*Official* Fourth Test at the MCG

[Jarquis]

Wouldn't it be awesome if this match somehow resulted in a draw...1-1 going into the final game at Sydney, at the best ground and best city in the country.

All you Aussies said it'd be awesome going into this Test at 1-1.

 

[Prince EWS]

All you Aussies said it'd be awesome going into this Test at 1-1.

To be fair there aren't many times when going into a huge Test match at 1-1 wouldn't be awesome.

 

[Spark]

To be fair it would be actually pretty epic if this was a draw, as it would require a fairly monumental batting performance from here.

 

[Burgey]

Yeah, bizarre post if not.

Some people prefer the back foot rule tbh, Benaud and Chappell among them.

 

[Jarquis]

To be fair there aren't many times when going into a huge Test match at 1-1 wouldn't be awesome.

Honestly would've preferred us to be 3-0 up already.

 

[pasag]

Fair go England. Reckon things would have been a bit closer had we won the toss, but it doesn't really matter. They've played really well and deserve the urn. Hopefully we can turn things around in Sydney and regain some respect with a 2-2. Still kicking myself I didn't put $100 on England at the start of play yesterday, there were great odds but my mate was beeping loudly to leave for the ground. Should have left him waiting.

Our batting should not come as a surprise to anyone, most of us here have been going on about it since the WI and Indian tours in 08. Back then we were already seeing the cracks with one or two players always out of form and clockwork-like collapses as soon as the bowling got tight. It's a lot worse now. You can't really justify 98 ao against two pacers that weren't even in the tour's starting XI and had bowled rubbish to the Victorians on the same ground not two weeks before. In terms of selection, as I said, stick with your best XI. I can't see the point of sticking a random kid in there and getting out for 5 runs, having his technique exposed or getting carted around the park.

After England got shellacked here in 06/07 they ordered a full review of the system, I thought it was a bit over the top at the time and to be honest I still do. They weren't a bad side, just a bit unlucky with injuries, form and coming up against an all-time great side (things like Giles' dropped catch didn't help either...). However I really do believe we need a full, honest and independent review of the Australian system with three areas of focus:

1. The selectors.
2. The coaching staff.
3. The lack of spin talent coming through in Australian cricket.

And if everything is above board I'd be happy even if we weren't winning. I can accept that we do not have the right to be the best side in the world and these things are cyclical anyways. We're average now, we may be a lot better in the near future. However, addressing those three areas may get us back to the top a lot sooner.

 

[vic_orthdox]

From what I saw (about lunch onwards) Australia didn't bowl that badly; things just didn't fall their way for the main part. That happens in Test match cricket, against good opposition.

 

[Spark]

We didn't bowl too badly today at all, we kind of let slip in the last session but that happens in these situations. I thought we bowled actually quite well under the circumstances for most of the day without a great deal of assistance.

In terms of selection, as I said, stick with your best XI. I can't see the point of sticking a random kid in there and getting out for 5 runs, having his technique exposed or getting carted around the park.

But Ponting and Clarke are soft/not Test Class (I kid you not I've seen this)/overpaid (delete as necessary)!

 

[Top_Cat]

Yeah today wasn't a bad day at all, just looks bad because they're playing catch-up just to be back within 'it's a miracle' distance of not losing. Prior and Trott made hay in the last hour or so but, well, always a risk of a team under the pump running out of steam. No team who scores < 100 in an innings deserves to be in the game. At all.

The biggest Aussie problems lie with the batting for mine. Combine two of the top 6 without a Shield ton between them this year with two more woefully out of form and, well.....

 

[flibbertyjibber]

So looking ahead to day 3 i guess the plan will be Prior gets his ton then opens up and Trott can just carry on as normal and let the likes of Prior, Bresnan and Swann have some fun. Could easily get to 600 before declaring and should win it some time after lunch on day 4 to get an extra day to celebrate.

 

[King Pietersen]

What are we going to do with Paul Collingwood? 3 scores of any remote note in 2010, one of them a century against Bangladesh, then 71 against SA and 82 against Pakistan. Other than that he's done nothing. 1 century, 2 half centuries in 18 innings. He's failed to reach 50 in his last 10 innings, with 7 single figure scores and one of 11. He either needs to drop to 6 and make a significant score in the last Test, or just be dropped now. I'm not particularly keen on Morgan as a replacement (I'd like to see them blood James Taylor), but he can't do any worse than Collingwood.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

I think Colly should be dropped after the ashes, we need to replace him as he isn't performing. I'd hope that Jimmy Taylor gets a chance as he is the future and i think Morgan is too loose to be a test player. Keep Colly for a last hurrah in Sydney, we are winning the ashes with him as a specialist fielder anyway so no need to change it now.

