4 axed for 3rd test

[western royboy]

That's my whole point.... Ponting is a legend, love the bloke. Carried by the team for his final 2 or so years, couldnt score at all. Comes back to state cricket and kills it.

I guess it just highlights the widening gap between international (tests in particular) and domestic cricket. Ponting has 20 years of first class and mostly international cricket to fall back on. On good pitches against pop gun attacks (no offence but there is no one out there going to knock his head off) he's classes above anyone else.

 

[Fat Nyfe]

So a few of these have been doing the rounds around the place

 

[Hayesuel]

I guess it just highlights the widening gap between international (tests in particular) and domestic cricket. Ponting has 20 years of first class and mostly international cricket to fall back on. On good pitches against pop gun attacks (no offence but there is no one out there going to knock his head off) he's classes above anyone else.

True although Punta smashed the Vics all over the park for 160no or so though this season including patto and siddle if i recall too though.

This is getting away from my point though. Watto has been poor for 2 years but is still better than whats on offer. That's a sad reality.

 

[Kyptastic]

Looking at those stats, McDonald couldn't have got injured at a worse time in 2010, as well as 2012. Would have played 20 tests by now on those figures.

 

[western royboy]

Looking at those stats, McDonald couldn't have got injured at a worse time in 2010, as well as 2012. Would have played 20 tests by now on those figures.

He should have - but would he? We'll never know.

 

[ColinWood]

What I'm saying is the players should give new ideas a go. I used Langer and Waugh as examples of players who did and didn't give new ideas a go. I think the current group should have been disciplined for not completing the task, but not suspended (unless this is something endemic).

Thanks for adding that. I agree 100% with your sentiments here.

 

[King Elvis]

Leigh Matthews on 5AA said along the lines of - "You have to question the leadership... Part of being a good leader is preventing minor issues turning into full blown disasters."

 

[The_Reaper]

True although Punta smashed the Vics all over the park for 160no or so though this season including patto and siddle if i recall too though.

This is getting away from my point though. Watto has been poor for 2 years but is still better than whats on offer. That's a sad reality.

He's not any better.

We've literally got nothing but even then he isn't any better.

Has less test centuries than Hughes. If he can't bowl then he doesn't belong in the team.

If he can bowl then yes on ability alone he should be in the side.

Should be removed from any leadership positions though

 

[King Elvis]

I'd probably have to gone McDonald instead of Henriques.

And bring back Punter

 

[maelcoluim]

I'd probably have to gone McDonald instead of Henriques.

And bring back Punter

Unfortunately for McDonald he had a hamstring injury late last year and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

 

[Cleavy]

this one is doing the rounds as well...

 

[The Speaker]

this one is doing the rounds as well...

It's come full circle.

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/threads/4-axed-for-3rd-test.993116/page-12#post-27371898

 

[TheBigPavallova]

Alternative options for captain:
Watto: yeah, that would work out just great , and that's when he's not injured/ averaging above 26 over the last 2 years and playing as a batsman.
"Davey" Warner: Better less said.. played 15 tests
Patto: yeah, nah. Played 9 tests, injured/rotated every second test
Therest of the team couldn't even be confident of staying in the XI for a prolonged period

None of the above but maybe Hussey could have taken over from punter for a couple of years.

I had the feeling he wanted to go around some more.

but gave it away, unhappily.


The problem isn't so much that we haven't got the players to do the job, but rather how they're doing it.

The underlying intent is imo foreign to Our culture, & to the characters of our team. Disharmony is the outcome.

 

[TheBigPavallova]

I'm not baffled.

Around here, something goes wrong in Australian cricket = Clarke's fault.

tis not Clarkes fault. its just that every thing turns to shit around his aura. he can't help the anti magnetism he wafts.

 

[Mateyman]

None of the above but maybe Hussey could have taken over from punter for a couple of years..

Hussey captained four ODIs for four losses, including guttering walloped by NZ 3-0, including a 10-wicket loss

 

[King Elvis]

Modern-day Test great Matthew Hayden has strongly backed Shane Watson as a team man and questioned whether senior cricket officials are committed to the "fundamental Australian ways" of the game.

Watson's career is at a crossroads after Cricket Australia's high-performance manager, Pat Howard, suggested the vice-captain was selfish by saying he was a team player "sometimes".

Stood down from being available for the third Test against India along with Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja and James Pattinson for failing to complete a "homework" task, Watson took issue with Howard's comments and said his teammates were the best judge.

But, with Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricket Association advising a united front in a time of crisis, there were few going into bat for the all-rounder on Wednesday.

High-profile former Test players like Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey directly declined to comment about the current situation, as did former batting coach Justin Langer, while even Watson's more recent domestic teammates were reluctant to speak out.

Hayden, who played with Watson for Australia and Queensland from 2003 to 2008, though praised the 31-year-old.

