India tour: let's look for some positives

[Wicked Lester]

Clarke should of had 2 ton's.

Shoulda coulda.

He probably should count his bessings for the century he made. He could easily have been given on 39 when he made his ton for a bat-pad catch. He got away with one there and good luck to him.

FWIW, I didn't think the tour was Clarke's finest hour. His batting was sound enough, but I thought his on field captaincy was patchy at best (which is usually how a captain with an underpforming side comes across) and his off field leadership now has me scratching my head. I don't know how a captain can let things get to the point where suspensions are necessary but perhaps that's got more to do with the inherent conflicts involved in having the captain as a selector.

 

[Caesar]

Our biggest issue before the series was our weak top 6 and the over reliance on clarke, if anything that situation is worse than before the Indian tour, we have only one member of our top 6 who we know will be in the side after the ashes.

How is it worse? The only batsman in the side who I would say didn't show improvement during the tour is Watson. Maybe Warner as well, but he was expected to fail miserably against spin and he actually ended up making a few runs.

To make maters worse we clearly have a complete breakdown in communication and trust between several members of the team and the captain/coach.

Bit hysterical there. A one match suspension won't do any of those guys any harm, and it's drawn a line in the sand regarding team discipline. Discipline is good, I'm glad management is taking a hard line on it.

Pattinson took his medicine like a man, a kick up the arse won't hurt Khawaja, and Johnson/Watson I couldn't give a shit about.

 

[frankrizzo]

How is it worse? The only batsman in the side who I would say didn't show improvement during the tour is Watson. Maybe Warner as well, but he was expected to fail miserably against spin and he actually ended up making a few runs.

I really don't know how to answer as you just seem to be seeing things that aren't there, you and barney are seriously telling us that batmen who averaged 18 across a 4 test series are positives that can be taken, by that judging standard pretty much anybody who makes the test team and doesn't sleep in and miss the bus is going to get a pass mark.

 

[frankrizzo]

Discipline is good, I'm glad management is taking a hard line on it.

Sacking the vc over a minor issue and then appointing him skipper a few days later isn't taking a hard line, it's blurring the lines.

 

[Caesar]

I really don't know how to answer as you just seem to be seeing things that aren't there, you and barney are seriously telling us that batmen who averaged 18 across a 4 test series are positives that can be taken, by that judging standard pretty much anybody who makes the test team and doesn't sleep in and miss the bus is going to get a pass mark.

No. You just seem to have trouble grasping the fact it isn't a binary equation.

Sacking the vc over a minor issue and then appointing him skipper a few days later isn't taking a hard line, it's blurring the lines.

Not really. It's showing that punishment wipes the slate clean.

 

[The Finger]

The Shield Final provided the most positives. Paine and Harris performances means we can finally rid ourselves of Wade and Siddle for the Ashes.

 

[Zach Package]

nice amount of wrong in that post ^

biggest positive for me is we don't have to tour india for another 4 years

 

[The Finger]

nice amount of wrong in that post ^

biggest positive for me is we don't have to tour india for another 4 years

Both have to be replaced.

Also more than happy to Tour India as long as DRS is used.

 

[sherb]

Sacking the vc over a minor issue and then appointing him skipper a few days later isn't taking a hard line, it's blurring the lines.

He wasn't sacked. He was dropped for one match.

nice amount of wrong in that post ^

biggest positive for me is we don't have to tour india for another 4 years

And that's the thing.

Given we don't tour there that often, I think it comes down to how Australia approaches tours to India.

We know we are going to get doctored goat tracks to suit their spinning attack. That's a given.

So we have two options.

One, which is what we did this time, is to send a side over and hope for the best. And accept we are likely going to get our arses handed to us.

The other option is to get serious about touring India (if it is considered worth it), by preparing properly, selecting horses for courses, trying to develop quality spinners and players of spin, etc.

If we did that, we'd have a chance of doing an England to them.

 

[BarneyBent]

I really don't know how to answer as you just seem to be seeing things that aren't there, you and barney are seriously telling us that batmen who averaged 18 across a 4 test series are positives that can be taken, by that judging standard pretty much anybody who makes the test team and doesn't sleep in and miss the bus is going to get a pass mark.

No, obviously it's not good, but neither was it unexpected. The positive isn't that they averaged 18, or 24, or whatever, it's that they IMPROVED. There are of course more negatives to come out of the tour than positives, but at least the positives were generally in areas that we didn't already know were strengths.

 

[the_interloper]

Sacking the vc over a minor issue and then appointing him skipper a few days later isn't taking a hard line, it's blurring the lines.

Agree with this. It either shows that the team management are soft or that our side is really ****ed (perhaps a bit of both). In all honesty the problem is Clarke, seems like most of the players don't like playing under him (or in Smith's case behind him). Do you think this would have happened under Ponting's reign? No wonder Hussey got the hell out of there.

 

[Mateyman]

We lost the last two Tests as badly, if not worse, than the first two, didn't we?

First 2 tests: losses by 8 wickets and and innings and plenty (135)
second 2 tests: 2 6 wicket losses, both interesting going into the last day that was played

 

[Theseventhhamster]

The Shield Final provided the most positives. Paine and Harris performances means we can finally rid ourselves of Wade and Siddle for the Ashes.

There just isn't enough sideways face for that post.

 

[The Fonz]

Know this isn't a a positive but it seems like the most relevant thread to post it in. I would have liked to have seen how Ashton Agar and Jackson Bird would have bowled. Think we lost an opportunity there.

Also what are the rules re bringing in people from outside the squad?? Once they knew that Doherty and Lyon were toast and Maxwell was a no-show, why didn't they fly O'Keefe in?

 

[The Finger]

There just isn't enough sideways face for that post.

Yes by keeping a keeper that cant catch and a bowler that cant bowl is a good thing.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

You should apply to be an Australian selector.

 

[The Finger]

You should apply to be an Australian selector.

Wade wouldnt want that.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Wade wouldnt want that.

I don't think anyone would.

 

[The Finger]

I don't think anyone would.

Pretty simple really a keeper that can actually keep and bowlers that can do something with the ball. Hardly ground breaking.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

I reckon both guys will struggle on those English dust bowls.

 

[The Finger]

I reckon both guys will struggle on those English dust bowls.

What was Wades excuse in Australia? The bloke cant keep.

 

[Theseventhhamster]

Gone off the Siddle argument now?

 

[iDon]

Agree with this. It either shows that the team management are soft or that our side is really screwed (perhaps a bit of both). In all honesty the problem is Clarke, seems like most of the players don't like playing under him (or in Smith's case behind him). Do you think this would have happened under Ponting's reign? No wonder Hussey got the hell out of there.

Talking about Watson? He wasn't sacked he was stood down for disciplinary issues. Sacked meant he wasn't coming back.

Big issues with Clarke's leadership. Sounds like it is his way or the highway type of regime and the fellas above him in management are backing him in.

 

[The Finger]

Gone off the Siddle argument now?

Bowling straight up and down 3 foot outside off at 135km wont win you test matches. Looks nice but wont win you a test.

 

[PTizzle]

Well, this highlight reel is an awesome few minutes of positive:



Great to see Lyon rip through a side