 

[Prince EWS]

I'd keep picking Collingwood for the simple reason that I don't rate Morgan. Obviously the selectors do though or he wouldn't be in the squad ahead of Hildreth or Taylor - if they have any faith in him he should be playing by now. Dead rubber after securing the Ashes (if England do indeed win this game) is probably as good a place as any to make the change.

 

[BoyBrumby]

What are we going to do with Paul Collingwood? 3 scores of any remote note in 2010, one of them a century against Bangladesh, then 71 against SA and 82 against Pakistan. Other than that he's done nothing. 1 century, 2 half centuries in 18 innings. He's failed to reach 50 in his last 10 innings, with 7 single figure scores and one of 11. He either needs to drop to 6 and make a significant score in the last Test, or just be dropped now. I'm not particularly keen on Morgan as a replacement (I'd like to see them blood James Taylor), but he can't do any worse than Collingwood.

I think if we're 2-1 going to Sydney (and we bloody well should be) Morgs might get a run out but if it's still level we'll back Colly.

Not convinced Morgan's game is tight enought for tests, but not sure Oz have the bowlers to expose him either, so who knows?

 

[Ruckus]

The biggest Aussie problems lie with the batting for mine. Combine two of the top 6 without a Shield ton between them this year with two more woefully out of form and, well.....

Can you actually imagine the kind of mess we would be in if Hussey continued his bad run of form? Considering he had been playing poorly for more than 2 years it's a borderline miracle he stepped up at the right time. Who knows, if he was caught first ball at the Gabba when he edged the ball his condfidence might have been shot, and we could well have had a whitewash on the cards by this stage...

 

[LegionOfBrad]

What are we going to do with Paul Collingwood? 3 scores of any remote note in 2010, one of them a century against Bangladesh, then 71 against SA and 82 against Pakistan. Other than that he's done nothing. 1 century, 2 half centuries in 18 innings. He's failed to reach 50 in his last 10 innings, with 7 single figure scores and one of 11. He either needs to drop to 6 and make a significant score in the last Test, or just be dropped now. I'm not particularly keen on Morgan as a replacement (I'd like to see them blood James Taylor), but he can't do any worse than Collingwood.

My guess is that he will be shuffled out and retired (At least from tests) after the SCG. You can't have your number 5 basically contributing nothing time after time. Morgan is not as good a fielder but he is still good so Colly is not too much of a loss. I would also guess they'll go Bell 5 Morgan 6.

 

[Spark]

Can you actually imagine the kind of mess we would be in if Hussey continued his bad run of form? Considering he had been playing poorly for more than 2 years it's a borderline miracle he stepped up at the right time. Who knows, if he was caught first ball at the Gabba when he edged the ball his condfidence might have been shot, and we could well have had a whitewash on the cards by this stage...

This is probably true but there are a lot of variables that you have to consider when predicting the past like so. For example, Hussey fails and we're 250ao, basically par with England. England then put on a mammoth score and leave us about 400-500 to chase last innings. Given that that pitch was flat as a pancake, there was a possibility that Ponting especially and Clarke could make big scores on that pitch. Not win, of course, but get back in form. Then Adelaide might play out differently.

Of course this may be bogus but we'll never know. Just saying that you shouldn't take it as given as Hussey getting out cheaply that innings = we're 3-0 down now.

 

[silentstriker]

I think if we're 2-1 going to Sydney (and we bloody well should be) Morgs might get a run out but if it's still level we'll back Colly.

Not convinced Morgan's game is tight enought for tests, but not sure Oz have the bowlers to expose him either, so who knows?

I'm not quite sure I see the logic. If it's a must win situation, you'd want the batsman with the most chance to score runs. If you think Collingwood is that option, then he should play no matter what. If not, he should be dropped and whoever is a replacement should come in regardless of the situation.

 

[Howe_zat]

My guess is that he will be shuffled out and retired (At least from tests) after the SCG. You can't have your number 5 basically contributing nothing time after time. Morgan is not as good a fielder but he is still good so Colly is not too much of a loss. I would also guess they'll go Bell 5 Morgan 6.

This.

Although I suspect that Colly will finish the series in an attempt to send him out with dignity. His real last hurrah ought to be the World Cup, given the service he's done for England's one-day cricket over the years.

I would also seriously consider playing all five bowlers. Though after Flower publicly dismissed Bresnan as an all-rounder, the slim chance of that happened was completely run over.

 

[andyc]

This.

Although I suspect that Colly will finish the series in an attempt to send him out with dignity. His real last hurrah ought to be the World Cup, given the service he's done for England's one-day cricket over the years.

I would also seriously consider playing all five bowlers. Though after Flower publicly dismissed Bresnan as an all-rounder, the slim chance of that happened was completely run over.

Why consider playing five bowlers? You'll be going into Sydney 2-1 up in the series, you only need a draw and you've won the series. And it's hardly as if the English have struggled to bowl us out...