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^ thoroughly impressed with siddle. bowled brilliantly to knock over the tail. Best spell of bowling in the series (yes, including johnsons) because he bowled wicket-taking deliveries, rather than relying on batsmen to commit suicide.

Pleased Dougy broke the duck, he deserved a few in the first dig.

So votes, Hayden told to retire with dignity on the quiet by the selectors??
 
He's not a hack. How was he going before he got brought into the side? Yeah he's been groomed, which will be annoying, but so would have Hodge.

.


But the fact of the matter is that Hodge wasn't groomed or wasn't helped at all. He just hit run after run and was ignored because the selectors didn't like him. Other players as well, including MacGill at times (two spinners wasn't that absurd when you consider the quality of both Warne and MacGill) and Bracken is currently experiencing deliberate ignorance from selectors. M Hussey and Elliot bore the brunt of this bias for a while, as did Katich (who conveniently only really got a look in once he moved to NSW from WA).

While there might be an uproar that the ACB didn't develop any proper succession plan for beyond Australia's era of virtual indomitability, a stable yet experienced batting line-up of:

Katich
Jacques
Ponting
Hussey
Hodge
Symonds
Haddin

....Might have been sufficient enough and be as threatening as the:

Hayden
Langer
Ponting
Martyn
S Waugh
Katich (a rare mistake during the golden era, should have been perservered with)
Gilchrist

era. Had theybeen better managed, rather than dropping the, because, in Hodge's case, he could only follow up his double century with a couple of twenties in his next test outing.

Bear in mind, Clarke was dropped for a while. Even selectors would probably admit that despite his first few matches, he was probably ushered in too early and he needed those few games for NSW to finally come good. Clarke was rushed into the side without doing much, and that's why he was dropped 2-3 years ago, and it needed to be done, because he was ineffective and added nothing during the Ashes which Australia surprisingly lost.

While these older heads are still smashing runs at the top of the game, like for like replacements are well-conditioned and experienced waiting for a retirement, long-term injury or loss of form to happen, and they can slot straight in......

At the moment, the Aussie selectors are tossing people in willy-nilly, with one eye on the unreliable strategy of grooming youngsters while they're young (Siddle, Watson), while also realising the absence of any genuine emerging young talent and reluctantly having to consider slightly older heads such as Rogers, Hilfy and McGain?!

Experience at Shield or County level is nothing to be sneezed at. Such has been the quality of Australian cricketers that a third string side could have possibly defeated Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England a few years ago. This third string is still going around, and are still in form and their consideration is warranted. Succession plans are not guaranteed to succeed. It's a gamble. Clarke was a gamble, though the conseqences of selecting him weren't that severe because he was just one inconsistent cog in an amazing XI. And he paid the price by losing his spot. He came back a better cricketer and a deserving member of the XI, but he probably shouldn't have been selected in the first place, strategically and meritocratically.
 
the problem with the aussies seems to be kids dont get a chance

players are quite old when they make their debut like katich

30 is the new 21 in Aus
 
Katich (who conveniently only really got a look in once he moved to NSW from WA).

Katich played a test while he was at WA. Broke into Australias most stable and successful batting line-up since the 1940's (Taylor, Slater, Langer, Waugh, Waugh, Ponting, Gilchrist). He was put in after a few retirements. I don't think you can claim 'NSW bias' on that.

I do agree there seem to be players the selectors don't like for whatever reason. All I can say is that they have to look at factors other than just statistics at state level (look at McDonald, does very well at state level, but that guy looks seriously average with th bat in tests, and probably bowls as well, and no better than, Hussey).

In another era in Australian cricket, Hodge may have played 80 tests. All I can say is that there was an absolute abundance of talent in Australia, and the selectors saw in Calrke a guy who was a genuine leader, and someone with the maturity and temperament to suceed, and I don't think anyone could argue that that isn't the case.

the problem with the aussies seems to be kids dont get a chance

players are quite old when they make their debut like katich

30 is the new 21 in Aus

This is spot on. I bring up time and time again, the last two guys that they had in at this age, took a risk on were Ponting and Steve Waugh. Didn't work out too badly.

