The Cricket Thread

[roller]

Is brett lee chinese? He doesn't look it, but then neither do i

[Golden Phoenix]

Saw a little bit today, and all I really saw was this:

[blackie]

Saw a little bit today, and all I really saw was this:

+infinity

australia are lacking someone who can take wickets, that and people who could bowl to a plan. stu clark could get smith out no worries, because he wouldnt bowl that crap on his pads, people its his only shot, and the same goes for the terrorist.

[Borgeman]

the aussie attack is average at best compared to 4 years ago - the problem is people still think we will roll teams over. brett lee has always been a strike bowler, with the likes of mcgrath and gillespie to put the pressure on, so for him to try and play the anchor role was never going to work. johnson bowls good spells, but is still much too erratic to destroy teams over the course of the match. siddle is still new, so cant say alot about him.

now with the spin stocks, you have two choices with who you choose - you either pick someone who can contain runs, or someone who will pick up wickets. only warne could do both, and in all honesty, no other aussie spinner can really dry up an end, so the pacemen have to then keep a tight line. the loss of stuart clark hurt, cause he wouldve bowled tight at home, and looking at the XI now, you cant say anyone would guarantee a tight spell of bowling.

fact is, the bowling is not what it was, so the batsmen now have to deliver every game. the bowlers arent good enough to defend scores anymore, so the batsmen need to take the game away from the opposition - make them want to play for a draw, then you will win. but the batsmen dont make the runs, then we wont be able to take the wickets - this game proved that (180 for the 9th wicket...)

i heard this on the radio, and it rings true - while warne, mcgrath and gilchrist were still playing, people in the know said that we had a big talent pool, and could ably cover them when they retired. yet if warne, mcgrath and gilchrist all wanted to play for australia tomorrow, they would walk straight back into the XI

George

[Golden Phoenix]

I'm not a big cricket fan, I'll admit that, but it appears to me that they are leaving the older players in, who have been good but aren't playing well and haven't been for a while, and switching out all the new guys when they have one bad game.
You can't do that to newbies. You have to give them time.

[blackie]

tis good to see they added hilfy and bollinger to the squad, but wow at picking andrew mcdonald. didnt see that one coming. would have thought hopes would have been next in line..... and now Amac wont be playing on friday night when i go to see the vics win

[Scattershot]

I used to play cricket with Nathan Hauritz in Hervey Bay when I lived there in the under 13's/14's. He was awesome back then. He was our opening Batsman, wicket keeper, captain and bowler. I always thought he'd play for Australia sometime and its pretty cool being able to watch him on tv now. I think he's doing a pretty damn good job considering hes only played 3 test matches. Hes pretty economical and taking some pretty important wickets. I hope the selectors keep him in the side for him to have a good chance to settle in.

[STL]

tis good to see they added hilfy and bollinger to the squad, but wow at picking andrew mcdonald. didnt see that one coming. would have thought hopes would have been next in line..... and now Amac wont be playing on friday night when i go to see the vics win

Depending on weather, I should be going tomorrow too w/ a few mates.

I'm not sure about the call ups though. When was the SCG anything other than a dustbowl? Do we really need to call up 4 quicks? Krezja is extremely unluckly and the scapegoat for Ponting's crap captaincy.

[i_amtrunks]

We should be playing both Hauritz and Krezja at the SCG, with Bollinger, Johnson and Hilfenhaus, Krezja and Johnson have already proven they can score runs, and could be more useful than this McDonald fellow I know nothing about.

Hayden should have been dropped, but he will be anyway after this test, maybe a century and innings to help Australia to a dominant win would save him, but I cannot see it happening. M. Hussey should move to opener to help turn his luck slump (and slight form slump) and move David Hussey into #5 with Clarke to go to #4 since he cannot bat with the lower order.

South Africa to clean sweep the series in Sydney.

[STL]

BigBash 20/20 at the G tonight was a pretty damn good match. It went right down to the wire when I thought we were already home. Lots of fun and all round good cricket. Mackay didn't really impress me again and boy was Nannes wayward. Anyone know why Younis Khan didn't play for the Redbacks? I thought he would given his form (he's brilliant)