Ashes - Second Test

[comrade]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

I liked one journo's comment - If this was a timeless test series, England would still be batting in Brisbane.

The Pom's have made 5/1068 in their past 2 innings!

The scary thing is our top order is as bad as our bowling group.

I can cop being crap if we were a team of up and comers. Being crap AND old is the pits.

[Mantis]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

The scary thing is our top order is as bad as our bowling group.

I can cop being crap if we were a team of up and comers. Being crap AND old is the pits.

Our top order is worse.

Both the Adel & Bris decks are roads and our batters (besides Hussey) haven't been able to cash in.

[KT31]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

No!!
Let the selectors and players be accountable for this travisty
Otherwise we will be in the same situation in years to come.

[Mantis]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

No!!
Let the selectors and players be accountable for this travisty
Otherwise we will be in the same situation in years to come.

You would hope that the powers that be would have seen enough to make the necessary changes.

[The Coon Dog]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

England have finally declared - 5/620, a lead of 375!

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

The selectors were proved right after all with Pietersen falling to a left arm spinner again - further highlighting his weakness against them

[Murphy'sLore]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Blimey, I think I picked the wrong time to get back on the cricket bandwagon. We are woeful! Though in a way it's kind of refreshing, I gave up following cricket because I was so bored with us being the all-conquering juggernaut. No one could say that now!

[Mantis]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Katich looked severely hampered by his achilles and could well be an enforced change for the 3rd test.

The rain is on it's way and will probaly hit around the tea break... Feels pretty crap to be pinning our hopes on inclement weather.

[chef]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Katich looked severely hampered by his achilles and could well be an enforced change for the 3rd test.

The rain is on it's way and will probaly hit around the tea break... Feels pretty crap to be pinning our hopes on inclement weather.

Who would you bring in?

[Mantis]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Who would you bring in?

Hughes is probably next in line, but his form is hardly anything to write home about.

After that, stick 20 names in a hat and pick one.

[chef]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Hughes is probably next in line, but his form is hardly anything to write home about.

After that, stick 20 names in a hat and pick one.

Hughes and to a lesser extent Cowan seem to be the only young openers to be knocking on the door ATM. Another couple of options could be the forgotten man Phil Jacques(though he's not in the greatest of form) or the one I would prefer Khawaja. He may not be opening for NSW but IMO he has the technique and the temperament to do it.

Bugger, Watsons out. This Test is going to be over today

[lemmon]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Hughes is probably next in line, but his form is hardly anything to write home about.

After that, stick 20 names in a hat and pick one.

I've seen his last couple of knocks and he's hitting them well. The second innings knock against the pommy second eleven really looked to be a turning point and he has carried on that form for NSW without getting a big one. He's hitting nice 30's and 40's without getting a big one (I think he got 80 odd in his last knock). He's next in line for mine

[Sedat]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

If nobody is bashing down the door for selection at the next level (and to be perfectly frank, nobody is), and if Australia are serious about selecting the best batting line-up that they believe can be competitive in the next 3 tests, then Brad Hodge and David Hussey should walk into the starting 11 immediately, replacing Katich (inj) and North. Open with Michael Hussey and Watson, have Hodge at 3, Clarke at 4, D Hussey at 5, and Ponting at 6 to plunder the tired attacks. To hell with rebuilding for the next month or so (and anyway you're replacing a 35yo with another 35yo, and a 30yo with a 32 yo, no big deal). That batting line-up would smash competitive scores on most decks in Australia.

The bowling is altogether a different problem and has no easy solution. I'm a fan of Krezja as an aggressive offie who gives it a rip, and I'd give him a run on the Melbourne and Sydney decks (with no spinner in Perth), and rely on a combination of 3 of Harris, Hilf, Johnson, Bolly and Siddle for Melb/Syd, and 4 of them for Perth. Steve Smith's bowling is not test ready so therefore should wait his turn. A bloke who can take 12 wickets in a test against the world's best players of spin on their own dunghill knows what the hell he is doing with the ball in his hands (even if his captain doesn't believe he does).

[LostDoggy]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

If nobody is bashing down the door for selection at the next level (and to be perfectly frank, nobody is), and if Australia are serious about selecting the best batting line-up that they believe can be competitive in the next 3 tests, then Brad Hodge and David Hussey should walk into the starting 11 immediately, replacing Katich (inj) and North. Open with Michael Hussey and Watson, have Hodge at 3, Clarke at 4, D Hussey at 5, and Ponting at 6 to plunder the tired attacks. To hell with rebuilding for the next month or so (and anyway you're replacing a 35yo with another 35yo, and a 30yo with a 32 yo, no big deal). That batting line-up would smash competitive scores on most decks in Australia.

The bowling is altogether a different problem and has no easy solution. I'm a fan of Krezja as an aggressive offie who gives it a rip, and I'd give him a run on the Melbourne and Sydney decks (with no spinner in Perth), and rely on a combination of 3 of Harris, Hilf, Johnson, Bolly and Siddle for Melb/Syd, and 4 of them for Perth. Steve Smith's bowling is not test ready so therefore should wait his turn. A bloke who can take 12 wickets in a test against the world's best players of spin on their own dunghill knows what the hell he is doing with the ball in his hands (even if his captain doesn't believe he does).

Agree with most of this, except for Clarke and Punter being 4 and 6 -- Ponting can stay at 3 and let Hodgey come in at 4, with Clarke and D. Hussey the next two up to really push for a big score if the situation calls for it. Having said all that, good luck getting some common sense from the selection panel.

No kidding Krezja should be playing -- he's the only wicket-taking spinner we have in the country, but Punter doesn't seem to have any idea of how to play those, so he'd rather have a defensive type to bowl, well, I don't know what, but really, what's the point of wasting a whole player on defensive spin -- you may as well play four quality quicks and rely on your part-time spinners to keep it tight and give some relief to the fast men. Between Cam White, Katich and Clarke (if fit), there's enough spin quality that you're not really losing much by not playing a full-time spinner if all they are there to do is tie up an end anyway.

Symptomatic of the confusion surrounding everything about this team -- dropping the wrong people, backing the wrong people, playing the wrong tactics etc. etc. Someone said this morning that we should give credit to England because they are a bloody good side. Well, the reality is that they are only the 4th best test team going around, not a side filled with legends. We are just playing so badly that we're making them look like world-beaters out there. Pietersen hasn't scored a run in 2 years yet tickles a double century against us.

[chef]

Re: Ashes - Second Test

Clarke going in the last over probably ends any hope we had of holding on.