Australia v India, 1st Test at Adelaide Oval Dec 6-10.

[Golumless]

That was the thing that worried me the most at the very moment I first heard of the ball-tampering incident. Warner and Smith are very different people: Warner is combative and extroverted, players like that need a fight and he'd more likely see this as a challenge to get back and would probably (marginally) improve from it.

Smith on the other hand was never too combative and was always a bit more introverted and more self-critical. Add in the fact that one of his biggest strengths was the concentration required to rely primarily on hand-eye and you can start to see where the rapid slide down the batting averages can come from: Mentally he's still trying to recover, something he may never do.

I'm not worried about Smith at all, he's evidently had the mentality to become the best batsmen in the world. He's strong enough mentally to come back, though will probably take a year or so to do so.

People overrate the introverted/self-critical side of things, especially in the case where someone has long shown they're in the top percentiles of mental strength.

 

[FRUMPY]

This outfield is far too slow.

CA worried India might make a few runs you reckon? Cut grass a bit higher so less 4s are hit

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[smasha]

My team would be Joe Burns for Finch and Maxwell for Marsh.

 

[western royboy]

Just to add to your point about desire and focus it's a very real possibility that he would have found other things to escape into just to cope with the mental trauma of having the biggest part of his world caved in overnight. It's more precarious than that: If he didn't and remained solely focused on cricket then how fatigued/depressed by self-doubt would he be?

With freakish hand-eye requires even greater concentration and willpower to use it. More so than most batsmen. It wouldn't take much doubt/loss of motivation to severely impact that.

Yeah - that's the concern a batsman with a solid technique can bat almost on automatic pilot, without it you've got to have most things going your way.

 

[FRUMPY]

Fat boy finch out and Ferguson or cooper in

Doesn't understand how cricket works between innings?

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[SSwans2011]

He’s had a woeful Shield season today has been the first times he’s done anything this year

He has averaged 40 over this "woeful" shield season.

How do you rate Paine's shield seasons leading up to selection?

 

[FRUMPY]

The Indians love their dodgy 90s style wraparound sunnies, seen better sunnies at the local servo.

Which Ironically you would purchase from an Indian employee at said servo

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[Adelaide Hawk]

What was that?

 

[Bob Neil]

Carey is definitely next i the queue and would be playing but for the leadership issue. Wade isn't the answer as a keeper or batsman, he's no doubt a fighter but way too much bottom hand for my liking. Paine is skipper until the next leader emerges....and he may be doing it just now, I'd put Head as Test Captain before Ussie for a number of reasons.

I reckon Cummins shows great maturity and leadership qualities- he’s in the right age bracket and his position is a lock. Only lingering concerns over his body would stop me from endorsing him as a potential captain.

 

[Richard Pryor]

Blessed innings.

 

[Golumless]

Travis Head looking very comfortable. Can’t believe I ever actually doubted his ability. I know it’s his home deck, but he’s facing some tough bowling.

Get a century here and it could be the making of him as a test match batsmen.

Australia getting some streaky luck here as well, much needed seeing India got a lot of that yesterday.

 

[yakka man]

That's crazy. Ashwin has bowled some pearlers.

 

[Soups]

What a leave!

 

[Woody15]

Any changes to the side aren't going to make much difference. Lets be honest. Look at the strength of the domestic comp. Its crap.

 

[DaRick]

Good knock by Head, I know age doesn't come into it much but he is 10 years younger than Marsh and 8 years younger than Finch. Moving Finch down the order at the expense of Head as was suggested earlier is ridiculous.

I had reservations about Head because he's a left-hander and his UAE tour was mixed, but he's stood up well today.

Maybe Burns for Finch and Maxwell for S Marsh?

 

[DaRick]

Any changes to the side aren't going to make much difference. Lets be honest. Look at the strength of the domestic comp. Its crap.

Yeah but even as a non-Victorian it's obvious to me that Maxwell hasn't been excluded based on performance.

 

[Gavin Excell]

The Indians love their dodgy 90s style wraparound sunnies, seen better sunnies at the local servo.

Important observation

 

[offtherails9]

CA worried India might make a few runs you reckon? Cut grass a bit higher so less 4s are hit

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They leave it pretty long out there. Ryegrass too. It's gonna be struggling after the past few days of hot weather on there.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

I reckon Cummins shows great maturity and leadership qualities- he’s in the right age bracket and his position is a lock. Only lingering concerns over his body would stop me from endorsing him as a potential captain.

You need to be made of very special stuff to part of a 3 paceman attack and captain the team.

 

[smasha]

I had reservations about Head because he's a left-hander and his UAE tour was mixed, but he's stood up well today.

Maybe Burns for Finch and Maxwell for S Marsh?

That’s what I reckon.

 

[HLM*]

I had reservations about Head because he's a left-hander and his UAE tour was mixed, but he's stood up well today.

Maybe Burns for Finch and Maxwell for S Marsh?

My god i didn’t think our batting line up could get worse but if those changes come to fruition then I stand corrected.

 

[Woody15]

Yeah but even as a non-Victorian it's obvious to me that Maxwell hasn't been excluded based on performance.

Id say he's also been poorly managed by Cricket Australia. Just look at his non-selection of the Australia A tour before Pakistan. He then gets dragged to the UAE to play meaningless T20I and misses a couple of Shield games before this series begins.

We are witnessing the result of CA prioritising and focusing on the benefits of domestic T20.

 

[DaRick]

That’s what I reckon.

I know you're a proud Victorian, so it must hurt to say that?

I hope that Finch comes up with something in the second dig to prove me wrong.

 

[hoopla]

As an Adelaide person, I've sat back and read all the criticism of Head, one poster suggested he will make a pair and disappear from the scene. It's been rather amusing. There's no doubting Head's ability to play at Test level. I'm not a total fan as yet because he tends to not turn 50s into 100s .... hopefully he will in this Test. He's also a possible future captain if the situation presents itself. Very pleased in how he's batted today.

I’ve seen enough to believe the selectors should stick with through thick and thin because he’s a long term prospect.

 

[Kapow!!!]

I'm not worried about Smith at all, he's evidently had the mentality to become the best batsmen in the world. He's strong enough mentally to come back, though will probably take a year or so to do so.

People overrate the introverted/self-critical side of things, especially in the case where someone has long shown they're in the top percentiles of mental strength.

I disagree with your assessment of introversion because I just don't think it's that black and white in terms of mental strength. Things snowball. Negative conditioning happens after trauma. It's not just about getting back on the horse: It's about moving on from the negative associations built on your favourite passion.

But I do agree that Smith would definitely be one of the only people who have the ability to come back from it.