Player Profile: Michael Hussey

The Ashes 2009

Player Profiles and Predictions

by Chris Smith

Michael Hussey

Australia’s best batsman and has been since his introduction to the team. He is a player that seems to have little or no weaknesses, both technically and mentally. As an Englishman I am straining for a weakness in his batting to exploit. Against all batsmen in world cricket a plan of attack can be made, there are weaknesses that can be probed for. Is there a plan for Hussey? The fact that I cannot think of one and that in every test I have seen Hussey play against all oppositions, there has not been a plan put into place, says a lot about his game. Opposing teams bowl more in hope of getting Hussey out than expectation.

Although Hussey is a difficult man to dislodge, recently I have seen a ‘chink’ in his armour. Hussey, in accumulating his runs is becoming slower and slower. He relies on others around him to take the game on and if England are good enough they can use this to their advantage. Putting pressure on Hussey to score is the best way to get the man out. If they can put pressure on Australia’s batting order either by placing most of the responsibility on Hussey to score runs or by bowling in such a disciplined manner as to force Hussey to play positive cricket when he gets in, they can truly test how Hussey handles pressure. This needs to be coupled with England playing a positive game themselves. If England can play more positive cricket this will force Australia to emulate them and also the Australia team of old. The Australia team of old were an imposing and positive team, possibly the most positive team in the history of test cricket. The new Australia, and this is shown in the style of their best batsman, are not like this. In many ways I think the team still want to play in the positive frame of old, the Australian media want them to play like this and the Australian public want them to play like this. The trick for England is to make Hussey think this way as well, to burst the concentration bubble, which he is so good at getting into.

Prediction

Australia’s man of the series in my opinion, but whether this due to a series of backs to the wall, match saving innings or the consistent accumulation of totals to put Australia in position to win test matches, remains to be seen.

Career statistics (as of 30/11/08)

Overall: Matches: 31 Runs: 2824 Ave: 64.18

Vs England: Matches: 5 Runs: 458 Ave: 91.60

Read more profile on this site by clicking the following link: Player Profiles

West Indies to be Englands Ashes Preperation

It has been announced that England will face the West Indies next summer ahead of the much anticipated Ashes series.

The West Indies will tour England in place of Sri Lanka who had originally stepped in to take the place of Zimbabwe. The African side have of course been ruled out after being declared politically unsuitable opponents.

Sri Lanka were originally lined up as replacements for Zimbabwe, but many of their top stars had already signed up to partake in the lucrative Twenty20 cricket league in India at the same time.

Not wanting to play against a second-string side, the England and Wales Cricket Board have now found new opposition to ready the team before Australia visit these shores.

Therefore Chris Gayle's West Indian side will be heading to England in May.

Schedule:

The West Indies will face England in two Test matches, the first at Lord's on May 6 and the second being played in Durham starting on May 14.

Three one-day internationals will also be played, at Headingley on May 21, Bristol on May 24 and Edgbaston on May 26.

"The ECB is delighted that the West Indies will replace Zimbabwe for the 2009 tour to England and Wales," ECB chief executive David Collier said on their website.

"The West Indies are always popular visitors and this completes a wonderful summer of cricket which also includes the Ashes Series and the World Twenty20.

"The ECB is most grateful for the excellent support and co-operation provided by the West Indies Board with whom we have developed an excellent and warm relationship.

"We greatly look forward to welcoming the West Indies team, their officials and supporters next summer."

The West Indies were originally scheduled to tour England in 2010 but have agreed to play a year earlier, although their slot will now have to be filled.

Hopefully the West Indies will warm up and give England a sufficient test and confidence boost prior to the 2009 Ashes series.

Player Profile: Ricky Ponting

The Ashes 2009

Player Profiles and Predictions

by Chris Smith

Australian Captain

Ricky Ponting

Ponting has one of the best winning records of any captain in test cricket, but one wonders how long this will last and also if the winning record he has is down to his captaincy or being fortunate to have some of the greatest test cricketers of all time in his team. Some might say a combination of both, but I have always been of the opinion that Ponting is in fact a poor captain particularly with respect to his tactical acumen. This was shown in England in 2005 where Michael Vaughan captained him off the field and more recently in India in the fourth test. On the fourth day Australia had India reeling before tea and with wickets after tea might have had Australia looking at chasing a gettable target to level the series. Instead worrying about over rates, Ponting had his spinners on and even Michael Hussey’s medium pace and not his strike bowlers. Momentum was lost and Australia ended up chasing too many on the last day and subsequently lost the series. I have thought that for a long time, even with quality players Ponting has been a captain that has erred on the side of defence, which can let other teams gain the upper hand. He is also quick to lose his cool in situations that don’t favour his team, he gets easily upset, which can lead to a lack of focus on the field. This seems to be happening more often as wins are harder to come by.

