The Official Cricket '07/'08 thread!!

[coolian2]

Anyone want to run a pool on how many sessions this test will last, or an over/under pool?

I'm going to call nine sessions. Weather dependent, of course.

[cobl04]

If that.

They were smashed by a quarter-strength NSW team.

[intedomine]

Could be a very revealing summer for cricket in Australia. The sport in it's true form is on it's knees......20/20 is the future, but it's just not cricket if you ask me.

Is the end nigh?

[cobl04]

What the HELL happened yesterday?!?! I've never even heard of half of this team and all of a sudden we're all out for 214! Been some very good umpiring so far. Last ball before lunch, Symonds bolwed to this Flynn bloke I think, ball very close to the bat, but it flicked his pad, not the bat, and despite a monstrous appeal from the Aussies, Rudi Koertzen ( ) said not out.

Hopefully 20/20 doesn't take over. I agree inte. It's not cricket. That New Zealand's side is significantly weaker because players have deferred to ICL and IPL is not good for the game. Test cricket will always be the ultimate form

[intedomine]

test cricket IS the ultimate (and only) form, but that doesn't guarantee it's prosperity and it's favourability in the sporting public's eyes.

For younger kids growing up, the game they will come to know cricket by will be 20/20, while test cricket painfully drifts off into obscurity, a relic of times past..

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by intedomine

test cricket IS the ultimate (and only) form, but that doesn't guarantee it's prosperity and it's favourability in the sporting public's eyes.

For younger kids growing up, the game they will come to know cricket by will be 20/20, while test cricket painfully drifts off into obscurity, a relic of times past..

Sadly, I can't help but agree with this. The kids these days are too into their smashin' and their hittin'. With the abundance of 2020 matches now it will become the most popular form, which is quite sad.

I can barely consider 2020 a form of cricket. Very often I find it worse to watch than test cricket.

[coolian2]

Don't care how it ended yesterday.

[cobl04]

New Zealand screwed themselves over with some very ordinary first-innings batting, when they should have been piling on the pressure they capitulated, and it was frustrating to see batsmen get starts but not go on with it. Jesse Ryder and Ross Taylor look quite good, though, but Redmond, How, Elliot, look pathetic. They really need Oram, and with Bond you'd be up there, but he's been tempted.

Interesting to note that immediately Watson has been dumped, Krejza has been reinstated, and Symonds was out on the piss last night with the rugby league boys. The selectors need to follow the 88/89 mould, pick a bunch of players, stick with them, and stop this revolving door crap. No, we don't have any great spinners currently, but we're never going to find one if we keep rotating them and looking with contempt at their Sheffield Shield averages.

[MadForIt]

The Award for Best Instance of Suffering Defeat in the Face of Victory 2008

Goes to ............


ENGLAND! v India in Chennai DEC 2008

I think India will win the next test as well

Monty Panesar was poor in 1st test

[cobl04]

A new cricket fan

England are massive chokers in most sport.

Mitchell Johnson now becoming a top class bowler, just needs to develop that ball that swings back in to the right handers

[intedomine]

Australia, what a bunch of hacks we are. I hope we get whitewashed 3-nil now....get rid of those wankers Symonds, Hayden, Haddin (although he's played well- but is a mere purple patch) and that eternally useless turd Clarke and throw Hodgey in, and we'll start winning again.

[MadForIt]

SOuth Africa were amazing

i stayed up and watched to make sure they did it!

England on the other hand are facing a huge defeat v india

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by intedomine

Australia, what a bunch of hacks we are. I hope we get whitewashed 3-nil now....get rid of those wankers Symonds, Hayden, Haddin (although he's played well- but is a mere purple patch) and that eternally useless turd Clarke and throw Hodgey in, and we'll start winning again.

Symonds played quite well and is getting back to form, had two very useful innings and should have been thrown the ball. Hayden copped an astounding decision in the first innings (which, off on a tangent, reminds I need to say I do not support the player referral system, I'm a traditionalist, you take the good with the bad, 200 years of cricket has worked without it) and can still play shots. You've got to be kidding about Haddin, his detractors were extremely harsh, and this is no purple patch mate... have you not seen his first-class form? Becoming a good keeper, is a great bat, and is certainly well above the other options in this country. 'Eternally useless turd' is ridiculous, he made a fifty in the game, scored a ton and 98 against New Zealand, so I have no idea where you're getting that from. I agree on Hodgey though, never should have been dropped (he was averaging 58 and hit a double century against South Africa).

What needs to happen is we need to keep playing Krejza consistently, - he bowled well and without a lot of luck - Ponting needs a rest, Symonds shouldn't have come back in. Brett Lee is the big problem, in my opinion the biggest problem we have. You've outlined essentially four batsmen as the problem for us. They weren't the problem, most of the top order copped good balls and the tail batted extremely well - 162 runs between them - and had the top order fired we would have at the least drawn the test. Our problem was the bowling, leaving aside Mitchell Johnson, who was superb. We took 14 wickets, and he took 11. Krejza, Siddle and Lee all got one each. That is a terrible return for Lee, who is a strike bowler and should be performing much better. It's sad to watch, hopefully he can fix whatever is wrong, I'm convinced something is (I was one of the few who thought he didn't bowl that well against New Zealand). Krejza produced good balls, but needs to be persisted with. Siddle was never going to do much.

Apart from that, South Africa played extremely well, and remember this is one of the best teams we've played recently. All the batsmen are in relatively good form, and their bowlers are pretty decent.

I really didn't expect to write that much. I got in the zone. Please let me know what your problem with Clarke is. Are you jealous?

