Australia - the aftermath of the Ashes

[robelinda]

England scored over 500 3 times in 4 tests, bowlers are to blame equally for that. Look at the Durban test in SA, India failed with the bat both innings but their bowlers got the job done regardless of how many runs their batsman made.

 

[silentstriker]

Did you just use the Indian bowling attack as a positive example?

It's settled. I have nothing more to see in life.

 

[robelinda]

Indeed!!! Well they are number one.

 

[Faisal1985]

England scored over 500 3 times in 4 tests, bowlers are to blame equally for that. Look at the Durban test in SA, India failed with the bat both innings but their bowlers got the job done regardless of how many runs their batsman made.

I am not saying that Australian bowlers did good...far from it. But you can't pin them down as the "main" problem. From test 1 the top - middle order of Australia has been ****.

To me the biggest problems and reasons for Australia to lose this Ashes = Clarke+Ponting+North.

2 of the biggest names in Australian batting have completely surrendered to England bowlers on decently good batting tracks.

If you are telling me that Siddle, Doug, Hilfi, Johnson, Harris, Dorothy were not remotely close to Anderson, Broad, Bresnan, Tremlett, Finn, Swann....then you my friend watched a different game because from where i saw the games, Hughes, Ponting, Clarke, Haddin, Smith, North were actually miles below the level of game Strauss, Cook, Trott, KP, Bell, Prior brought....

You can argue against Johnson as much as you want had Australian batting been operating only at 75% of its capacity the outcome could have been different.

How? Aussies could have drawn 1st and 2nd test along with the 3rd test by batting out the time with those massive totals that England put up....Perth would have been the difference between the winners and losers before a Sydney face off.

 

[morgieb]

Batting is a concern, but it's harder to pick holes in the batting lineup. The #6 option can change a bit, but it's hard to tap Ponting and Clarke on the shoulder for whatever reason.

Bowling is pretty easy - find 2 stock bowlers and have Johnson as a 3rd quick. Problem is, Siddle's just as inconsistent as Johnson, Hilf's been bowling turd this summer, Harris is injured, and Bollinger still seems underdone. After that, there's no other real options.

 

[dhillon28]

Aus Team (Post Ashes)

If I was an Aussie selector, post ashes I would make the following changes:

Katich (one of most consistent batsmen since 2008)
Shaun Marsh (elegant, cool head, great recent form in shield, good age)

Khawaja (most talented young orthodox Aussie batsmen atm)
Ponting (hardest working cricketer in world cricket, his discipline and work ethic must be passed on to the next generation)
Clarke (much more assured lower down the order, more of a crisis repair guy than a tempo setter and his high avg at 5/6 compared to 4 reflects this)
Hussey

Haddin (wk)

Hauritz (can hold up an end and a capable lower order batsmen, useful qualities to have when your team is on the rebuild)
Johnson (only seems to play terribly against england)
Harris
Siddle (great energy, fighter)

dont want to make too many changes too quickly, keeping hussey/ponting in team will be best way to integrate khawaja/marsh/ferguson into team


squad players:

Watson (not a first teamer as he fails to convert 50s to 100s)
Bollinger (on form a capable strike bowler)
Krejza (a big turning offspinner)
Tim Paine
Callum Ferguson

 

[TumTum]

Hughes?

 

[Burgey]

Tell you who this exposes as a ****ing myth - Troy Cooley. Bloke has had four years to get these blokes up to speed as a bowling unit and they've bloody well gone backwards!! Johnson plays tests for what, three years, and this muppet needs to have him rested for a test to work on his action mid-series? Fmd. A national embarrassment that is.

WAC. Has to go.

 

[neutralguy]

Im not a massive fan of building for a long way in the future. You can end up pushing young guys who turn out to be not good enough, casting aside experienced players and when the future arrives you can end up with nothing.

Pick your best XI regardless of reputation and potential. Have some young guys who can be blooded if there is a long term spot available due to injury or loss of form, have some experinced guys who can fill in for injury as short term replacements when a game needs to be won and, when it is close to a tossup, give the young player the spot.

Most importantly, know who your best players are. I keep seeing 10s of names thown forward for this Australia team. Its like fans and the selectors have no real idea who their best group of 20 or so players are. That will lead to a lot of chopping, changes, chances being given, people being dropped and a whole lot of drama.

Absolutely right. A case in point is Anil Kumble's retirement because of few good matches for Amit Mishra. Look where Amit Mishra is right now. I always thought when Kumble exited he still had an year left in him. But he was forced to make the choice because of Amit's few good performances.

 

[Prince EWS]

I don't know what to say about some of the posts in this thread. I think I'll go mad if I open it again; I'll just turn around and pretend I never opened it.

 

[flibbertyjibber]

One problem Australia face is the fact that the bowlers are either massively inconsistant or injury prone. it makes it very difficult to build a team when the bowing is so hit and miss. Add in the batting collapses and you have a recipe for disaster which has shown itself over the last few months.

You have to give Ponting credit for holding the side together for so long after the departure of so many stars that the problems took nearly 3 years to show in the results.

As for what they do in the future god knows. I'd start by getting rid of the selectors before dismantling the side and starting with a new regime and new captain to go with a clean slate. Try to keep Ponting in the side but drop him down to the problem number 4 position and see how he goes.

 

[Ruckus]

I'd start by getting rid of the selectors before dismantling the side and starting with a new regime and new captain to go with a clean slate. Try to keep Ponting in the side but drop him down to the problem number 4 position and see how he goes.

Yeah I really agree with that approach. I don't think the problem with the team atm is a lack of raw talent, I think it is a problem of confidence. As long as Ponting stays the captain, the team will continue to associate itself with the bad performances and lack of confidence in the past, and it will be very hard for the players to break away from that mentality. If there are new selectors, a new captain and some new players then, as you said, it is like a clean slate - a chance to start afresh and reestablish themselves as a team.

 

[Spark]

I don't know what to say about some of the posts in this thread. I think I'll go mad if I open it again; I'll just turn around and pretend I never opened it.

Drop Watson, he doesn't make enough hundreds!

 

[Furball]

Drop Watson, he doesn't make enough hundreds!

I wouldn't drop him but at the same time I've now come round massively to Jack's theory on culpability in collapses.

 

[Prince EWS]

I wouldn't drop him but at the same time I've now come round massively to Jack's theory on culpability in collapses.

Your avatar says differently.

 

[Prince EWS]

Drop Watson, he doesn't make enough hundreds!

I didn't even get up to that post; I'd well and truly face-palmed when I came across the post suggesting that 28 was too late to debut a player.

 

[morgieb]

Should check out this article.....

ALP, and cricket, must mine talent | The Australian

So hilarious. Isn't the love for NSWman in the Australian lineup down to the fact that they have the better cricketers? Try again, ****.

 

[GotSpin]

Reckon the coaching staff need to take a good long look at themselves and ponder their immediate future. I'm not really sure what Langer has been doing since Clarke and Ponting's techniques seem to have regressed if anything and Troy Cooley has really done **** all too.

 

[GotSpin]

Also think there needs to be some structural changes as well. We really need more First Class games. The shorter form temperament is really showing up too frequently

 

[CDAK]

(Don't know if this is the right thread for this comment.)
Why is Mike Hussy not even considered for Aus's Captain spot?!
He is such a reliable performer (VVS of AUS) when chips are down, nd he could ve led by example.