Dec 29, 2013 Jarrod Kimber and George Dobell answer your #politeenquries at the end of the fourth Ashes Test in Melbourne and says don't fall for Shane Warne's propaganda
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Jan 5, 2014 ESPNcricinfo's Jarrod Kimber and George Dobell answer your tweets and questions
Jan 4, 2014 ESPNcricinfo's Jarrod Kimber and George Dobell answer your tweets after the 2nd Day of the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney. Do England fans dese...
Jan 4, 2014 ESPNcricinfo's Jarrod Kimber and George Dobell answer your tweets after the 2nd Day of the 5th Ashes Test in Sydney. Do England fans dese...
Jan 3, 2014 Jarrod and George answer your questions on Scott Borthwick, Boyd Rankin, George Bailey and Steve Smith
Jan 3, 2014 Jarrod and George answer your questions on Scott Borthwick, Boyd Rankin, George Bailey and Steve Smith
Dec 28, 2013 Jarrod Kimber and George Dobell answer polite enquires at the end of day three from the Ashes test in Melbourne
Dec 28, 2013 Jarrod Kimber and George Dobell answer polite enquires at the end of day three from the Ashes test in Melbourne
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Enjoying the comments... why? Because it is a rhetorical question. The answer is yes. All the calls for mass-dropping and so forth. It is about who is at home and who wants it more... that is all. Mass hysteria and finding stuff to waffle about since series is well over now. But this piece nails it.... indeed - versus each other - the home team has the edge almost regardless.... if it meant less, that might not be the case. But is the Ashes.
Sorry, but who won the last Ashes series in Aus. BHlows your argument out of the water.
@BlueyCollar on (December 29, 2013, 22:00 GMT) - spot on mate and Jimmy Anderson will be once again crowned the worlds best bowler! Laughable really.
Actually most Teams are Hometown bullies and thats is how I think Test cricket is best served rather ONLY 1 team domianted for 19 years in the past.
It seems like sledging has been one of the factors leading to the team's mental disintegration. Having to play the ashes all over again after a couple of months or so was asking for trouble.
Australia were a shambles in England, with no idea as to who their best XI or even their best 7 were (I'd argue Bailey and Watson still aren't even in the best 20 cricketers in the country) coming off terrible form in all formats. to compete aswell as they did aside from lord's was an impressive effort, but in no way could they have won that series, even with england on dramatic decline. Australian batsman cannot play swing bowling, they still can't. I don't think I would fancy their chances of winning in England even now.
England at home play with 12 men. The eleven players and the curator. Just not cricket. And if you don't believe me the proof will be in the pitches rolled out in this northern summer against the Indians and without Swann. They won't be the slow turning wickets they produced for the northern ashes, they will be tailer made for the English seamers.
Erm, I think in 2010-2011 England beat Australia by an innings three times. Not a few runs....
The stats leave more questions than answers. I don't believe Australia or England are 'hometown bullies' but it would appear that test series involving Australia are increasingly one sided. Australia beat Sri Lanka away in 2011 and made them look extremely ordinary. England beat a weak India side in decline in India 2-1. Australia were then thumped 4-0 by a different, younger emerging India side in India. A different Australia side then lost 0-3 in England but showed some moments of fight here and there. The same England side that beat Australia at home are now being hammered in Australia and on the verge of losing the series 0-5. This, the very same England side that won in India away is now crumbling to dust. Possible Conclusion? Teams don't know how to put up a fight and respond to defeats mid-series anymore.
re: home town bullies question? put it this way, Australia fought a lot harder in England than England did in Australia. I am still convinced that Australia could have, and probably should, have won 4 out of the 5 tests in England. When England beat Australia it is usually by a few runs. but when Australia beat England it is usually by a huge margin. Q.E.D.