Health Confession thread

[BACCS]

I tend to like South Africa more now. From the test where Graeme Smith came out at the end to try and salvage a draw with his injured arm basically taped to his bat so he could hold it, and he almost won it. That is true grit and spirit. Won't see Michael Clarke or Ricky Ponting ever do that.

Wow, don't you have a skewed memory then. I can understand mentioning Clarke (even though I disagree), but Ponting? A massive WTF there. Oh, and you are a true bandwagoner. Sorry, but you fired me about Gus.

 

[ballanFYNE]

I follow Victoria more than Australia right now, so keep choosing North, keep White in the seconds where he is in a successful side.

 

[indieswan96]

Vale the Glory Days of Australian Cricket.

 

[Gus]

Wow, don't you have a skewed memory then. I can understand mentioning Clarke (even though I disagree), but Ponting? A massive WTF there. Oh, and you are a true bandwagoner. Sorry, but you fired me about Gus.

Explain my skewed memory, then.


If I was a bandwagoner, I wouldn't have been supporting the Redbacks all these years.

 

[Spudregus_87]

I barrack for New Zealand against Australia in cricket.

Both my parents are Kiwis so grew up barracking for the Black Caps as a kid even though I was born here.

Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Jesse Ryder FTW!!!

U Mad Bros?

umad bro?

 

[indieswan96]

Explain my skewed memory, then.


If I was a bandwagoner, I wouldn't have been supporting the Redbacks all these years.

Or the Dogs for that matter.

 

[Scootyb]

Ponting would do it Gus, no doubt

 

[BACCS]

Explain my skewed memory, then.


If I was a bandwagoner, I wouldn't have been supporting the Redbacks all these years.

You can not seriously mention Ponting as someone who has never played a critical innings for us? And Clarke was one of very few batters to fire for us during the 2005 Ashes series, saving us from even further humilation. He has also averaged 50 over the last 2 years, and it isn't like we have played all minnow sides during that time.

And on the bandwagoning, fair point, that was me just having a pot shot at you.

 

[BACCS]

I follow Victoria more than Australia right now, so keep choosing North, keep White in the seconds where he is in a successful side.

White should never get near the Test side again. A very good ODI player for us, but he is not a Test level batsman. Ferguson, Kwaja (or however you spell it), Hughes and even Klinger would all be ahead at this stage.

 

[Gus]

You can not seriously mention Ponting as someone who has never played a critical innings for us? And Clarke was one of very few batters to fire for us during the 2005 Ashes series, saving us from even further humilation. He has also averaged 50 over the last 2 years, and it isn't like we have played all minnow sides during that time.

And on the bandwagoning, fair point, that was me just having a pot shot at you.

Every good batsman has played a critical innings. I was mainly talking about the courage and leadership ability.

Ponting or Clarke wouldn't bat under the duress Smith was under in that Test match. One hand taped to his bat, the other arm with a busted elbow. Still facing guys like Johnson and Siddle. That is courage. Neither of our 'leaders' would do the same.

 

[premiers06]

Every good batsman has played a critical innings. I was mainly talking about the courage and leadership ability.

Ponting or Clarke wouldn't bat under the duress Smith was under in that Test match. One hand taped to his bat, the other arm with a busted elbow. Still facing guys like Johnson and Siddle. That is courage. Neither of our 'leaders' would do the same.

The series was also over, which gave me even more respect for the man

 

[BACCS]

Every good batsman has played a critical innings. I was mainly talking about the courage and leadership ability.

Ponting or Clarke wouldn't bat under the duress Smith was under in that Test match. One hand taped to his bat, the other arm with a busted elbow. Still facing guys like Johnson and Siddle. That is courage. Neither of our 'leaders' would do the same.

I can't comment on Clarke, but Ponting has played many innings with a dodgey back, that is courage too. While my respect for Smith grew enormously after that innings, it doesn't mean our leaders wouldn't do the same thing. There is no evidence to suggest they would do otherwise.

 

[ballanFYNE]

White should never get near the Test side again. A very good ODI player for us, but he is not a Test level batsman. Ferguson, Kwaja (or however you spell it), Hughes and even Klinger would all be ahead at this stage.

