The Official Cricket '07/'08 thread!!

[dan_smee]

Ponting did well to get 101, then he just got out where he could've got more and redeemed himself even further, Katich always makes a start, in good form, Hayden needs to do well in the 2nd innings (40-50+ runs) to shake off the "he should retire" speculation. Husseys in a slump, Clarkes played well this innings, made like 90 before Siddle got out. Haddin is also in good form, although he should think about what he's doing at times. Symonds, meh, makes 20-odd and gets out. Today Lee made a decent 20-odd runs, in bowling is in a slump, Siddles been doing well, isn't bad at batting. Johnsons in good form. We'll see what Hauritz will do.

Imo we need Tait back.

he needs more than 40-50. Hughes belted 80* last night in the big bash, and is knocking on the door. If he doesnt score a ton here on in syd, he's done. If he feels here, he probbly should retire. He looks awful.

Ponting showed, once again how poor he is as a captain. magnificent batsman, and scored a great 100. To get out for 101, when the team isnt score enough runs smacks of 'i got my hundred, noone can blame me." the shot he played was lazy and, to be honest, awful.

Lee is looking good, and Siddle looks very dangerous.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

3 for 100 and something it is. Doing well.

Sadly I do agree that Haydens time is over, he's about 37 years old and has lost his form. At the moment Jaques or Rogers could replace him, or even some guy who hasn't debuted yet.

 

[cobl04]

Imo we need Tait back.

Tait, when given opportunities at test level, has done nothing, so I'm going to disagree. I'm starting to think he's a better player in the shorter forms of the game.

he needs more than 40-50. Hughes belted 80* last night in the big bash, and is knocking on the door. If he doesnt score a ton here on in syd, he's done. If he feels here, he probbly should retire. He looks awful.

Ponting showed, once again how poor he is as a captain. magnificent batsman, and scored a great 100. To get out for 101, when the team isnt score enough runs smacks of 'i got my hundred, noone can blame me." the shot he played was lazy and, to be honest, awful.

Lee is looking good, and Siddle looks very dangerous.

Hayden should play out the series, we owe it to him, and we need him. I still want him there in the 09 Ashes series. The articles in the papers are scathing and in my opinion a little unfair, as is your take on Ponting there. I know we're all a little anti-Ponting here, but there is not a chance in hell that getting out "smacked of" selfishness. Harris bowled ok as well, and Ponting looked set for 200.

Lee bowled a good first over, but man is he in a real rut at the moment. Siddle, in the meantime, has me very, very excited. He's averaging 145 clicks, which is fast, not fast medium, and the batsmen can't score off him. To see him rip through these blokes is fucking awesome, the crowd can't get enough of it, and what GREAT captaincy by Ricky Ponting to throw him the new ball on his home ground. A great show of faith and he delievered. Nice

 

[Vlad n U 2]

6 for 167, who would've seen it coming?

They're in the ditch now, South Africa, they'll probably fall for under 200.

Plus Siddle and Hauritz have been amazing this innings.

 

[dan_smee]

Tait, when given opportunities at test level, has done nothing, so I'm going to disagree. I'm starting to think he's a better player in the shorter forms of the game.



Hayden should play out the series, we owe it to him, and we need him. I still want him there in the 09 Ashes series. The articles in the papers are scathing and in my opinion a little unfair, as is your take on Ponting there. I know we're all a little anti-Ponting here, but there is not a chance in hell that getting out "smacked of" selfishness. Harris bowled ok as well, and Ponting looked set for 200.

Lee bowled a good first over, but man is he in a real rut at the moment. Siddle, in the meantime, has me very, very excited. He's averaging 145 clicks, which is fast, not fast medium, and the batsmen can't score off him. To see him rip through these blokes is fucking awesome, the crowd can't get enough of it, and what GREAT captaincy by Ricky Ponting to throw him the new ball on his home ground. A great show of faith and he delievered. Nice

I dont know if I agree with the 'we need him' bit. We need runs, and if he is not the guy to give us runs, then we dont 'need' him. I agree he should get sydney, but if he doesnt get the runs, then we should seriousl think about whether he should go to SA, because if he has lost it (i think he has), then we want our opener having played a few tests before the ashes.

About Ponting, look, it sounds rediculous, i know, but I said to my family as soona s he got his hundred "great knock, he looks like he will never get out. A real captain like a Steve Waugh now gets 150, because his team needs those runs". To lose concentration like that as a captain when your team NEEDS him to score runs, as Hayden and Hussey just aren't scoring, the shot was very very lazy. Call me harsh, but a real captain would have turned the screws.

