Official Cricket 09/10 Thread

[bono_man2002]

Usman Khawaja
Bornecember 18, 1986

He had a very happy birthday? (Don't you hate it when Interference does that) I'm in a bit of agreeance with you dan.

Johnson and North haven't been playing well and are still in the side. Need to bring in 'the rug' and someone else to replace North. Even Clarke has been a bit out of sorts lately.

But because the bowlers couldn't take 20 wickets, and the partnership between Hussey and Haddin made our batting a little more respectable North will survive.

 

[dan_smee]

Bitchell... goooooooooooone!

Now, I have to say i agree with that call, HOWEVER, he must feel pretty hard done by when Marcus North is still there after being very lucky to make 1 in the first test

 

[1stepcloser]

I think Johnson will be back in the side in a test or two's time. Yes he's playing badly now but I honestly can't see whoever comes in showering themselves in glory either (yes i'm well aware this statement could come back to haunt me.....).


Need to banish the ghosts of Adelaide 2006

 

[dan_smee]

Aussie teams don't just drop someone for 1 test like england teams do.

Look back through history, England haven't played that many more tests, but have something like 2-3 hundred more representitives, and 40-odd more captains

 

[cobl04]

Someone punch me in the fucking face so I can wake up from this fucking nightmare!! What the fuck is going on?? Did our top & middle order stay up to see the world cup go to a bunch of undeserving nobodies???

 

[Axver]

Holy shit, 3/2! Love it. Now come on England, get a fourth wicket before they regather themselves.

What a great morning, first we dodge a World Cup and now the Aussie top order falls apart.

(Sorry Danny.)

 

[Axver]

Woah, that was nearly four. Great original call by the umpire to not give that as LBW.

 

[cobl04]

Tony Greig sounds sick.

And Jimmy Anderson just dropped Hussey.

 

[Axver]

That would've been a fucking classic c&b if he'd held it.

England need to set a more aggressive field here. Their bowlers are all over Australia.

 

[1stepcloser]

Haha this is hilarious, on your bike Ponting. Anderson is bowling out of his skin. Husseys wicket is massive now, get him out and they're in an absolute world of trouble.

 

[Axver]

THAT was almost four too! Christ, when's this fourth wicket going to fall?

 

[1stepcloser]

Katich looked like he didn't even seem bothered about making that single. Strange

 

[Axver]

Aussie commentators are desperate. "Good partnership" with Watson on 17 and Hussey on 16? That's barely a partnership at all! Pull the other one.

 

[cobl04]

That isn't even acceptable on days 1, 2 or 3, let along days 4 and 5.

Usman Khawaja
Bornecember 18, 1986
Batting Style:Left-Hand Batsman
Bowling Style:Right Arm Medium

Batting And Fielding Averages
MAT INS NO RUNS HS AV 100 50 CT ST
23 36 2 1780 214 52.35 6 7 14 0

6 tons in 23 games, average of ovr 50... gotta be worth more than North's paltry 30-odd.

Steve Smith in the runs again today.

If they are going to pick one of the 2 spinners in 1st class cricket averaging nearly 50 with the ball, why wouldnt you pick the one that is also averaging nearly 50 with the bat?

"leaks too many runs"

 

[Axver]

Well there you go, Watson and Hussey did end up putting together a bit of a partnership. 3/94 at lunch. My money's on another wicket not long after the break.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Right on the money, Ax.

 

[Axver]

That was a great catch by Pietersen. About time the fourth wicket fell, and it's always nice to see that knobjockey Watson get dismissed.

 

[cobl04]

"I thought Marcus batted very well for his 26, and was very unlucky to be caught behind. I think that despite his first ball duck in the second innings, there was enough in that 26 to suggest to us that he remain in the first 11 for the remainder of the series." - Andrew Hilditch

one thing that i can say with absolute certainty - Jimmy Anderson has been far and away the best bowler of the series thus far. he has bowled about 10 times the number of good balls as any other bowler from either side.

and it's great to see Hussey carrying this team, but really, he should have been out for two ducks in this series already.

 

[Vlad n U 2]

Australia are really on the ropes now.

 

[MadForIt]

England better not cock this one up

400 is the minimum they need

 

[Axver]

Man, wish I hadn't missed the end of yesterday's play (curse you, U2!). England seem to have started their innings with more stability than Australia.

 

[coolian2]

Man, wish I hadn't missed the end of yesterday's play (curse you, U2!).

bizarrely, if i hadn't gone to a concert last night i wouldn't have seen the end of play.

i would have probably listened to it on the radio in the car, and abc radio coverage of cricket is ever so slightly blissful.

 

[Axver]

abc radio coverage of cricket is ever so slightly blissful.

Can't argue with that. One of my fondest memories is driving around the Hinterland behind the Gold Coast listening to their coverage of that legendary South Africa vs Australia Boxing Day Test a couple of years back.

