End of the Test road for Symonds

[Noble One]

Too many people seem to class McDonald as the replacement for Symonds. If anything the position McDonald is occupying would have gone to the extra seamer (Bollinger). McDonald is never going to occupy a top 6 batting position, his place in the team is as the bowling all-rounder.

Unfair on McDonald to compare him directly with Symonds. McDonald may not be a star batsmen, but he is useful, and is largely in the squad for his bowling.

The decision simply came down to a battle between Watson, Hodge and Symonds as the reserve batsmen. Watson won, but Symonds is still in the frame.

 

[0RI0N]

well could be worse for Roy.
Coulda been outed by CA as having genital warts,and thats the reason they didnt pick him.
Anybody see the Cricinfo article re:
shoaib having genital warts.
Shoaib always delivers the lulz

 

[Smith]

shocking that they picked mcdonald ahead of him, macdonald is not and will never be a test quality bowler or batsmen, you need to be at least close to one of those. His kind of bowling may have been hand in England 20 years ago but it won't now.

P.S. If you want to know what a poorly informed english fan is thinking, listen to the switch hit cricket show on cricinfo, England has a seriously good attack....lol.

When Symonds was 27, he too was hardly considered as a test quality bat or bowler. It is wise of CA to have shown faith in McDonald. He is doing a better job than Symonds as a bowler. And he is slowly getting there as a batsman. In another 3-4 years, he will come really good.

Also, considering Symonds is given a contract this time, he will be a fixture in ODIs for atleast 2 years more. So his international career is hardly over.

 

[rivera213]

Botham is that you.

Yeah the Aussie team surely won't win with such a superior attack to come up against.I mean any team that beat the mighty West indies surely must start as favourites.

No, but because the 16-man squad while great in the batting department is very poor in the bowling department.

Talk to us after the series - feel a lot more confident with McDonald in there than Symonds. Little Ranga will reliably get his job done, allowing Johnson et al to do what they need to do. And he's finding his feet with the bat.

McDonald is a hack. Symonds averages 40 in tests, gets some important wickets and is a quality fielder.

Johnson isn't the problem, it's his support cast. Siddle isn't great, Clark has been poor the last few times I've seen him, Hilfenhaus is more expensive than Gucci shoes and doesn't take wickets by the hat full & Brett Lee hasn't had any real prep so his stamina has to be questioned.

Bowling wins matches, not batting.

Too many people seem to class McDonald as the replacement for Symonds. If anything the position McDonald is occupying would have gone to the extra seamer (Bollinger). McDonald is never going to occupy a top 6 batting position, his place in the team is as the bowling all-rounder.

Unfair on McDonald to compare him directly with Symonds. McDonald may not be a star batsmen, but he is useful, and is largely in the squad for his bowling.

The decision simply came down to a battle between Watson, Hodge and Symonds as the reserve batsmen. Watson won, but Symonds is still in the frame.

McDonald can't bowl particularly well though. He is county level at best.

Symonds is a useful allrounder. He's not Botham or Imran, but he's useful.

Your team for the first test will probably be:

Hughes
Katich
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke
Watson
Haddin
Johnson
Lee
Siddle
Hauritz

Haddin may bat at 6, the AR @ 7 but that will be the set-up. Ponting has already said Hauritz will be a defensive spinner at 1 end with the seamers at the other.

This is on a track which turns and stays low.

I would've said the XI should be (regardless of the 16-man squad)-

Hughes
Katich
Ponting
Hussey
Clarke (2nd spinner if his back is alright)
Symonds (2nd spinner along with Clarke)
Haddin
Johnson
Krejza (sure, he's expensive but gets wickets and his SR is 58 +/-)
Siddle
Clark

I've never known an Aussie mindset to be as defensive from the outset as this year.

 

[Matt79]

McDonald is a hack. Symonds averages 40 in tests, gets some important wickets and is a quality fielder...


...Symonds is a useful allrounder. He's not Botham or Imran, but he's useful.

Disagree with the first part, obviously. In terms of the second part, you need to realise that you need to use the past tense in that sentence - he averageD, got, and was a quality fielder. He was deeply average in tests as much as he was good, and he's not played well for a long time now, and his off-field issues mean he's unlikely to regain that form.

Johnson isn't the problem, it's his support cast. Siddle isn't great, Clark has been poor the last few times I've seen him, Hilfenhaus is more expensive than Gucci shoes and doesn't take wickets by the hat full & Brett Lee hasn't had any real prep so his stamina has to be questioned.

Clark's been injured, but should be back to a good level of fitness now. Siddle is improving so fast and by the end of the Australian summer and in SA was better than any of the English bowlers probably bar Anderson, and I'd back him to be better than Jimmy going forward.

I don't expect that much from Hilfenhaus.

McDonald can't bowl particularly well though. He is county level at best.

He did the job on some flat tracks, and conditions in England will suit him better than anywhere else. I reckon he'll be able to bowl economically, in long spells, and give Ponting a level of control and freedom with his main bowlers that neither Hauritz nor a fourth specialist seamer would. Symonds couldn't do that IMO.