I feel sorry for Lee. He looks awful, but the talk seems premature, he took 9 in a game 2 tests ago. He's bowling the balls, but not getting the luck. I hope it changes.

Any captain worth his salt would have given siddle the new pill. Johnson has come of age, but he can't swing the ball. He is just as effective in the 79th over as he would be in the 2nd. Siddle is a talent, and I was very very happy to see him go well today.

Personally, if I was Hayden, I would retire after this test. There is nothing worse than a guy of his quality, and standing in the game burning out the way he is. He can't hit the ball. He looks awful, his timing is off, and he is playing stupid, forceful shots. He's had a great career, he should go while people still remember him for his quality, rather than as a guy who held on WAY too long, and was carried by a declining side.

 

[MadForIt]

Dont worry

South Africa will chase down 550 this time

 

[cobl04]

Well the tail is batting extremely well. Steyn's just copped a broken finger but is batting on, while Ponting grassed a half-sitter.

 

[MadForIt]

Hope SA can get any sort of a lead

Bowl AUS out for 120

chase it down and then run through Melbourne and plant the SA flag at Flinders St Station

 

[cobl04]

This is so depressing

We don't even look like snagging a wicket

 

[MadForIt]

LEGEND

 

[intedomine]

....lol, we are shite........crowds are dwindling too....

 

[dan_smee]

^ and in melbourne, where you'd get 32,000 to a game of marbles on a sunday afternoon

Why didn't ponting bowl Katich? And if Symonds couldn't bowl earlier, why did he bowl at all?

If I was any of the aussie quicks id be disgusted at the field settings. How can any right armer expect to bowl an attacking line at a left-hander with only two guys on the leg side. Duminy just flicked balls off his hip for 2's all day... Ponting will be the death of me... Not even half of a captains arsehole.

 

[cobl04]

The crowds have been pretty strong all match... they got 40000 in today.

Katich should have bowled, Symonds shouldn't have played, and Lee definitely won't take any more part in the series.

Great knock from Duminy though, who's currently averaging about 100... I couldn't believe that their tail batted so well though. They had NO chance of getting close to our total, let alone passing it, reaching 400 and then finishing 50 runs ahead!

 

[dan_smee]

^ not only no chance, but there is no way in hell a past aussie team would have let it happen. I am disgusted by the way that went today. There is a serious need for a shake up, and the selectors are too gutless to make the hard decisions

 

[MadForIt]

If SA win the series the whole world will celebrate!

By end of 2009 AUS will struggle with Bangladesh

 

[coolian2]

Has there been any mention in this thread of the possible night test match in Adelaide next year?

AdelaideNow... World-first cricket Test under Adelaide Oval lights

If not, thoughts? If they get the ball right, I think it's a brilliant idea.

 

[coolian2]

If SA win the series the whole world will celebrate!

By end of 2009 AUS will struggle with Bangladesh

I hate both teams, I'd rather a nil-all draw.

 

[MadForIt]

I saw the 20-20 between NZ and Windies

Ryder and McCullum were brilliant - the rest were terrible though!

I'm adopting NZ as my 2nd team as one day i hope to move there!

 

[dan_smee]

^ haha you will endure even more failure than if you were just supporting England!

NZ are the second worst in the world (ahead of Bangladesh, just behind West Indies).

Australia may be losing to SA (who are number 1) but they are still much better than everyone except SA India and SL.
Hayden just got out. He can't help himself. If he cant dominate, he doesnt want to know about it.

See, We would be competitive in this series if the selectors had half a brain, dumped Hayden, didn't play Symonds when he wasn't fit, and hasn't earned his spot back after exile, and Ponting was stripped of the captaincy.

 

[Acrobat Angel]

3 down in the first hour. Bad umpiring for the Hussey dismissal. Australia's gone.

In regards to the night Tests, I'd support just 1 per Australian summer (Adelaide) to begin with. I like having them during the day.

 

[dan_smee]

^ id like to see it in Perth. I agree, its good having it in the day, so if it was Perth, starting at what, 2 in the afternoon? it'll go until 9 over there, which is 11:30 on the east, would love to be able to get home from work halfway through the first session, cook dinner at lunch, then settle in for 4 and a half hours

 

[cobl04]

ah, multiquote how i love thee

^ not only no chance, but there is no way in hell a past aussie team would have let it happen. I am disgusted by the way that went today. There is a serious need for a shake up, and the selectors are too gutless to make the hard decisions

Completely agreed. We were just shocking as a whole. I'll give full credit to Duminy, who batted extremely well and impressed me very much, but Johnson didn't look dangerous, Hauritz was plodding, Siddle lost all the fire he had on day three. The selectors copped a pasting in the Herald Sun today from Ron Reed. Why Symonds played is beyond me. Hopefully Lee and Symonds will be dropped for Sydney, and while I hope Hayden stays in and makes a ton in Sydney, even I'm starting to come around now. Today he looked like a man too desperate and ended up holing out to short extra cover trying to over attack.

