*Official* First Test at the Gabba

[Burgey]

I think Hilfenhaus is on the verge of a real breakout series where he'll just take a bundle of wickets. He has the weapons, the control and the pace. It's only a matter of time before he cleans up.

Id go

Hilfenhaus=Bollinger>Johnson>>>Siddle

Don't necessarily think Siddle is bad but he's just a cut below the others.

Johnson way too eratic to be ahead of Hilf or dougy

Post reported for lower case "d" on Dougy.

Dougeh!

 

[GotSpin]

I really think it's shaping up for Ponting's last hurrah. He's getting everything done the way he wants so if they don't regain the ashes who's the one who's going to take the blame? Does anyone know why Harris hasn't made the squad? He's fit enough to be playing in a one dayer today vs the vics.

Well look at this way.

Arguably, Ponting has kept these players in the side somewhat while kicking out:

Hussey
North
Doherty
Siddle

and

Bollinger
Hauritz

 

[GotSpin]

Post reported for lower case "d" on Dougy.

Dougeh!

****, I spelt his name wrong too

Dougeh

 

[Spikey]

selectors getting unfair - well not unfair but in this case unwarranted - criticism...If Ponting got the final say in Doherty-Hauritz than I guess he would have here, and we all know how much he loves Peter "Unlucky" Siddle....

 

[Prince EWS]

I think Hilfenhaus is on the verge of a real breakout series where he'll just take a bundle of wickets. He has the weapons, the control and the pace. It's only a matter of time before he cleans up.

Id go

Hilfenhaus=Bollinger>Johnson>>>Siddle

Don't necessarily think Siddle is bad but he's just a cut below the others.

Johnson way too eratic to be ahead of Hilf or dougy

I think there's more to Hilfenhaus just not taking that many wickets than just being "unlucky" though, really. He's a good bowler, but his bowling style and his minor flaws make him look better than he is. He swings it straight from the hand which looks good on TV and in the stands but is a lot easier to play as a batsman than someone who swings it late like an Aamer for example, and he doesn't attack the stumps which gives the batsman freedom to leave a lot of him (and unlike with Johnson, they tend to). Furthermore, he only moves the ball one way which makes him less effective to right handers than he'd otherwise be - against left handers, the one that angles across with that off-cut action is a very useful variation, but he's been unable to set right handers up for it because it just doesn't move enough or have enough angle on it to really cause a problem.

With the swing he gets, his natural length is just a fraction short to take the edge (hence the "unluckiness" with the plays and misses which aren't a coincidence IMO) and if he pitches it up further the batsmen can line him up because it swings so early.

As I said, he's a good bowler and I'd have him in the team, but I think these factors make him less effective than he first appears.

 

[GotSpin]

selectors getting unfair - well not unfair but in this case unwarranted - criticism...If Ponting got the final say in Doherty-Hauritz than I guess he would have here, and we all know how much he loves Peter "Unlucky" Siddle....

No the selectors get the final say. I dare say Ponting just gives his thoughts on the players he suggests would benefit the team the most.

Selectors deserve every bit of criticism they get.

 

[Prince EWS]

No the selectors get the final say. I dare say Ponting just gives his thoughts on the players he suggests would benefit the team the most.

Selectors deserve every bit of criticism they get.

I was under the impression that the selectors picked the squad but Ponting generally got his way on the final eleven for the day. So we can blame the selectors for Hussey but not Siddle, in other words.

 

[GotSpin]

I think there's more to Hilfenhaus just not taking that many wickets than just being "unlucky" though, really. He's a good bowler, but his bowling style and his minor flaws make him look better than he is. He swings it straight from the hand which looks good on TV and in the stands but is a lot easier to play as a batsman than someone who swings it late like an Aamer for example, and he doesn't attack the stumps which gives the batsman freedom to leave a lot of him (and unlike with Johnson, they tend to). Furthermore, he only moves the ball one way which makes him less effective to right handers than he'd otherwise be - against left handers, the one that angles across with that off-cut action is a very useful variation, but he's been unable to set right handers up for it because it just doesn't move enough or have enough angle on it to really cause a problem.

With the swing he gets, his natural length is just a fraction short to take the edge, and if he pitches it up further the batsmen can line him up because it swings so early.

As I said, he's a good bowler and I'd have him in the team, but I think these factors make him less effective than he first appears.

He was moving it both ways in India tbf.

Although I agree he doesn't often attack the stumps nearly as much as he should, I don't think he's swing is that easy to place. It often a case of him moving it too much to get an edge.

 

[GotSpin]

I was under the impression that the selectors picked the squad but Ponting generally got his way on the final eleven for the day. So we can blame the selectors for Hussey but not Siddle, in other words.

Hmm yeah perhaps then. I always thought Ponting just had heavy influence

 

[Ruckus]

No the selectors get the final say. I dare say Ponting just gives his thoughts on the players he suggests would benefit the team the most.

Selectors deserve every bit of criticism they get.

Yeah but I bet that alone would be very influential on their (Hilditch etc.) decisions...

 

[Prince EWS]

He was moving it both ways in India tbf.

Although I agree he doesn't often attack the stumps nearly as much as he should, I don't think he's swing is that easy to place. It often a case of him moving it too much to get an edge.

Moving it too much to get the edge means you're bowling too short. But when he pitches it up, the batsmen play it better because the swing is so early out of the hand and the trajectory is different. That's what he's caught between and why he appears 'unlucky' at times.

 

[Ruckus]

Hmm yeah perhaps then. I always thought Ponting just had heavy influence

If that's the case then imo Ponting deserves just as much of the blame.

 

[GotSpin]

Yeah but I bet that alone would be very influential on their (Hilditch etc.) decisions...

I still blame the selectors for being too heavily influenced then

 

[morgieb]

I was under the impression that the selectors picked the squad but Ponting generally got his way on the final eleven for the day. So we can blame the selectors for Hussey but not Siddle, in other words.

In other words, Ponting shouldn't be given a say with selection.

 

[Burgey]

I think, absent any evidence to the contrary, we have to assume Dougeh is fit to play.

Now if Ponting has kyboshed him, it's just a weird thing to do from a cricketing POV. He's bowled well in all formats this past 12 months, and unless I've been watching different bowlers, he makes batsmen play a lot more than either Siddle or Johnson. It just strikes me as a very, very odd decision from a purely cricketing perspective.

That said, I hope Siddle takes a hat full.

 

[benchmark00]

Just a couple of North Melbourne supporters sticking together. I can understand that.

 

[outbreak]

go the kangas.
Who knows with the Aussie side these days. From what i hear it's one big boys club and it wouldn't be the first time someone got kyboshed for doing things completely unrelated to cricket.

 

[GotSpin]

Moving it too much to get the edge means you're bowling too short. But when he pitches it up, the batsmen play it better because the swing is so early out of the hand and the trajectory is different. That's what he's caught between and why he appears 'unlucky' at times.

That's his natural line though. He's still unlucky if he's swinging the ball and missing the edge.

 

[morgieb]

Even if Bollinger is under-cooked, it reeks of double standards. Clarke wasn't 100% fit either....

 

[TumTum]

I'd say Hilf should be the first pick out of the Aussie bowlers TBH. It's certainly close between him and Bollinger though and both should be automatic choices based on performances in the last couple of years.

Definitely. Especially for the Gabba pitch, there is no better bowler suited for those conditions in world cricket atm.