Cricket Season Thread

@redemption said:
@cunno said:
I am going to the SCG tomorrow hoping to be the eternal optimist and it will be nice if there aren't any poms sitting nearby.

Just enjoy the day mate!!

I went to the final day of a Test at the SCG (many years ago) and saw Waqar younis & Wasim Akram destroy us before lunch!

Thankfully I was drinking full-strength beers & G&Ts from the Members Stand (as a guest)!!
It was great cricket from the less-corrupt Pakis at that time - and I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of bowlers of that calibre plying their trade!

My favourite game in that period was the New Years Day One-Day match in either 1994 or 95 that saw Michael Bevan hit a 4 off the last ball to win! Carl Hooper killed it with both bat & ball that game - while Paul Reiffel also had an amazing match (runs, wickets & catches)!!!
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It was a bit of a struggle until lunch Redemption. Watson and Hughes played very cautiously which I could understand given the pomy bowling and our batting form of late however it was tedious to watch. Pity Hughes got out just before lunch. Kawahja (forgot the spelling!!) was a breath of fresh air when he first came out to bat. Clark has real issues I'm afraid. Like you Red I have watched the game from the members bar on occasion, I recall looking through the bar windows to see Malcolm Marshall bowl for the windies against Australia, the bloke bowled so fast I have never forgotten it (and it wasn't the tooheys that blurred my vision).
 
@cunno said:
@redemption said:
@cunno said:
I am going to the SCG tomorrow hoping to be the eternal optimist and it will be nice if there aren't any poms sitting nearby.

Just enjoy the day mate!!

I went to the final day of a Test at the SCG (many years ago) and saw Waqar younis & Wasim Akram destroy us before lunch!

Thankfully I was drinking full-strength beers & G&Ts from the Members Stand (as a guest)!!
It was great cricket from the less-corrupt Pakis at that time - and I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle of bowlers of that calibre plying their trade!

My favourite game in that period was the New Years Day One-Day match in either 1994 or 95 that saw Michael Bevan hit a 4 off the last ball to win! Carl Hooper killed it with both bat & ball that game - while Paul Reiffel also had an amazing match (runs, wickets & catches)!!!

It was a bit of a struggle until lunch Redemption. Watson and Hughes played very cautiously which I could understand given the pomy bowling and our batting form of late however it was tedious to watch. Pity Hughes got out just before lunch. Kawahja (forgot the spelling!!) was a breath of fresh air when he first came out to bat. Clark has real issues I'm afraid. Like you Red I have watched the game from the members bar on occasion, I recall looking through the bar windows to see Malcolm Marshall bowl for the windies against Australia, the bloke bowled so fast I have never forgotten it (and it wasn't the tooheys that blurred my vision).
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How quick did these English bowlers look in the flesh cunno?? Nothing like Marshall, Ambrose, Patterson or Younis I assume!
 
They aren't super quick mate. None of them bowl quicker than Johnson and Siddle. They bowl great areas and either swing it late or get extra bounce.

Hopefully they can get another wicket or two here and have England 4 or 5 down.

Edit: How did Beer bowl a no-ball? Siddle did one in Melbourne as well. How do they do it? I have never bowled one in my life, and thats 12 years on a full-length pitch. I have bowled off-spin and opened the bowling bowling pace. Not one. There is a rule that says part of your foot has to be behind the line. Why do bowlers have to have it as 1 millimetre? Get your whole foot behind the line. The only difference it makes is you can't be called for a no-ball.
 
@Allan Towle said:
They aren't super quick mate. None of them bowl quicker than Johnson and Siddle. They bowl great areas and either swing it late or get extra bounce.

Hopefully they can get another wicket or two here and have England 4 or 5 down.

Edit: How did Beer bowl a no-ball? Siddle did one in Melbourne as well. How do they do it? I have never bowled one in my life, and thats 12 years on a full-length pitch. I have bowled off-spin and opened the bowling bowling pace. Not one. There is a rule that says part of your foot has to be behind the line. Why do bowlers have to have it as 1 millimetre? Get your whole foot behind the line. The only difference it makes is you can't be called for a no-ball.
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It's a puzzle to me too! even couple of centimetres wont make a difference!
 
To be fair Redemption I have been using binoculars over the past few days and so haven't had any trouble keeping up with the pomy bowlers whereas in the past I watched with the 'naked' eye. However I agree with you that the bowlers from the past you mentioned were very fast, probably faster than the poms but I take Allan Towle's point about the poms in that they appear to be using their brains not just brawn and are definitiely bowling with a lot of discipline and to set tactics depending on who is batting. Plus the pomy quicks are built like tall trees which probably helps them ( a bit like McGrath). Despite all others who can ever forget the great DK Lillee (utter champion).
 
England have bowled super-well. They have been so tight and disciplined. 2 of the quicks playing in this match and in Melbourne weren't in the original side. Bresnan and Tremlett were behind Broad and Finn. Swann has been their least successful bowler when many thought he would be the difference. Its not that that he hasn't performed either. He has always added something when bowling changing the tempo, not necessarily taking wickets. Its just their quicks have bowled very well. Tremlett has really troubled Watson who doesn't like the extra bounce. This is no doubt due to his technique which has been on display on flat pitches. He launches onto the front foot and the extra bounce has kept him so quiet with his inability to transfer his weight back. He needs to learn to play on the back foot as well if he wants to stay an opener. Bresnan has been super tight and Anderson has done what Hilfenhaus was expected to do, swing the ball. The difference between the sides could be showed with their statistics side by side.

