Test Frank Worrell Trophy First Test West Indies v Australia June 25-29 2330hrs @ Kensington Oval, Barbados

[Borisdog]

There’s nothing behind him, this is our worst batting line in up many of years.
If not for the bowling we wouldn’t win a test match.

The scary thing about our batting line up at the moment in terms of the Ashes is that we'd probably only have 2 of our top 6 who'd get a game with them at the moment. And 1 of them is hit and miss. But so is their 5th best batsman, as opposed to our second best one.

It's been a generation since I reckon I could've said that.

 

[JimmyBC]

What are the criteria for Man-of-the-Match, anyone?
Head was chosen (another big-game contribution) since his two 60's clearly contributed massively to the win
BUT
Shamar Joseph took 9/133 (with several catches dropped off his bowling) with 8 and 44 runs off a total of 30 balls.
Stiff not to get MotM, I reckon.

P.S. you can bet the Poms' Coaches are looking at hours of Head's recent batting to formulate a plan to get him out.

Yea I probably would've given MotM to Shamar, perhaps the judges were reading social media & thought yea lets just go Trav.

 

[peternorth]

It shouldn't be in doubt considering the Windies have finished 8th on the points table the last 2 test cycles, but the concern is the batting performance of the Aussie team.
It struggled against a strong opposition in South Africa and we lost that test. It struggled against a poorer quality team in the Windies and fortunately for us they have a poor batting line-up, so any score over 150 was going to be a tough chase.
There's mumurs that this summer will be Steve Smith's last here in Australia, so after he's gone, there's a real concern going forward, and the talent of batting in the country.
We will be totally screwed if one or two of the bowlers pulled the plug as well....

This is a concerning issue. Players wanna play and coaches and managers will do whatever it takes to win given its the pinnacle. So blooding players is the last thing they want, and the bowlers have to be fair been performing admirably. but they will retire eventually then like with batting no ones ready to step in and up

 

[Jack Mundy]

What are the criteria for Man-of-the-Match, anyone?
Head was chosen (another big-game contribution) since his two 60's clearly contributed massively to the win
BUT
Shamar Joseph took 9/133 (with several catches dropped off his bowling) with 8 and 44 runs off a total of 30 balls.
Stiff not to get MotM, I reckon.

P.S. you can bet the Poms' Coaches are looking at hours of Head's recent batting to formulate a plan to get him out.

He ain't winning

 

[Dead Eye Didak]

Absolutely shattered my perception of Shamar.

There's always a soft spot in the Australian sports psyche for international athletes who lift and give their best against Australia. I think we were all enjoying his bowling and were looking forward to more. That means nothing if you're the monster that would inflict the hurt on other people as it is alleged.

Definitely if proven guilty, this exciting career comes to a screeching halt, which would be a shame for world cricket in general. But if these allegations are proven and he's guilty then he should never be seen near an international cricket ground again....
In saying that there can be a convicted felon, 34 times over, including for sexual assault, but still hold the most powerful position in the world, the US presidency, and he cannot be removed. The world just seems a little farked....

 

[PhatBoy]

Well that escalated quickly

 

[CrowBloke]

DaRick posted:
"Pretty good win considering we were on the canvas, but like other posters have noted (more eloquently and thoroughly than yours truly), my god, our top order is worrying.
The Shamar Joseph allegations are absolutely awful, but without meaning to sound flippant, he is innocent until proven guilty".
+

In a strictly legal sense, yes. But just because someone isn't convicted, it doesn't mean they didn't do it.

I get what you're saying. Smoke/fire, right?
It's not our call.

It's something that should not be judged in here, but in a Court of Law.
If he's innocent anything we post in here to the contrary is going to look bad.
If he's guilty, the Legal system will take care of it and he'll be punished accordingly and likely to be banned from playing Cricket for a while.

 

[DaRick]

The scary thing about our batting line up at the moment in terms of the Ashes is that we'd probably only have 2 of our top 6 who'd get a game with them at the moment. And 1 of them is hit and miss. But so is their 5th best batsman, as opposed to our second best one.

It's been a generation since I reckon I could've said that.

TBH, since about 2009 or thereabouts, I don't think we've maintained a particularly reliable batting lineup for more than a couple of seasons in a row, if that.