We're maybe being more realistic, than defensive. Our experiments with four or five spinners have shown none of them are better options than a medium pacer like McDonald, and that we can't get through enough overs with four genuine quicks. We've only lost one test out of the last four, with McDonald in the team.

As for Krejza, he's not looked anything like the required standard since his stunning debut match. And he leaks runs like nobody's business, it puts way too much pressure on Ponting and the other bowlers.

 

[Oasisbob]

I think Australian selectors have made the right decision in forgetting Symonds. It's the kind of incisive decision that our English selectors seem incapable of making.

He was never really a quality test match all-rounder - merely a half decent bat who could bowl some useful overs. He was a high class fielder though but the Aussies won't really feel his loss in the field; they're still a quality fielding side. Given his inability to behave himself off the pitch it makes sense to forget about him and move on.

 

[Evermind]

Symonds is brilliant, and I'd have him in the team ahead of McDonald any day.

 

[zaremba]

I just cannot see him making a return to Test cricket now. The Australian selectors have rarely been given to sentimental recalls of ageing players. What's more Symonds appears to have pissed them off good and proper and they are likely to regard it as far too late for a road-to-Damascus conversion for him. There are some pretty good young Australian players out there and the selectors would rather have someone who is committed, professional, and hungry (as opposed to thirsty).

Anyway he'll announce his retirement from Test cricket shortly and concentrate on making sackfuls of cash in Pretend Cricket instead.

 

[pasag]

I just cannot see him making a return to Test cricket now. The Australian selectors have rarely been given to sentimental recalls of ageing players. What's more Symonds appears to have pissed them off good and proper and they are likely to regard it as far too late for a road-to-Damascus conversion for him. There are some pretty good young Australian players out there and the selectors would rather have someone who is committed, professional, and hungry (as opposed to thirsty).

Anyway he'll announce his retirement from Test cricket shortly and concentrate on making sackfuls of cash in Pretend Cricket instead.

That would be a very silly move considering how much Test cricket we play in the next year. He's only one paper thin hamstring away from being back in the squad.

 

[Matt79]

Waiting for CA to annouce he was left out due to a nasty bout of syphillis, PCB style.

 

[aussie]

The selectors need to get rid the fixation that he's an all-rounder - only Watson & Johnson SHOULD be considered as such at test level.

As others have mentioned if his ODI form - along with good FC form for QSL - if an injry occurs i can see him playing another test again.

 

[zaremba]

That would be a very silly move

I'm not so sure - I think his time is up with the selectors and there is a series of candidates ahead of him now - and even if it is a very silly move, that's what Symonds specialises in

 

[Uppercut]

The selectors need to get rid the fixation that he's an all-rounder - only Watson & Johnson SHOULD be considered as such at test level.

As others have mentioned if his ODI form - along with good FC form for QSL - if an injry occurs i can see him playing another test again.

All-rounder is a bit much, but calling him a batsman wouldn't do justice to the fact that he brings far, far more to the side than just batting.

 

[Cruxdude]

Somehow I believe the Aussie selectors are just trying too hard. They pushed off Hayden before he was done, luckily they got Hughes. Symonds brings the X-factor to the team, which is very much necessary in the absence of Gilly.It is ok if they had someone like an allrounder Hughes waiting, but McDonald I think they lost it.

 

[inbox24]

The Australian team were world beaters when Symonds when retained purely as a limited overs specialist, I think we should just keep it simple and stick to that formula. While he does bring the X factor and does have the ability to change games quickly, we should be installing a specialist batsman who averages 45+ at number six anyway.

 

[Richard]

When Symonds was 27, he too was hardly considered as a test quality bat or bowler. It is wise of CA to have shown faith in McDonald. He is doing a better job than Symonds as a bowler. And he is slowly getting there as a batsman. In another 3-4 years, he will come really good.

No, he might. Equally, he might well not. There is no way McDonald is an especially promising player.

 

[Smith]

No, he might. Equally, he might well not. There is no way McDonald is an especially promising player.

There is no way of telling that he is not a promising player just by virtue of 3 matches. His FC record suggests he has it in him, to be a good allrounder. He did not start brightly, but against the best test team in the world, he has bagged 9 wickets at 33, and has made his runs @ 21, which is hardly unpromising. He might not have the traditional Aussie swagger one associates with premier allrounders like Symonds and Watson, but I think he will be a quite useful option for them at No.8 or even No.6. Besides he is just 27 which is youngish by Aussie standards as well.

 

[aussie]

All-rounder is a bit much, but calling him a batsman wouldn't do justice to the fact that he brings far, far more to the side than just batting.

Well yea his fielding & his conter-attacking style @ # 6 is something North nor Watson can't do with the willow.

But fact is he is mainly a batsman, those other facets are just good luxuries. Them crazy selectors see him as an all-rounder which is madness.

 

[brockley]

Symmo deserves a contract,a lot of the one day players who got contracts dave hussey,sean marsh pffft,lucky.
I will wait for the ashes.
Watson yet to prove himself with the bat in tests and his fitness questions,mcdonald wait and see did do a serviceable job in his first 4 tests tho.
Marcus north tho a lot more trustworthy than symmo,watson or mcdonald.

 

[Matt79]

Or 7, while Haddin and Johnson are batting so well.