What the * has happened to this team?

[peternorth]

last summer when smith was killing everyone on the pitch i mentioned to friends and posted on this forum that we should wait, and be patient, and see what happens when he get to england. aside from 1 HUGE score, smith has not done much (but more than others). he's not alone.

the euphoria of the world cup and preceding weeks/months masked deficiencies and an unsettled camp.

 

[Tassieboy]

Cricket Tasmania were instructed not to produce wickets with some grass similar to Trent Bridge. As I said at the time it was stupid because it gave all players a chance once a season to play in English-like conditions. They also have the pace of Perth and a good batting deck in Adelaide etc.

These players can't play on seaming decks, yet CA got upset a few years ago with QLD and Tasmania for providing wickets with something in them.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Cricket Tasmania were instructed not to produce wickets with some grass similar to Trent Bridge. As I said at the time it was stupid because it gave all players a chance once a season to play in English-like conditions. They also have the pace of Perth and a good batting deck in Adelaide etc.

These players can't play on seaming decks, yet CA got upset a few years ago with QLD and Tasmania for providing wickets with something in them.

I recall a season a few years back when we got a lot of rain and Trent Copeland talk 50 odd wickets for not many. After that CA instructed the wickets be made better suited for batting. The alarm bells should have been ringing at that stage I reckon. We have a massive problem when the ball does a bit.

 

[the 5th wiggle]

Ignoring the problems with the swinging pill we just don't have the batsman willing to tough it out when things are hard.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Ignoring the problems with the swinging pill we just don't have the batsman willing to tough it out when things are hard.

Because it rarely is hard for them. Most play 1 shield game a season and walk out to bat on a road. They need to be able to practice toughing it out.

 

[sherb]

pray we win the toss and bowl first next test.

ah fk it. it wont matter

Who cares?

 

[Bucking Beads]

Despite Cummins not playing much first class cricket I hope we give him a run in the 5th test. Heck I'd even play Ahmed.

 

[The 747]

Losing 4/23 after a decent start sums us up. We drop our bundle too quickly. This test is a fair indication that even our bowlers are overrated.

Our bowlers are very good, they can consistently take 20 wickets. Tad expensive though. Having a kid trying to play the Harris role (Hazelwood) is a big ask. And having two erratic strike lefties isn't ideal.

The batting is the problem, has been for years. We don't get enough from the top 6. At home the tail makes runs and saves us, overseas it doesn't.

 

[The 747]

Despite Cummins not playing much first class cricket I hope we give him a run in the 5th test. Heck I'd even play Ahmed.

Might as well give him a run for the exposure. Dunno about Ahmed though.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Despite Cummins not playing much first class cricket I hope we give him a run in the 5th test. Heck I'd even play Ahmed.

Need to play Cummins and Mitch Marsh too.

Drop Shaun Marsh and Johnson.

Johnson doesn't need the experience in England anymore. It will be a waste of time if Cummins is on the bench. They picked him, they need to play him.

It doesn't matter how badly the team goes in the last match.

And anyway, they can't bat much worse without being sent for school psych evaluations on the grounds of learning difficulties.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Our bowlers are very good, they can consistently take 20 wickets. Tad expensive though. Having a kid trying to play the Harris role (Hazelwood) is a big ask. And having two erratic strike lefties isn't ideal.

The batting is the problem, has been for years. We don't get enough from the top 6. At home the tail makes runs and saves us, overseas it doesn't.

Yes but our bowlers should have been better IMO.

 

[The 747]

Yes but our bowlers should have been better IMO.

I really don't think they are the problem.

 

[two blue tiger]

Interesting to see Ricky Ponting on www.cricinfo.com say that up to 8 players in this touring party may never play Test cricket again after this tour.

He names:
Harris (retired)
Rogers (retiring)
Haddin (too old)
Watson (on the outer)

Does not name any others.

My take :
Clark - unfortunately father time has rushed up at him in the last year or so. 34 years old, totally unsure at the crease, looks like getting out any minute. 2 scores (both hundreds) of over 50 in his last 30 Test innings, including 11 in single figures. Seems that many of our captains hang on for too long. Ponting and Taylor in particular had poor records towards the end of their careers - the odd standout innings, but no consistency. Steve Waugh lost it for a while, then found his form and then retired while playing pretty well.
S Marsh (simply not a Test class player - average less than 40 in first class, let alone test, cricket!)
Voges - good on him, he got a 100 on debut, but he's not the future
Siddle - if he didn't play in this match on that wicket, when will he play

That's 8. Any others???

 

[Cleavy]

A nonchalant Mitchell Starc has said Australia's imminent Ashes humiliation is "not ideal" but "only a game of cricket", brushing off talk about the implications of the team's second surrender to England in as many weeks

this is part of the problem. It's supposed to sting. It's supposed to hurt. It's supposed to light a fire inside you.

