Ashes is here

[Hollow Knight]

Mitch has gone nuts.

The challenge on the Collingwood LBW was brilliant. Didn't look out but I was very happy to be wrong.

 

[Old Den]

Mitch has gone nuts.

The challenge on the Collingwood LBW was brilliant. Didn't look out but I was very happy to be wrong.

I thought the one that got Pietersen was going down the leg side and I was happy to be wrong.

 

[acuguy]

I also thought the Collingwood one was out but the Peterson one was leg side. We have not seen left arm inswing bowling like that since Wasim Akram graced our shores. There isn't a better sight in cricket than what Johnson did to the poms today, especially the Collingwood ball. Unbelievable!

We need a 400 plus lead to really try and grind the poms into the ground. Let's hope Watson fills his Santa sack with runs! He is a gun!

Has there ever been a series where the Captain and Vice Captain of our team have struggled so much?

 

[POBT]

Geez, Punter's dismissal was a worry. Once upon a time, he would have stood tall and either whacked that through square leg or glanced it beautifully. Either way, he would have looked strong at the crease. But he was jumpy and was so far inside the line of the delivery that he was highly susceptible to nicking it to the keeper. It was like his first thought was to get out of the road and second thought was to get bat to ball. Quite alarming.

I wouldn't like to see Punter discarded just yet, even if he continues to fail. I'm not convinced that Clarke is the right man to lead (although he could be, if he started piling on the runs again) and, unless a Cam White makes a spot in the side, there's no other real leader available. But I think Punter at #3 really isn't working. Guys like AB had a gradual slide down the order - if it means getting Punter back into some form, I really think a move to #6 should be considered before he is dropped.

 

[acuguy]

POBT, you are right about Punters dismissal, it is indicative of someone who was looking for the short ball. Such an exagerrated movement resulted in him playing along way from his body.

He is a legend of the game but i am not sure how long he really has left. Personally if we win this series i would like to see him retire. If we lose he will be sacked.

 

[mickeyblueeyes37]

They got no replacement for him at the momment so he will stay to the World Cup.

 

[acuguy]

I am not advocating the death of Ricky Ponting as an international cricketer. He is a legend of the modern era! But you cannot hide from the stats that he has been in fairly rapid decline over the last 2 seasons.

Ushering in the next generation of Australian batsmen is a difficult task to do when there are only 6 spots on the line. If Ponting hangs around for 2 more seasons and Hussey does the same thing (rightfully so) we will need to replace 2 batsmen immediately. A situation we don't want to find ourselves in again!

In my opinion one of those 2 need to make way at the end of the series. I know who i would keep!

 

[POBT]

Punter averaged 56 in India a couple of months ago and looked to be batting very well during that series, despite failing to put together a big score. With the resurgence of Hussey after a significant period in the doldrums, I am reluctant to write off a bloke who is one of Australia's best performed batsmen in history and who did well recently in subcontinental conditions where he has previously struggled.

Like any ageing batsman, I see Punter struggling early on, when his footwork is sluggish and he's not picking the line and length as quickly as he once did. He's always been susceptible early - but normally because his movement was too decisive and he could overcommit to a shot without having the softer hands and quick footwork to adjust to swing or seam. But you knew that if he got through 10 minutes, then he'd look instantly comfortable. Right now, he just seems so vulnerable. But so did Hussey during most of 2009 and 2010. Now, he looks almost indestructible at the crease.

Point taken on the generational change. You can throw Katich in there as another 1st XI batsman who'll also move into retirement in the next couple of years. That shouldn't be the driving force in the selection process but it is a factor, I agree.

The other factor to be considered is that Australia doesn't have a long list of batsmen banging down the door with regular 1000 run summers. This year, the Shield run scoring has been led by talented youngsters (Khawaja, Lynn) or guys who have played 1st class cricket for a while but haven't been really consistent over a number of seasons (Cosgrove, Marsh). There's no-one "banging down the door", so to speak. The Aussie batting line-up already has two slightly unproven players in Hughes and Smith. What we'd give to return to the days when the Aussie "2nd XI" batting line-up would have walked into any side in world cricket. The Australia A batting line-up against England in 2002/03 had Elliott, Maher, Love, Blewett, Clarke, North. Clarke aside, the rest had scored a mountain of runs at 1st class level.