I think we can safely say that the careers of Clark and Lee are effectively over, or at least their best days are over.
How dire, in the space of 2 years we lost;
Lee
Warne
Clark
McGrath
I guess if we blood the right new talent, we can still be near the top in about 7-10 years right, because we're transitioning earlier than anyone else (besides NZ).
That is one mega sentence.I think you going a bit OTT here, Lee and Clark still have plenty of cricket left in them, given their bodies don't give up on them, i personally would never rule out Lee, he has been a fighter to the core all his life and i am confident he would come back strongly, as for Clark, his whole game is pretty simple and neither is action too demanding, and he has the ability to pitch the ball int the right areas consistently, so if he still has that zip in his bowling, i can still see him being a handful on any surface for some time to come.
Anyways not having either Clark or Lee in South Africa is going to be huge blow, and really my expectations of an Aussie fightback in the return leg have taken a serious nose-dive after this development.
Fine, I you so I chase you. Jakester at his age deserves some praise also for his commitment to furthering the art of cricket writing, which "grown ups" hardly do here.How about you stop chasing around commenting on everything I do, you obsessed little boy?
If Jakester wants to be a journalist, he has to learn about attribution.
Lee at peak you'd say. Because Lee post 2008 Aussie summer has hardly looked devastating he was for two years before that.I think we can safely say that the careers of Clark and Lee are effectively over, or at least their best days are over.
How dire, in the space of 2 years we lost;
Lee
Warne
Clark
McGrath
I guess if we blood the right new talent, we can still be near the top in about 7-10 years right, because we're transitioning earlier than anyone else (besides NZ).
AWTA. Forgetting his numbers, I don't think he's really been at the top of his game since the last Ashes series.Lee at peak you'd say. Because Lee post 2008 Aussie summer has hardly looked devastating he was for two years before that.
Clark too is a tad overrated in these boards. He had an astounding first year in tests, but has been steadily dropping ranks ever since. I'd prefer Mitch over him at the moment, as well a year back tbh.
McG and Warne, anything about them will be stating the obvious, but one expects such a side to get over their retirements atleast after 2 years.
Really? I dont think you can trully get over players of Warne and Mcgraths calibre in two years i seriously doubt there will be another player to warnes standard in the next 10 years even, Maybe mcgraths boots can be filled but at the moment the only likely candidate has been Clark. what about Bracken why doesnt he get a shot in the tests?Lee at peak you'd say. Because Lee post 2008 Aussie summer has hardly looked devastating he was for two years before that.
Clark too is a tad overrated in these boards. He had an astounding first year in tests, but has been steadily dropping ranks ever since. I'd prefer Mitch over him at the moment, as well a year back tbh.
McG and Warne, anything about them will be stating the obvious, but one expects such a side to get over their retirements atleast after 2 years.
Clark out is massive for the return series. I really think a fit Clark could have turned this series on it's head and had hoped to see him play in SA.
Hopefully Clark can get right for the Ashes.
Where is Siddle at with his injury?[/QUOTE]
You can almost guarantee that he wont be fit
In a further blow, my wife refuses to let my 3 year old son (who is a pretty mean leftie with his plastic golf ball) join the tour squad as she fears CA will cripple him as well
I've ruled my 7 year old out for the same reason.Clark out is massive for the return series. I really think a fit Clark could have turned this series on it's head and had hoped to see him play in SA.
Hopefully Clark can get right for the Ashes.
Where is Siddle at with his injury?[/QUOTE]
You can almost guarantee that he wont be fit
In a further blow, my wife refuses to let my 3 year old son (who is a pretty mean leftie with his plastic golf ball) join the tour squad as she fears CA will cripple him as well
I'd love to replay the 3 tests just gone, with the same Australian attack in all three but Lee fit when he was there and each of the other bowlers with between another 20-30 tests under their belts. Reckon they'd have kicked on and won.
Suppose we just have to wait and see how they develop. What is Siddle's injury out of interest?
Pretty unlikely that Siddle would be fit for the South African tour, stress fractures aren't easy to overcome in such a short period of time and even if he does it, he would be pretty undone by lack of any real match practice leading into the test series.Where is Siddle at with his injury?
Their quality is not replaceable in the short term.Really? I dont think you can trully get over players of Warne and Mcgraths calibre in two years i seriously doubt there will be another player to warnes standard in the next 10 years even, Maybe mcgraths boots can be filled but at the moment the only likely candidate has been Clark. what about Bracken why doesnt he get a shot in the tests?
As long as their potential replacements are actually availableTheir quality is not replaceable in the short term.
But if you really are a champion side, then you should not be dependent on just 2 players. Or should be able to fill their ranks to some degree by compensating in other areas, in a matter of 2 years.
Exactly. To harp about retirements in these two players retirement again and again, is just a weak excuse. The real problem is that Australia have struggled to put up a bowling attack that is atleast half as decent as the two legends. Injuries and bad form are the culprits, but one wonder whether Australia can be called the team possessing the best bench strength in the world anymore.As long as their potential replacements are actually available
Australia's biggest problem is not the retirement of Warne and McGrath - it's the fact that potentially half of the side (or more) is injured
The problem is that we've gone through the bench and we're now working on the second row!Exactly. To harp about retirements in these two players retirement again and again, is just a weak excuse. The real problem is that Australia have struggled to put up a bowling attack that is atleast half as decent as the two legends. Injuries and bad form are the culprits, but one wonder whether Australia can be called the team possessing the best bench strength in the world anymore.
Yeah that's it, we're stretching it a bit now. Three seasons ago, the current attack, even in the form they are now, were all 3rd tier behind McGrath, Gillespie, Lee, Kasper, Bichel, etc.The problem is that we've gone through the bench and we're now working on the second row!
Pretty sure that they were "hot spots" rather than stress fractures (i.e. a stress fracture in the very early development). In the foot, from memory.Pretty unlikely that Siddle would be fit for the South African tour, stress fractures aren't easy to overcome in such a short period of time and even if he does it, he would be pretty undone by lack of any real match practice leading into the test series.
Yeah pretty close to reaching the last bench now in terms of the fast bowling stocks..The problem is that we've gone through the bench and we're now working on the second row!