Batting patience?

[Yoda_]

With the ever growing popularity of T20 cricket and the way that ODI cricket changed the way test cricket has been fought out, the art of batting patience is slowly dying.

We were once good enough to dominate attacks and take to attacks, oft going at over 4 runs an over, but gone are the days of Hayden walking down the wicket to Ntini, Ponting front foot pulling Sreeshanth for six and Adam Gilchrist tearing apart a raw English attack that threatened the country of England.

We seem to be in this same mindset of players from yesteryear with the second innings proving to be a case in point. Haddin's shot was deplorable, Michael Hussey's poor shot selection, Ricky Ponting's inability to attempt to spend time at the crease and get himself back in form.

We had 3 full days to bat, and we batted a pultry 18 overs, with numbers 9 and 11 top scoring with some streaky runs late.

When will these guys, these professionals learn to control their abilities? We were horribly outplayed in the second innings but the mental scras were already emblazzoned into our minds after being bowled out for 47.

We can put it down to Phil Hughes as not being ready, or Ricky Ponting who should retire a champion, but as a collective group we think we are better than what we are.

Time for this next generation to come through before we are again left in a periodical cycle hole and get us ready for the next dominant era.

The era where guys like Khawaja, Cal Ferguson, Tim Paine are batting with the patience and class of guys like Damian Martyn from yesteryear.

Sorry for the rant, but rant over!.!?@!

EDIT: Not talking about the bowlers here at all..

 

[kidgorgeous]

Watching the Indians with Dravid last night. Put the bad balls away, defend the good ones. Immense powers concentration which I hope the Australians were watching. Selectors won't make the hard decisions so the players in their arrogance play rash shots.
The local league here has decided to ditch the 2 day games in order to play one-dayers exclusively. So youngsters here don't have the mentality to set themselves for long innings. In saying that, one of the young men from Leitchville smacked 230 odd in their 45 over game. 21 went over the fence.

 

[mattymac]

you'd think after watching alistair cook at close range for 5000 hours last summer they'd be well schooled on these principles

 

[Hellgood]

Ferguson batting with patience? The guy is a quality one day player, but he doesn't play like a test player prospect in the Sheffield Shield.

But for the most part I agree.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Ferguson batting with patience? The guy is a quality one day player, but he doesn't play like a test player prospect in the Sheffield Shield.

But for the most part I agree.

I agree with this on Ferguson. He looks so good in the one day format but doesn't turn that into Shield runs. Will be a main stay in our ODI side when Hussey retires IMO.

 

[Drugs Are Bad Mackay?]

Yep. T20 is to blame for the Aussie batters lack of patience.

We're the only country that plays T20 or has a domestic T20 competition, so it stands to reason that that is the reason we're falling behind.

Oh yeah, in England they don't play any two day club cricket - all one day games. That's why Alastair Cook is such a slogger.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

With the ever growing popularity of T20 cricket and the way that ODI cricket changed the way test cricket has been fought out, the art of batting patience is slowly dying.

We were once good enough to dominate attacks and take to attacks, oft going at over 4 runs an over, but gone are the days of Hayden walking down the wicket to Ntini, Ponting front foot pulling Sreeshanth for six and Adam Gilchrist tearing apart a raw English attack that threatened the country of England.

We seem to be in this same mindset of players from yesteryear with the second innings proving to be a case in point. Haddin's shot was deplorable, Michael Hussey's poor shot selection, Ricky Ponting's inability to attempt to spend time at the crease and get himself back in form.

We had 3 full days to bat, and we batted a pultry 18 overs, with numbers 9 and 11 top scoring with some streaky runs late.

When will these guys, these professionals learn to control their abilities? We were horribly outplayed in the second innings but the mental scras were already emblazzoned into our minds after being bowled out for 47.

We can put it down to Phil Hughes as not being ready, or Ricky Ponting who should retire a champion, but as a collective group we think we are better than what we are.

Time for this next generation to come through before we are again left in a periodical cycle hole and get us ready for the next dominant era.

The era where guys like Khawaja, Cal Ferguson, Tim Paine are batting with the patience and class of guys like Damian Martyn from yesteryear.

Sorry for the rant, but rant over!.!?@!

EDIT: Not talking about the bowlers here at all..

Two of the men with the most sucessful domestic T20 careers are also the most patient in the team. Marsh and Hussey. How does that figure?

I think the problem is that they are playing off an old template from when we had loads of talent in the team.

 

[Thommo 42]

this argument is getting very tiresome.

India and England have been playing T20 cricket for longer than us, and play more of it than us. Their test sides don't seem to be going too bad, and some of their best players also play very well in T20.

In fact every test nation is also playing T20, so why is this affliction always attributed to us. We just suck at the moment, nothing to do with T20.

I mean Michael Clarke has barely played T20 ever, and aside from one innnings the other day, has shown he has no idea how to build an innings and was the poster child for disgraceful shot selection before Haddin claimed his crown.

 

[mattymac]

yeah its not t20. clarke, haddin, ponting, johnson etc don't play t20

i think its more a case of detachment from reality. they live in a bubble with a menagerie of coaches blowing smoke up their arses. clarke keeps saying we're still as good as anyone in the world and describes people like haddin as matchwinners

we're writing cheques we can't cash. we simply can't dominate teams into submission anymore like in the golden days but key figures still think we can

this is why i'm clinging to the forlorn hope we'll go for a foreign coach. someone completely removed from the system and not infected by our old winning ways. we need someone who can see that we are an average team at best and can't afford to think like millionaires

 

[mattymac]

I think the problem is that they are playing off an old template from when we had loads of talent in the team.

yeah exactly this

 

[nineteen eighty]

I said it before but IMO, one of the key reasons behind our inability to construct an innings is due to the very nature of the Sheffield Shield comp. Teams are rewarded for attacking cricket, there are aggressive declarations and run chases set up in final innings for the sake of getting wickets or making runs. It is generally felt that anything less than 300 runs in the day is a fail.

This I believe is the key reason! Our batsmen over the years have become conditioned to very aggressive batting...which doesn't cut it at test level if you're not quality.

T20 is a cop out. As others have stated, why is it that other nations can adapt but we can't?!

The very nature of the way SS is played is also the reason why are bowlers don't quite move effortlessly into first class cricket. Due to aggressive batting in SS, it is easier to pick up loose wickets than when a batsman values his wicket and truly knuckles down. I don't know what the answer is but I do believe I know the problem.

 

[courtjester]

The sooner we get Khawaja in to the team and settled, the better.

 

[mattymac]

I said it before but IMO, one of the key reasons behind our inability to construct an innings is due to the very nature of the Sheffield Shield comp. Teams are rewarded for attacking cricket, there are aggressive declarations and run chases set up in final innings for the sake of getting wickets or making runs. It is generally felt that anything less than 300 runs in the day is a fail.

i've always thought shield games should be 5 days for exactly this reason. but otoh we've produced fantastic batsmen from the shield in the past. i really do think we are mentally still living in the past when hayden, gilly or whoever could come out and paste them. we've forgotten how to play cricket like mortals

 

[THRILLHO]

you'd think after watching alistair cook at close range for 5000 hours last summer they'd be well schooled on these principles

Yep. Was very frustrating watching him only play the shots he wanted to play. Anything wide on a driving length he just left alone until the bowlers got fed-up and bowled to him.

No idea why Australian batsmen can't do this. Would love to see Ponting or Watson graft out a Tubby Taylor century where when he was completely out of form he just hung in there and scratched around until his eye was in and he had 330 in 3 days.

Even Clarke's 150 was punched out in quick-time.