Opinion Cricket thread

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Mar 17, 2012
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Just puttin' it out there.


Finch and Marsh have been given the arse. Going back to Handscomb after 1 Mickey Mouse big bash game. Ussie is going to open and Labuschagne is going to bat 3.

Let that sink in, a bloke with a 1st class ave of 33 is going to bat 3 whilst we have a bloke in Burns that has averaged over 50 in the last 2 years as an opener on the bowler friendly Gabba not able to get a gig.
 

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gustev

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Any of you shield watchers know if Labuschagne faces a lot of balls before he gives up his wicket? Maybe that's the selectors justification for him being played.
 
Nov 14, 2012
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When I was a kid in Hobart we didn't even have a Sheffield shield team. No one had ever been picked for Australia.

All these years later the fact that 2 of the last 4 Australian captains came from Tassie is unreal.

And that’s why NMFC re-locating to Tazzie makes sense on every front. I’ve lived up in Tazzie since the olden days, but then I had to move to the Gold Coast with Baby Dangles because I now barrack for Suns


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
 
Oct 16, 2004
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Finch and Marsh have been given the arse. Going back to Handscomb after 1 Mickey Mouse big bash game. Ussie is going to open and Labuschagne is going to bat 3.

Let that sink in, a bloke with a 1st class ave of 33 is going to bat 3 whilst we have a bloke in Burns that has averaged over 50 in the last 2 years as an opener on the bowler friendly Gabba not able to get a gig.

1546467176305.png
 
Apr 24, 2013
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What’s with Starc lately? Looks a shadow of the bowler from 2 years ago.

Erratic (which always was prone to anyway), but hardly swings it anymore.


If the balls not swinging, he's useless.
 

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Paine pretty much flipped the bird to the selectors by giving Labuschagne just an over before tea and three before the new ball. For his part, Labuschagne did his best - with four of the worst overs someone who was picked for his bowling could offer. Make no mistake, Labuschagne wasn't picked because he's the next big thing in Australian batting. Just because he's in at 3 doesn't mean he's Ponting or I.Chappell or Bradman. He was there today for his bowling and his captain thought he would be best utilised by giving a fast bowler around 10mins rest across the day - and even at that he wasn't worth it.

Now, Paine had his worst day as captain too - although unlucky to lose the toss again, the plan seemed to be to bounce them out and when that didn't work then any further plans were either not all that evident, not adhered to by the bowlers, or just hoping for the best. But as his frontline attack was getting nowhere, he still thought that getting nowhere was better that going with Labuschagne.

But Paine isn't to blame. And Labuschagne isn't to blame. Like Finch, he's been asked to do something he hasn't got the skill set to do, will inevitably fail, and then be tossed aside. Playing in this match is actually damaging Labuschagne's career! It happened to Maddinson. It happened to Cartwright. It happened to White. Here's a baggy green - now do something you've never done before and if you don't do it straight away we'll give you the arse and forget about you forever. Guys like Mennie and Sayers and Ferguson get given a go, fail once, and get discarded never to be heard from again. Why were they ever there? Burns and Maxwell get given a go, have some success (Burns has 3 centuries and averages 37, Maxwell has a better average than M.Marsh with bat and ball - not hard mind you) but because they didn't quite nail it the first time they get completely wiped. Meanwhile, M.Marsh gets 31 Tests to prove that he isn't up to it!! In a year where in exceptional circumstances the captain, the vice-captain, the coach, the high performance manager, the CEO, the president and experienced board members were lost to the game, it is astonishing that the selectors have retained their place. Hohns was a selector 20 years ago and has held his current role since 2014 - as Australia has steadily got worse in all formats. Chappell was an amazing player but his off field record as a national coach, his overseeing of the disastrous Futures League and now as a selector should mean he gets quietly retired off.

I get that the talent pool is shallow. I get that "no one is knocking down the door." But in the absence of that, how about selecting the guys who are politely and patiently rapping on the door and waiting to be let in, or have been let in before and proved to be good company, instead of trying to randomly pick guys just wandering past the door regardless of what they might do once they're inside? I keep hearing that it's a hard job. Maybe. But I'd be happy to trade in my hard job for theirs.
 
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Paine pretty much flipped the bird to the selectors by giving Labuschagne just an over before tea and three before the new ball. For his part, Labuschagne did his best - with four of the worst overs someone who was picked for his bowling could offer. Make no mistake, Labuschagne wasn't picked because he's the next big thing in Australian batting. Just because he's in at 3 doesn't mean he's Ponting or I.Chappell or Bradman. He was there today for his bowling and his captain though he would be best utilised by giving a fast bowler around 10mins rest across the day - and even at that he wasn't worth it.

Now, Paine had his worst day as captain too - although unlucky to lose the toss again, the plan seemed to be to bounce them out and when that didn't work then any further plans were either not all that evident, not adhered to by the bowlers, or just hoping for the best. But as his frontline attack was getting nowhere, he still thought that getting nowhere was better that going with Labuschagne.