2018/19 was the absolute nadir IMO. Head wasn't the matchwinner he is today, Paine wasn't quite as good a batsman as Carey, and there was no Webster in the middle order. Steve Smith was also unavailable.

The one thing Langer did do right was stop those Jenga-style collapses which dogged the Nielsen/Arthur/Lehmann eras.

 

[Plugger35]

I fell asleep last night just before tea when Australia were still batting, disappointing to wake up and see that the match is all over with the Windies getting bundled out for just 141 and losing by 159 runs when it had been a close contest for most of the match.

 

[Run n Spread]

Bowler dominant. What to do about batting?
5 6 7 fine top order problems is the only thing.
I guess if Smith is fine he will come back for Inglis or Green. You could fly out a Bancroft or patterson to come in if playing county.
Yet no other batting options out on tour.
Smith/Patterson in for Green imo. Inglis and Konstas early career days. Back them in and give them the rest of series and assess from there. They backed Labaschagene for a year so only fair

 

[Borisdog]

What are the criteria for Man-of-the-Match, anyone?
Head was chosen (another big-game contribution) since his two 60's clearly contributed massively to the win
BUT
Shamar Joseph took 9/133 (with several catches dropped off his bowling) with 8 and 44 runs off a total of 30 balls.
Stiff not to get MotM, I reckon.

P.S. you can bet the Poms' Coaches are looking at hours of Head's recent batting to formulate a plan to get him out.

Wouldn't reckon the plan's that hard. Nothing short and wide, keep it tight to the body, moving away. Fairly standard stuff.

 

[DaRick]

DaRick posted:
"Pretty good win considering we were on the canvas, but like other posters have noted (more eloquently and thoroughly than yours truly), my god, our top order is worrying.
The Shamar Joseph allegations are absolutely awful, but without meaning to sound flippant, he is innocent until proven guilty".
+

I get what you're saying. Smoke/fire, right?
It's not our call.

It's something that should not be judged in here, but in a Court of Law.
If he's innocent anything we post in here to the contrary is going to look bad.
If he's guilty, the Legal system will take care of it and he'll be punished accordingly and likely to be banned from playing Cricket for a while.

You're right; we shouldn't be discussing these allegations. It's tawdry, and does little for anyone involved.

Hazelwood >> Gillespie

Sorry Joffaboy

I think Hazlewood's gone past Gillespie, but they're not all that comparable.

Hazlewood is basically a more accurate, consistent version of Stuart Broad - he takes wickets in clumps, and is lethal in helpful conditions.

Gillespie was faster, and more likely to do something on a dead pitch because he used cutters pretty well. He spearheaded the 2004 victory in IND. But he rarely took wickets in clumps because he was a touch too short at times, so he'd beat the bat rather than take the edge. And like Craig McDermott before him, he burnt out at a young age because he played too much cricket in his early 20s, when his body was still developing.

 

[Black Diamond]

Well that was a cricket match.

 

[CrowBloke]

Re Travis Head and MotM:
"The tourists were in a precarious position at 3-57 when Head walked to the crease on Thursday evening, with the South Australian surviving through to stumps to stem the flow of wickets".
His comments at the end of Day 2 reveal his mindset:
"“I was desperate to make sure I was able to get through to stumps, I thought it was a really important period,” Head later explained.
“I just wanted to try and get a bit of momentum back in our changeroom” ".

"Head was later named player of the match, the tenth time he’s achieved the feat in Tests, more often than the likes of Mitchell Johnson, David Warner and Michael Clarke.
“I felt like I left a couple (of runs) out there,” Head laughed during the post-match presentation.
“I try to contribute every time I play, the same pressure wherever I go.
“Every time I go out to bat, I try to hold myself accountable" ".

Desperation/accountability. <== Konstas, Green, Inglis, pay attention please.
It sure looks like Webster and Carey have.
(https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...s/news-story/5053f97bb29aed3d98885c5e115fa6a7)

 

[Jack Mundy]

You're right; we shouldn't be discussing these allegations. It's tawdry, and does little for anyone involved.



I think Hazlewood's gone past Gillespie, but they're not all that comparable.

Hazlewood is basically a more accurate, consistent version of Stuart Broad - he takes wickets in clumps, and is lethal in helpful conditions.

