Sport Today

>Malcolm Conn writes

>THE most successful era in Australian cricket can end in stunning
>fashion, with one of the oldest teams assembled reclaiming the Ashes
>and creating history with a third successive World Cup.

>The answer appears to be yes. Australia could not have responded to the
>gut-wrenching Ashes loss in a more emphatic way, thrashing a World XI
>in last October's Super Test on the way to claiming 11 victories and a
>draw in 12 Tests during seven hectic months of cricket.

>By the time the coin is tossed to begin the first Test at Brisbane's
>Gabba on November 23, seven of the likely Australian side will be 35 or
>older. It simply cannot last much longer at the top without significant
>renewal.

>If the same formula for the side is continued from the 3-0 thrashing of
>South Africa last month, then no player will be under 30. The average
>age will be pushing towards 33 and a half, taking the team into rare
>territory.

>The older players are likely to play sping and medium pace bowling
>better.
>With slowing reflexes, fast bowlers will take upperhand against batsmen
>aged 33+ and
>above. That is what the history and the scoring patterns of current
>players suggest.

>Tendulkar,Hayden,Langer and Laxman etc play spin and medium pace bowler
>ok - they nudge around and score runs. Against quicker men, these
>players have struggled of late.
>Even Lara struggled against Bond.
>Aussie victories have come against sides with 1 good pace bowler -
>Ntini for SA and for WI.   Ntini and Nel were injured in several Tests.

>England with superior, pace dominated attack will do much better
>against an aged Aussie side.

>If they want to reclaim Ashes bring on Jaques, Clarke, for Langer and
>Martyn.

> > Malcolm Conn pimps for NSW players.

> snip blah blah

> There was also a lovely big pic of the Fabulous Fundament himself, and of
> course an accompanying major article that you could use to light up a dark
> room. Go "spearhead".

>> Of course what he's missing there is that Langer was probably
>> Australia's best bat over the Ashes series and Clarke wasn't exactly a
>> stand out in it either...

>Since his last 100, Langer has precisely ONE score of more than 50 in
>14 innings.

> >> Of course what he's missing there is that Langer was probably
> >> Australia's best bat over the Ashes series and Clarke wasn't exactly a
> >> stand out in it either...

> >Since his last 100, Langer has precisely ONE score of more than 50 in
> >14 innings.

> a) Amusing that you're taking the 2nd innings of a test that he made
> 100 in the first innings
> b) those innings include 2 0*s
> 7   13   1   392  99   47   37   32.66   0   1

> yeah, he's been down a bit but he's also been fairly injury disrupted
> and if he can get a decent run up to the Ashes his concentration might
> well be better.