I'm old enough to remember...

[Zeke]

...the days prior to the Period of Australian Cricket Domination.

Is that why I'm not hysterical now we're struggling?

It seems to be the media (that's their job) and the 20 and unders who can't remember anything else.

 

[sherb]

....Dennis Lillee making his test debut.

So I'm not hysterical either.

 

[Zeke]

....Dennis Lillee making his test debut.

I was at the TCA for his final first class outing...

 

[BACCS]

Aussies like winners, accepting mediocrity really isn't something we are used to. The reactions we are seeing were always going to happen once our dominant period ended.

 

[Doodlesweaver]

I was at the TCA for his final first class outing...

I remember watching Wood and whoever was his opening partner, Darling/Hilditch, go for kamikaze runs.

Happy days.

 

[dan warna]

i remember lillee's test retirement, against the pakistani's in 83 I think?

was a batting paradise, lillee, marsh and chappelli all went out.

there were some greats on either side that day from memory

the great khan, border, safraz nawaz, hafeez hanmissen, akeepmatee thinajarbezidedabed, slizy winbaz

 

[Selective Retention]

The first series I remember watching was the windies one in 92/93 I think which was the last home series loss until the saffers rolled us a couple of years back.

I'm not hysterical though, I accept that we are ordinary at the moment.

To use a football analogy we are like a Terry Wallace Richmond at the moment. We need a Hardwick to come in and shake it up. We will still be shit but at least then we can pretend that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[damochandler]

i remember when our fielders couldn't catch a cold during the 80s, before bob simpson became the coach. they we have fielded lately. we will be going down the same path

 

[XFactor1979]

i remember when our fielders couldn't catch a cold during the 80s, before bob simpson became the coach. they we have fielded lately. we will be going down the same path

you want awful fielding? watch some of the classic retro matches on foxsports

anyway it seems the rest of world cricket caught up to australia when it was realised a degree of sports science is required to get the athletes through games

the only way for australia to devour puny opponents like insignificant insects like they did at the start of 2000 is if the players started taking steroids! why not? it worked in baseball! look at how many home runs barry bonds hit. or how amazing an athlete alex rodriguez is.

if we want to win by 800 runs per match again we need to do that.

 

[crownie]

...the days prior to the Period of Australian Cricket Domination.

Is that why I'm not hysterical now we're struggling?

It seems to be the media (that's their job) and the 20 and unders who can't remember anything else.

pretty spot on i think

 

[mad_eagle]

It was always bound to happen eventually. Swings and roundabouts, you gotta learn to live through the good and the bad

 

[Kingpin]

I was at the TCA for his final first class outing...

That was around 87/88 wasn't it Zeke?
I remember being at the TCA Ground circa late-1982 watching a McDonalds Cup one-dayer between Tasmania and Queensland with Michael Holding playing for us and Viv Richards playing for Queensland.
Stinking hot day, about 39C and the whole place was smothered with bushfire smoke. Eerie day.
That was the same day the back corner of the Ladies Stand caught fire, a floating ember sparked it, got put out pretty quick.
Pretty decent stink-on on the hill amongst the drunks up beside the cottage late in the day too!!

i remember when our fielders couldn't catch a cold during the 80s, before bob simpson became the coach. they we have fielded lately. we will be going down the same path

I still laugh hysterically at the memories of absolute sitters over the years being dropped by Rodney Hogg, Kepler Wessells and especially Bob Holland!

 

[belfast_bomber]

The Australia team between Hughes walking out and the world cup win, it may have been shorter on quality than this lot. Time's been kind to them though because a few of them came good (McDermott, Jones, Boon).

That Ashes series in 1985 wasn't much more demoralising than this though. Christ we were a rabble at the end of that.

Remember Dutchie Holland v the Windies? God I enjoyed that, it was looking like we'd never win a test match again.

 

[R00StaR]

Funny thing is that not that long ago people were carrying on about having Australian players play for other countries. The idea being it would help even things out, since we had an embarrassment of riches.

 

[acuguy]

The Windies dominating us ever second summer in the 80's, the Kiwis beating us here in the 80s and the Poms destroying us here in the late 80s. Hence when we dominated other teams i never complained about cricket being boring etc etc.

The only way back for us is to look at the recipe from the past. We need a strong teacher of cricket to coach our team. We need to pick the best young cricketers in the country eg. Usman, Fergurson, Hazlewood, Pattinson, Smith, Lynn etc and give them plenty of time and opportunity.

We cannot expect consistent results with bat or ball for 2 years but we can strive to be the best fielding team in the world, this will erase some of the pain of our inconsistency.

Like footy i don't mind if my team is being beaten if we are playing inconsistent kids with talent instead of inconsistent older players.

 

[Bucking Beads]

I think all the loses are made worse by the fact there is really no clear talent in the test side that is developing. Our next captain isn't set in stone and the likely one isn't liked. The spin bowling cupboard is extremely bare in first class cricket. The talent just isn't around at the moment and us fans will just have to ride the wave of Cricket Australia until the cream rises to the top.

 

[Beth]

I used to eat those World Series Cricket icecreams (remember those?) while watching the Windies who were all 8ft tall - as far as I could tell - absolutely destroy us. I clearly remember England bending us over too.

Having said that I am still slightly hysterical that this current team is bloody disgraceful. All whilst eating those bulla creamy classic icecreams.

 

[PowerForGood]

- Border and Thommo in the epic last wicket stand across 2 days.
- Hadlee rolling us over at the Gabba with 9 wickets and catching the 10th
- Border taking one of the best slips catches ever against the Kiwi's, who were 1-300 odd at the time
- Mike Whitney diving for the crease to win the game (or was that an ad? )

 

[skipper kelly]

sitting at Waverly unable to see the WSC.

 

[i_hate_scams]

my first memory of watching cricket was 84-85 home series verse the windies. i just missed out on chapell / Lillee / Marsh. I do remember Kim Hughes not being able to score a run and lifting his bat when he score one in a ODI

 

[worthy]

Damn, i'm old enough to remember the birth of WSC, the debut for Aust of Peter Toohey,
My favorites included:

Batsmen
Laird
Kent

Bowlers
Mick Malone
Pascoe

And the awsomeness of
A. Roberts
M. Marshall
M. Holding
J. Garner

And the leaner C. Croft, many a back niggle mimicking his bowling action.

I can remember the gaping hole left in Aust cricket with the retirement Lillee, Marsh, Chappell, and the several years before the new cult heros established themselves. that was the flattest period I can remember in cricket.

One of my great memories is of the 3 stunners walking through the crowd in their white bikinis on the WSC add. c'mon aussie c'mon

 

[stmookeyj]

- Mike Whitney diving for the crease to win the game (or was that an ad? )

That was an ad, although you may remember Whit blocking out 6 of the best from Hadlee for a draw one year (87/88, MCG test).

 

[Punt_Road_Roar]

Once the 4th test is done and its obvious we wont win, the last test should be the time for a new beginning. This transistion will take years and many players will come and go to find the right mix

Out with the Old and in with the inexperienced.

Exciting times await for the new Australian cricket team

 

[skipper kelly]

This was my first test match live

I went to Day 3. Saw Greg Chappell get his 100.

 

[damochandler]

i think everyone remembers the first test they went to. the first test i went. was the day ian heally changed cricket forever. when he didn't stump lara, but was given out