By end of 2009 AUS will struggle with Bangladesh

You are a deluded, deluded man.

Has there been any mention in this thread of the possible night test match in Adelaide next year?

AdelaideNow... World-first cricket Test under Adelaide Oval lights

If not, thoughts? If they get the ball right, I think it's a brilliant idea.

I read that this morning. Personally I hope it doesn't become a big fixture, as I'm a traditionalist, and we already have two night games. Why mess with test cricket. The problem so far is the ball, apparently 30 years and no one's been able to come up with a visible ball that can last 80 overs.

^ haha you will endure even more failure than if you were just supporting England!

NZ are the second worst in the world (ahead of Bangladesh, just behind West Indies).

Australia may be losing to SA (who are number 1) but they are still much better than everyone except SA India and SL.
Hayden just got out. He can't help himself. If he cant dominate, he doesnt want to know about it.

See, We would be competitive in this series if the selectors had half a brain, dumped Hayden, didn't play Symonds when he wasn't fit, and hasn't earned his spot back after exile, and Ponting was stripped of the captaincy.

This is how I'd be rating the sides.

Top Tier
Australia
India
South Africa

2nd Tier
England
Sri Lanka
Pakistan

3rd Tier
West Indies
New Zealand
Bangladesh

It's a shame of all the political stuff in Pakistan, because they're a good side with one of the world's best batsmen, Mohammad Yousef.

 

[coolian2]

I understand the traditionalist argument against day/night tests, but it's a way to combat that load of shit Twenty20.

 

[MadForIt]

I was so happy to see Ponting get out for 99!

After ruling the world for so many years you have to expect others to rejoice at the AUSSIE downfall

by end of 09 AUS will be in tier 2 with Sri Lanka replacing them - Hayden is down and out

They need to make 3 changes minimum for Sydney test

Australia have always been the Saddam Hussein of cricket- dirty, vicious, win at all costs and not very popular.

 

[dan_smee]

^ they wont be in the second tier. We have too many amazing state cricketers. The reaon for the current downfall is that the 'old boys club' is getting past it. You will see by the end of 09 that we have 3 or 4 new faces in their that are awesome test cricketers, and a new era will dawn.

The era of Phil hughes, John Holland and Steven Smith

 

[dan_smee]

^ they wont be in the second tier. We have too many amazing state cricketers. The reaon for the current downfall is that the 'old boys club' is getting past it. You will see by the end of 09 that we have 3 or 4 new faces in their that are awesome test cricketers, and a new era will dawn.

The era of Phil hughes, John Holland and Steven Smith

 

[cobl04]

I was so happy to see Ponting get out for 99!

After ruling the world for so many years you have to expect others to rejoice at the AUSSIE downfall

by end of 09 AUS will be in tier 2 with Sri Lanka replacing them - Hayden is down and out

They need to make 3 changes minimum for Sydney test

Australia have always been the Saddam Hussein of cricket- dirty, vicious, win at all costs and not very popular.

you're awesome. we're going to have good arguments in the future.

Sri Lanka only have two really great players, Jayawardene and Sangakkara, Vaas and Murali are both in their twilights. We'll always remain above them.

Well Watson would have come straight into the side for Symonds but I've just seen on the Cricket Show that he has back stress fractures... and injured for months again. I feel so sorry for the bloke, he has had the worst luck imaginable. Hard to see if he'll make it back now. Symonds and Lee are the only changes I'd make, bringing in Dougy Bollinger and another batsman.

Hoping Chris Rogers gets a shot before Hughes, he deserves it. Siddle looks good.

I really wish the media hadn't been so harsh on Matty Hayden, it would have been nice for him to retire on his own terms whenever he wanted, not pushed by a scathing media.

 

[intedomine]

Can't believe Bollinger, Siddle, Nannes, Hilfy are all being mentioned before the proven talent that is Bracken....

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Well, Ponting lost it at 99. Luck was against him.

So:

OUT:
Hayden (maybe one more chance)
Symonds (Overrated hack)
Lee (injured, he bowled but is he still injured?)

my 2 cents.

Watson for Symonds I think.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Can't believe Bollinger, Siddle, Nannes, Hilfy are all being mentioned before the proven talent that is Bracken....

I know, why did they ever kick Bracken out?

Damn that Bollinger, I don't care what he does. I want Tait back.