One thing that is not in doubt, despite Harbajhan Singh’s ridiculous comments, is his batting quality and the respect of his players. I’m not sure how you can criticise a batsman who is averaging 57 in a test career spanning 124 matches. Ponting is truly a great batsman, with a good record against England, but perhaps not as good as you might imagine.

His main weakness in his batting is early on in his innings. Ponting has always had a pronounced forward movement when he bats and because of this can be unbalanced to begin with. This can cause two weaknesses that England can probe for at the start of his innings. The first is a tendency to play around his front pad early on, opening up lbw possibilities. This does get better as he goes through an innings though and Ponting then starts to become particularly severe on any balls bowled near his pads. The second is a problem dealing with a ball of extra bounce, just back of a length, I have seen him out a number of times caught in the gully off the shoulder of the bat. But again if the bowler is too short there is no better puller of the cricket ball in the game. The margins for error, as with most great players are small.

Ashes prediction

One of the leading run scorers in the series for Australia, only behind Michael Hussey. Ponting’s wicket will be of vital importance.

Expect Ponting to get frequently flustered when captaining in the field as his side will have many questions to answer without McGrath and Warne in English conditions.

Pontings test record (as of 24/11/08)

Overall: Matches: 124 Runs: 10386 Bat Ave: 57.06

Vs England: Matches: 26 Runs: 1978 Bat Ave: 48.40

Click these links to view our Ashes Preview or Rick Ponting's rival captain's profile and prediction for Kevin Pietersen

Player Profile: Kevin Pietersen

The Ashes 2009

Player Profiles and Predictions

by Chris Smith

England Captain

Kevin Pietersen

Still an unproven captain but quite possibly England’s finest and most talented batsman of the modern era. He backs up his talent with an amazing work ethic off the field. His planning and preparation for every match are of the highest order. He devises plans against teams and indeed against individual bowlers, the fact that he can carry out what he intends to do shows his talent, the fact that he makes such good and sometimes audacious plans is the measure of the man’s confidence and cricketing brain. This summer’s series against South Africa showed mostly the best but also the worst of his game. His plan against Makhaya Ntini almost rendered the bowler useless against him, using the angle of the bowler against him and playing beautifully through the leg side. In fact throughout the series he had many of the bowlers scratching their heads. Just when you thought he was invincible though, Pietersen showed his fallible side. With such a desire to dominate and a huge ego to boost, he finds it very difficult to hold back when the situation demands it. Pietersen needs to play in a flamboyant and sometimes risky way, this is the character of the man, he cannot graft his way through difficult situations he has to apply his game to the situation. The problem Pietersen has, is knowing that when he is on top and in top gear, to not search for a higher gear still and give his wicket away when games are for the taking. This was never clearer illustrated than in the third test against South Africa when he gave his wicket cheaply to Paul Harris at a crucial time when South Africa were looking ragged. In that moment the game and the series were lost. There probably wouldn’t have been a chance without Pietersen but his greatness rests on winning games for England and he could have won that game for England, South Africa were all out of ideas.

Ashes prediction

Pietersen loves the big games and always raises his game for Australia. This series will be no different, I expect plenty of runs from England’s captain in a very attacking style. His plan will be to not let Australia’s bowlers bowl at him and expect some innovative and exciting batting. England’s player of the series.

Pietersen’s test record (as of 24/11/08)

Overall:

Matches: 43

Runs: 3890

Bat Ave: 50.51

Vs Australia:

Matches: 10

Runs: 963

Bat Ave: 53.50

The Ashes 2009 better than Cash

Ian Bell insists reclaiming the Ashes next summer means more than becoming one of England's million dollar men. Bell stands to win £570,000 if England win the winner takes all match on 1 November 2008 against the Stanford Superstars in Antigua.

However, Bell is adamant that a repeat of 2005's Ashes triumph when the Australians visit next summer would have far greater meaning than any cash windfall in the Caribbean. Bell knows exactly what it means to win the ashes as he was an ever present during the 2005 series.

"It's really exciting to be given the chance to win this money but, as a team, we'd much prefer to win the Ashes next year," Bell said. "That might sound silly because the amount is so big but the Ashes is the bigger picture for us". Just to put that into perspective; the $1 million per man on offer for the winner of the Stanford match is the biggest team prize in the history of sport!

"The rewards for winning an Ashes series are not just financial. I know winning the Ashes in England is the best time you can have as a cricketer. Everyone remembers it for a long time - a lot longer than winning some money."

Bell also added: “There’s already momentum building under Kevin Pietersen’s captaincy. By the time we reach The Ashes, we’ll have a good idea of how good the team is.”

Bell could be right as Kevin Pietersen does seem to have the Midas touch, the massive turn around during the series against South Africa after he took over as captain; winning the final test and all of the one day games bar one (which didn't take place due to bad weather) against the number two one day team in the world proves that!