Bloody modern cricketers.

 

[carnthemlions]

Interesting to see Ricky Ponting on www.cricinfo.com say that up to 8 players in this touring party may never play Test cricket again after this tour.

He names:
Harris (retired)
Rogers (retiring)
Haddin (too old)
Watson (on the outer)

Does not name any others.

My take :
Clark - unfortunately father time has rushed up at him in the last year or so. 34 years old, totally unsure at the crease, looks like getting out any minute. 2 scores (both hundreds) of over 50 in his last 30 Test innings, including 11 in single figures. Seems that many of our captains hang on for too long. Ponting and Taylor in particular had poor records towards the end of their careers - the odd standout innings, but no consistency. Steve Waugh lost it for a while, then found his form and then retired while playing pretty well.
S Marsh (simply not a Test class player - average less than 40 in first class, let alone test, cricket!)
Voges - good on him, he got a 100 on debut, but he's not the future
Siddle - if he didn't play in this match on that wicket, when will he play

That's 8. Any others???

S Marsh- never again. I wish I could say he should've been put on that list years ago, but unfortunately there haven't been a lot of alternatives. Having said that, any places in the squad wasted on him could easily have been given to someone with a FC average of over 40.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I bet Marsh plays the 5th test and tons up. That'll keep in the side for years. The selectors are mongs

 

[JackOutback]

I really don't think they are the problem.

Agree, they haven't be at their best but neither have they conceded massive scores. The problems lie completely with the batsmen.

 

[peternorth]

Who cares?

i think some people still care. especially those who have tickets to the 5th test

I really don't think they are the problem.

when you are defending less than 200 bowlers cant win

this is part of the problem. It's supposed to sting. It's supposed to hurt. It's supposed to light a fire inside you.

Bloody modern cricketers.

i understand starcs POV. i mean given that hughes died from an abbott missile accidentally, and given whats happened to the walsh family, life is more important.....

but IPL and 20/twenty in general has helped build bridges between countries and cultures and players. that's a good thing. however it has also meant players are buddy buddy with each other and everyone's best mates. putting it bluntly, there aint no fire cause it might burn someone, just an LED candle rival players sit around chatting.

 

[King Elvis]

this is part of the problem. It's supposed to sting. It's supposed to hurt. It's supposed to light a fire inside you.

Bloody modern cricketers.

* him for saying that.

 

[Hellgood]

but IPL and 20/twenty in general has helped build bridges between countries and cultures and players. that's a good thing. however it has also meant players are buddy buddy with each other and everyone's best mates. putting it bluntly, there aint no fire cause it might burn someone, just an LED candle rival players sit around chatting.

That is true. But English players have very little presence in the respective T20 leagues around the world and certainly not their test regulars.

 

[lewigie]

I like Lehmann, and he gave us those great series wins against England and SA (well maybe Ryan Harris did), but the continual bullshit about wanting to be "entertaining" is not really cutting it when we're not ******* winning. The people that are going to sit there for 5 days and watch every test, like me, don't give a * if the players are smacking overs for 30 runs, I want to see the team win against good opposition and not capitulate all the damn time. It's much more interesting seeing a great battle between bat and ball and seeing the Australian batsman weather the storm and survive the session, than to watch them spank around park cricketers.

 

[ioppolo]

Is it too late to poach Misbah Ul Haq?

EDIT nah can you imagine him trying to get everyone to play sensible?

Misbah: if we're 2 or 3/30 on the first morning, grind it out, value your wicket, take 50 overs to put on 100 runs if you have to.

Warner, Maxwell & co: Nah F*** off mate, reverse slog sweep a ball outside leg stump.

 

[The Speaker]

this is part of the problem. It's supposed to sting. It's supposed to hurt. It's supposed to light a fire inside you.

Bloody modern cricketers.

Can't say I'm particularly bothered by that. It is only a game of cricket, however much meaning we may wish to attach to it.

 

[JackOutback]

Can't say I'm particularly bothered by that. It is only a game of cricket, however much meaning we may wish to attach to it.

You can apply that logic to everything; why get upset about anything, somewhere in the world, children are starving and people are killing each other in wars.

You can still hurt at professional failures without diminishing what's happening elsewhere.

 

[The Speaker]

You can apply that logic to everything; why get upset about anything, somewhere in the world, children are starving and people are killing each other in wars.

You can still hurt at professional failures without diminishing what's happening elsewhere.

Cannot agree. By necessity, every time you bring up the importance of one thing, it diminishes the importance of other things at that new level. Making everything important or vital means that you simply normalise all of those things, even that which shouldn't be.