pad up, Pies.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:12 PM
Even Studsy is getting some shape.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:13 PM
Flatty is all about "stepping up" and "skill sets" on Radio Internet. Apart from that he goes alright.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:19 PM
This is the anti-Lords.
Nothing given away. Good areas. We don' need the ball hooping around to be dangerous. We just need to get it right. Nothing more than a first day wicket and a new ball so far from the conditions and we are in amongst them.
Posted by: Bruce | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:25 PM
Pies gawn!
STUEY! Clap. Clap. Clap.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:25 PM
Clark gets on the board.
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:25 PM
If Bill Lawry was commenting here he might say "Dear Oh Dear".
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:26 PM
Having said that, Bruce, it is hooping around a fair bit. Not that I'm complaining.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:26 PM
Thankfully, Ponting's given away that farcical business of catching low chances with his fingers pointing up.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:28 PM
That Prior flier through the slip-gully gap suggests an obvious comment: four wickets down before lunch on the opening day, an all-pace attack on, why not pack that cordon a bit more?
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:42 PM
Indeed. They had a fourth for Clark, but not for Johnson who slides across the righties.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:43 PM
Cook gawn!
STUEY! Clap. Clap. Clap.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:44 PM
Or you could just edge it to first slip.
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:45 PM
They've got a short leg and a deep fine leg for Johnson though. They could easily get rid of the guy on the hook.
5 down now, 200 looking a long way off.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:45 PM
Broad batting before lunch on day 1.
Let's see how breezy you want to bat now son!
Posted by: Bruce | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:45 PM
Draco Malfoy's in. Probably better at Quidditch than batting.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:46 PM
42 runs in total from the five recognised batsmen.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:51 PM
Gotta get through Prior, Broad and Swann. It will give me some ferocious shits if they hang around for good runs.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:55 PM
Broad gawn!
STUEY! Clap. Clap. Clap.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:58 PM
Ooooo. Looks like there will be some issues with the Katich take.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:59 PM
Clark 3/7.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 09:59 PM
Tony: Its clean; fingers under always create that impression.
Posted by: Samir Chopra | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:00 PM
I forgot what I was going to say. Oh, that's right:
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:03 PM
But no Hauritz. That could come back to haunt us!
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:05 PM
100 is looking a long way off now.
Haddin and Broad had some sort of altercation there. It isn't the first time Broad has made contact while running between wickets.
The only blemish on my night so far is the cats.
God I've missed Clark and everything he brings to the attack.
Posted by: Bruce | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:07 PM
Yep. At the risk of wearing an accusation of double standardization... it looked like the ball was going to drop and hit the ground, but Katich's fingers looped around it.
Still, there will be the odd comment.
But not from Will Luke, who's English:
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:07 PM
In June 1989 I was at the SCG to see the Mighty Blues beat the Swans.
Simultaneously Steve Waugh was scoring 177NO in the Ashes.
20 years later. The Blues win by 6 goals against the Cats, and England is 6 wickets down at lunch.
Shame I can't bottle tonight and sell it. (I know, you'll all say - but who would buy it?) ;-)
Posted by: The Mongrel | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:10 PM
I tipped the Blues.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:11 PM
Funny time for Blowers and Tuffers to start talking about Australia's weakness against swing.
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:13 PM
"Cadel on Tour 2008". Watch him crash then bitch and moan his way through the Pyranees, hire a security guard to harass anyone who comes near his delicate shoulder, not win a stage all tour and then come 2nd overall without ever in all reality ever challenging, especially after the most hyped and deflating penultimate stage time trial.
Compelling stuff.
btw. Has anyone noticed the way Strauss likes to wear his shirt sleeves halfway up his hands like some emo nancy boy, or coy girl in the midst of puberty? He also wears his cap pretentiously popped up on his scalp. He's too contrivedly cute by far to hold these Ashes.
Posted by: pat | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:14 PM
Upon Broad's dismissal, a text arrives: "Take your teddy and piss off, Sebastian."
Posted by: Tony | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:17 PM
Footy hasn't even started on TV here yet. Oh well, wasn't going to watch it anyway.
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:23 PM
Gerard Whateley's pomposity really shits me. Deserves a knee in the cods, that weed.
Posted by: m0nty | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:27 PM
I wonder what the score would have to be before Ponting would risk going with a full slip cordon. 8 for 12? 9 for 2?
Posted by: Yobbo | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:45 PM
Brilliant selection having Sarfraz as drinks waiter in the first three tests,
Posted by: Throbber | Friday, August 07, 2009 at 10:54 PM