Too much talk?

There is a lot of talk. Everyone's doing it. Fletcher, Graveney, Flintoff, Lillie, Warne....they have all had something to say. It almost time for the talking to stop. On Thursday night (our time) all words will have to be replaced with actions. For me cricket has always been a game of action rather than words. You can talk up a player's form or talk down their problems, but the real proof comes when they are on the field.

There are obviously problems in the England camp; the denials tell us that. However, as a fan I must give them the chance to prove themselves and that chance is almost here. So whether they pick Panesar over Giles or go for a two-spinner attack, I will still be rooting for them to stuff an aging Aussie side. And we can do it. We don't need words for that. We simply need our best players that are fit and available to go and bowl in the right areas, take catches and score runs.

I am proud to be an English cricket fan and believe that there is enough talent in this squad to beat the Australians on a consistent basis. Some of the comments I have read recently suggestions that we was 'lucky' in 2005. But really we were the better side. Even at Lord's, where the result was as bad as the last test, we took the game to the Aussies (most of the time). At Perth we should do that again. We won in 2005 because we played better cricket and that is all that counts. The 2006 Edition of Wisden published an article by analyst Simon Hughes which listed 10 reasons why we won:

1. Captaincy
2. Batting first
3. Central contracts
4. Troy Cooley
5. Flintoff's dominance of Gilchrest
6. Kevin Pietersen & Merlyn
7. The age gap
8. Australian arrogance
9. The siege mentality
10. Billy Bowden

Whilst I would agreed emphatically with points 1, 2 & 8, I would argue that the rest were immaterial. Certainly captaincy played a massive role in 2005 and has failed to be so significant thus far in this series because RP hasn't had to make any real captaincy decisions. This is simply because we have failed to provide any significant opposition.

Batting first should be a major influence on any game, particularly on pitches that are known to deteriorate on the 4th & 5th days. However, the last test showed that even when we bat first and score a pile of runs we still have the facility to chuck a game away.

Point 8 is probably the only way that we will realistically retain the Ashes!

We can win the remaining games but we don't need help from Billy Bowden, Troy Cooley or any age gap. All we need is 11 fit players and decent captaincy. They are obviously not going to sack Flintoff before Thursday so he needs to do the job he has been entrusted with. Not just for him and the squad but for all of England. Australia are an aging test side that in 2 years time will not hold the position of strength and respect that they command now. England, on the other hand, have a fantastic array of new young, players just coming to the fore.

We haven't prepared enough for this tour. Lillie was right; we shouldn't have returned to Blighty after the ICC matches. But we're there now. We have the talent and we can win. In Perth we will win. Not comfortably. But we will win. Pick the right side Freddie. Pick not your mates but those who are in form and have something to prove. Pick Read, Mahmood and, of course, Monty. Then make your selection from there. You can do this...you know you can.

The time for talking is over. The time for action is here...