Analysis The Cricket Thread 2025/26

[freo84]

The Aussie cricket team knows now that the Pommy bowlers cant maintain the rage. Just take what they can give early and survive.

Then POW! Give them some Travball!

 

[Purple Suit]

I assume he’ll play. Retired people usually play a lot of golf.

 

[stax on the mull]

That wasn't a real Test match due to World Series cricket - England had a handful of players involved in the latter, we had our best 15 or 20. The only good thing about the series was that Allan Border got fast tracked into the team.

But can you imagine these days anybody putting up with watching a bloke that scores 10 runs an hour over 6 hours.

 

[Tundrawolf]

Josh Inglis currently 121* off 104 balls against the England Lions at Lilac Hill opening the batting. He made 40 off 37 opening in the first innings. If him opening is not a hint by the selectors for the near future I don't know what is.

 

[Docker82]

Josh Inglis currently 121* off 104 balls against the England Lions at Lilac Hill opening the batting. He made 40 off 37 opening in the first innings. If him opening is not a hint by the selectors for the near future I don't know what is.

Seems a bunch of fringe shield cricketers (Inglis aside) absolutely smashed what was supposed to be England's second XI.

Reckon Inglis and Richardson are the only players in that team that gets a game for his shield side tbh, although a number aren't that far off.

Bare in mind Richardson has barely played any cricket lately so he probably hasn't built himself up to the bowler we know he is yet.

 

[Barnabus]

Josh Inglis currently 121* off 104 balls against the England Lions at Lilac Hill opening the batting. He made 40 off 37 opening in the first innings. If him opening is not a hint by the selectors for the near future I don't know what is.

I kind if think if Uzzie isn't available for Brisbane Inglis could replace Head down the order and Head could open. Or we could drop Weatherald and go full bazball with Inglis and Head opening. We would lose but it would be amusing.

 

[Docker82]

I kind if think if Uzzie isn't available for Brisbane Inglis could replace Head down the order and Head could open. Or we could drop Weatherald and go full bazball with Inglis and Head opening. We would lose but it would be amusing.

Zero chance we drop Weatherald after one test.

Think it's a decision between Webster and Inglis. Both of them likely for the no.6 role.

Hope the selectors don't go for Renshaw this early. He'd barely scored a run the last couple of shield seasons. A couple of knocks this season aren't enough to ignore that yet IMO. Maybe for the next tour if he scores runs in the second half of the shield season

 

[BStaff17]

Meanwhile South Africa are on there way to pantsing India 2-zip in India

India are 121/6 chasing 489 from South Africa

A year since the Kiwis whitewashed them 3-0 in India as well.

So the question is whose getting sacked first Gambhir or McCullum

 

[anchor man]

Zero chance we drop Weatherald after one test.

Think it's a decision between Webster and Inglis. Both of them likely for the no.6 role.

Hope the selectors don't go for Renshaw this early. He'd barely scored a run the last couple of shield seasons. A couple of knocks this season aren't enough to ignore that yet IMO. Maybe for the next tour if he scores runs in the second half of the shield season

Renshaw has scored three centuries this summer so far.Scored one today.

 

[anchor man]

There are things that make you ;augh and things that make you go Hmmm.The latter with thumb and forefinger nestling your chi.
This from a Ben Stokes interview about training before the test.And in response to Michael Vaughan resume of the performance.
"If the results don't go the way in our favour, that's not going to differ from that (sic) because, hand on heart, we know that we put every little bit or ounce of ourselves into our training, and we know and believe that this is the best way for this team to operate."
Taken fro a Yahoo article.

 

[Docker82]

Renshaw has scored three centuries this summer so far.Scored one today.

Point still stands. Will he still be doing it in 6-12 months time?

He's spent 6-7 years being largely disappointing after a great start to his test career.

I need to see it in the second half of the season at least to think he's worth another shot. Otherwise it's just short term form that's unlikely to last long at test level.

I think that short term form is perhaps the most overrated thing by the general public in cricket. If there's no demonstrated long term form generally the player doesn't perform at test level and if they do they perform once or twice before getting axed in six months time.

 

[anchor man]

Point still stands. Will he still be doing it in 6-12 months time?

He's spent 6-7 years being largely disappointing after a great start to his test career.

I need to see it in the second half of the season at least to think he's worth another shot. Otherwise it's just short term form that's unlikely to last long at test level.

I think that short term form is perhaps the most overrated thing by the general public in cricket. If there's no demonstrated long term form generally the player doesn't perform at test level and if they do they perform once or twice before getting axed in six months time.

All I will say is Mike Hussey.

 

[Docker82]

All I will say is Mike Hussey.

Mike Hussey was a consistent first class performer for a decade before getting selected.

No comparison. We're taking a bloke that averaged 50+ most of his first class career vs a guy that cant average 40 two seasons in a row.

 

[stax on the mull]

Mike Hussey was a consistent first class performer for a decade before getting selected.

No comparison. We're taking a bloke that averaged 50+ most of his first class career vs a guy that cant average 40 two seasons in a row.

I think there was a season where Hussey was dropped from the WA team for the last shield game of the season, maybe unfairly, but he struggled to score runs. But then maybe within 18 months he was selected for Australia.

This season - 2002/2003

Western Australia

 

[Docker82]

I think there was a season where Hussey was dropped from the WA team for the last shield game of the season, maybe unfairly, but he struggled to score runs. But then maybe within 18 months he was selected for Australia.

