*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

[Hurricane]

Not a bad first shot there by Jackman.

The whole Earl of Twirl thing is poor TV. I would refuse to participate in it if I was Shane Warne.

 

[Burgey]

Look Jono you ****, that's fine and all, but now you're getting creepy.

Not Jimmy Anderson's hairstyle creepy, but still creepy.

 

[Spark]

Obviously you pays your money...

Backing the status quo has its charms but there are also loads of cases of players looking better for being dropped: Johnson the most obvious example, but Strauss and Bell also came back better for spells out of the test XIs relatively recently.

& I wouldn't want to be seen to drop Ponting either, which was what I alluded to with my get out of jail free reference. He is injured, isn't scoring and isn't a great captain. He could've been removed with no loss of face on either side.

Will point out now that if you drop Ponting, you retire him. Boom. Gone. It's not like dropping Johnson, who knew full well he could well be playing in the very next test, or Clarke in 05/6 when he's 23 or so. So the "he'll come back better" argument fails there.

As with Bell, what was his average when he was dropped? 40 or so? Hardly a proven banker. Clarke's average earlier this year was 52.

 

[Shaggy Alfresco]

Steve Smith stirs in me the same thoughts that I imagine Australians have about Ian Bell: "What the **** is this little nerd doing on a cricket pitch?"

 

[Jono]

You know what got me the most out of today's play...

how many ****ing leg side/off the pitch wides Australia bowled.

This is professional cricket. Get it on the friggin pitch. Was so amateur.

 

[Ruckus]

Will point out now that if you drop Ponting, you retire him. Boom. Gone. It's not like dropping Johnson, who knew full well he could well be playing in the very next test, or Clarke in 05/6 when he's 23 or so. So the "he'll come back better" argument fails there.

The real question though is when he loses the captaincy will he retire?

 

[Redbacks]

It's kinda sick to keep him in a job after kicking 80,000 Australians in the face on Boxing Day but the timing would be horrible because he's still a good ODI captain and there's a World Cup coming up next. Firing him from the test captaincy would most definitely have a negative impact on Australia's chances in India because his replacement would be Michael "what's an ODI?" Clarke, so letting him step down at the end of that tournament has to be the option.

Funny, it's Ponting's worst hour yet and after a couple of years of saying he should go I'm calling for him to keep his job.

Yeap, it always becomes a little fuzzy once the theory gets to the point where it is almost about to become a reality, but it's still most likely to be the best answer. The Ashes may be gone, but a draw in the series isn't, I think punter deserves a boardroom shove rather than being turfed mid series. Waiting till the end of the WC is probably the right decision; unless of course he bangs on the door asking for backing (which G. Chappell gave, 2 more years, in the media during the week) and they tell him he wont be continuing at skipper.

 

[Spark]

You know what got me the most out of today's play...

how many ****ing leg side/off the pitch wides Australia bowled.

This is professional cricket. Get it on the friggin pitch. Was so amateur.

They were byes if you subscribe to the umpires' school of thought that modern day batsmen should be able to grow a two metre long bat from their backsides.

---

As for whether Ponting should keep the captaincy, it depends whether you think things will improve under Clarke (who almost certainly will be next). Bear in mind for the future captain of the side he's been surprisingly reluctant to actually act like one.

 

[Prince EWS]

They were byes if you subscribe to the umpires' school of thought that modern day batsmen should be able to grow a two metre long bat from their backsides.

---

As for whether Ponting should keep the captaincy, it depends whether you think things will improve under Clarke (who almost certainly will be next). Bear in mind for the future captain of the side he's been surprisingly reluctant to actually act like one.

The most annoying thing about that was the fact that I'm sure people will use them against Haddin in six months when we have the biannual Haddin keeping debate.

 

[Jono]

Yeah noticed some of them were given as byes. Silly.

 

[Redbacks]

The real question though is when he loses the captaincy will he retire?

I reckon. What has he got left to prove/challenges in test cricket other than a test series win in India or an Ashes win in England?

He's won 99 tests as a player and really could settle down with the family, get some good $$ playing T20 and be happy. I think the rebuild of the side is the goal driving him, perhaps some good man management will get him to produce another goal related solely to batting. Back to #1 in the world might not be realistic however.

 

[Spark]

Yeah noticed some of them were given as byes. Silly.

Was amazed at some of the calls. A right-hander would've had to reach quite a bit to hit them.

 

[Spark]

The real question though is when he loses the captaincy will he retire?

As I said before, if Clarke gets it - which he will - I doubt it.

 

[andyc]

**** me silly, what a terrible day's cricket. Congrats all round to England, we clearly don't deserve to win a bloody thing when none of our top order is willing to make any actual runs.

So disappointed as well, as I'm going to the first day of the Sydney Test and it's going to be my first time watching an international game, and I was hoping that the series would still be alive by then.

 

[Redbacks]

So disappointed as well, as I'm going to the first day of the Sydney Test and it's going to be my first time watching an international game, and I was hoping that the series would still be alive by then.

Denying them a series win in Australia is still a valid task which requires 100% focus from the team. Should be a good match if we can make over 150 in the 1st innings.

 

[Hurricane]

**** me silly, what a terrible day's cricket. Congrats all round to England, we clearly don't deserve to win a bloody thing when none of our top order is willing to make any actual runs.

So disappointed as well, as I'm going to the first day of the Sydney Test and it's going to be my first time watching an international game, and I was hoping that the series would still be alive by then.

HAve some faith they havn't lost yet. Hussey - Watson and Haddin could easily score big ones in the next inning.

That said - Go England.

 

[Ruckus]

I reckon. What has he got left to prove/challenges in test cricket other than a test series win in India or an Ashes win in England?

He's won 99 tests as a player and really could settle down with the family, get some good $$ playing T20 and be happy. I think the rebuild of the side is the goal driving him, perhaps some good man management will get him to produce another goal related solely to batting. Back to #1 in the world might not be realistic however.

Hmm, I think his burning desire is to win in England. He has a lot of bad memories there he would want to erase.

 

[andyc]

Denying them a series win in Australia is still a valid task which requires 100% focus from the team. Should be a good match if we can make over 150 in the 1st innings.

Nah, get out. If the Ashes are lost here it doesn't matter one bit to me whether we win or lose in Sydney. I'll still be going, obvs, but it'll just be annoying and probably a little hollow.

 

[Uppercut]

Watson... could easily score a big one

Hmmmm

 

[Redbacks]

Nah, get out. If the Ashes are lost here it doesn't matter one bit to me whether we win or lose in Sydney. I'll still be going, obvs, but it'll just be annoying and probably a little hollow.

In 20 years, after another monster Australian unbeaten run, you could be baiting Englishmen about a series they couldn't win against Hussey and a sub standard bowling attack. The glass is always half full! (ok maybe a quarter full).