But Paine isn't to blame. And Labuschagne isn't to blame. Like Finch, he's been asked to do something he hasn't got the skill set to do, will inevitably fail, and then be tossed aside. Playing in this match is actually damaging Labuschagne career! It happened to Maddinson. It happened to Cartwright. It happened to White. Guys like Mennie and Sayers and Ferguson get given a go, fail once, and get discarded never to be heard from again. Burns and Maxwell get given a go, have some success (Burns has 3 centuries and averages 37, Maxwell has a better average with M.Marsh with bat and ball - not hard mind you) but because they didn't quite nail it the first time they get completely wiped. In a year where in exceptional circumstances the captain, the vice-captain, the coach, the high performance manager, the CEO and experienced board members were lost to the game, it is astonishing that the selectors have retained their place. Hohns was a selector 20 years ago and has held his current role since 2014 - as Australia has steadily got worse in all formats. Chappell was an amazing player but his off field record as a national coach, his overseeing of the disastrous Futures League and now as a selector should mean he gets quietly retired off.

I get that the talent pool is shallow. I get that "no one is knocking down the door." But in the absence of that, how about selecting the guys who are politely and patiently rapping on the door and waiting to be let in, or have been let in before and proved to be good company, instead of trying to randomly pick guys just wandering past the door regardless of what they might do once they're inside? I keep hearing that it's a hard job. Maybe. But I'd be happy to trade in my hard job for theirs.
I know this is a footy forum and it’s only the 3rd of Jan but with out a doubt this is POTY.
 
Feb 19, 2016
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Paine pretty much flipped the bird to the selectors by giving Labuschagne just an over before tea and three before the new ball. For his part, Labuschagne did his best - with four of the worst overs someone who was picked for his bowling could offer. Make no mistake, Labuschagne wasn't picked because he's the next big thing in Australian batting. Just because he's in at 3 doesn't mean he's Ponting or I.Chappell or Bradman. He was there today for his bowling and his captain though he would be best utilised by giving a fast bowler around 10mins rest across the day - and even at that he wasn't worth it.

Now, Paine had his worst day as captain too - although unlucky to lose the toss again, the plan seemed to be to bounce them out and when that didn't work then any further plans were either not all that evident, not adhered to by the bowlers, or just hoping for the best. But as his frontline attack was getting nowhere, he still thought that getting nowhere was better that going with Labuschagne.

But Paine isn't to blame. And Labuschagne isn't to blame. Like Finch, he's been asked to do something he hasn't got the skill set to do, will inevitably fail, and then be tossed aside. Playing in this match is actually damaging Labuschagne's career! It happened to Maddinson. It happened to Cartwright. It happened to White. Here's a baggy green - now do something you've never done before and if you don't do it straight away we'll give you the arse and forget about you forever. Guys like Mennie and Sayers and Ferguson get given a go, fail once, and get discarded never to be heard from again. Why were they ever there? Burns and Maxwell get given a go, have some success (Burns has 3 centuries and averages 37, Maxwell has a better average than M.Marsh with bat and ball - not hard mind you) but because they didn't quite nail it the first time they get completely wiped. Meanwhile, M.Marsh gets 31 Tests to prove that he isn't up to it!! In a year where in exceptional circumstances the captain, the vice-captain, the coach, the high performance manager, the CEO and experienced board members were lost to the game, it is astonishing that the selectors have retained their place. Hohns was a selector 20 years ago and has held his current role since 2014 - as Australia has steadily got worse in all formats. Chappell was an amazing player but his off field record as a national coach, his overseeing of the disastrous Futures League and now as a selector should mean he gets quietly retired off.

I get that the talent pool is shallow. I get that "no one is knocking down the door." But in the absence of that, how about selecting the guys who are politely and patiently rapping on the door and waiting to be let in, or have been let in before and proved to be good company, instead of trying to randomly pick guys just wandering past the door regardless of what they might do once they're inside? I keep hearing that it's a hard job. Maybe. But I'd be happy to trade in my hard job for theirs.
Aussie cricket is f***ed!
 
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KiwiRoo

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I didn't think that was a 300-4 track. Not enough balls in the right area and Lyon looked a bit off (but not really his job to run through sides in the first dig)
Starc, as usual, looks like Tarzan bowls like Jane. Seriously a guy with his abilities should get far more wickets than he does. Just too many four balls, and either too short or too full.
Yorkers and bouncers don't really get top level batsmen out often.

Thought the plot to bowl short was just a big waste of a newish ball too
 
There are some who seem to be considered automatic selections. Starc and Hazlwwood shouldn’t be automatic anymore, they’re figures against top line players the past year are pathetic. Surely there’s someone who can bowl a consistent line at pace and who’s bowling plan isn’t short,short,leg side for four on repeat
 
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