Ferguson would be, but no one else there (for replacing North).
White would be straight in for Hussey if he plays another bad match, if i was selector. (Shame i'm not) White would be a handier spinner then ritz right now as well.

 

[ballanFYNE]

I can't comment on Clarke, but Ponting has played many innings with a dodgey back, that is courage too. While my respect for Smith grew enormously after that innings, it doesn't mean our leaders wouldn't do the same thing. There is no evidence to suggest they would do otherwise.

I can imagine Ponting, but up to date, not Clarke doing that.

 

[BarneyBent]

I have never understood the Watson hate. He's always been a personal favourite of mine. The guy shows passion, and yes, when he was going through that stage of constantly breaking down, his passion used to get the better of him at times. Every wicket he took, he celebrated like it might be his last, and who can blame him? But the guy loves his cricket, he loves the team, he's currently our best batsman, and if his body could handle full time bowling duties, he'd be mighty close to our best bowler too.

As for Clarke, yes, he can be frustrating at times, but downhill skier? Countless times he has come out in the second innings, when conditions are difficult and the game needs to be won, and played a brilliant knock. He, Katich and Watson have been the only batsman over the last couple of years to play with any sort of consistency. I love Punter, but he hasn't been the indestructible, immovable, irresistable force he was in the past for a good 2-3 years. Hussey's and North's woes have been well documented. Haddin is damaging but unreliable, Paine arguably the exact opposite. Clarke has been vital; the best form of his career has come when our batting has been weakest (this past tour of India excluded, in which he has been extremely disappointing, and I'm sure he'd be the first to admit it). The perception that he's a downhill skier exists simply because he has an image of a soft pretty-boy, and that may well be accurate off the field, but it doesn't apply at all to his performances with the bat for Australia.

As for Johnson, nobody can really figure out why, but he takes wickets. The ball aparently does something not picked up by the camera, because though he looks like he's bowling straight-as-an-arrow 140 km/h pies, he gets batsmen out.

I have to say, though, this tour of India was mighty boring. I was finding myself watching a stream of the NSW vs SA Sheffield Shield match over the Test.

 

[BACCS]

Ferguson would be, but no one else there (for replacing North).
White would be straight in for Hussey if he plays another bad match, if i was selector. (Shame i'm not) White would be a handier spinner then ritz right now as well.

NO NO NO!! That has been tried, and it was a massive fail. Hauritz is a far better option.

I can imagine Ponting, but up to date, not Clarke doing that.

I know you are only 15, but you probably haven't seen enough of Clarke then. As bloodstainedangel explained above, he has played some fantastic innings in tricky situations for Australia. What he does off the pitch seems to affect people's views on him IMO.

 

[BACCS]

I have never understood the Watson hate.

Me either, I've always enjoyed watching him since he starting playing ODIs for us. I'll always remember the ODI series against a World XI a few years back, where he had a couple of MOTM performances. That was when I started taking particular notice of him, even though I was already a fan.

 

[ballanFYNE]

My Best 11.

Watson
Katich
Ponting (c)
Clarke
Ferguson
White
Paine or Haddin
Hauritz
Johnson
Siddle
Bollinger

12th: Hussey

Bolded didn't play last test. That's what i'd do differently for the Ashes.
It won't be done though.

 

[BACCS]

My Best 11.

Watson
Katich
Ponting (c)
Clarke
Ferguson
White
Paine
Johnson
Hauritz or Haddin
Siddle
Bollinger

12th: Hussey

Bolded didn't play last test. That's what i'd do differently for the Ashes.
It won't be done though.

I know this is your opinion, but it'll be either Paine or Haddin, not Hauritz or Haddin.

 

[ballanFYNE]

I know this is your opinion, but it'll be either Paine or Haddin, not Hauritz or Haddin.

Thats what i meant. Will edit. Cheers for that pick up.

 

[premiers06]

no hilfy jeez stiff.

 

[Schulzenfest]

Fun confessions, guys.

 

[ballanFYNE]

no hilfy jeez stiff.

Can't fit him Dougie and Sids into the same team. Would be th replacement for Siddle, or swap them around.

 

[Gus]

thread derailed.

 

[indieswan96]