Gillespie was faster, and more likely to do something on a dead pitch because he used cutters pretty well. He spearheaded the 2004 victory in IND. But he rarely took wickets in clumps because he was a touch too short at times, so he'd beat the bat rather than take the edge. And like Craig McDermott before him, he burnt out at a young age because he played too much cricket in his early 20s, when his body was still developing.

The allegations are a bigger story than the result. Sorry, the nature of them are shocking.

 

[TheGreatBarryB]

Shame about the sub standard pitch..balls staying low day 2

 

[DaRick]

The allegations are a bigger story than the result. Sorry, the nature of them are shocking.

Yeah, they are absolutely shocking, but unfortunately speculating on them doesn't benefit anybody.

 

[Sykes_]

Travis Head's record-breaking achievement is indeed impressive, with 10 Man of the Match awards in 59 Tests, boasting an incredible ratio of 1 award for every 5.9 Tests. Let's compare his record to other cricketing greats¹:

• Travis Head: 10 awards in 59 Tests (ratio: 1 every 5.9 Tests)
• Wasim Akram: 17 awards in 104 Tests (ratio: 1 every 6.1 Tests)
• Shane Warne: 17 awards in 145 Tests (ratio: 1 every 8.5 Tests)
• Sachin Tendulkar: 14 awards in 200 Tests (ratio: 1 every 14.3 Tests)

He is a proven match winner and will go down as one of the greats of the game across all formats.

 

[PhatBoy]

Travis Head's record-breaking achievement is indeed impressive, with 10 Man of the Match awards in 59 Tests, boasting an incredible ratio of 1 award for every 5.9 Tests. Let's compare his record to other cricketing greats¹:

• Travis Head: 10 awards in 59 Tests (ratio: 1 every 5.9 Tests)
• Wasim Akram: 17 awards in 104 Tests (ratio: 1 every 6.1 Tests)
• Shane Warne: 17 awards in 145 Tests (ratio: 1 every 8.5 Tests)
• Sachin Tendulkar: 14 awards in 200 Tests (ratio: 1 every 14.3 Tests)

He is a proven match winner and will go down as one of the greats of the game across all formats.

It’s his first one away from home, and his third one against the West Indies along with one against what was a pretty pathetic SA side 3 years ago.

He’s undoubtedly an extremely valuable member of his side but probably a bit too soon to put him in that sort of exalted company just yet based on a ratio

 

[jannissary]

webster plays the way he does because he knows his spot in the side isn't cemented regardless of performances

 

[DaRick]

It’s his first one away from home, and his third one against the West Indies along with one against what was a pretty pathetic SA side 3 years ago.

He’s undoubtedly an extremely valuable member of his side but probably a bit too soon to put him in that sort of exalted company just yet based on a ratio

That innings he played against that SA side was on a raging greentop which worsened as the game progressed.

He's definitely not on par with those other three gentlemen as players, but he is still a matchwinner.

 

[DaRick]

webster plays the way he does because he knows his spot in the side isn't cemented regardless of performances

The one advantage he does have is that his height makes it easier for him to negotiate uneven bounce.

 

[MarcMaverick]

It’s his first one away from home, and his third one against the West Indies along with one against what was a pretty pathetic SA side 3 years ago.

He’s undoubtedly an extremely valuable member of his side but probably a bit too soon to put him in that sort of exalted company just yet based on a ratio

Really? I could have sworn he won one in WTC final in 2023.

 

[PhatBoy]

That innings he played against that SA side was on a raging greentop which worsened as the game progressed.

He's definitely not on par with those other three gentlemen as players, but he is still a matchwinner.

Undoubtedly it was a fine innings - so was the one at Adelaide against the West Indies in what were actually pretty challenging conditions against an attack that bowled pretty well.

But yeah a bit of context needs to be applied when you consider a) the company he’s in within his team and b) the company he’s in from the opposition as well. Some of those other guys like Warne in particular were playing with 8-9 guys every game who could take that award on a given day.

Hes definitely a valuable player and a capable matchwinner, no denying that.

 

[PhatBoy]

Really? I could have sworn he won one in WTC final in 2023.

Apologies yes I missed that one - the ‘India/oval’ part threw me on the list