Endless Summer of Cricket

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CrowBloke

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For the Langer critics:
Langer inherited an unhappy, disunited, spirit-broken and shamed side MINUS its two best batsmen who have scored about 30% of Australia's runs when they play, not to mention additional runs from partnerships with both batsmen. Not excuses, just a summary of the current situation.
Langer himself batted with mongrel (which our blokes need badly) and has some cheekiness about him that softens his intense edge.
Let's see what Langer does with Smith and Warner (if selected) back in the side before giving up on him?

Mind you, Dizzy would make a fine National Coach and, with a Test double-ton to his name, could probably help out our batsmen, too ;) :D.
 
Even with Smith and Warner in the side, we were flat track bullies, smashing teams at home but embarrassing ourselves abroad. Warner himself only averages mid 30's away from home. Let's not kid ourselves that those two coming back will fix everything.

Harris looks like a good find but still needs to learn how to consolidate a good start into a big score. The number five and six spots remain a big problem.

We also need to find a Starc replacement for the ashes, otherwise the "he bowls to the left..." chant will make a comeback.
 
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Even with Smith and Warner in the side, we were flat track bullies, smashing teams at home but embarrassing ourselves abroad. Warner himself only averages mid 30's away from home. Let's not kid ourselves that those two coming back will fix everything.

Harris looks like a good find but still needs to learn how to consolidate a good start into a big score. The number five and six spots remain a big problem.

We also need to find a Starc replacement for the ashes, otherwise the "he bowls to the left..." chant will make a comeback.
I don't think it would fix everything.

But Smith batting at 4 would have helped the entire series without question. It is at least 1 century if not more, it could have meant a draw in Adelaide for instance rather than a loss.

India where by far the better team, but Steve Smith in the middle order makes everyone better in our team. Imagine Travis Head finding his feet batting with the assistance of Steve Smith taking the presure off him, rather than having to Bat with blokes like S Marsh who are under just as much pressure.

Australian Cricket needs to fix up its game, but lets not forget how good Steve Smith was before suspension (averaging 61 in tests)
 

ABAB

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Even with Smith and Warner in the side, we were flat track bullies, smashing teams at home but embarrassing ourselves abroad. Warner himself only averages mid 30's away from home. Let's not kid ourselves that those two coming back will fix everything.

Harris looks like a good find but still needs to learn how to consolidate a good start into a big score. The number five and six spots remain a big problem.

We also need to find a Starc replacement for the ashes, otherwise the "he bowls to the left..." chant will make a comeback.
All the teams are "flat track bullies" at home, only SA has been the exception in recent time.
 
Didn't know who she was until she got express entry through Antigua immigration & Symo & few other Aussie players met her. Explained why she said she had accommodation, but her Mum didn't. She was working as a model at the time.
 

CrowBloke

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Very good SMH article pans the selectors (takes a fair old dig at Langer too --- I didn't realise WA never went top under his coaching):
"The selectors are paid handsomely for their expertise and, like players, when they make blunders they need to be accountable. Yet, at the moment, it is Paine who has to front the media and explain performances and justify bizarre selections. "
and
"[Langer] was never challenged while he was at the Warriors about those lack of results and now he has charge of the national team. It is time he was challenged – along with national batting coach Graeme Hick. ".
(https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...tter-options-on-sideline-20190105-p50pq8.html)

I'd still like to see what happens if/when Smith and Warner return, but Hick as batting coach looks weak. Our batsmen get themselves in, then find imaginative & infuriatingly lazy and incompetent ways to get themselves out. NO hundreds in a 4-Test series is a big fail for Hick, as well as the batsmen themselves.
No more Marshes, please. Colgate's Mrs. Marsh would have made more runs that Shaun'n'Mitch.
Two positives: Harris looks the goods and Cummins should be our "all-rounder" batting at #7.
 
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Elite Crow

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Very good SMH article pans the selectors (takes a fair old dig at Langer too --- I didn't realise WA never went top under his coaching):
"The selectors are paid handsomely for their expertise and, like players, when they make blunders they need to be accountable. Yet, at the moment, it is Paine who has to front the media and explain performances and justify bizarre selections. "
and
"[Langer] was never challenged while he was at the Warriors about those lack of results and now he has charge of the national team. It is time he was challenged – along with national batting coach Graeme Hick. ".
(https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricke...tter-options-on-sideline-20190105-p50pq8.html)

I'd still like to see what happens if/when Smith and Warner return, but Hick as batting coach looks weak. Our batsmen get themselves in, then find imaginative & infuriatingly lazy and incompetent ways to get themselves out. NO hundreds in a 4-Test series is a big fail for Hick, as well as the batsmen themselves.
No more Marshes, please. Colgate's Mrs. Marsh would have made more runs that Shaun'n'Mitch.
Two positives: Harris looks the goods and Cummins should be our "all-rounder" batting at #7.
I don’t follow cricket overly closely anymore but what does a batting coach of the national side actually do? Shouldn’t these guys know how to bat that’s why they are selected? The coach can’t stop them playing rash shots. Is it to teach technique? But shouldn’t they already have good technique to get into the national team?
 