I think Rogers has missed the boat. It is unfortunate, but h will be the victim of very poor selection policies of the last 5 years. Hughes will go to south africa, and the deciding factor will be that he is also an excellent keeper (was Aus under 19's keeper last 2 or 3 seasons). It will mean they dont have to carry a dead weight player as back-up for Haddin, but someone who is cracking sleection based on their batting.
 
At least Aussie problem are on the pitch!

England has major problems

KP and Peter Moores dont get on so KP has issued an ultimatum saying its either him or Moores

No one knows the exact details of where the rift started but the whole thing came to its head when Michael Vaughan didnt make the Eng squad. KP wanted him as he needed to learn some tactical skills as a captain after failing to defend 387 v India in Chennai

The BBC reported that Moores was likely to be sacked but now there has been a twist as KP will not get off lightly for his antics. The ECB are making a stand saying they will not bow down to the captain and sack the coach.

It appears that Moores may stay now and KP may go

Even though i like KP as a player, he seems a complete knob over this whole issue. If he gets his way the ECB will be powerless in the future

Interesting times ahead

Whatever happens now, the team will suffer. They might lose the test series to the Windies now and obviosuly the ODI's are already lost

The big one is in the summer, at this rate 5-0 AUS is on the cards!

Cricinfo - Emergency meeting undermines Pietersen
 
Oh dear Oh dear.........

heres an entry for the cricket scorers

K.Pietersen b K.Pietersen 0 (Lost his marbles)
 
^ lol. hes always been a clown. good cricketer, but man, anyone with that skunk haircut circa 2005 needs a good solid upper-cut
 
Interesting times ahead

To say the least!!! Strauss has been named as the new captain. I remember when he was captain before one of the players described him as "saying exactly the same things as Vaughany but they come out in a posher accent!". As successful as Michael Vaughan was as captain I'm not sure if what England really need now is a Michael Vaughan #2. But there again who else is there who could take captaincy?

I just can't believe (well, actually, I can) that the England team have let themselves be torn apart by petty squabbles, dislikes and egos. Some of the newspapers were saying today that it was Andrew Flintoff who encouraged some other players to side against KP in this matter (he also, supposedly, did the same thing over the return to India). It seems Strauss is going to have his work cut out. :sigh:
 
Take back what I said earlier Ax :D

That was fucking awesome. One of the most dominant batting displays I've ever seen.

He was closing in on only the second international Twenty20 hundred too, the only other is Chris Gayle's 100 off 50 balls.

And surprise, surprise, South Africa are phailing. This is what's so often disappointing about Twenty20's, there's often one side that fails to live up.
 
Got to feel bad for de Villiers. What an awful way to be "dismissed". Also, total lack of class by the Australian team - I only noticed one of them went to see if he was OK.

Right now, Duminy desperately needs a batting partner who's going to do a bit more than get dismissed after five or so runs.
 
Take back what I said earlier Ax :D

That was fucking awesome. One of the most dominant batting displays I've ever seen.

He was closing in on only the second international Twenty20 hundred too, the only other is Chris Gayle's 100 off 50 balls.

And surprise, surprise, South Africa are phailing. This is what's so often disappointing about Twenty20's, there's often one side that fails to live up.

Which makes the whole exercise pointless, as was evident from the Oz v India match in Melbourne this time last year. What a bore that match was......
 
Yeah, that game proved to be a complete fucking waste of time. Beyond Warner and Duminy's solo efforts, who really cares what happened?
 