 

[bono_man2002]

Kerry O'Keefe makes it golden. Always liked it for the ashes when Johnathan Agnu (sp?) is in the box.

England to go 1 up from here, me thinks!

 

[dan_smee]

Agnew..

Yeah ABC is great. Kerry is getting on my nerves a bit these days. Tells a good yarn does skull, but a few times recently I have been missing entire overs when 5 or 6 runs have been scored because he is in full flight!

Can't wait for Australia to lose the Ashes... later Ricky

PS, North, Doherty; surely they have to go. Doherty should NEVER have even been thought of. England are making him look like the truely amateur, park cricketer that he is.

Gotta look to the future. He isn't it. Be it Beer, Smith, O'Keefe, Holland. Any of the 4 (though Smith has to pip it with his batting), someone needs to be given a "Warne" from that generation. They need to pick one and say, "right, we have a lot of faith in you, we don't expect you to get it right straight away, but we see you developing a long career, so relax, settle in to test cricket and make this spot your own."

Stop picking stop-gap players who have no 'x-factor' or exceptional qualities beyond the fact that they have a heartbeat and ten fingers and toes.

 

[dan_smee]

And also, England fans; don't get too cocky with these performances. You are coming up against an Australian side that would be thoroughly outplayed by an Australia 'a' team. The selection policies are woeful, and most of the players in the side at the moment are not deserving: they are being selected on loyalties and former glory, not on talent and form. The team is nowhere near as balanced as it could be. The only selection I have agreed with in the past many years is dropping Johnson and Hilfenhaus. Both honest enough cricketers, but don't have the bit of special talent to go with the effort that truely great players have. Bollinger, Harris, Siddle - much more balanced and potent attack. They haven't performed like they should have, but they are up against a few things too:
- Fielding blunders
- England side bursting with confidence
- A pitch that is about as flat and true as you can get in test cricket. The way England tore through Australia is more symptomatic of the incompetence of the batting, than the brilliance of the bowling. They fell in a heap despite the wicket.

This England side is good, but not great. This Australian side is inbred, out of date, stale and thoroughly tired. The only difference from previous England touring sides is the bowling is slightly weaker - only 1.5 decent quicks this time. Spin is better, but Swan is overrated. No Flintoff, no performing Pieterson (though that looks to be changing)

Among the changes that need to be made post series:

- New captain (be it Clarke, Katich as an interim, Haddin, Hussey)
- Ponting told his days are numbered if he doesn't start performing. If he hadn't been captain, he'd have been dropped long ago.
- Youth policy brought in, no replacements for permanent spots should be given to players with less than a 5 year realistic tenure
- Watson down to 3
- A selection panel that involves a representitive from EACH state, with a chairman that has no state interests (foreign, NT or some other criteria)

I know the non-NSW police will get on my case here (Watson doesn't count as a NSW player afterall: a Tasmanian, QLDer), but a test team should look much more like this:

1 - Hughes - back in some decent form lately, def has what it takes at test level
2 - Katich* - best captain at state level in a very long time
3 - Watson - reduce workload from opener, still gets in when ball is hard
4 - Clarke - not ready for captaincy, form slump being monitored
5 - Hussey - Ponting has only scored runs in a fixed match in the last 3 years
6 - Haddin - most talented bat in the country at present - needs to be higher than 7
7 - Smith - good enough to hold place as a bat - developing into fine spin bowler
8 - O'Keefe - best performed spinner in FC cricket in aus in the last 12-24 months - bat ave. above 50
9 - Harris - tireless quick, adds decent pace up to 150
10 - Siddle - workhorse can move ball, and hurries batsmen, bowls a 'heavy' ball
11 - Bollinger - definition of x-factor bowler, excellent record

 

[MadForIt]

James Anderson is a legend.
He deserved those wickets
Great run out by Trott

Hope KP is in fine form this morning
Eng need runs quickly to ensure there is enough time to bowl aussies out (2.5 days) on this shit pitch

And people say the Indians make flat tracks, these Aussie wickets are a joke. Alistair Cook and Trott will have averages of 99.96 at this rate by the end of the series...

 

[Axver]

Well shit, I think England have this game wrapped up. If they don't win, I can't see them doing any worse than a draw.

 

[Axver]

When will England declare? Tea? When Pietersen gets his 200?

PS, North, Doherty; surely they have to go. Doherty should NEVER have even been thought of. England are making him look like the truely amateur, park cricketer that he is.

Funny thing is, right now, even North is outperforming Doherty with the ball. North's conceded 57 runs off 17 overs compared to Doherty's concession of 100 runs off 20. No wickets for either. Fail, Doherty.

 

[dan_smee]

Probs declare at 600. 2 days is enough, maybe have 10 overs tonight