what would your combined team of the series so far be then?

Batting wise

Cook
Strauss
Trott
KP
Hussey
Bell
Haddin (shading it)

though Watson deserves credit

Bowling less easy to call as there has been more chopping and changing
Anderson
Siddle has put his hand up twice
Swann - hasn't ripped it up, but showed he could on occasions tie up an end.
Johnson went from the ridiculous to the sublime and back again
Tremlett and Bresnan did themselves great credit when called upon.
Bollinger?
Broad - I am a big fan, but we didn't see enough of him in aussie conditions
Hifenhaus - steady, but nothing more
Harris - a trier, effective on his day
Smith - not ready by all accounts
Xavier - move on


I'd go
8. Bresnan
9. Swann
10. Siddle
11. Anderson

don't agree with Haddin but have been impressed with Harris - a real trier in an ordinary attack IMO

It was all down to rlme, me, meeeeee says KPrl.

That's right, it's never happened in a home series.

Obviously their great team of recent years ago has now broken up, but to make matters worse their best/most accomplished remaining players are the four who have been in the team longest: Ponting, Hussey, Katich, Clarke - and the first three are now all aged over 35. Of those four only Hussey has done himself justice in this series; the other three have been plagued by injuries and/or loss of form. I think that's probably the biggest single factor in the sheer margins of our two victories. With their veterans available and on form they ought to remain competitive in most matches for a little while longer.

That linked article from the Australian Daily Telegraph is absolutely hilarious. The bloke could barely have been wider of the mark if he'd tried! His email address might not be on there but you can still leave comments on the paper's website.

i just read that when i was walking the dog - i suspect the headline is a little harsh, and that he means had he not forced the issue over moores we'd not have been in the position which we are currently

Not the brightest move by KP to come out with these comments in public, but what he says is pretty much right.

He is never a captain, Moores is never an international coach, England would have suffered.

Surely India are set for a low period, once Tendulkar, Dravid and Laxman are gone??....Coupled with the fact that their bowling is heavily dependent on Zaheer Khan and Harbahjan, then it makes India very vulnerable. They have always been reliant on home advantage, only very recently have they begun to travel well.

Our biggest mistake is that we always schedule our home series with India for late summer....Imagine if we took them on in early summer??....They wouldn't get over 200 in any of their innings!!

I agree that the South Africans will remain strong and competitive, but to be honest it looks like we are about to enter a period where there isn't one particular dominant side....We have the potential, because at last it looks like we have a little depth to our bowling, but even with that, we lack a true world-class bowler in the Holding/Marshall/Warne/McGrath mould.

Whether that's true or not, and I think Prince of Denmark has a pretty fair assessment there, does it matter? Some of the English sides that the Aussies have rolled over have been utterly woeful - did that stop them crowing about it? Did it balls. It's about time we had a chance to crow in the same way.



That'd be such a pity.

It all depends on the younger players waiting in the wings. Personally I have no knowledge of Indian domestic cricket; I haven't a clue as to the sort of players who may be waiting to emerge. Does anyone else on here have any awareness of potential replacements for the current greats from within the most populous nation that plays Test cricket?

SA, like WI during their great years, seem bereft of a decent spinner. Steyn & Morkel are world class fast bowlers, but Kallis & Boucher will take some replacing as all-rounder & keeper-batsman.

England seem well placed to become the best-balanced Test team for all conditions with decent alternatives in the key positions. Cook will eventually succeed Strauss as captain; Morgan, Bopara, Carberry, Gale, Hildreth and others (Jason Roy will be a superstar) should be good enough to sustain the batting.

We already have good seam bowling reserves; James Harris of Glamorgan is my tip to be next to make an impact - he's got star quality, tends to knock over several wickets in quick time, and he can bat at 8 and field well to boot. Panesar & Rashid are adequate back-up to Swann; Rashid ought eventually to usurp the nine years older Swann as premier spinner and is a better batsman. Steve Davies is a more talented batsman and better wicketkeeper than Prior; but I like Prior's belligerence & chutzpah, his experience and presence shouldn't be discarded lightly, and he should play a key role for at least another two or three years yet.

the england (in name) team is full of them so they must be pretty good

Cloudy with a bit of rain around in Sydney this morning.

Hopefully we'll win the toss and get stuck into them.

Aussies win the toss and bat, the sky doesn't look as bad as the forecast I was given by a mate in Sydney.

interesting choice