Overrated, over-indulged and overpaid

[vic_orthdox]

Looks like his strengths are square of the wicket based on PEWS's clip. Quite wristy with his nudges to leg. Looks a very on side kinda player, actually, although that might just be in that innings. Didn't seem interested in any width outside off, which shows patience and (if the on-side pref is correct) a chap who knows his game.

As I said in the other thread, his strength tends to be through point and pounces on width. Victoria bowled very tight at him, trying not to give him the chance to cut.

 

[BoyBrumby]

As I said in the other thread, his strength tends to be through point and pounces on width. Victoria bowled very tight at him, trying not to give him the chance to cut.

Fair dos. Were a couple of wide ones in that innings that looked cuttable to me, so surprised he didn't have a dart at them then.

 

[Top_Cat]

Bit of G Chappell about Usman, tbh. Especially on the pull.

 

[Teja.]

About the Aamer thing, There are 4 categories of gifted pacers IMHO,

1.Bowlers who come on to the international scene looking extremely talented and bowling at a 'great' level already. These might go on to become great bowlers or become dire soon

2. Bowlers such as Asif/Bond where it is obvious that they are not one-year wonders but due to some circumstance(bodily or otherwise) have careers which have few appearances and they usually perform when they come out to play and the loss to the cricketing world is clear.

3.Bowlers such as Akthar/Bishop who do not have a full fledged ATG career but have played enough matches to leave a footprint behind in the field of fast bowling.

4.ATG bowlers like Donald/McG who play a lot of matches and take a feckload of wickets and are remembered forever.

With Category 2,3 & 4, There is absolutely no doubt that the bowler is insanely talented - as much to become a fast bowling great.

However with Category 1, there is always a chance that the bowler would have/will turn into a significantly worse bowler after a promising start. I don't think we can put Aamer in the 'definitely would have been an ATG bowler given circumstances permitted' category yet. His biggest achievement is taking 30 wickets in 6 games at 20 in England but to be fair, they were extremely bowler friendly conditions.

A certain Sreesanth hit the world of fast bowling with a similar impressive start with awesome series' against England in India and in South Africa. We all know what happened later.

 

[Jarquis]

Aamer should have >80 Test wickets already, just Pakistan are so ridiculously bad at fielding.
The guy's played 8 of his 14 Tests against Australia and England and then a further 3 of them in Sri Lanka. Hardly the easiest of starts for an 18 year old bowler.
His record is helped by running riot in England, but he still had to do it against 2 very good sides, one of which were playing in home conditions.
The guy was freakishly talented IMO.

 

[NasserFan207]

There's no way anyone will convince me Aamer is/wasn't insanely talented.

That's not to say for certain he'd have become an ATG bowler, but he has every single physical tool you could want.

Khawaja looks like a rock of the backfoot, but so do plenty of other Australian batsman. I'd like to see his front foot play.

 

[pup11]

Khawaja playing spin.

For me its Khawaja's defense against the short ball that's really the problem, saw him in a few games last season go down pretty tamely playing the hook and pull shot despite the field being set for those shots.
In general looked all at sea against the short ball and came across as a bit of a compulsive hooker & puller, which is not a good sign.
Also for a guy who is rated so highly, he is pretty poor limited overs cricketer which again raises a few doubts over his pedigree.

 

[GotSpin]

For me its Khawaja's defense against the short ball that's really the problem, saw him in a few games last season go down pretty tamely playing the hook and pull shot despite the field being set for those shots.
In general looked all at sea against the short ball and came across as a bit of a compulsive hooker & puller, which is not a good sign.
Also for a guy who is rated so highly, he is pretty poor limited overs cricketer which again raises a few doubts over his pedigree.

Don't agree with this point. Who cares if he's not a very good limited overs player? It clearly isn't influencing his state FC performances atm

 

[sifter132]

Generally it doesn't matter, but OD performance is a way to confirm your suspicions I guess. Consider when guys like Hughes and Usman haven't really played a stack of FC cricket, it seems prudent to see how they bat in the other forms as well, just for more data really. It may help to see if their limited FC career has been a fluke.