Australia has been out-coached and out-bowled. Our plans have been poor or poorly executed. While the Poms have been tight, we haven't been patient and just plain average. Trott hasn't scored straight or through cover at all. Its his least favourite area. Make him score runs through there. He got out today edging onto the stumps a ball in that area. Its no coincidence he got out today playing a shot he hasn't scored many runs from. We have bowled far too straight and he has scored so many runs through the on-side. Cook has remained patient as well. He hasn't scored through cover to mid-off at all. Make him play through the areas they don't like scoring. You can bowl similar to Strauss. Get off their body and any width will be punished. Peterson gives you chances. Collingwood won't hurt us in this form especially if you bowl a stump wide outside off and Bell should run out of partners at 6.

Luck hasn't fallen our way but you do make your own luck to an extent. You can't expect things to happen for you if you don't have the right plans.
 
@cunno said:
Are we a chance in the one day games coming up against the poms???
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Yes, we have a gun one day side which over the past few years has done a lot better than our test side. Even with Ponting out we have a strong looking team with

Watson
Haddin
Clarke
Hodge
Hussey
White
Christian
Johnson
Hauritz
Lee
Bollinger

With back up players like
Marsh
Ferguson
Paine
Smith
McKay
Siddle
Hussey (Dave)
Hopes

we should do alright against the poms and also in the World Cup in Feb.
 
Good point MM our line up is a lot better in the one day game (thank heavens for that) I was close to jumping out of the Brewongle stand today.
 
Anyone following the test match between India and SA?? It really shows how the top 2 teams should be playing.

Brilliant work by Kallis and Singh.
 
Another runout when we're batting for a draw. Shane Watson must have been born with no brains. Seriously what is wrong with the bloke? Good running and turning over the strike is one thing but this is the second good opening partnership he's ended with dumb running.
 
without doubt this THE WORST AUSSIE 11 EVER !!!!! BAR NONE !!

absolutely disgraceful team loaded with prima donnas, absolutely pathetic bowlers, sorry its an insult to every other bowler to who have worn the baggy green to mention the current mob of useless hackers as aussie bowlers.

keep kwaja,haddin and hussey and flick the rest. sick and tired of hearing about the potential of this side. sorry but you can't make a silk purse out of sows ear.

the coach and his staff should resign immediately and all the selectors bar g. chappell should resign as well. for gods sake we have been smashed by the 4th ranked in the world !!!
 
Why bar G Chappell? What makes you think he isn't a massive contributor in picking a side where the number 6 has a poor technique and isn't one of the top 10 batsmen in the country, leaves out a fast bowler with the best average and on his home turf so he can play 3 bowlers who have had 2 decent sessions between them the wholere series, and picks a rookie spinner who can't turn a ball to save his life?

So many questions…
Why Steve Smith and not Steve O'Keefe who has a better batting and bowling record at 1st class level?
Who has Dave Hussey killed to not get a chance? Okay he's 33 but surely he would add some stability at number 6
Why does Ben Hilfenhaus keep getting picked with his terrible record?
 
g chappell has only just become a selector and he probably is not responsible for the lack of foresight shown by hilditch,boon and hughes by not blooding younger players one or two years ago. now we have the worst oz 11 ever and the all the birds have come home to roost. we are a joke and would be flat out beating zimbabwe and the bangers.
 
I think Shane Watson is mentally lazy he seems to lumber around the field not appearing to care too much. He needs to snap out of it to reach his potential.
 
I think we have seen the last of P. Hughes for a while. Watson was on fire.
I dont follow shield cricket but surely theres got to be some decent cricketers running around there.
 
@cunno said:
I think Shane Watson is mentally lazy he seems to lumber around the field not appearing to care too much. He needs to snap out of it to reach his potential.
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He is a very talented batsmen but he is not a real test opener. He lacks the temprament.

To make the squad in his actual position he would have to beat out either Hussey or Haddin which he isn't good enough to do. But he is one of the boys so a position will be found for him.

A great ODI player though
 
Watson's flaws are exactly what is wrong with the side right now. They get themselves set, do all the hard work, then do something stupid and throw their wicket away. Only Hussey and Haddin have made a tonne this series for us, with Huss getting 2, whereas Cook has made 3, Trott 2, KP, Strauss, Bell and Prior have one each. However when it comes to making 50s the stats are pretty even (England just ahead now). This isn't one day cricket where making a 60 is a great knock. It's no coincidence that the Aussie with the most patience and composure (Hussey) has been the best by far. The England bats have completely outplayed us this series, and their bowlers have done a good job backing them up.

3-1 is not a fair reflection of how the series went, the Aussies have played well in patches, but absolutely dreadful around the patches. A few good spells with the ball in Perth and one by Siddle in Brisbane, along with a great partnership in Brisbane (Huss/Hadd) are the only things that stopped this being a 5-0 thrashing. We need 193 more runs to make England bat again with 3 wickets in hand, unlikely to happen. We're probably going to lose 3 games in the series by an innings.
 
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