Great match by Warner, he hasn't even played a first class game believe it or not. :D
 
20-20 is all about the money - its ok to play, but not proper cricket

I still like 50 over games - there can be some amazing games with high and low scores set

KP is getting his arse kicked in eng right now- says he has done nothing wrong and he is an absolute liar - I cant stand his arrogance. At least do something major if your going to be cocky. Australia have been cocky but they win all the time. Yes i supported him when he plays well, but the best english batsman in my era, 1995 til now has been Michael vaughan, Watching him bat on form is amazing. He WAS pure class, past it now though.

Lie 1 - The standford match has nothing to do with the money

" 2 - His 'childhood' dream to captain england lol - Good one there KP, did you always plan to leave South Africa then?

" 3 - He had the backing of the dressing room - yes KP, thats why Freddie stabbed you in the back

The more he opens his gob the more he is hated

AND

He said he was going to knuckle down and play, but then sells his story for the £££ to a crappy sunday tabloid with these pics making it look like he has been treated like shit


11_KevP_main_22677a.jpg


kp_08_280x382_22355a.jpg


kp_03_516x350_22364a.jpg
 
Well in the end, that sucked. The only thing people will take away from that game was Warner's 89. Nothing else. The IPL I still don't mind, because you get players the world over mixing in different teams, which is cool.

Kevin Pietersen is a wanker, any remote shred of respect I had for him was already lost when he claimed in a hugely premature book he'd never be bowled round his legs, and then Shane Warne did it as England put in one of the most pathetic, pitiful batting displays of all time in the Adelaide test.
 
Well in the end, that sucked. The only thing people will take away from that game was Warner's 89. Nothing else. The IPL I still don't mind, because you get players the world over mixing in different teams, which is cool.

No credit to Duminy from you?
 
Duminy was awesome, but we all knew tht already.

Warner was special for a 22 year old kid plying his 8th 20-20 game. the NSW youth system is pretty freaky, he's probably 4th or 5th on the list of talented yougsters if you ask people who follow them. Ahead comfortably you have people like Phil hughes, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja and Moises Henriques. All under 22. Henriques has been disappointing though. Bit of a Sahne Watson in that everyone knows what he is capable of, but just never seems to show it
 
No credit to Duminy from you?

Oh, plenty of credit. Only that people will forget quickly Duminy's vain attempts to win the match. I'm in love with JP Duminy. If he'd retired mid-way through the Sydney test, he'd've been avergaing 100 with the bat and 1 with the ball. He'd've been the greatest cricketer ever.

Duminy was awesome, but we all knew tht already.

Warner was special for a 22 year old kid plying his 8th 20-20 game. the NSW youth system is pretty freaky, he's probably 4th or 5th on the list of talented yougsters if you ask people who follow them. Ahead comfortably you have people like Phil hughes, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja and Moises Henriques. All under 22. Henriques has been disappointing though. Bit of a Sahne Watson in that everyone knows what he is capable of, but just never seems to show it

That's all beside the point, Warner was selected for Twenty20 only, he's certainly not ahead of those blokes (well, Hughes is the only one in contention) for the test side, though he may well find himself in the one-day squad soon enough.

He was on Pete & Myf's breakfast show this morning. :rolleyes:

He was interviewed last night, and said "you've just got to respect the good balls and put away the bad ones...: :lol:
 
Henriques hasn't done anything. I wonder if people really ever did think he was capable of big things. There was a story about him being the next big thing on Cricket Show about 4 years back and he's done nothing for NSW. Methinks the attention on him might have been due to him being MusliM, the Aussie cricket media feeling insecure and trying to take a slice of the multicultural pie, when it's anything but a sport embraced by all Australians. Soccer and AFL have much wider appeal. Cricket is purely a white man's game down under, with interest deteriorating rapidly.... Our massive subcontinental population find the Australian national side rather unappealing, preferring to support the country of their ethnic heritage than the national side and domestic competitions. Quite extraordinary.
 
Tonight's game blows. South Africa can't figure out how to score at any kind of decent pace, and we all know they're going to get skittled and Australia will reach the target in about 12 overs. Woop-dee-fucking-doo.
 
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