 

[Jono]

Nah it offers very little.

 

[zaremba]

Bit of G Chappell about Usman, tbh. Especially on the pull.

There's never been anyone to match Imran Khan on the pull except, perhaps, Shane Warne.

 

[vcs]

Khawaja playing spin.

When did Krezja grow hair? I always thought he was in the same boat as Sehwag.

 

[GotSpin]

Generally it doesn't matter, but OD performance is a way to confirm your suspicions I guess. Consider when guys like Hughes and Usman haven't really played a stack of FC cricket, it seems prudent to see how they bat in the other forms as well, just for more data really. It may help to see if their limited FC career has been a fluke.

It's a completely different format of playing, and some players just aren't suited to it. It would be silly to hold that against them.

 

[sifter132]

It's a completely different format of playing, and some players just aren't suited to it. It would be silly to hold that against them.

A little bit silly I guess, but not completely.

There have been very few batsmen to make the Aussie Test side that haven't played ODIs too. And the ones who have made the Test side without playing a lot of ODIs have been all openers: Langer, Blewett, Katich, Slater and recently Phil Hughes, Phil Jaques too.

Who's the last middle order batsman to play for Australia REGULARLY without playing much for Australia in ODIs? Ummm, well it's Marcus North, and daylight to the next guy. Martin Love probably. Everyone else who's been selected in the Aussie Test middle order has got a decent shot at an ODI spot or leaped some spots in the Test queue based on ODI performance, from Brad Hodge to Michael Bevan to Andrew Symonds, Stuart Law, Tom Moody, Dean Jones, Darren Lehmann, Mike Hussey, Damien Martyn etc etc. all the way up to the Waugh bros, Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting.

Even if you don't buy the theory, it's silly not to acknowledge that one day performances can help your case for selection. It's one of the 3 ways to get noticed: do well in ODIs/play for NSW/do well vs NSW. Those 3 will let you jump up a few spots in the pecking order

 

[Spark]

Happening again WRT Ferguson.

 

[Son Of Coco]

Yeah, I mean it's a bigger mistake not picking Khawaja than I made it sound, but the point was that if naming reasons for the Aussie decline it's not really worth mentioning. Losing so many top-class players so quickly pretty much just dwarfs every other factor anyone might mention.

Brumby's post was excellent, put it into words much better than I could.

Fair enough, would agree that's the main reason too. I think it has also changed the role of the selectors somewhat, and I'm not sure they've adapted so far. They can't just pick the same guys and sit back and relax any more.

 

[archie mac]

I spotted this post and assumed it was in reference to the channel nine commentary team? I usually turn the TV sound down and listen to the ABC commentators, but each year the sound is more out of sync. But this season I listened to the Ch9 during the SL ODI series, please stop telling me want shows you have coming to Ch9 this year, and what story is featuring on a current affair tonight, that is the purpose of the omnipresent repetitive add breaks at the end of each over.

I always wonder why they don’t show players world rankings when they come on to bowl or face up. I would like to know that Ponting is the World’s No. 95th ranked batsman, or that the Aussie spinners have just cracked the top 10,000

 

[Prince EWS]

I always wonder why they don’t show players world rankings when they come on to bowl or face up.

I've always thought that'd be a good idea too, but none of the broadcasters in the world do it. I guess it just shows the contempt the cricketing public shows those official rankings.

 

[archie mac]

I've always thought that'd be a good idea too, but none of the broadcasters in the world do it. I guess it just shows the contempt the cricketing public shows those official rankings.

Yes I suppose so. I am sure no one will take much notice of them, but still would be good to see. I enjoy tennis but do not follow it as closely as Cricket, and I fine the world rankings a help.

 

[G.I.Joe]

I've always thought that'd be a good idea too, but none of the broadcasters in the world do it. I guess it just shows the contempt the cricketing public shows those official rankings.

aussie?

SMH