Pakistan v Australia 2nd Test at Abu Dhabi Oct 16-20

Wolfs

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The fact of the matter is that Gazza was getting the ball to do things. Australia dropped the ball yesterday and 280+ was always competitive with the bowling attack that Pakistan have.
 
Sep 21, 2002
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Why is Sundaram Ravi such an inconsistent decision maker? Gives Siddle not out when it was dead plumb yet gives Payne out when it was clipping. Mediocre umpire, yet still not as bad as Chris Gaffaney.

However this is an awful display of batting.

He's been asleep for the entire match. That's at least 4 very poor decisions he's made the Test so far.
 

Wolfs

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Who would you pick in their stead?

Renshaw isnt a number 4-6.

Fact is our best 4 is on a yrs hiatus.

5-6 is up for grabs.
And Laub and Head arent hammering the door down- cupboard is bare.

Idk why people think we are spoilt with riches. We aren't.

The fact that we drew a test without the No. 2 batsman in the world, a lot of new players, a new captain really is an accomplishment. Of course I would have liked to see Australia to do better but Pakistan are extremely tough at their cricket home.

Laub has shown he can bowl which is handy, Head had a great 2nd innings knock, Finchy has had solid innings across the board, Khawaja and Paine saved Australia, and Mitch is better than most bats that we have. Shaun has been a bit poor but has Shield before the INdian series to get back into it. If not someone else will take his spot but no one has like 50+ averages like 15-20 years ago.

This was always going to be a tough series.
 
Aug 5, 2007
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Idk why people think we are spoilt with riches. We aren't.

The fact that we drew a test without the No. 2 batsman in the world, a lot of new players, a new captain really is an accomplishment. Of course I would have liked to see Australia to do better but Pakistan are extremely tough at their cricket home.

Laub has shown he can bowl which is handy, Head had a great 2nd innings knock, Finchy has had solid innings across the board, Khawaja and Paine saved Australia, and Mitch is better than most bats that we have. Shaun has been a bit poor but has Shield before the INdian series to get back into it. If not someone else will take his spot but no one has like 50+ averages like 15-20 years ago.

This was always going to be a tough series.
We're not spoilt for riches. But Renshaw at 3 and Maxwell 4 are no brainers. Sean never makes anything away from 5 and Mitch would have to be just about the worst number 4 in the history of the game of test status nations.

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May 5, 2016
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Idk why people think we are spoilt with riches. We aren't.

The fact that we drew a test without the No. 2 batsman in the world, a lot of new players, a new captain really is an accomplishment. Of course I would have liked to see Australia to do better but Pakistan are extremely tough at their cricket home.

Laub has shown he can bowl which is handy, Head had a great 2nd innings knock, Finchy has had solid innings across the board, Khawaja and Paine saved Australia, and Mitch is better than most bats that we have. Shaun has been a bit poor but has Shield before the INdian series to get back into it. If not someone else will take his spot but no one has like 50+ averages like 15-20 years ago.

This was always going to be a tough series.

On the other hand, look a bit further east to what just happened over there, against a better side than Pakistan. Let’s forget for a moment Khawaja. That he is test class is a given.

Kieron Powell got within a few good blows of a century.
Roston Chase hit a century and a 50.
Jason Holder hit a rearguard half-century.
Shai Hope got a handful of starts, Shane Dowrich played a crucial back-to-the-wall innings alongside chase.
Chase got a couple of important wickets.
Gabriel bowled ok, Holder took a five wicket haul, West Indies managed to get India from 4-308 to 360 all out.


If you looo hard enough, absolutely you can find some positives and some signs that point towards optimism, but if it doesn’t lead to a positive result then all you’re left with is optimism.


That’s not an attempt to somehow claim that Australia is playing on the same level as the WI by any means, they’ve clearly got more going for them.
But picking out different elements of good performance doesn’t immediately make this side, without Smith and Warner, better than it actually is.
 

Wolfs

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There is no new talent. It all gets lost to T20 cricket.

Don't think T20 is to blame. India finds a lot of talent.

Just simply we are at a time where there aren't as many good players as there was before. You can try and pick different to see if it works, or blood the players you have now and try to hope that they turn out well.
 
Jul 12, 2004
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he's played 6 shield games at an average of 30, settle back

Now 52

Good to see him making big runs and just being healthy generally. Big future?

Yeah think he burst onto the scene with big runs at youth level but had setbacks from concussions

7 matches, 2 centuries being 188 and 243. Barring any head knocks, should play every game and could see a return to the 1000 run season
 

Wolfs

Norm Smith Medallist
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On the other hand, look a bit further east to what just happened over there, against a better side than Pakistan. Let’s forget for a moment Khawaja. That he is test class is a given.

Kieron Powell got within a few good blows of a century.
Roston Chase hit a century and a 50.
Jason Holder hit a rearguard half-century.
Shai Hope got a handful of starts, Shane Dowrich played a crucial back-to-the-wall innings alongside chase.
Chase got a couple of important wickets.
Gabriel bowled ok, Holder took a five wicket haul, West Indies managed to get India from 4-308 to 360 all out.


If you looo hard enough, absolutely you can find some positives and some signs that point towards optimism, but if it doesn’t lead to a positive result then all you’re left with is optimism.


That’s not an attempt to somehow claim that Australia is playing on the same level as the WI by any means, they’ve clearly got more going for them.
But picking out different elements of good performance doesn’t immediately make this side, without Smith and Warner, better than it actually is.

The team isn't that good. That's a given. But it isn't doom and gloom and honestly I expected this series to be a lot worse.
 
Jan 6, 2004
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So you have a 23 year old who averages 36 (playing much of his test cricket in the subcontinent), a 26 year old who averages 26, and a 35 year old who averages 36... who do you select?

Seriously such bullshit. Renshaw and Australian fans deserve better than this disgusting favouritism. I find this crap more disenfranchising than the ball tampering saga.

Certain young players just seem to get the nod from our cricket community others don't.

Mitch marsh seems to have many supporters around the side and outside the team, renshaw was even getting criticized by people like mark taylor for his scoring rate when he made a big ton.

To put it into numbers, after his ton in sydney renshaw averaged 25 across his two series in asia and he was talked about as being in a horror run of form, his average of nearly 70 the previous summer meant nothing while mitch marsh has averaged a far worse 17 across his last two away series but his runs the previous home summer seem to carry more weight than renshaws did the summer before that.

This isn't about being angry at showing faith in marsh, its why can't we back a promising 22 year old the same way we always back marsh?
 
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