This season - 2002/2003

Western Australia

It was 2005/06 he made his test debut.

He might have occasionally had down periods but his first class stats stack up very well against the very very best. That was the case before he got picked in test cricket.

Renshaw averaged less than 30 last season and people wonder why I'm saying he only has short term form behind him.

Perform in the second half of the season at least and it'll be time to talk Renshaw. Atm he doesn't seem to be overly close to test cricket and rightly so. You don't get picked off three innings when you've done **** all for years.

 

[anchor man]

Point still stands. Will he still be doing it in 6-12 months time?

He's spent 6-7 years being largely disappointing after a great start to his test career.

I need to see it in the second half of the season at least to think he's worth another shot. Otherwise it's just short term form that's unlikely to last long at test level.

I think that short term form is perhaps the most overrated thing by the general public in cricket. If there's no demonstrated long term form generally the player doesn't perform at test level and if they do they perform once or twice before getting axed in six months time.

Hussey was kept out by a very strong batting team. Very hard to crack it for a berth at the time he was killing it. Renshaw has had the experience at SS level now. Knows what he has to do to make it. AND a major difference is that our batting at the moment is very suspect. That is from openers down, Smith and Labuschagne excepted.
But both are closer to the end than the beginning.

 

[Docker82]

Hussey was kept out by a very strong batting team. Very hard to crack it for a berth at the time he was killing it. Renshaw has had the experience at SS level now. Knows what he has to do to make it. AND a major difference is thaour batting at thd moment is very suspect. That is from openers down, Smith and Labuschagne excepted.
But both are closer to the end than the beginning.

Renshaw has scored three hundreds this season - yes.

In 2023/24 he averaged 24.93 and in 2024/25 he averaged 29.17.

Short term form is good but form is temporary, class is permanent. It works both ways IMO and his if you go any further back than the start of this season his performances don't stack up.

He's got to show it for longer imo.

 

[bushchook]

Does anyone actually think Starc was man of the match?

Head played one of the all time greatest knocks in a test match to win the game. It was still advantage England when we went out to bat.

 

[anchor man]

Does anyone actually think Starc was man of the match?

Head played one of the all time greatest knocks in a test match to win the game. It was still advantage England when we went out to bat.

They say for the bowler getting 5 for, i s the same as a batsman scoring a hundred. Hence the bowler showing the ball to the crowd. 10 fa = two tons.
My choice was Starc.

 

[Docker82]

Does anyone actually think Starc was man of the match?

Head played one of the all time greatest knocks in a test match to win the game. It was still advantage England when we went out to bat.

I was surprised tbh but I've seen much worse. Getting ten for the match doesn't happen all that often.

 

[Barnabus]

Does anyone actually think Starc was man of the match?

Head played one of the all time greatest knocks in a test match to win the game. It was still advantage England when we went out to bat.

Yes I do. Take Starc out and we would probably have been chasing 500 in the 4th innings. Head's century was great but Starc was more influential across the match.

 

[stax on the mull]

It was 2005/06 he made his test debut.

Nov 25 2005 was Hussey's test debut, and he was dropped from the WA team for the last shield game against Victoria in March 2003 - so it's about 20 months after he got dropped from the WA side, but he was also picked for Australia in ODIs much earlier in February 2024. It's turnaround of about 1 first class season in Aust, and only a few months of domestic cricket to get an ODI berth, but I would guess there was also some county cricket in England in between where he would have shown form.

I'm not comparing them as players or even advocating for Renshaw, though the home deck in Qld gives him some chance, but I reckon Khawaja will probably be fit and get picked. Not even sure if that's what the other poster anchorman was referring to when he mentioned Hussey as an example - just clearing up that at one point Hussey had lost his place in the WA team.

Hussey at least always had a supporter among the Australian selectors. David Boon watched him in one of his early shield games and declared he would play test cricket for Australia. Don't think Renshaw has ever had that kind of accolade bestowed.

The only commentator I've heard in recent times say that Renshaw has been somewhat hard by is that curmudgeon "Chappelli" - but anyone who ever listened to him in his last commentary spell as an expert on ABC radio cricket will probably also remember him never missing a chance to get irritated about Travis Head's bad batsmanship, bad fielding etc - so who cares what that old crank thinks.

BTW: You can see from the 2003/2004 season table that Hussey had a decent season after he was dropped from the WA side. 752 runs at 41.77 average 100s 1, 50s 6, but there's also 13 other batsmen that scored more runs than him in that Shield Season. (Pura Milk Cup as it was called then)

https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/tournament/batting-most-runs-career/pura-cup-2003-04-2425

 

[anchor man]

Renshaw is a much much better slipper and general fielder than Uzzie as well. Uzzie dropped one, went straight though his hands. Both he caught he fumbled. Never been a good fielder.
He is an in for me.Renshaw I mean.

 

[bushchook]

They say for the bowler getting 5 for, i s the same as a batsman scoring a hundred. Hence the bowler showing the ball to the crowd. 10 fa = two tons.
My choice was Starc.

Don't get wrong, Starc was great. But I think Head's innings was a once in a generation effort. Equal to Stokes' century to win in 2019

 

[largebus]

You could've given it to either of them, peiple were surprised because they usually give it to the batter when the theres a standout bowler and batter.

Its an extension of the batter gets the benefit of the doubt from the ump on a close appeal