Carbine Chaos
The Gaff-er
- Apr 1, 2009
- 63,945
- 94,266
- AFL Club
- West Coast
- Other Teams
- Perth FC, Everton, Delhi
Good for you.
Clarke: 'I quit too soon' - Resuming Grade cricket, not ruling out anything
- Thread starter Cole Dammett
- Start date
- Tagged users None
- Sep 15, 2011
- 31,628
- 48,150
- AFL Club
- West Coast
Thanks for the visual, have a 'like'.
Finally!
Never understood why people wanted him further up the order when he was so good at 5? Why mess with a good thing, he was different to Ponting etc anyway.
Because we were s**t and losing with him at #5, and we went through a ton of players at the top order while he was at #5?
Clarke wasn't technically capable of batting at number 3.
We would have been worse at 3 because he would have scored less.
Because he was a leader of the team. And the top order was vulnerable.
Allan Border didn't bat at 3
- Sep 15, 2011
- 31,628
- 48,150
- AFL Club
- West Coast
Because who was gonna tell AB what to do?
Neither were just about any of the other players we tried there?
Yeah but half those guys weren't capable of scoring anywhere in the order.
They'd be a better chance against tired bowlers and a ball with the shine taken off.
The leader doesn't have to bat 3, Steve Waugh, Border didn't. Not many complained, because it was right.
Clarke was best suited to 5, this 'can't lead at 5' is a nonsense.
He was a different player to Ponting, Ian Chappell etc.
Who batted at 3 under AB and Waugh?
- Sep 15, 2011
- 31,628
- 48,150
- AFL Club
- West Coast
To be fair, Waugh didn't need to bat at 3 because we had the talent already there. Border did bat at 3 occasionally (I believe he started there) but once we found a reliable number 3 in Dean Jones and Boon, he settled in at 5. After Ponting retired, we really struggled to find a decent number 3 and somebody needed to step up.
- Feb 13, 2011
- 10,897
- 13,739
- AFL Club
- Richmond
There is a very long list of Great players that didn't bat at 3.
Clarke at 3 would not have solved anything. Its a specialist position much more suited for an extra Opener rather than an extra Middle order player.
Captains aren't always the best players; the Best players don't always make good captains. And the Best batsmen doesn't have to be in at no. 3.
Would have been better to stick with Katich at number 3 for a bit but yeah
Mike Hussey, who spent more than a decade opening the batting, could have moved up the order as well.
Mike Hussey, who spent more than a decade opening the batting, could have moved up the order as well.
- Sep 15, 2011
- 31,628
- 48,150
- AFL Club
- West Coast
Not necessarily disagreeing with you, just pointing out that something needed to be done at the time but wasn't. Agree with above, Katich could have played there, but that ship sailed. Likewise, Hussey could have played at 3, but he retired not that long after Ponting anyway.
Demosthenes
Premiership Player
- Jun 9, 2015
- 3,364
- 3,074
- AFL Club
- Melbourne
Most of the time when we were struggling for batsmen, the guys who did come into the team for a go were upper order players. We were overflowing with openers at one stage.
It wouldn't have really make a ton of sense to promote Clarke (a genuine middle order bat) to 3, and bat guys like Cowan/Khawaja/Burns/Hughes/Smarsh (genuine upper order bats) in the middle order. Then you're just playing everyone out of position.
It wouldn't have really make a ton of sense to promote Clarke (a genuine middle order bat) to 3, and bat guys like Cowan/Khawaja/Burns/Hughes/Smarsh (genuine upper order bats) in the middle order. Then you're just playing everyone out of position.
- Sep 15, 2011
- 31,628
- 48,150
- AFL Club
- West Coast
SMarsh is not an upper order bat, limited overs notwithstanding, he's a genuine number five. I still don't consider Burns an upper order bat either, best suited to four or five. The other three I agree with.
Demosthenes
Premiership Player
- Jun 9, 2015
- 3,364
- 3,074
- AFL Club
- Melbourne
Quibbling over terminology aside, they are/were both batsmen who had extensive experience batting in the upper order - something Clarke did not. Even since Clarke has been out of the side, the selectors have treated them as primarily upper-order batsmen.
- Sep 15, 2011
- 31,628
- 48,150
- AFL Club
- West Coast
SMarsh batted at five against India, England, NZ and the Windies over the last two years. The only exception was when he filled in for Rogers in the Windies. I still maintain the greatest mistake they made in handling SMarsh was trying to accommodate him in the side regardless of the position, trying to fit him in at one or three. Damaged his development. They should have just waited until four or five opened up.