[Acrobat Angel]

The top order (except Katich) were terrible. I hate to say it, but I do think Hayden should retire before the Ashes next year. However, I was very impressed by Haddin.

I'm somewhat suprised Krejza has been dropped for Hauritz. I really thought they were going to back him for the long term spinners position. Hilfenhaus or Watson should replace Siddle, and Lee and Johnson should retain their places. Lee didn't get the best return, but he was tidy and bowled well without a great deal of luck. Dropping Lee would just be stupid.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series if the WACA Test is an indication of what to expect.

[cobl04]

Originally Posted by Acrobat Angel

The top order (except Katich) were terrible. I hate to say it, but I do think Hayden should retire before the Ashes next year. However, I was very impressed by Haddin.

I'm somewhat suprised Krejza has been dropped for Hauritz. I really thought they were going to back him for the long term spinners position. Hilfenhaus or Watson should replace Siddle, and Lee and Johnson should retain their places. Lee didn't get the best return, but he was tidy and bowled well without a great deal of luck. Dropping Lee would just be stupid.

I'm really looking forward to the rest of the series if the WACA Test is an indication of what to expect.

I didn't know Krejza had been dropped... This my what's pissing me off at the moment. Stick with the kid ffs. Warne had shit games too.

I forgot to add that.. it was a great game!!

[intedomine]

I'll always be bitter about Clarke because at no point during his first-class career was he better than Hodge. Hodge would still be a better contributor to the side than Clarke.

I'd say the bats were a problem. The current batting line up is not as strong as South Africa's, but we do have the talent going around domestically to match them. Their bowlers are miles ahead of us, we need a stronger batting line up to compensate for this, and NOT Watson, who has done bugger all.

It is not essential that we have a spinner at all, now that MacGill has retired. We'd be best playing 3 quicks, namely Bracken (who is still ridiculously awesome at first-class level), Johnson and Lee, Symonds (or White) and Clarke (if we must continue to select him cause his Dad's paying off the selectors or whatever) can be used for spin if spin is necessary. Swap Siddle for Bracken, Krejza for Hodge, and see what happens in Melbourne.

[MadForIt]

I think AUS will lose home and away to South Africa and to england in ashes

Ponting isn't as great as he used to be

[dan_smee]

Originally Posted by COBL_04

I didn't know Krejza had been dropped... This my what's pissing me off at the moment. Stick with the kid ffs. Warne had shit games too.

I forgot to add that.. it was a great game!!

Krejza is no good though. Can't Ave 50 at first class level and be a test bowler. Took some wickets on a dust bowl in India and also got smashed. 1-204 at the WACA was about right...

Casson was realy hard done by not to go to India, and his performances since (although injured a lot of the time) have resembled a guy who has had his confidence decimated by a selection panel who offered him no form of decent explanation.

Hayden is done. Sad to see it happen, but he is cooked. If he can't out-muscle an attack, he doesn't want to know about batting seriously.

Haddin is a pure talent. Anyone suggesting otherwise knows very little about cricket. He makes batting look as easy as anyone since Mark Waugh.

And those suggesting to drop Clarke obviously didn't watch the series in India or against NZ. couple of 100's, 90's. seriously... seriously?!?!!

Siddle is a talent, and would feel hard done by to be dropped. Didn't take the wickets, but he sure has the goods.

Australias problems lie in the fact that Ponting is, and always has been a very ordinary captain. He inherited one of the greatest sides ever from Waugh, lost the ashes with that team, and now Warne and McGrath have gone, he has no inspiration, or creativity in field placings, bowling changes etc. He is too negative and petulant. And it is destroying his batting.

Katich has impressed me greatly, and will continue to score buckets of runs

Hussey is in a bad spell, but noone can deny he is class and will emerge from it well.

Lee the same as Hussey - through the marriage break-up and media scrutiny in India, I expect him to bounce back.

Any more? oh Johnson. I will gladly eat my words. I have never seen a test bowler take so many wickets with bad balls. Never. People not moving their feet, flapping at juicy half-volleys 12inches outside off stump. Atrocious. He had a great game in Perth. let's hope he keeps it up.

[dan_smee]

Originally Posted by intedomine

I'll always be bitter about Clarke because at no point during his first-class career was he better than Hodge. Hodge would still be a better contributor to the side than Clarke.

I'd say the bats were a problem. The current batting line up is not as strong as South Africa's, but we do have the talent going around domestically to match them. Their bowlers are miles ahead of us, we need a stronger batting line up to compensate for this, and NOT Watson, who has done bugger all.

It is not essential that we have a spinner at all, now that MacGill has retired. We'd be best playing 3 quicks, namely Bracken (who is still ridiculously awesome at first-class level), Johnson and Lee, Symonds (or White) and Clarke (if we must continue to select him cause his Dad's paying off the selectors or whatever) can be used for spin if spin is necessary. Swap Siddle for Bracken, Krejza for Hodge, and see what happens in Melbourne.

Watson is useless. Absolutely.

About hodge though, he is a bit of a Lehman. Great first-class cricketer, but test cricket (apart from 1 innings) is beyond him. Clarke was picked for more than his stats (leadership potential among them).

Hodge is the dumbest cricketer around, and I wouldn't trust him to captain the rooty hill under 6's.

If selectors were picking people entirely on stats, we would have Michael klinger in the team. While he has had a great season, there is no way he should be in there. Teams have never been picked on stats alone, and so they shouldn't.

I find it hilarious someone could say a guy averaging nearly 50 doesn't deserve his spot.

PS Dirk Nannes is a gun, and its a crime he isn;t considered for higher honours

[coolian2]

Symonds shouldn't still be playing cricket. What's he done internationally or domestically this season?