New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

[Greystache]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Agree about Ponting and in a way it reinforces my point. For some reason we have an obsession in cricket with making the best batsman the captain of the team but it's not often the best batsman is the most tactical thinker or has the best feel for the game. Mark Taylor was far from the best batsman in the country but he was a bloody good captain.


I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong but I just get the feeling that Smith has no feel for the flow or the tempo of the game. He frustrates me when he goes on the defensive at the drop of a hat and I think he loses control of the game too often.

To be fair it's not as if there are many players who are guaranteed a game on a regular basis to choose from. The last thing you want is the ridiculous situations of English cricket in the past whereby the captain regularly shouldn't have been in the team on both form and talent. I also think fast bowlers don't make great captains, as decision making and attention to detail can suffer when the player is under physical duress.

So really we only had Warner and Smith to choose from, and I think Smith is the better option.

I think we have to accept the days of smart cricketers are over. Most of the players coming through approach the game in a very simple way and give little thought to the nuances of tactics. Coaching is the same, it's all about playing however you play, then training the shit out of the 1%ers. That combined with teams being controlled by incompetent sport scientists and we're stuck with a very limited approach to the game.

[hujsh]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

That combined with teams being controlled by incompetent sport scientists and we're stuck with a very limited approach to the game.

Out of curiosity how does your attitude towards them intersect with all the good work the VU team have done for the Dogs?

EG is it that the Australians have found people just incompetent at their job or that there's a technical difference between the jobs (sport scientist vs biomechanist maybe?)

[Greystache]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Out of curiosity how does your attitude towards them intersect with all the good work the VU team have done for the Dogs?

EG is it that the Australians have found people just incompetent at their job or that there's a technical difference between the jobs (sport scientist vs biomechanist maybe?)

I don't have the time to go into detail, but in short some sports require fitness to be at the cutting edge to actually be able to perform, cricket is not one of those games. The control sports science has been given over cricket is one of a number of reasons we've struggled to get a fast bowler on the field for over 10 years, and techniques are a shambles. Focus is all on cutting edge fitness philosophies and the players aren't equipped to play the actual game.

[Topdog]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Cracking start by Warner.

Glad Maxwell was not in contention, he doesnt play well in Shield and sometimes is not even picked.

[Bornadog]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Cracking start by Warner.

Glad Maxwell was not in contention, he doesnt play well in Shield and sometimes is not even picked.

Century before lunch - first time ever in Australia. Also fastest at SCG

[bulldogtragic]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Century before lunch - first time ever in Australia. Also fastest at SCG

Stunning. 5th person ever to do it.

[Greystache]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Incredible preformance. He was literally scoring at will.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Matty Renshaw with a hundred. Surely the selectors give him a longer run, including opening in India.

[Ozza]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

I'd have him comfortably ahead of Ponting as captain. His team is weaker but Smith is better. To be fair Ponting was the worst captain I've ever seen.

Ponting is only behind Steve Waugh for the highest % wins as captain - and has the highest winning % of any captain in one dayers.

I don't think Ponting was a brilliant captain, but imo Smith is considerably behind him at this stage in his captaincy. But Smith has time on his side and will get better at it.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

I like Renshaw. Great paced innings and filling his boots towards the end of day one on 154*.

[GVGjr]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Great innings by Renshaw, very much a contrast to Warner which should work well.
Any talk of bringing in S.Marsh as a top order batsman now must focus on Khawaja more than Renshaw and I think Khawaja is safe enough

We just need to get an effective number 6 and sort out the keepers position now.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Great innings by Renshaw, very much a contrast to Warner which should work well.
Any talk of bringing in S.Marsh as a top order batsman now must focus on Khawaja more than Renshaw and I think Khawaja is safe enough

We just need to get an effective number 6 and sort out the keepers position now.

Khawaja would be having a golden summer in the eyes of the media if not for a couple of runs in the nervous 90's. If Marsh must play then I'd look at him at 6th. With the other Marsh & Maddinson blowing it, and if Cartright doesn't impress enough to keep 6th in India, then I guess Marsh could play 6th. I think Wade should stay in as chopping and changing between he and Nevill isn't a great thing rotating between the winds. Stick with Wade and if he gets dropped he stays dropped.

Lyon, Agar & SOK are an OK spin combo to play with.
Starc (now must be classified as an all rounder), Hazlewood, Cummins, Bird (and hopefully Pattinson soon) give us great quicks.

I'd love to just see continuity with selection for games/squads for a while. The nucleus is there for a decent run at winning at the moment.

[Twodogs]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Great innings by Renshaw, very much a contrast to Warner which should work well.
Any talk of bringing in S.Marsh as a top order batsman now must focus on Khawaja more than Renshaw and I think Khawaja is safe enough

We just need to get an effective number 6 and sort out the keepers position now.

The cupboard is pretty bare for keepers.

[GVGjr]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

The cupboard is pretty bare for keepers.

Just waiting for Sam Whiteman to hit his straps

[Remi Moses]

Re: New Years Test - Australia vs Pakistan

Wonderful performances from Warner and Renshaw .
Renshaw's what the team has been crying out for , someone who can build a big innings