"Shane is a team man and vice-captain of our nation," he said in an emailed response to AAP.

"Along with his gentle disposition yet outstanding competitive streak it has enabled Shane's immense talents with both bat and ball to rise to the top to become one of this country's more decorated performers in all forms of the game.

"I have played with Shane since he was a boy. He has battled with injury and risen in spite of major setbacks to overcome the obstacles presented in true Aussie spirit."

Hayden said he was immensely saddened by Michael Clarke's team under-performing on and off the field, especially succumbing "culturally and socially" to the pressure of consecutive Test losses in India.

The former opener stressed cricket represented Australians as "roll up your sleeve, she'll be right mate, have a go in spite of challenges, punch above our weight" people.

"And most importantly never leave your mate on the battle field," he wrote.

"I hope every inch of Pat Howard and senior (CA) management has those core and fundamental Australian ways pumping through their veins?"

Former leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, the latest to label coach Mickey Arthur's assignment task as "stupid", felt cricket teams needed to embrace individuality to succeed.

"Being an individual within a cricket team doesn't mean that you're selfish," he told AAP.

Australian Twenty20 captain George Bailey had no doubts Watson would be back firing on the international stage in all three forms of the game and was positive about his captaincy in last year's one-day series in the West Indies when Clarke was injured.

"I thought he led really well," Bailey said. "It was a really challenging tour for us but certainly his own performance was outstanding.

"The funny thing about leadership is there's so many different ways to show it and if your leader's being the best player on the field and preparing well and performing well it's a great way of showing leadership."

Another one-day teammate, West Australia's Adam Voges, said Watson had "always been a team man when I've played with him".

"He's been nothing short of professional and very much team-orientated," Voges said.

Again, I doubt Watto is the problem.

 

[frankrizzo]

I am finding the mixed messages about watto very confusing.

Clarke has said today he wants watto to remain as vc and hopes he is back for the 4th test, mickey say watto is a diligent professional and well prepared member of the team and yet those same two blokes felt the VC was so out of control they needed to dump him from the side and publicly humiliate him over a minor issue?

I just don't get it, if they didn't overreact then watson should not be coming back to a leadership position as he clearly isn't liked or trusted by the others leaders in the team.

Part of being a strong leader isn't just making the tough decisions it's accepting the fallout and criticism, they knew that dumping the VC is not something that can easily(if at all) be repaired they should not be then trying to downplay the seriousness of what they did.

This was a nuclear strike from clarke/mickey on the career of watson and they are acting like they shot him with a bb gun.

 

[Cooldude]

Clarke has said today he wants watto to remain as vc and hopes he is back for the 4th test, mickey say watto is a diligent professional and well prepared member of the team and yet those same two blokes felt the VC was so out of control they needed to dump him from the side and publicly humiliate him over a minor issue?

The coach and the captain can spin this one as hard as they like, it ain't gonna look pretty on them. If their way of leading the national team is to act in such a way that it'd publicly smear some of their players including their VC, whatever their faults are, then turn around and start saying stuff completely opposite to their actions, then I worry for the team

 

[King Elvis]

Nasser Hussain also asks why have a VC if he isn't involved in any leadership or decision making processes.

 

[Cooldude]

Leigh Matthews on 5AA said along the lines of - "You have to question the leadership... Part of being a good leader is preventing minor issues turning into full blown disasters."

This is it, if they think they make such a big deal out of a bunch of lads not doing a minor task, then kick them out and promote this so-called "team culture" they're trying to build, they're ****ing kidding themselves. The best team culture isn't having all 11 blokes being absolutely the same, it's that 11 different blokes with different personalities and opinions can still band together

 

[TennisPlayerAndy]

This is it, if they think they make such a big deal out of a bunch of lads not doing a minor task, then kick them out and promote this so-called "team culture" they're trying to build, they're ******* kidding themselves. The best team culture isn't having all 11 blokes being absolutely the same, it's that 11 different blokes with different personalities and opinions can still band together

"You are all individuals".....

'"We are all individuals"......

"I'm not"

 

[damochandler]

And you'd be complaing that was too harsh

no i doubt it

 

[Phone]

I guess it just highlights the widening gap between international (tests in particular) and domestic cricket. Ponting has 20 years of first class and mostly international cricket to fall back on. On good pitches against pop gun attacks (no offence but there is no one out there going to knock his head off) he's classes above anyone else.

Ponting didn't look anywhere near as bad this summer as he did during the early stages of last summer imo.

 

[King Elvis]

That's the shame of it - I think he was in better touch than he was through that dark period a couple of years ago; couple of bad dismissals, and that's it.

 

[The_Reaper]

Ponting didn't look anywhere near as bad this summer as he did during the early stages of last summer imo.

From where I was sitting he looked decent in his last innings until he had to face Peterson