The Cricket Thread

[STL]

Hussey's in trouble. I don't want to call it on him but that's a whole summer plus India and now SA that he has been well below par. I'd give him to the end of the series but if there's not a faint of light, we have to start thinking.

Very happy w/ Hughes progress. What annoys me is the media. They were jumping all over him after his failure in the 1st innings of the 1st test and now they love him. Give all young players a chance. Only that way do they gain any belief. in themselves and get better.

We still have a problem with the bowling tho and that's the spinner. Good teams need a spinner and that's a severe deficiency we have.

The Vics must win this final. If they choke I'm gonna be shattered. At times, the Vics mean more to me than the national team. They've been the best team all year and they need to back it up on the scoreboard. The rivalry w/ QLD is pretty sweet. I remember the pain of watching them make 900 odd in one final and us capitulating. The weekend ahead is gonna be one of interest given no one knows how the pitch at Punt Rd will play.

[i_amtrunks]

Hussey's in trouble. I don't want to call it on him but that's a whole summer plus India and now SA that he has been well below par. I'd give him to the end of the series but if there's not a faint of light, we have to start thinking.

Sadly I agree, Hussey has not been up to scratch of late, even though he was starting to get back into form in the ODI's, it just hasn't transferred across tot he test Arena. If Hussey is dropped, we need to bring in Hodge as his replacement, but I bet the selectors go with a younger batsman.

Great to see Katich get a bowl, but he's so rusty he went for a few runs. Clarke must still be slightly injured, he has not done much of note this test, and I think McGain will debut next test, as Johnson looks buggered and Siddle is in pain. having a full-time spinner who can bowl 20-30 overs in an innings removes a lot of the workload from the front line pace attack.

The Vics must win this final. If they choke I'm gonna be shattered. At times, the Vics mean more to me than the national team. They've been the best team all year and they need to back it up on the scoreboard. The rivalry w/ QLD is pretty sweet. I remember the pain of watching them make 900 odd in one final and us capitulating. The weekend ahead is gonna be one of interest given no one knows how the pitch at Punt Rd will play.

The Vic's are finally feeling the pain of success, just like NSW have for the past 20 years where they have lost at least half their top side to national duty. They should win, as QLD seem the much weaker side. I wonder if they will try and bat for 3 days in the first innings and play it safe, or go for the kill?

[STL]

It's all over. We win the series that no one thought we would, myself included. I was more hoping for some strong development out of the series.

While we have seen Hughes take the position everyone was crying for way back when, North/McDonald's roles aren't completely decided on either. Do we want a bowling number 6 or a batting one? I'm inclined to think that McDonald is pitch by pitch option. More than handy on a good wicket. North is the batsman though. His spin is okay but between Katich/Clarke/McDonald, I'd say Ponting has enough options.

The other development thing we haven't sorted out is a spinner. We cannot escape the fact that an excellent spinner is core to every great team. If we want to continue being the best in the world, we need good spinners otherwise we're gonna be in for a lot of hurt if our quicks don't penetrate - which will happen on dust beds in West Indies, India or Sri Lanka. Plus having the spinner opens the game tactically up way more. McGain needs to play the last test to show us what he's got otherwise its straight to the Ashes for him and we haven't seen him on the international stage yet.

The selectors have a licence to experiment with the last test now that its over and I think they should. They need to give Siddle a rest. He bowled admirably with an injured toe and foot as well as Johnson who has bowled an incredible number of overs since India. I can't recall the number offhand but the ABC commentators mentioned something very high. Hussey needs to work very hard too. I want to see him stay but if his form doesn't permit, he has to realise its time to go.

[i_amtrunks]

175 run victory, Australia retain the #1 ranking thanks to a good young side, and plenty of bad decisions and poor gameplay from South Africa who will not be voting for the permanent introduction of the referral system.

Hughes man-of-the-match, and really it could not have been anyone else.
Siddle and Katich took 3 wickets a piece in the second innings, Katich may finally get to bowl a bit more now, he isn't the best part time spinner, but far more threatening than White and Clarke.

The selectors have a licence to experiment with the last test now that its over and I think they should. They need to give Siddle a rest. He bowled admirably with an injured toe and foot as well as Johnson who has bowled an incredible number of overs since India. I can't recall the number offhand but the ABC commentators mentioned something very high. Hussey needs to work very hard too. I want to see him stay but if his form doesn't permit, he has to realise its time to go.

Siddle may not want a break, but his body will force him to. The selectors may want Johnson to rest, but my bet is they would have to drug him and have him on a flight home before he woke up to stop him from playing. So McGain in for Siddle, with McDonald likely to drop out (depending on the pitch) for the next series.

I maintain that if Hussey does not improve Hodge should come in at #4, to continue protecting Clarke. North has confirmed his place, batting sublimely and bowling useful spinners. McDonald may not be a consistent wicket taker, or indeed ever look like taking wickets, but he is so very good at tying down an end, he makes it easier for the other bowlers to take wickets. Batting has been poor thus far.
Here's a stumper for you, supposing Clark returns fit as a fiddle, who makes way for him? Hilfenhaus who the selectors obviously picked to get experience before relying on his swing in England?

Hopefully South Africa can fire up for the third test, if Smith is rested, Prince can finally come back into the side, his cricketing brain may handle the captaincy much better than Boucher has done. If not I'd still drop Mackenzie, move Amla to open, Kallis at #3 and Prince in at #4.