We really need to split the Test & ODI/T20 games with separate selection panels & coaching staff. They are completely different games & should be separately resourced so we are not at cross purposes.

This should also help with better communication to players & transparency around selection.

It's a mess at the moment not helped by CA not having the right support structures in place.
 
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I don’t follow cricket overly closely anymore but what does a batting coach of the national side actually do? Shouldn’t these guys know how to bat that’s why they are selected? The coach can’t stop them playing rash shots. Is it to teach technique? But shouldn’t they already have good technique to get into the national team?

Agreed, i wonder if it's about assisting the team to plan for their opponents as well - "Kohli is suceptible early on to short-pitched bowling, so we're going to..." etc.

Also, i suspect they'd still need tinkering with their techniques as they go, when bad/lazy habits creep in

It's a mess at the moment not helped by CA not having the right support structures in place.

I've been watching cricket for 35 years, and i reckon CA has been the biggest hindrance of all to our national team. If what you say is correct, WTF are they paid for?
 

Mego Red

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Even with Smith and Warner in the side, we were flat track bullies, smashing teams at home but embarrassing ourselves abroad. Warner himself only averages mid 30's away from home. Let's not kid ourselves that those two coming back will fix everything.

Harris looks like a good find but still needs to learn how to consolidate a good start into a big score. The number five and six spots remain a big problem.

We also need to find a Starc replacement for the ashes, otherwise the "he bowls to the left..." chant will make a comeback.
Every side in world cricket is terrible away.

A couple of different results at the toss, and India could have lost this series to a historically terrible team.
 
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🇦🇺 🇦🇺 🇦🇺 West Adelaide
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CrowBloke

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... what does a batting coach of the national side actually do? Shouldn’t these guys know how to bat that’s why they are selected? The coach can’t stop them playing rash shots. Is it to teach technique? But shouldn’t they already have good technique to get into the national team?
Good questions.
You're right about the batsmen all ready having ability/technique, enough to get into the Test side (looks like a mountain of runs and a healthy Shield average no longer seem to count).
My guess is a batting Coach could help with:
--- shot selection and placement (eg for quick singles)
--- building an innings and partnerships, rotating strike
--- choosing which ball to play and which to leave.
However, I'd see his primary function as identifying weaknesses/flaws and helping to fix them. I'm not talking about changing unusual technique or stance (eg Smith, whose singular technique helps him to score big runs). I mean the kinds of flaws that get batsmen out frequently eg Watson's propensity for falling across his stumps making him prone to LBW which is one of Finch's problems currently. Handscomb (twice) and Finch (once) played the same shot to get out, the glide through third slip which got them caught out. Head has a tendency to play away from his body on the off-side with no foot movement which is fixable.
As for self-discipline, temperament and concentration for a long innings, I don't know that any Coach can teach those things, but they could be discussed at length and become the focus of every player.
 

CrowBloke

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What do posters think of the Lyon dismissal?
Lyon walked off pretty much before the Ump had put his finger up, with 2 DRS referrals at his disposal. Replays showed the ball clearly hitting outside off stump, and "walking" after an LBW shout is unusual.
Ponting has been scathing, saying Lyon showed a lack of desperation to preserve his wicket and keep batting.

I reckon it showed Lyon's exasperation with everything that's happened; a little display of annoyance and "I'm-sick-of-this". He's quoted as saying he thought it hit him on the full (big toe) but even that has to be in line. Shouldn't he have used a referral and waited for the correct decision, which would have been NOT OUT?
 
Every side in world cricket is terrible away.

A couple of different results at the toss, and India could have lost this series to a historically terrible team.

NZ in the UAE and England in Sri Lanka both did alright (countries where we were butchered worse than a Mackay shot on goal).

I think the pitches in Melbourne and Sydney hurt us more than the toss. Our batsmen are incapable of reaching a competent total even on the flattest of decks, but those conditions were a lot friendlier for the Indians. We should stick to producing wickets which give the bowlers some assistance, like in Adelaide and Perth.
 
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Every side in world cricket is terrible away.

True

A couple of different results at the toss, and India could have lost this series to a historically terrible team.

False

I saw nothing in our batting that made me think if we'd won the tosses, we'd have done anything useful
 
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I saw nothing in our batting that made me think if we'd won the tosses, we'd have done anything useful
The toss probably didn't affect the outcome of the Sydney & Melbourne tests. It may have affected the result of the Adelaide test. If Australia won in Adelaide, then the final result would have been 2-1 our way - a thoroughly undeserved series win, by (arguably) the worst Australian Test team ever.
 
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